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Journalism of Courage
The Las Vegas party was not enough to make someone forget lassi or kachauri of Allahabad,it seems.
“The famous lassi of Loknath and Netam’s kachauri are things I have always missed most,” said diplomat and author Vikas Swarup,whose novel Q&A made Oscars history with Slumdog Millionaire the film based on it. He was in his hometown Allahabad on Wednesday for the first time after tasting international fame.
“I was not happy when the publisher of the book decided to change the name of the book from Q&A to Slumdog Millionaire,the film that won eight Oscars in the 81st Academy Awards”,said Swarup. “I objected to the change of title of the book that was already a bestseller. But the publishing company,Random House,convinced me that with the name change the book would attract more readers,who were otherwise getting confused asking for the book by the film’s name,” said Swarup.
Inspired by colleagues Navtej Sarna and TS Trimurti (both diplomats) who had ventured into writing as amateurs,Swarup,who has 17 years of serving as diplomat in various parts of the world,including Turkey,Washington DC,South Africa and Ethiopia,took to writing in a serious way in 2003. Taking the idea from Kaun Banega Crorepati,the show hosted by Amitabh Bachchan (another Allahabad product),he added the ‘slumdog’ element in the book after he read a report on an experiment titled ‘Hole in the Wall’.
“A group of technocrats in New Delhi had their office adjacent to a slum. They professionals created a hole in the boundary wall of the centre and fixed a computer to make kids living in the slum computer-savvy,” said Swarrop.
Working at present on a new untitled book,Swaroop is upbeat about his second novel Six Suspects based on the corrupt practices of some rich and influential persons.
Father of two,Swaroop loves his book Q&A even more when praises come in from critics and readers.
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