If you sell 3,000 books in India, it is considered a bestseller: Paro Anand

Paro Anand is one of the pioneers of reality-based literature for children and young adults in India. She addresses sensitive topics which most authors refrain from even mentioning. She won the Sahitya Akademi Bal Sahitya Puraskar in 2017 for her anthology 'Wild Child and Other Stories'.

Paro is currently in Bangladesh to attend the Dhaka Lit Fest 2023, and will speak in as many as three sessions. Taking out time from her busy schedule, she indulged in a lively conversation with The Business Standard.

You have been to Bangladesh before. How does it feel to be in this country and communicate with the Bangladeshi audience?

Before I came to Bangladesh for the first time (in 2015), I had certain stereotypes in my head. But as soon as I set foot here, all those stereotypes were shattered. What inspired me the most were the Bangladeshi young people, especially the young women who were strong, independent, vocal and proud of being Bangladeshi, proud of being world citizens.

Also, I had such unworldly kindness shown towards me. I remember one incident where I complimented a young woman in a shari and asked her where I too could get one. She gave me the shop's address. The next day she came to me again and asked if I had bought the shari. When I said "No", she told me, "You need not, because I have brought it for you as a gift." And guess what, I am wearing that very shari today!

The literal meaning of your last name is happiness. Are you happy with whatever you have experienced or gone through so far in your life?

Yes, I am very happy. In my life, I really had so much 'ananda' (Bangla for happiness). I have a sense of satisfaction and I am at peace. Actually, I was diagnosed with cancer last year. My first thought was, how would I tell this to my family, because, you know, it is not very easy for them to come to terms with it. And then my second thought was, no matter what, I am really in a state of 'ananda'.

I am extremely sorry to hear that.

No no, it is okay. Everything that comes your way, you have to accept it. And now I am writing a book on it. So, it is giving me a new life experience to write on this topic.

When is the book likely to come out?

I am still writing it. I don't know when it will be done. I am writing it slowly (laughs).

Why do you write for children? Is it more difficult to write for children than for adults?

You know what, writing becomes most difficult when I write for teenagers, or for young adults like you. It is because of a number of reasons. 

First of all, it comes with great responsibility. Teenage is a very dark period. They go through a lot of problems and difficult circumstances that are not always recognised. 

Secondly, when they read a story, they take it as if it were happening in real life. When adults read a story, they may like it or not like it at the end. But it always remains just a story to them. 

Photo: Saqlain Rizvi

But teenagers take stories personally. They are like, "Oh my God, this is me. This is my life story. How did you know I was thinking this? How did you know I went through this?" This is very crucial. 

So, when I write a story for teenagers, I do not leave the story in a very hopeless place. I always show some ray of hope. It is like, yes the problem is huge, and very difficult, but there remains some hope still.

So, you can empathise with the younger generation? And how important is empathy while writing stories for them?

You know, I am still a child. I never grew up. I am 65 and a grandmother to three, but I am yet to grow up. I have a child in me. I still like to read children's books and I believe I can connect with young people. When I came to Dhaka last time, I made some young friends. And after so many years, I am still in touch with them.

Apart from empathy, I think another thing that is very important to connect with young people is having a good sense of humour.

Yeah. Humour, actually, is the hardest to write. It is very easy to make people feel like you are trying to be clever. And children and teenagers have very sharp noses. They can sense you trying to be clever, and reject you right away. So, you need to have the proper balance when it comes to writing humour.

And then there are things in your stories that adults generally tend to hide from children.

Yes, I put some dark topics in my writings, such as death, war, and terrorism. I have stories on transgenders, rape victims, but they are all written for young people. And my readers can really identify with such topics. They respond to me very well. 

For example, I have stories on domestic violence, and young readers come up to me and say, "We are familiar with this. We have seen this in our own homes. We feel exactly the same way your characters feel. What should we do?" 

That is why I was saying that the responsibility of writing for young people is really tremendous. The adult audience would never approach me and ask for solutions because they know what I write are just stories.

What are the things you keep in mind as you address sensitive topics through your stories?

When I was a child, I used to tell lies all the time. That is how one becomes a storyteller, by telling lie after lie. But when I turned into a professional writer, I thought I needed to tell the truth. I feel that I have to be honest with my audience. So, yes, honesty is very important to deal with dark and difficult subjects.

Now that you mentioned your childhood, and you write for children, can you please share with us how it was to be a child yourself?

I used to think I had a very boring life. But now when I look back, I think it really was not that boring. I used to make up lies all the time. Like I would tell people about imaginary family trips. I would go around telling people that we were going to Japan. Then when they asked my mother when we would go to Japan, my mother would be like, "Oh, Paroooo! You are at it again!"

Where did you spend your childhood?

In many places. I was born in Himachal. I studied in Punjab, Kolkata, Delhi, the Philippines, and Malaysia. So, it was an interesting childhood, in retrospect now, I realise it. And I had so much freedom compared to the little amount of freedom today's children can enjoy. Their parents are quite concerned about their safety and all.

Didn't you have to face any issues the children nowadays face? Such as parental issues?

Yes, of course, there were parental issues and sibling issues. I had an older sister. These are just part of growing up. I remember how difficult it was to be 13 or 14 years old. Whenever you would do something dumb or make a mistake, adults would tell you, "Stop acting like a child. Remember that you are a grown-up now." But then the next minute when you would do something out of the ordinary, they would be like, "Why are you acting all grown up? You are just a kid."

Photo: Saqlain Rizvi

How were your parents?

I had very liberal parents. They were thinkers and doers. My father was a journalist and he quit his job on principle. He disagreed with the management and even took them to the court. 

Before that, we had been wealthy or at least a well-off family. We were well-known in the city as my father was a popular journalist. But suddenly our life shrunk and we no longer had enough money. It was one hell of an experience. We learned to adapt. I moved from one school to another. That enriched me as a human being. 

On the other hand, my mother had two jobs. First, she was a teacher. But once my father quit the job, she started a magazine of her own and she was its business manager. She started doing both jobs simultaneously. That also taught me a lot. 

How are you as a parent?

I raised my children as activists, as doers. I always told them to take action against whatever wrong they come across. In fact, my children have recently filed a petition and they are now standing before the Chief Justice of India. You know, even the mere thought of it is giving me goosebumps.

Okay, enough personal questions, let's go back to literature. What is your take on the current children's and young adult literature scene in India?

It is exciting and growing. Very exciting and brave stories are coming up every now and then. But the problem with Indian children's literature is marketing. I mean, if your book sells 3,000 copies, it is considered a bestseller. In a country as huge as India, the number is rather outrageous.

I know you were first a teacher, then came to be an author. How was the transition process?

Yes, I started off my career as a drama teacher. That is when I discovered that there was no contemporary story for children that really touched their lives. And so I started writing myself. I had to go from one publisher to another to get them published. But once my first play came out, I never had to stop.

How challenging was it to be a children's author?

I think the biggest challenge was reaching my readers. In the beginning, I was not sure if my books would reach their target audience. But now I am known in India. Even sometimes I am recognised on the streets (laughs).

And now your readers reach out to you as well.

They reach out to me as well. And of course, social media helps a lot in this regard. A lot is said about the evils of social media. But I think there are lots of positives to social media as well. Especially for the readership that I have.

Writing fiction in itself is like living in two parallel worlds. And we heard sometimes you work on two stories at the same time. How do you manage that?

(Laughs) First of all, it is very impressive that you have done such extensive homework on the person you are interviewing. So, yes, I sometimes write two stories at the same time. In fact, I am at the moment working on three different stories. I know it is crazy but to be a writer you have to be crazy.

Actually, I am so frightened about the thing called writer's block. I panic when I don't know where to take one story. And the more I panic, the less I write. 

So, if I am writing two books, I can jump from one book to another whenever the block arrives. This way I can keep going with my writing. If I was writing one book only, it would go much slower. I know it is a very weird way to be, but this is what works for me.

How much time do you take to finish a book?

I am not sure. There is one book called 'No Guns At my Son's Funeral'. It took five years for me to complete it. I rewrote it as many as seven times. The protagonist was like my son. I loved him so much. I could not bear his death. So, I was just postponing his death from one date to another. Then there was another story, although a very basic one, that I finished writing in one night. 

Please tell me the entire process of your writing -- from idea generating to finishing it, and the journey in between.

As you said, writing means living in a different universe. For me, I am that universe. I am that character. Paro is not writing about Aftab. It is rather Aftab writing about Aftab. That makes me a very difficult person to live with sometimes. I become very cranky, and my husband and my children ask me, "Are you writing another book?" I say, "Yes," and they are just like, "Oh my God, what a terrible year coming!"

But the thing is, writing is a very lonely journey. You get an idea, but there is no guarantee that you will be able to finish it, or that you don't know how it could end. So, it is a very struggling process. 

As I am now working on three books, I am struggling more than ever before. But as far as the journey is concerned, you must be honest. You should treat it as a job and show up every day. You cannot take a leave from your job all the time.

Just last week I was in Kolkata and I was watching a Hindi movie called Uunchai starring Amitabh Bachchan. His character in the movie was a bestselling author. It was said that he would just sell some popular ideas and his writings never reflected his own mind. What do you think about it? In today's age, is it possible to speak one's own mind and still be popular with the audience?

I can speak for myself. I write stories that I want to write and want to read. I love to read my own books also. Because that is the book I wanted to read, and it was not there, so I wrote it. I am not a person who will chase TRP and numbers. I would love to be a bestselling author. I would love to make millions of my writing. In reality, I do not. But I never tailored my writing to the numbers. 

In recent years, you have won many awards and accolades. How important is it to get such recognition?

Very important. For me personally, as well as for children's literature. I think I have been one of the pioneers of children's literature who has taken it from the world of folk tales, mythologies and safe moral stories to breaking barriers. 

Photo: Saqlain Rizvi

I have been one of the leaders in writing realistic fiction. And so, for children's literature, [getting recognition] is very important. It shows that I am making a dent, I am making a difference in the world of children's literature. But it does not work in all aspects. I won the Sahitya Akademi award, which is the highest literary award in India. Did it affect sales? No, it did not.

Who do you think are the other prominent young adult writers in India right now?

There are many. Devika Rangachari, Payal Dhar, Himanjali Sankar, Venita Coelho, Anushka Ravishankar, and many more. These are some wonderful writers. I could have named a few more, but my mind is now blanking out.

Who is your favourite author from all around the world?

Oh, I love J K Rowling! She was able to break so many rules. There was a time when adults were deciding what children can and cannot read, what they can and cannot absorb, and what writers should write about. She broke all the rules. And children just lapped it up in the kind of numbers that no one has ever seen before, and maybe will not see ever.

Could you please recommend a few Indian books that Bangladeshi young adults can read and enjoy?

Well, Dungeon Tales by Venita Coelho, Queen of Ice by Devika Rangachari, Slightly Burnt by Payal Dhar, Talking of Muskaan by Himanjali Sarkar, Unbroken by Nandhika Nambi, and Flyaway Boy by Jane De Suza.

What are your favourite books authored by yourself?

All my books are like my children. I cannot prefer one over another. But right now I can name three books: Being Gandhi, Nomad's Land, and The Other. 

Thank you so much, ma'am. It has been an absolute honour to talk to you.

The pleasure is all mine. I hope someday somewhere we'll meet again and have another great conversation.