The Writer’s Corner: In Conversation with Kirtana Kumar

Speaking to The Indian Express, Kumar said, “My personal history with the city goes back a long time. My grandparents and parents have lived here… we’ve been in Bangalore for over 150 years. I grew up here… and know all the gullies and lanes, not only in one part of the city.” A significant presence in the city’s theatrical field, Kumar has been acting since the age of 15. Most recently, she will be performing at a production of the classical Greek play Medea in the ongoing Ranga Shankara festival.

She said, “Writing was always… an extension of my work with theatre. I also came to filmmaking through my work in the theatre. All these were arms and legs extending outwards from the core of theatre… I was in Germany curating a theatre festival and I was alone for a few months during the Covid-19 lockdown. That’s when I began the process of writing my book. I never imagined that I would write a work of fiction as my work was critical writing about the arts.”

Kumar then said, “My house… was always full of books. My father loved story writers such as Saki and other writers of the period such as J D Salinger. I’ve always enjoyed the form. Manto takes many risks with the form. I love the freedom of that… from the word ‘go’ I was interested in small encounters with the people and history of the city.”

Kumar has also experimented with the forms of the stories. Her piece, “Twelve Faits Divers”, for example, exists in the form of what appears to be newspaper excerpts – breezy in tone and introspective at the same time, from fish cutlets in Cubbon Park to a robbery foiled by Santa Claus.

Kirtana Kumar recalled that she had started out by writing one or two stories and sending them off to a publication – “But before I knew it, 33 stories were on paper. When I was alone in Germany, my father, who held a lot of Bangalore in him, had passed away. When you’re looking back at the city from far away, it gives you a different perspective.” Kumar noted that whatever she writes, it has to be something that she herself would read – no hints of “pretentiousness or pomposity” can make it into the work.

She added, “I wanted to make sure the history and geography were accurate. The characters were fiction. But I wanted to ensure that… the details of the Mythic Society or Mayo Hall were all accurate. If I have a block and can’t navigate my way, I end up doing some research and hope that something triggers my imagination.”