British writer goes down memory lane

Ian Jack, journalist, writer and editor, went down memory lane during an interaction programme organised by the Association of British Scholars (ABS), Jamshedpur chapter in association with the British Council.The interaction titled ‘Fiction or Non-Fiction: Which should you trust’ saw a engrossing session in which Ian shared his experiences in India which he called ‘was a more foreign country to a foreigner when he came here for the first time in 1976.’

Sharing a piece of experience from his book ‘Mofussil Junction’ Jack shared how he went to the birthplace of George Orwell in Motihari, Bihar. Reminiscing, “When I visited Motihari in 1983 most of the locals and the administration were clueless about the fact. I found the opium godown where Richard Blair worked and their ‘bunglow’. 

Orwell was born as Eric Blair in Motihari, 1903. Ian Jack has also authored Before the Oil Ran Out: Britain, The Crash that Stopped Britain, The Country Formerly Known as Great Britain and the latest Mofussil Junction.  Answering queries he said that India has undergone a massive transformation from the time he has visited. “I came to India in 1970s There was a time when people in India would want me to bring Mark & Spencer shirts but today there is everything you get in India,” he said. He also said that the future of print journalism is bright in India with mass readership.

Samarjit Guha, head , programs , British Council also addressed the gathering.  The interaction between Anita Gupta, president, ABS, Jamshedpur and Jack was organised at the Centre for Excellence today. Ashu Tiwary, senior functionary of ABS conducted the programme.