My books are rooted in history, says acclaimed writer Amitav Ghosh

New Delhi: At 53, life couldn't have got any better for Amitav Ghosh. Even a year after publication of his book Sea of Poppies, the novelist is enjoying the adulation he is getting for it. He was the hot contender for the prestigious Man Booker 2008 prize. The novel was shortlisted among the six. But in the close run, he lost to another Indian writer Aravind Adiga for The White Tiger. Since awards are not new to Ghosh, it's a matter of some other award another time.

His first book, The Circle of Reason was published in 1986. Since then he has written many others, including The Hungry Tide, The Glass Palace, Countdown, The Calcutta Chromosome, The Shadow Lines and The Circle of Reason.

On his recent visit to New Delhi, Gulf News spoke to Ghosh, for whom achievement means fulfilling a potential. He said, "Achievement cannot be any one thing which is particular to an individual. For some people it could just mean to get through the day."

GULF NEWS: Considering life is preordained, would you say you were a born writer?

AMITAV GHOSH: I dreamt of becoming a writer since I was seven years old. Immediately after finishing college at 20, I wanted to start writing. I wrote my first book in a tiny 10 feet by 10 feet top floor room in Defence Colony in New Delhi. This was in the mid 70s. During those days there was no publishing industry in India and I faced a difficult time going from one publisher to another carrying my manuscripts. Finally, The Circle of Reason was published.

Would you consider this the best time going for Indian writers on the international arena?

Having been writing for over three decades, I feel it is great to be an Indian writer today. The world is our audience. After all the experiences I have had, it is easier for me to put them into my books now. But then obviously, I could not do the same when I was very young, as at that age one did not have the depth of knowledge.

While writing, do you intentionally like addressing certain issues?

By way of my books, if I can, I would like to address specific issues to which I can make a difference. But otherwise, my basic motto is to write the kind of books I enjoy reading. I like writing non-fiction and a novel interests me. As a form, it allows you an incredible freedom and I think of it as the most complete form of utterance known to man. Since I am fascinated by history, my books are rooted in history and I can pronounce things in great detail, even though it may sometime mean saying them in rather dull factual specifics. The novel, on the other hand, can make links that history cannot. And I love the novel's total inclusiveness.

 Which book of yours would you enjoy reading if you had not written it?

I would have keenly read Sea of Poppies even if I had not written it. It has the texture coming from its use of a variety of languages, dialects and slangs — a whole mix of Bhojpuri and Hindustani. The story is set in the 1830s during the time when the opium trade had become the main sustenance of the British Empire. They used Indian farmers to cultivate opium and Indian merchants to ply the trade as they didn't want to take direct responsibility. But the revenue generated from it, which was equal to the total revenue of the United States then, did not come back to India. It was used to purchase tea and other essentials from China to be sold in England.

In what way did you prepare yourself before writing Sea of Poppies?

I learnt Bhojpuri grammar and thoroughly enjoyed doing so. It had me watching Bhojpuri films. The sound of these films is so sweet and I understand the language very well, as my family was settled in Chhapra in Bihar and my father and grandfather spoke Bhojpuri.

Do you always go through an extensive phase of research before venturing into a new book?

For each of my novels I have spent several years of research, which for me is the easy and fun part. Travelling and going to libraries, especially maritime libraries, interests me. In fact, it took me four-and-a-half years to do research for The Hungry Tide. I even took a crash course in sailing to get the hang of the sea. I got on to a ship with a retired English sea captain, who sailed with a parrot on his shoulder. And we were in the Caribbean for a week. I cannot imagine writing the book without having actually sailed. But it was perhaps the toughest thing that I have ever learnt. It was ethereal to watch dolphins leap in front of me.

You seem to have a fascination for boats, which are central to almost all your works?

I love boats and feel sad for the fact that over the years Indians have turned their back upon the very rich history of seamanship. Until a hundred years ago it was possible to sail the entire length of the River Ganga, but you cannot do it anymore. I wish things change for the better.

On finishing one novel and starting another, what kind of turmoil do you go through?

It is very difficult to finish one book and start another, because in the process of writing, you become so attached to the characters. It's like leaving old friends and making new ones, which is never easy. Moreover, I have never been able to mould my characters according to what I feel. They become who they are. I think after a point of time writers do not have much control over their characters. The characters develop a mind of their own.

Your most ambitious project? And the most difficult?

Sea of Poppies is a labour of love and my most ambitious project. The first of the serial magnum opus, it will perhaps keep me busy for the rest of my writing life. As for the most difficult, The Hungry Tide was really demanding because of the physical conditions of being in the sea.

Some of your books are being considered by Hindi filmmakers to base their films on.

Yes, some prominent Bollywood filmmakers have shown interest in filming my books The Calcutta Chromosome and The Hungry Tide. Although I am open to the idea, nothing has been finalised. But I would not be writing the screenplay. Bollywood appeals to me a lot, including Raj Kapoor's movies. I have also always admired Satyajit Ray. He was a wonderful filmmaker and writer and his works influenced me a great deal.

Quite in contrast to the swirling stories you write, you are considered to be a very private person?

I lead a very quiet life and am happy that way. My privacy is very important to me. Were I to always be in public eye, I would hate it. Moreover, I need the seclusion to write more and do not like driving attention to myself. I believe that it is the individuality of the writer that creates his work. For me, it is important that my books should matter more than me. I am not one who likes the limelight, but if my books are liked, it delights me.

How often do you visit India?

During the last 15 years, I never really left India and spend 4-5 months here. The country continues to be the inspiration for my books. Its history lives in me.

Factfile: For the record

• Amitav Ghosh was born in Kolkata in 1956 to Anjali and Shailendra Chandra Ghosh.
• Studied in Dehradun, Delhi, Alexandria and Oxford.
• His first job was as a journalist with the Indian Express in Delhi.
• Earned a doctorate at Oxford even before writing his first novel.
• Took up various teaching assignments and was later a professor in New York University.
• Married Deborah Baker, also an author. The couple has two children.
• The family lives in a 151-year-old house in Brooklyn, the old part of New York City.
• He divides his time between Brooklyn, Kolkata and Goa and owns a property each in these cities.