MARIO PUZO Visi Tilak meets Vikram Chandra, author of “Sacred Games,” a new sensation that is redefining pulp fiction with its literary flair. talked-about work in Americas highly competitive publishing industry would be a hefty tome Cee era Sent ets Serotonn whose "Sacred Games" is reported to have sparked a frenzied bidding ‘normal’ kind“ me as iter” ash pappy and thunderstruck and during a sitdown inter- Long surprised, ‘@ posh Boston hotel, acclaim, bu wally in black slicks is receiving now JTERARY BACKGROUND says. “Sometimes. there would be relaxed and rested and at that point Iwas veryhappy with Navin and Kamna Chi ame characters and sofo xtzemely matter-of-fact about his mylifethe wayitwas,writingliter- father isa corporate executiveand ental it just seemed rat | celebrity status, arynovelsand books and finding to him to write down d mes’ and even whe was finished, I expected the same as much, su «claim has kind of response when Isent off “Since my mother is a wiltes, ing novels and iteratun ft the 45-year-old writer a litle the manuseript to my agent. allthree of us,x ferocity, borrowing books from smused, And the money Suddeniyall his excitement sart- ters and J, grew up seeing her at lending Uibrares, uni he ran 0 1 am not allowed to say con- ed happening in New York. Both the kitchen table writing plays for of money and had to beg fo tually, but It was more money Melanie (his wife) and I were sit- Dootdarshan and AIR” Chandra 1 han | had ever seen befor 2s racy tillers by James iting at home getting these phone says, "Then later,when we moved Bes1 didnt understand,” b recalls in an interview with Bont ab Powell at the University of isby’ at age 15 in India, 1 kn social or symbolic ~ and it still blew me away, twas so beaut Chandra became @ published story appeared inthe school may encouraged me to submit it to th school magazine and it got pub: lished,” says the Iseac Asimov fan efetreally great,” bout being published. "The erick lenly knew who you were. It ng. 1 have be et, Chandra didsit aspire to 7 riter. He had nen be te young that i hard to make a decent 1 i, when elf as a writer because ofthe fact nthe check my he says."Foran hou ld get hard, pake aliving fom finished my BA. at jund the subjectforhis first novel cess of his third book, Chandra very angry, ! am stil any and decided to quit to follow his says, for him, each one has be ways thought of people o riting dreams. The autobiogra nat ding. “Ithink th the lav as “aksha mes. “Sikander ing thing about writing Whenever peopl mething 1s ition isthat verysoon you realize that you dont like t0 think th soldier, born of an Indian mothe books and stories have a ve _ 2 tend {0 mal and a British father, inspi ile in the world.” he hem other’ and the seary thing hhandrals first novel, “Red Earth — rather philosophically hey tum out tobe people just ike nd Pouring. instance, I stil get e-mails he says. "That's the par Described by The Atlantic from people who are reading ‘Red at us human beings, wo nonthly as “the history of India Earth’ for the fist time and are are capable of all these things at converted into the brilliant disor- passionately engaged with it still 1 the same time of a kaleidoscope,” his debut think that the wonderful thing That, in a nutshell, is the sto novel was received verywell."Lave about fictions that it of Ganesh Gaitonde, the protag nd Longing in Rombay,” his next from where you wrote it, a nist of “Sacred Games," whose rise k, won the Commonivealth ries find tl (0 very distant — from humble beginnings to one rites Prize for Best First Book, partsoftheworldandthen people Bombay's most feared mobbosse veating Arundhatl Roy’ “The God make it their own is the central narrative of the ff Small Things,” which andra family is very ok ged runner-up nected with Bombay's film xed Games" has a glossary industry; the impact ofthe under- of Hindi and Marathi ld has been very close to including many never used in Chandra then went on 10 00> hom polite socie Mission rere get 1 use of “colorful language ulm st been a copie of discussion for ing Heth n and Pri pe says. man rs and erties, even Zinta. On this project, he collabo n+ prompting The New York Times ated with journalist and autho sand issue an Edit zing Sukett Mehta, Bollywood director he refsed to pay up and suxlden- forthe use of ‘obs ordsina hu Vinod Chopra and ly there were armed guards, men review of the book niter Toshi (o ith guns all around his house "My intent, while writing this Raho Munnabhai” fam his kids were growing up in a book, was 10 use the English tha d Gan jearsin world where people with auto- is actuslly used in India and s the making, followed. mite weapons were just part of ken in India on a regular bas Despite the phenomenal suc- the landscape. At that point 'was Chandra says."So,ifLwassit- bf peer) ‘many European lan March-Apri 2007this book @ ting in abar with afriend and moving: perhaps the next day, efandanequally vorac telling these stories to him/her, |__ something else will eur et after seven years of writing, — they could find « larger audience would use that kind of English Its lot of hard work. “Fiction henow playing’catch-up" andis than they could find for a work of and you would assume the writing can be really tough, and halfway through Gabriel Garcia literary ition knowledge. Thar what Idi sometimes in the middle, you Marquez’s “Memories of My Currently on “holida think just like we Indians, question the virtue of what you Melancholy W cis there that we expect to be «@ ito see it and those days you Other writers he admires evision and listen to music."What understand, but by context we ge nto the end.” Premchand, PD. James, Arthur turning. itishard to getaway from it and we figure it out as we goon Chandra says ‘Conan Doyleand Edgar Allan Poe. 1." he says about his writing with the book he says, “think Another interesting book he read “So think fTeanavoid this for that an American reader or any GREATIVE JUICES recently was by an Indian —alltle while it fees ikea holiday ther reader from outside of the What really gets his creative American ~ “An Ode to Lata” by slike when you are a kid during country will also do this ices Noaving is reading, listening Ghali Dhala the long summer holidays, you Another fascinating aspect of to music and watching movies, "What ike about Indian writ- can read whatever you like and Sacred Games’ is the author’. "What youare doing, inasense,is ing is the variety of things that there are no exams coming keen knowledge ofall manner of feeding the imagi nation and people are doing and the va unsavory pursuits. Apparently, sometimes, by itself, a solution of techniques they are using,” of a geek.” He says he likes tc this -e. You cant just Chandra says. “There is no one — nology. While attending graduate streets of Bombay talking to “all compel it to come, I guess that’s school in terms of method! or school, he did some computer kindsof people policemen, jour- just the truth, you know there is ology, so think itisa very healthy ramming and software and nalists, astroloist, social work- no foreing it,” says Chandra, who period. rardware consulting on the side ers, atfitsticwas very random.” enjoyslistening to music when he And what accounts for the "While I was writing ‘Sacred fo get a Teel ofthe dark side of writes, popularity of Sacred Games"? Games; I used! Microsoft Project life in Bombay, Chandraattanged “Melanie is also avwriter When “Maybe this time the novel to keep track of characters and xe who could give we first moved in together, we plays with a lot of perverts and the storyline, etc L was surprised x of things th him the proper ins heen a big talking point for this quite work out at all, because she ally belong in what people call niche, Maybe that can be my next uid fietion book, this question of research likes absolute silence when she ‘genre fiction’ with detective sto- project ind specially, ‘Oh! so you really writes" hesays,addingalotofthe ries and police mysteries, ete,” writing software." he says with met bad people!’ " he acknowl: music he listens to i instrumen- Chandra says twinkle in his eye exlges tal, Indian oF jazz fasion (Jobe This could have been one of Is this where he i going t0 Tnitaly; he was led by his own MeLaughlin) or Hindi film musie. the reasons that the publishers make his next milion? Only time curiosity, Chandrasays."Andthen An “omaivorous movie watch- liked this book so much and that wil tel later on inthe writing ofthe book, PCM LITERARY COUPLE: Chandra bout how is a particular thing | seam a poe eerear aes from hete «there, hen | would ES Ranadernasaeaent try to find people who could arial ees snswer these questions Yet, even for a disciplined writer, the actual writing part ean bea tough task, Chandra a senio lecturer at the University of California at Herkeley, works at his writing “six days a week during the semestersand whatever days mornings from about 8 am, tll lunchtime Writing has to be teste ike a job, he says, "because if you wait for inspiration then you're dead Even if that day there is nothing sont of happening then just siting there and foreing oneself to think