Bengaluru-based author Abhijit Gupta’s first book, The Copper Sky (Niyogi Books) is unique for the period it is set in—1950s London. It tells the tale of Amar Das, a student, at the London School of Economics, who navigates his way through a culture and ethos completely different from his own. Das comes to terms with the turmoil of adulthood, his new-found autonomy, his anger at the bitter memories of British rule and being treated as a second class citizen in his own country.
Like his protagonist, Abhijit too was a student at LSE in the 1950s, but the novel is not a re-telling of his story. “If you are writing about love, emotions and fear, it’s very difficult to not allow your experiences to colour what you write. There are characters I have picked from people I have met, but have changed the characteristics to suit the needs of the novel. There are instances that have actually happened. Twenty-five per cent is true, 75 per cent is fiction. You decide which is fiction!” says Abhijit, with a smile.
The three years he spent, as a student in London, left a deep impression on Abhijit. He evokes a sense of London at the time with detailed descriptions. “When I started writing, I thought it would be difficult to go back to what had happened in the 1950s, and remember. One’s memory, however, is much better than they think. London in those days was not difficult to remember and re-imagine. It had a major impact on me. Delhi, at the time, was a hotbed in Puritanism. London, on the other hand, was a cauldron of permissiveness. The War had destroyed London and large parts of England. So when it ended, the people wanted to live for the moment. To see all of this as a person mothered by convention in Delhi was a major adjustment.”
The book took Abhijit about three years to write, during this time, he took care in crafting multi-dimensional characters. “I found the story taking over, after some time. I would find myself starting a particular chapter and found that it took its own course. I was carried away by the story. It carried me like I was on a boat taking me through the various twists and turns,” says Abhijit, who retired from a multinational and a subsequent HR consultancy.
“Amar feels like a second class citizen in his own country. This transcends time and space. This is what is happening in Palestine, in rural India where there is discrimination against Dalits and in America where there is racism.”
One can relate to Amar as he goes through a journey of self discovery. “For example, at one point, Amar finds himself withdrawn from his relationship with Preeti. He gets a letter from his friend, and learns he has been betrayed. Amar broods over this. He ultimately realises that this torture he was experiencing was not caused by anything. It was his own mind that was creating his turmoil. This was a major revelation for him. On the other hand, he felt a sense of joy on seeing snowfall for the first time in his life. This sense of joy ties up with the same idea of inventing our own pain. I can go deep into my emotions, which helps me to understand other people’s emotions, and that helps me to empathise with my characters.”
The title Copper Sky comes from a beautiful description of London’s sky in the novel. “London used to be misty and foggy. When through the fog I looked at the sky, the lights of London were reflecting on the fog and the sky looked like copper. Sometimes it was a very benevolent sky, sometimes it was loving, sometimes it was threatening, sometimes very sad and sometimes, full of joy. But the copper sky—it became my friend over the years I was there.”
