
Ever since my first book “The gods must be smiling” was launched at Crossword, Bangalore, late in the month of June, I have been bombarded with one question “What made you write a story on such a topic?”.
Well, there is answer to this question. I happened to read about a trans woman Vice chancellor and opened my eyes towards looking at trans class of people in a different light. That is it!
I had heard about some trans politicians, but an academic! Not many might have heard. Me neither. It isn’t surprising why – SOCIETY, we are a part of it, I mean we are it. The society has always seen these people as unwanted and relegated them to the outer rings of the system, snatching their rights to freedom, to education , to employment and to live.
Initially I began writing from a parents perspective. However as the story began to unravel in my mind, I had to get in Manja, my protagonist. With the aid of his father Seetha and friend Neil, Manja attains success in life, just like the aforementioned VC.
To be honest, I always believed that the idea of trans was something of a mental illness, but as I wrote, I realized that it well could be a real condition of certain unfortunate people. It is not good to judge a book by its cover alone. One never knows what is inside.
I hope you have been able to pick up a copy of the book. For those who have, I hope you have liked it.
I will keep this space updated with my thoughts and experiences with “THE GODS MUST BE SMILING” . It was a a avalanche of many “FIRST TIMES” for me as a writer. HAPPY READING.
Hi Anil
Congratulations and hats off to you for writing about Trans. It brought back so many childhood memories too. I got a cooy of the book from your mom.