Chitra Viraraghavan, great granddaughter of Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, talks about the cultural isolation of underprivileged Indians in the US in her debut novel. She chatted with Karan Bhardwaj
She happens to be the great granddaughter of India’s former President Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan but perhaps it is quest for her own identity that makes her little uncomfortable to talk about this great legacy. “This has to come in every interaction I do with the press,” she says, adding that “I am just one of the 21 great grandchildren of the President. So I deserve that little attention only.” Chitra has been an editor at Oxford University Press India and writes textbook writer. However, her stint in US, while she pursued her PhD in 90s, drew attention to several “vulnerable Indians” who were part of the country “unofficially”. Her second visit in 2000s inspired her to take further note of her observation, which was exactly the opposite of what authors like Bharati Mukherjee has written so far. “The writers have described Indian community as something exotic out there. I disagree with that. I want to dispel notion that every Indians in US is leading a swanky life. There are so many issues that one has to face if one is not privileged. You cannot live there without dealing with race. If you want to lead a life with honesty, you have to come to terms with the system. There are several Indians who are living vulnerable lives. There are illegal immigrants, drivers, service providers, who don’t become the subject of discussion,” she says.
The Americans (Harper Collins) tells the story of 11 characters who are connected with each other. In narration, the book reads quite dramatic. There is an item song, a runaway teenager, action scenes, kidnapping and all that masala moments. largely, it talks about geographical dislocation and the vulnerabilities and discovery of identities.
Before writing The Americans, Chitra had ideated another book on a murder mystery. It was a historical murder mystery but lack of time and knowledge forced her to abandon the idea.
“I had begun working on it in 2000. I researched a lot. In a murder mystery, you need motive, means and opportunity. I figured out all those but I didn’t have time to take it further. So I thought to work on something simpler since my other duty of writing textbook was already very laborious,” she says. For her, historical fiction is a not a child’s play since it requires deep research. “At a recent literature festival, somebody questioned a leading author on her book which specified about potatoes in Mughal period. Historically, potatoes were never there during that era. So she had to play it off. But I would never want to do that. So I will write it when I am prepared,” she says. Her next is going to be an autobiographical where she would discuss her “humdrum” life. “The Americans is quite complicated structure wise. It took three years to finish the book. There are so many characters and not too many authors have attempted such novel. So an autobiographical may give me a break,” she says adding that she would like to attempt different genres in future.
Unlike many contemporary authors, she is not a filmy person and doesn't push her stories to get translated on screen. “There are elements in The Americans which may make for a good movie script. I have mentioned all that since I wanted to make each character distinct, relevant and real,” she grinned. Chitra has spent a part of her childhood in Hyderabad and is an alumnus of the St George’s Grammar school. But none of the characters in her book are from the city.