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Writer Upamanyu Chatterjee

"My Writing Is Not Scatology; It's Comic"

A chat with writer Upamanyu Chatterjee.
Chat conducted on Thursday, December 7, 2000 between 1300 hours and 1400 hours IST.

Watch Upamanyu Chatterjee reading extracts of his latest book, Mammaries of the Welfare State.

Extract 1

Extract 2

Extract 3

Upamanyu Chatterjee: Hi, It's nice to be here. I am looking forward to a chat with you all.

Chitra: I have heard a lot about IAS postings in small moffusil towns — is that part of your first book autobiographical?
Upamanyu Chatterjee: That depends on what you mean by autobiography. But some of it is certainly my own experience, and there is a large part that has been inspired by the things that I have been told, read about etc.

Megha: How do you rate your latest work — Mammaries of the Welfare State, in comparison to the English August and the Last Burden?
Upamanyu Chatterjee: It's difficult to compare them. English August (EA) is special only because its the first born.

Aniruddha: Upamanyu, do you think that Indians have the ability to laugh at themselves? Don't we usually take ourselves too seriously to come out with accounts such as the one you had written in English August?
Upamanyu Chatterjee: Yes. No, I don't think that Indians take themselves too seriously.

Samar Halarnkar: Do you ever yearn to be something else, other than an IAS officer? Or do you feel an overall satisfaction with being an IAS officer?
Upamanyu Chatterjee: Yes, I'm sure I did, but at the moment I've forgotten what it was. Yes, more or less.

Vikram Johari: Why are your writings so scatological?
Upamanyu Chatterjee: They are not. They are simply meant to be comic.

Rumman: Why do you think your second novel The Last Burden bombed after all the rave reviews English August got ?
Upamanyu Chatterjee: It did not. It had some good reviews. It simply disappointed those readers who had expected English August (II).

Abhimanyu: Would you describe yourself as a well-educated English-thinking babu? Isn't that what the average IAS employee is?
Upamanyu Chatterjee: No. No.

Sagar: Have you written the (perfect) book that you wanted to write or is it yet to come?
Upamanyu Chatterjee: I take very long to finish a book. I don't show it to anybody until I am satisfied. That still doesn't make them perfect.

Sugandha: Why is it necessary for Indian writers in English to be either cryptic or dirty? Don't they sell otherwise?
Upamanyu Chatterjee: Not all of them are cryptic or dirty. And none of them sell.

Navin: You have churned out three good books being in services and having a (good) married life with two children. Where do you give your best — to the services, writing a book or to the family? I think you must agree that you cannot do three things well at the same time, even two is difficult at a time!
Upamanyu Chatterjee: I try and give my best to whatever I am doing at the moment.

D Krishnaraj: Why your protagonist should be a pot smoking 4-letter using individual? Can't he be a god fearing family loving person not casting dirty looks at a friends wife, mother etc. You make it as such these are traits of an intellectual.
Upamanyu Chatterjee: My protagonist is God-fearing and family-loving. He hates himself for casting dirty looks at a friend's wife, mother etc.

Gabbar: I don't live in Delhi anymore, but August was such a part of all our lives in DU that I just bought your new book. I am scared to read it lest you become yet another one of those writers who can't get it up after the first (your second doesn't count, those are always BAD!) Tell us a bit more about the book, will we find another August to love?
Upamanyu Chatterjee: Buy it, I don't think you'll regret it.

G Gopa Kumar: Dear Sir.. why do you write ? Why did you chose English as your language?
Upamanyu Chatterjee: I write because I like it. I also write in Bengali, but no one publishes me.

Vikram Johari: I read in the TOI that 99% of all civil servants in this country are corrupt. Is that true?
Upamanyu Chatterjee: Ask the TOI.

Vineet: What does Upamanyu mean?
Upamanyu Chatterjee: He is there in Maneka Gandhi's book on Hindu names.

Nainu: Do you think working as an IAS officer provides good material in terms of masala for writing?
Upamanyu Chatterjee: Any experience can provide material for writing.

Upamanyu Chatterjee: It was nice chatting with all of you. I hope that you read and like the book.

Moderator: Thank you Mr Chatterjee and chat participants for taking time out for this exclusive and topical chat.
We hope you join us again next time for another ITGO chat session. Till then, goodbye.

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