‘I like this kind of humour’

Sorabh Pant talks about his new book ‘Under Delhi’, and says his protagonist is his female version, only more fearless

September 14, 2014 08:21 pm | Updated 08:21 pm IST - HYDERABAD

SHOOTING STRAIGHT Sorabh Pant

SHOOTING STRAIGHT Sorabh Pant

Sorabh Pant gets annoyed when he comes across headlines that scream ‘Seventeen year old raped…’ “Shouldn’t we focus on the perpetrator of the crime, shame him and say, for example, a 45-year-old man committed the act. The story should also be about the man who did it and not just the girl,” he argues.

He has been getting irked by sexist remarks made by politicians, god men and others when heinous crimes against women make headlines. Sorabh didn’t stop at outraging on social networks. He gave vent to his thoughts through a story of a female vigilante based in New Delhi, in his new book Under Delhi (Hachette; Rs. 299).

The idea, he says, wasn’t triggered after the Delhi incident involving a 23-year-old paramedical student. “The Delhi incident had very little to do with the book. The story had been brewing for about five years. I have a sister and six women cousins and I’ve heard them talk on a lot of issues concerning women,” he says.

Under Delhi tells the story of Tanya Bisht, a young vigilante who takes offenders to task, guided by a certain mysterious ‘Sonia ji ’. “Tanya is a culmination of many people I know. To an extent, she is my female version, more fearless. My personal observations have gone into making her who she is and how she looks at things. She is a regular girl, at the receiving end in her office,” says Sorabh. His protagonist is also disturbed, battling her inner demons and is a victim of date rape.

Wouldn’t it have been possible to have a vigilante who isn’t a victim? “I did a lot of research on women who’ve been through abuse and came across stories of hope, where women have risen above their situation. I wanted Tanya to be like one of these women. Tanya is indecisive, flaky and the only thing she is sure of is her vigilantism. She is still trying to figure out who she is,” he says.

The morbid humour was a given, taking into account Tanya’s past. Sorabh concedes, “I like writing dark humour. The territory within which Tanya works calls for this kind of humour,” he says.

The book makes references to vigilante groups in India such as the Red Brigade from Lucknow and pokes fun at people in general and those in power who resort to moral policing and cast an accusing look at victims. Even the ‘dented and painted’ remarks come under the scanner. “Women who belong to the Red Brigade are trained in martial arts; there have been many other incidents, like the ‘pink panty initiative’ that came up as a repercussion to statements made about women and rape. The story has references to all such movements,” says Sorabh.

Under Delhi is a linear narrative, like his debut book The Wednesday Soul . Though it took him nearly four years to develop the story, the writing process, he says, didn’t take him very long. As he moves from one place to the other performing stand-up comedy acts, there’s another story brewing, waiting to be written. “My next will blend history, mythology and politics,” offers Sorabh.

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