Politically speaking

A politically-charged novel is not something one expects from an average 25-year-old. But then,the average

Pakistani youth has always been very different from others. “They are more politically aware and affected by the happenings of the country,” he says. Besides,Sethi’s surroundings had made him even more conscious; his father is the revered journalist Najum Sethi.

“My father was imprisoned when I was a month old for writing a book which was critical of the military. He was jailed again in 1999 on charges of delivering an anti-Pakistan speech in India. My mother (Jugnu Mohsin) was an active member of the Women’s Action Forum,” reveals Sethi,whose father runs the weekly Friday Times.

Once Sethi moved out of this environment—when he left for the US in 2002,a year after 9/11,for higher studies—his perspective of Pakistan underwent a change. He encountered many questions about his country from something as banal as “Do you have roads or cars in Pakistan?” to profound ones like “What’s the role of woman in your society?” This made him take a broader look at the political scenario. This also triggered the thought of writing a book.

After the five-year stay in the US as well as a fresh look at the political tumult in Pakistan,he has now contributed to a new wave of writing emerging from his nation. This,Sethi believes,is spurred by the global interest in the country post 9/11. “Books like Mohsin Hamid’s The Reluctant Fundamentalist and Nadeem Aslam’s The Wasted Vigil interact with a global audience,” he says. What makes him happy though is the growing readership of these books back home.

On his third trip to India,and first one beyond Delhi,the Pakistani author,seems charmed by Mumbai. “I met some fun people here last night. I have an

Indian visa till December that allows me to travel without restrictions. I wish to be back in October and travel from Kerala to Goa and finally spend some time exploring Mumbai,” says Sethi.

He is quite aware of the Island City’s famed nightlife—a contrast to his hometown Lahore.

The visit might have been introduced Sethi to Mumbai,but he has been more than familiar with the popular imports from the city—Hindi films and Indian TV shows. This reflects in the character of Amitabh Bachchan-crazy Samar Api and Chitrahar-loving Dadi. He confesses to being a Bachchan fan; he’s watched Sholay multiple times.

But surprising is the growing,though marginal,audience of parallel filmmakers like Satyajit Ray,Ritwik Ghatak and Shyam Benegal. Sethi happens to be one of them. “I love Ray’s Apu trilogy,Benegal’s Ankur and have a number of Ghatak films in my DVD collection,” he says savouring his cappuccino.