Writer’s Corner: In conversation with Roopa Pai

Pai thinks of Bengaluru arsenic a “liberal, accepting, largehearted melting pot”, with the caller online trends astir the metropolis being unwelcoming an anomaly successful the 50 years and much she has resided successful it.

Pai says, “This is simply a metropolis of writers… determination are speechmaking movements and bookstores successful a mode that you don’t spot successful different cities. I was astir apt influenced by that… if you are a reader, your thoughts crook to penning astatine immoderate point. My mode of expressing myself turned to writing.”

She recalls that increasing up astatine a clip erstwhile a batch of children’s fabrication was done the lens of Western authors specified arsenic Enid Blyton, she recovered practice successful the signifier of the children’s mag “Target”. She adds, “It was an Indian mag with Indian writers that showed maine that beingness was bully wherever I was – I didn’t person to look determination else. That’s the constituent I decided to beryllium a children’s writer… and correspond Indian children, mythology and symbolism, truthful a procreation of children would not turn up looking elsewhere.” Among Pai’s extended enactment for children is her “Taranauts” caller series.

On penning for adults and children, Pai says, “Every big was erstwhile a child. So, if an big reads a children’s book, it should beryllium capable to interaction that kid successful them… it takes you backmost into different space. The lone happening is erstwhile penning for adults I tin usage longer sentences which I would debar successful a children’s publication – I privation it to beryllium accessible to them.” She is besides a carnal of wont erstwhile it comes to penning – thing she exclusively does successful the daytime astatine her ain table astatine home. She laughs, “It frees maine from the tyranny of carrying my laptop everywhere.”

Her publication connected Cubbon Park was peculiarly extensive, covering parts of its past specified arsenic the informal euphony concerts successful the 1980s. Pai notes that having grown up successful that play was an advantage, having heard of specified events astatine the time, portion besides interviewing Bangaloreans regarding their memories of specified events. The publication had its beginnings erstwhile she was asked to constitute astir a neighbourhood of the city. She says, “No neighbourhood had a clasp connected maine for each of my life. Some for work, immoderate for a home… erstwhile my editors said it request not beryllium a accepted neighbourhood, the penny dropped. Cubbon Park was the lone spot that has held maine successful the thenar of its manus from erstwhile I was a kid to an adult, for my ain kids…”

Noting the scope for a writer successful the city, Pai says, “The lone Indian to person been nominated for the Arthur C Clarke grant for Speculative Fiction was initially Amitav Ghosh… past a Bangalore writer was shortlisted, Lavanya Lakshminarayan… immoderate benignant of publication that has been written has been written successful Bangalore. So, it is fertile ungraded for caller writers. For them, I person 2 tips – read, you request to capable your caput with voices to beryllium a caller writer. Second – write, due to the fact that conscionable speechmaking and coming up with plots successful your caput tin lone spell truthful far. The trade has to beryllium honed with agelong practice.”