Page 58 - AUG2018E

Paro anand
author
Youngsters need confidence

to overcome heinous crimes

Paro anand’s work and writings focus on the young adults. In 2017, she was honoured Circle and Going off the Grid are both
with the Sahitya Akademi Bal Sahitya Puraskar Award for her book Wild Child, which is based on the myriad instances where the
now published as Like Smoke. Paro has authored several books. The latest from her — apathy of bystanders allows crime to
The Other — Stories With a Difference (Speaking Tiger) hit the stands this summer. She happen. When CCTV clips show the
discusses her writings and future plans with humra quraishi crime being committed, there are
people who watched it happen and
eDiTeD exCerpTS frOm an inTervieW • didn’t lift a finger. These stories came out
of an article on a study that had found
India to be one of the most apathetic
Any backgrounder or special reason processing it into knowledge is where a countries of the world. The story Best
for writing the short stories of The good story can prove most useful. Friends Forever explores a real test of
Other - Stories With A Difference? friendship in a very difficult circum-
I work a lot with young people — both There is nothing called pure fiction. stance. One, that must be occurring
in difficult circumstances as well as the How many of these stories are based regularly. Grief (Is a Beast) is based on
very privileged. Much of my work is on real life happenings and incidents? my own struggles with grief and loss.
based on them, their voices, their con- What I write is best described as ‘real- Because Superman had better Things
cerns, their confusions. I am a very profi- ity fiction’. Which is why the question I to Do is based on my observa-
cient eavesdropper and pick up on their am most often asked is, “are these sto- tions of young people’s attitudes
conversations…What I write is not new ries true?” The honest answer is yes, the towards those who have come
information for my reader. Rather, a way situation is a common one. The broad through the EWS scheme as well as
to process that information, to empathise strokes are reality, the characters and the ways in which we treat anyone
with the other in that situation and to the exact detail is fiction. That is why who we consider The Other My stories
re-assure them that they are not alone in this genre is so very powerful. In The and books on Kashmir are very much
their crises. And most of all, to empow- Other, the stories Inner Circle, Outer informed by my interactions with young
er them to be instruments of change. I people there, as well as the attitudes of
think stories are a powerful tool for all of young people in urban centres towards
the above. people in conflict zones.
All parents want
You write for the young adult. Have their children to be Have you come across instances
your own children been one of the when children or say young adults
motivating factors or do you feel safe and happy. But have been betrayed by their own
today’s youngsters do need that as long as we have families?
focus? I fear that a great damage is being done
My own children have been an impor- an imperfect world, in the way children are imbibing hate.
tant guide to me. And that continued we need to equip Parents are often careless in the way
after they grew up through my own in- they ‘otherize’ a whole group of people.
teractions with a wide variety of young and empower our That is why I had a 12-year-old say, “I hate
people. I have worked with over three children. There is Muslims’. I am sure this wasn’t really his
lakh young people over the course of own opinion, but rather one that has
my career. Young adults today have very no point in cotton- been overheard around the family din-
easy access to any kind of information… ing table. Heard hatred is a dangerous
converting that raw information and wooling them thing which we must all try and counter

tehelka / 31 august 2018 58 www.tehelka.com