The Lost Flamingos of Bombay by Siddharth Dhanvant Sanghvi - Book Reading and Paperback Edition Launch
Crossword, SB Road, Pune , 17th December
Any event which has Sonja Chandrachud, a children’s author popularly known as the Desi Rowling, Anjali Joseph, author and journalist who’s featured by The Daily Telegraph (UK) as one of 2010’s Top 20 Novelists under 40 and the man of the moment Siddharth Dhanvant Sanghvi, hailed as India’s next Salman Rushdie, is bound to be an event crackling with wit and dialogue.
When I first called up Crossword to enquire about the book reading of The Lost Flamingos of Bombay, I was told it was the reading of The Lost Case of Mangoes. But luckily, someone not so fond of mangoes came to the rescue and confirmed that yes, Siddharth Sanghvi, author of Last Song of Dusk and The Lost Flamingos of Bombay will indeed be in Pune for the launch his second novel’s paperback edition and book reading.
Thus on that absurdly hilarious note, I made my way to Crossword and had the opportunity to chat up the lovely and very friendly Sonja before the book reading began. The event started just 20 minutes behind schedule, and everyone was thankful, but none so much as Siddharth (who evidently had to make it for some drinks on time).
(From left to right: Sonja Chandrachud, Siddharth Sanghvi, Anjali Joseph)
The Last Song of Dusk, his first novel , tells the story of four extraordinary lives, exploring relationships and secrets, with music playing a dominant role. It won the Betty Trask Award, one of UK’s most prestigious prizes for debut novels. His second novel, The Lost Flamingos of Bombay, has been called a “chronicle of four friends caught in modern India ’s tidal wave of uneven prosperity and political failure is also a profoundly moving meditation on love’s betrayal and the redemptive powers of friendship.” It was shortlisted for the Man Asian Literary Prize 2008.
Siddharth, as a person, is as measured and vibrant with his words in his answers and comebacks as he is in his books. Be it a query about how he mixes the mystical and the contemporary in his writings or the topics that he chooses to deal with, all of his answers sound like music to your ears. I was probably very taken by that music to remember all of the answers and the questions asked (An interview with him will soon be up, so you can get your answers there).
He recounted how the idea to write a book crept in when he was telling stories to his friends in exchange for drinks and how his childhood, spent curled up in tree-houses reading and participating in small exercises (to put into words what the mind visualized) created by his grandfather, a Jungian scholar, all added up to his becoming a writer. When asked why he claimed that his second book will be his last book, he answered, “My first book was written so that I could get free drinks. The first experience was all new and fascinating. Now there’s nothing new, so I don’t feel like it anymore.” When prodded some more he revealed that he would always continue to tell stories, though the instrument might change.
When someone in the audience asked all the three authors how they felt about being put under “Indian Fiction” shelves in book stores, Sonja mentioned that she sits next to International children’s writers on most bookshelves. Siddharth said he was merely glad that he was on a bookshelf in a store, when Sonja joked, “If your book is being sold on the footpaths, it means that you’ve truly made it.”
One of the highlights of the evening was when someone asked Siddharth about how he manages to write up such stories and characters given his young age and he quipped, “I’m actually 247 years old with excellent skin-care products.”
The audience was a good mix of excited college students, journos and quite a few grey-haired folks. And if I’m not mistaken, all of them bought a signed copy after that delightful exchange.
(Photo courtesy: Crossword, Pune)
0 books l Rs. 00.00
