This is a powerful story with strong and somewhat turbulent imagery. Could you tell us about the context of the story and your inspiration for writing it?​

​

Thank you. This story is a throwback to my reading habit. Growing up, I used to read a lot of James Hadley Chase novels. I would go with my dad to the railway station near my home, my left-hand fingers wrapped around his right thumb, and stare at the railway bookstore depots that you see on platforms. These bookstores would have entire shelves dedicated to pulp fiction. Dad wouldn’t buy them of course. But I would eventually find a way to read those so-called ‘adult books’. The books would be very fast-paced and would have a cliffhanger at the end of every chapter. Cut to twenty years later and I enrolled in a creative writing class because why the hell not. I was introduced to Donald Barthelme’s ‘The school’, and it brought back so many memories. What if Donald Barthelme and James Hadley Chase decide to collaborate? In short, I wanted to write a racy, fast-paced story which would give you a lot of joy while reading. I hope I have succeeded in doing that. 

​

​

The story contains strong elements of humour. Could you speak to your use of humour to convey the central message or theme of the story?

​​

Well, I think our lives are funny. Indians generally appear for CAT exam – it is an aptitude test that measures, among other things, one’s verbal proficiency in English. The end result is people end up memorising words that they will never use in their lifetime. I have found this exercise to be quite ridiculous. I also wanted the story to reflect our current times which are also very funny. WhatsApp forwards that act as knowledge points, people doing things for things’ sake. These are funny times. I wanted my story to reflect that. 

​

​

We meet a number of characters briefly through the arc of the story. Tell us more about Adham as a main character. How would you characterise his motivations/ purpose/ perspective in guiding the plot of the story?

​

Ok so the names. The name Adham is for Adham Khan, a general of Akbar who was defenestrated. Fela Kuti was a Nigerian superstar who pioneered African beats. Ravil is named after an oligarch who was defenestrated in Russia. I have tried to create an easter egg where every name is from someone in history. As for Adham’s motivation – imagine a minority who is being asked to do different things because he is a minority. All of us are minorities in some aspect of identity and we all try to fit in. Does that go well? Or do you need to jump out of a window? You tell me.

​

​

Could you tell us about your motivation for writing the story and what you hope your readers will take from it?

​

My motivation is to not be preachy in a story. If you like reading the story, do read it. If not – there are so many other things that could make your life joyous. Please go do that. I believe literature is a subset of entertainment and I want my stories to be wildly entertaining. If there is a message, please take it or maybe don’t. But you should have fun.

​

​

Do you think your story speaks to the possibility of an otherwise, and if so, how?

​​​

I would love the reader to tell me about the possibility of an otherwise. Sometimes the writer simply doesn’t know.

​