The great Indian ‘revolution’

With politics being debated, discussed, commented upon and written about — people are leaving no stone unturned when it comes to the subject. The recent one being Dilip Pandey and Chanchal Sharma’s novel Dehleez Par Dil: A love story linked to the history of ‘AAP’ which is set against the backdrop of Delhi political affairs. As we speak to these politically-savvy authors they reveal that the book rewrites the changes that took place in the capital over the past three years.

An IT consultant, who woke up to fight against corruption and a social networking enthusiast, who chronicled events — this is the duo behind Dehleez Par Dil. The book runs from the origin of the India against corruption movement till the campaign for Delhi elections however they affirm, “It is absolute fiction and is primarily a love story which is set against the backdrop of Indian politics. What sets it apart from any other novel is that, we are also able to tell you the insides of the movement since we have been a part of it.” Dilip was an established IT consultant “living a luxurious life in Hong Kong” when he woke up to the news of the India against corruption movement. “When I heard about it, I packed my bags and moved to India wanting to make a difference. I came here intuitively and have been involved actively since then.”

Prod him whether this was his first tryst with writing and he reveals that, “I have written small poems, ghazals and articles but did not know if I had it in me to write a full book. It was Chanchal who supported me to push it forward.” Speaking to Chanchal, we discover that she is a fire brand and at 27 is steering towards a future which she took up with open arms. She says, “I finished my graduation and was looking for work when I came across the fast by Anna Hazare at Jantar Mantar and just went to take a look and ended up fasting. My parents did not even know I was in the movement, but for me it was self-discovery and it changed my life after that.”

The idea for the book they say came in an instant, “I was initially writing posts on social networking sites but after Dilip suggested that instead of such messages why not come out with a book which would be more effective — that’s when we began working on it.” Both confess that the book was written in a span of three months and Chanchal is already on her way to write her second book 5 out of 50 per cent about which she says, “It is more about women in politics and how women own 50 per cent of the vote bank.”

Dehleez Par Dil traces the life of two people Jeevit and Ranu who are a reflection of today’s reality as Dilip explains, “It mirrors the changing face of Delhi which stands as a witness to a new energy and the rise of a brand new politics. Its impact exceed to the thinking of the whole country and the challenges that the old style politics and politicians face.” In a nutshell, this novel is not just an outsider’s view of the political goings on but it also gives you a chance to peep into behind the scenes action of the movement.