India is shining indeed. After much auctioning, the Tatas took over Corus and became the fifth largest steel maker in the world and only the second in Europe after NRI Lakshmi Mittal’s company. And then, you have Shilpa Shetty’s victory over alleged racism on a TV show that got her Rs 86 crore in endorsement and other deals. Not to mention, Sania Mirza regaining her form and entering the top 50 world ranking.
After IT, these are the most notable ones hitting international headlines of late. A decade ago, India was internationally known for only beauty queens who served little purpose. Today, a majority of scientists at NASA are Indians. Ditto with the intellectual capital in Dubai and other Middle eastern countries.
However, what enthralls me most is how India is helping non-Indians make their millions. Take Gregory David Roberts, the writer of Shantaram, a film that’s soon going to hit the production floors in Hollywood. It’s a real-life story of Roberts himself. Life changed for this armed robber and heroin addict when he escaped from an Australian prison and took refuge in a Mumbai slum. Roberts soon establishes a free health clinic and joins the Mumbai mafia as a money launderer, forger and a street soldier. More than the story, it’s the sights and sounds of India that give the book a gritty authentic flavour. Roberts wrote Shantaram three times after prison guards trashed the first two versions. Roberts was captured in Germany in 1990 and eventually extradited to Australia. One completing his prison term, he set up a small multimedia company and is now a full-time writer living in Melbourne. That’s the story of an armed robber who becomes a well-known writer, courtesy India.
Yann Martel is yet another writer who made profound use of India to launch himself into the international market. His book Life of Pi won him the Man Booker Prize 2002. Though born in Spain, he grew up in Costa Rica, France, Mexico, Alaska and Canada. But as an adult, he spent time in Iran, Turkey and India. It’s the last destination that germinated this book. More than anything, it’s the Panchatantra-like quality of the book that captivates you. It’s this essence that Martel imbibes from his visit to India and makes maximum use of it to weave a tale filled with ‘astonishment, delight and gratitude.’
Which brings me to Indian diplomat Vikas Swarup. After serving in Turkey, the US, Ethiopia and the UK, when he sits down to write a story, it’s set in India. His book Q&A is a straight take on Kaun Banega Crorepati bordering on how a show like that can also be rigged. But what is again the highlight is neither the show nor the rigging but the rich and diverse culture that we live in. And that is what engages the reader and takes you on a roller-coaster ride: from the mafia underworld to glue-sniffers, arrogant whites, oppressive servants and families who prostitute a daughter… essentially all the ingredients of a Bollywood potboiler. No wonder this book is being made into a film and a stage musical. What’s more, for wider access, the book is being translated into twenty-five languages.
My friends in the publishing industry tell me that India is shining so bright that any book on India is being lapped up, merit be damned. So when are you writing your first book, dear reader? Make the most of now.