Hunting for the write space

Author, publisher and director of the Jaipur Literature Festival Namita Gokhale chats about her latest book and her new dream of building literary bridges.

Her latest book, Jaipur Journals, which was published earlier this year, earned rave reviews for its fictional account of the mayhem and madness that takes place at the Jaipur Literature Festival. She should know, considering she is the founder-director of the prestigious festival. A prolific writer, with deep insights into human psychology, Namita Gokhale’s books sensitively delve into core issues, portray complex characters and showcase comical charades.

Not one to rest on her laurels, Namita’s already ready with another novel set to release in 2021. She has also co-authored a book on Michael Madhusudan Dutt, which will be out later this year. What’s more, she has a new venture, ‘Words Are Bridges’, up her sleeve. Excerpts from an interview.

How did the concept of Words Are Bridges evolve? The first series was held in July 2020. How has the response been?

We felt it was time to return to our roots in the Indian languages and also to the larger themes of translation and world literature. Words Are Bridges was born out of this conviction. I was personally delighted by the first session in the series titled ‘Translating Joy’ with the great Bangla poet Joy Goswami, his translator, the English poet, Sampurna Chatterjee and the distinguished poet, critic and curator Ranjit Hoskote. The session received an enthusiastic response from a cross-section of viewers.

How did you go about selecting the writers in various languages for this eight-conversation series?

We worked closely with a mainstream publisher on their list of authors from their translated titles, attempting to include languages from across India. A wonderfully calibrated list has emerged from this and I am eagerly waiting for the sessions to roll out.

Do you think regional language authors do not get the kind of attention and respect English-writing authors do?

Writers from different languages get affection and respect from their home states and linguistic groups. The challenge is to make their work available and accessible in different languages, including English. Both Hindi and English serve as key link languages in this process.

With the country often being torn apart by regional politics, do you feel this initiative will unite people across India?

I don’t think that the divisive regional and language politics extend to literature. Many readers and book lovers are bilingual and even trilingual. The idea of ‘Many languages and One Literature’ is deeply alive in reading and publishing circles. The presence of multilingual online platforms, including ‘Words Are Bridges’, will add to the equal and inclusive participation across India, South Asia and elsewhere.

You have several books to your credit. What kind of writing do you enjoy most?

I just completed a new novel, which will be out next year. A play on the life of Michael Madhusudan Dutt (co-authored by Dr Malashri Lal) will be published later this year. I enjoy working on different genres. Fiction is undoubtedly the most challenging and also the most rewarding.

Things to Leave Behind, published in 2016, won the Sushila Devi Literature award last year. You have won other awards too. What do you they mean to you as a writer?

I have actually received very few awards. I feel extremely honoured when I am commended for my books and work. There are so many wonderful and deserving voices out there and it’s gratifying to have a book given an award.

You have undergone a lot of trauma in your personal life. Did writing novels prove cathartic in dealing with the pain?

I’ve seen ups and downs in my life, so I understand pain, but most people I know have faced their share of trials. Writing is a way of dealing with life, but for me, the impulse for writing fiction is to get under the skin of other people and understand things from multiple perspectives.

Jaipur Journals chronicles the lives of
delightful characters like Rudrani Rana and the poetry-spouting burglar. Are these an amalgamation of people you have met at the fest?

The characters in Jaipur Journals came from so many levels of observation, so many encounters. They came to me as full-blown characters, with their quirks and foibles — I listened to them and recounted their stories.

What do you think will the future of publishing be, considering how books have gone online now?

Yes, online narratives in different formats and platforms are the order of the day — practical and pragmatic at so many levels. And online literature festivals and book launches have a longer viewing life and can be accessed more easily by interested audiences from various geographical locations. That said, physical audiences lend a sense of community, of participatory joy, that is precious and valuable.