Former chief secretary of the Government of Madhya Pradesh and author Anthony de Sa, IAS, who goes by the pen name, Tino de Sa, has made it to the shortlist of the Commonwealth Short Story Prize, with his entry, ‘Tamarind.’ In conversation with NT BUZZ
ADITHI SHARMA | NT BUZZ
Firstly, congratulations on the selection for the Commonwealth Short Story Prize! Could you tell us what the story is about?
Thank you. Yes, it’s only shortlisted as yet; the final prize will be announced in June.
The story itself is inspired from a rural village set in Madhya Pradesh. It’s told through the eyes of a child, who grows up in the family drama around him. And this is centred around the issue of ‘Tamarind’, that is the title of the story; and it ends with a little bit of a twist. But it brings out all the different characters, this boy, his mother, his grandfather, his aunts, grandmother, and even people who are not living at the time of the story; and it tries to build their
characters as well.
What was your reaction when you found out that the story was selected?
I was thrilled. I didn’t expect it, because I sent in my story on the last day of the competition. Suddenly, months later, I get this email, saying that I have been shortlisted.
Of course if I get the prize, I’d be extremely happy. But even if I don’t; just the fact that for an international competition, with over 8,000 entries from 54 countries- and not necessarily exclusive to English, because there are about 12 languages in which they accept stories from all over the commonwealth- for your one story to get whittled down to 25? It’s a validation of the quality of your writing and recognition for it. So that gives me more satisfaction and confidence.
Has your decades of public service career played a role in this story or your
other works?
In this particular story, no. But the fact that I have lived many years in Madhya Pradesh, travelled widely in rural areas, and got to know its wonderful people over decades- that provided me with the background to set this story.
I do have stories that directly relate to experiences in administration and all that, which have appeared in some other books.
Did you always write fiction while working in the civil service or was it something you pursued more out of a personal choice after retirement?
I have written non-fiction pieces. I used to write a lot for the newspapers, and these would be based on real incidents. But my first love is actually fiction and poetry, and that I continued to pursue throughout. If you don’t have another interest or hobby while working, especially in the government, you will lose sanity.
Your stories draw inspiration from Indian scenarios of reality. Layered with this socio-political environment, how do you balance commentary with fiction?
There are different ways of expressing things. If your stories are not relevant, no one is going to like them. There is so much that influences society – politics, language, caste system, economic differences – and all this need to be built into your story.
Also, it has to be more of a show, don’t tell. Because if you just start describing things as they are, then your story will read more like a report.
Your books and stories are based on your life experiences. Tell us about the process.
I suppose different authors have different ways. For me, two things can attract me to write a story. I call it a hook. One is, sometimes I just think of an end. “What should happen in the end?” And then I build the story from there. For example, like this one, ‘Tamarind.’ I thought of the end first. But many times, at least in 50% of the cases, the end changes while I’m writing. But you have to have something in view to progress.
Some stories of mine begin with an interesting beginning that occurs to me. Like just a first line, or sometimes just a title. I think, “This will make a lovely title for a story”, and then it’s the title that makes you,
write the story.
You haven’t written a novel yet. What role do short stories play that novels don’t?
Both have a plus point and a negative point. In the sense that, I think that in a novel, the plus point is that you have enough space to develop your characters. And so you can go through many long dialogues in the background and your characters develop. And you have that ability, that space to do it. But the challenging point about a novel is that you have to persistently hold the interest of your reader, for 200 pages.
In a short story, that is not so much of a challenge because you have about 15-20 pages to do and you can hold the interest of your reader for that. But the challenge is to create that atmosphere, to create characters, to create everything within the limits of 5000 words. Otherwise, your story reads
very superficially.
What does this literary recognition like the Commonwealth Prize mean for
Indian writers?
It means a lot. India is the largest country of the Commonwealth. And yet, we don’t always get as much recognition. We of course have been getting a number of prizes like The Booker Prize last time was given to a book that was written in Hindi and translated, that is ‘Tomb of Sand’ by Geetanjali Shree, translated into English by U.S. translator Daisy Rockwell. So we have got recognition. But I think that an Indian author, at least being in the shortlist of the prizes, is good. One feels happy about it. And more than anything, it also encourages more writers in India to enter such competitions, submit their work and bring it to the attention of a
global audience.
When it comes to stories that are rooted in India, those stories particularly need to be brought to a global audience. And I think that it is good that such
a thing happens.
(All the 25 stories shortlisted stories
will be published in London, after
the results are declared.)
