Interviewing Palash Krishna Mehrotra.

Q) What do you think of the concept of bringing Dickens and Manto on the same platform in this Literary Festival?

-Charles Dickens and Sadat Hassan Manto are two of many favourite authors. It is nice to bring a short story writer along with a novelist on the same stage.

Q) What is your opinion of this particular event?

-(laughs pleasantly) I haven’t really seen it yet. No idea about it.

Q) What kind of books do you prefer to read and who are your favourite authors? And your favourite genre?

-I have read Dickens from a young age mainly the abridged versions. His stories seems to grip you. Manto is someone I have always admired. As a short story writer I have always admired Manto. Some of my favourite writers are Vilas Sarangal, Raven Karen, J. D. Salinger’s Nine Stories (1953) and Jeet Thayil whose work has been nominated for the Booker Prize 2012.

Q) How will you classify your latest work,’ The Butterfly Generation’? and why is it named so?

-It is a book about people in their thirties and the socialist movement of the 70’s India. It is different now as it is capitalistic. Butterfly stands for metamorphosis. India since the 1970’s has seen a change, from Bajaj-Chetak Scooters to Maruti cars. It took my father six years to buy a Chetak scooter. This book brings two worlds together. There is a sense of nostalgia when the two worlds of the past and the present are brought together.

Prof. Assadudin added: The change from cycle to scooter to the Maruti car to the present, we can see, a sea change between the past and the present.

Q) Tell us something about your upcoming work “The Eternal Tenant”?

Mr. Palash Krishna Melhotra - This book is set in South Delhi and its about a House. There are 3-4 dysfuctional middle age characters who pass through this house. The tenant is a guy who moves into the house but never leaves it.  The rest of the plot will work out in the mind gradually (smiles).

Prof. Ameena Kazi Ansari- Interestingly now a days cities have been captured in the writings.

-Nayema, Farhain and Lubna (L-R)
MA Final