Circumspect after complaints,yet grateful for support: Breathless in Bombay author

Did you expect the High Court to give you a favourable order? Are any more cases pending?
Yes,I had full faith in the High Court. I have never been more conscious of the democratic process at work as when I had been sitting in the High Court,waiting for my case to come up.

About other cases:Two months after I moved the Bombay High Court to quash the order of the lower court,two cases came up in Kodaikanal. There I am accused of trying to lower the dignity of Indian woman as I have shown certain scenes where the woman takes the initiative in a love relationship.

In future would you think twice before writing something which you feel might be taken in the wrong sense?
A certain amount of circumspection does set in,but I keep reminding myself that these complaints are the exceptions,not the rule — and gauging by the general response and the reviews,both here and in the West,Breathless in Bombay has been accepted as a socially relevant book.

How difficult has it been on the personal and professional front?
The story first broke in an afternoon newspaper and in the regional press on April 9,2009,around the time of the elections. Through an interview,the complainant tried to whip it up into a communal issue. Because of the timing,the police felt that communal parties could attack my residence. This naturally brought my family— including my elderly parents— under great stress. I was relieved,of course,that the communal parties did not fall for the gambit and that the police were protective.

Did you get any kind of support from any quarters,the author fraternity for instance?
Writer-friends in the US have been particularly supportive. What impressed me greatly was the proactive support from International Pen,an organisation that represents writers in 104 countries.

Is it frustrating to know that you can’t write what you actually want because of the intolerant public?
I wouldn’t condemn the public. I would like to believe in a discerning readership,oddballs apart. It’s like the judgment said: “While construing the intention of the author,the effect of words has to be judged from the standards of reasonable,strong-minded,firm,and courageous men and not those of weak and vacillating minds nor of those who scent danger in every hostile point of view.”

Do you agree with the judge’s view that the tolerance level of the public has gone down.
Certain sections of society—either for reasons of insecurity or because they crave attention — might be more prone to intolerance. It’s one of the cramping realities of our times. That’s why I say: Literature is best left to those who understand it.

How has your book fared so far?
It’s still on the shelves,from what I see,and I still receive an email of appreciation from time to time; so all in all I am grateful.