Table for Two: Revisiting timeless works

A lifelong devotion to literature is reflected in B. Bhattacharyya’s latest book “Much Ado About Small Things”

September 24, 2014 08:35 pm | Updated September 26, 2014 05:18 pm IST

B. Bhattacharyya at Cafe Turtle, Khan Market. Photo: Shiv Kumar Pushpakar.

B. Bhattacharyya at Cafe Turtle, Khan Market. Photo: Shiv Kumar Pushpakar.

First love for anything, be it a person or a hobby, is bound to assert itself at some point in time.

The case of B. Bhattacharya, a trade economist by profession and former Dean of Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT), is no different. After writing 20 books pertaining to his subject, the author has now turned to an older passion with “Much Ado About Small Things” (Clarion Books). By tracing dedications and prefaces over 4000 years, the book explores the world of books and the minds of authors as revealed in them.

“As a student I was interested in literature –– world literature –– but did not pursue it as I knew that I would not be able to earn my bread and butter. Hence I studied economics and joined IIFT. But I continued reading and kept in touch with literature,” the author says during a luncheon meet at Café Turtle in Khan Market.

“In 2012, I thought that I can continue to write for another five to six years and being financially comfortable, I decided to write on what I always wanted to — literature. In fact this book has been in the making for 20 years,” the author adds. Having read several classics over the years, including Homer, Graham Greene, Bernard Shaw and Cervantes among others, Bhattacharyya observed a rather distributing trend among the youngsters. “I perceived that the youth was losing interest in classics and reading pulp fiction. I thought I will write a book which will inform them that there is pleasure in reading books which are not on the current best-seller list.” Instead of suggesting 10 or 20 books, he decided “to write a book on dedications and prefaces of some classics. These are generally either skipped or just glanced through by readers except by very serious ones”.

Written with the objective of attracting readers to the original work, the author has incorporated anecdotes and snippets about different authors.

Sipping on the sweet mausambi juice, the author reveals that his journey as a writer began with articles for economic and mainstream papers. His first book, “International Marketing Management” came out in 1980. Now in its 20th edition, it has been a popular textbook for business administration students. “I was asked to teach the subject and found to my dismay that barring a few books for professional managers abroad, there were no textbooks in India. In order to be an effective teacher I went through all the literature available on the subject and put them on paper with my own insights keeping India as the background,” he explains. His other books include “Expert Marketing Strategies for Success” (1992); “India's Soft Power” (2010) and “International Business 2025” (2012).

As lunch arrives — spinach, mushrooms and pasta in red and white sauce topped with cheese, and garlic toast on the side — we decide to put a brake on the conversation. A little later, confessing to being fond of Thai cuisine, the author says, “I was constant exposed to their dishes during my numerous visits to Bangkok. That apart the cuisine is full of flavour, very light and has infinite variety and that is what attracts me.” On a humorous note, he adds, “In Bangkok 50 per cent of the people are busy 100 per cent of the time in feeding the other 50 per cent.”

During a posting in Lusaka, Zambia, in the absence of his maid on Sundays, Bhattacharya would cook. “I was good at preparing all types of salads. I still do that at home.” Not particular about eating Indian food when abroad, the author recalls having moved from fast food to Greek and Japanese cuisines. “In fact I avoid Indian cuisine and try the local fare.”

Pitching cooking as a more important art than writing, the author quips, “If the book is bad the editor will reject it. But if the food is bad and you do not have a choice, you will still eat.”

Talking about how he zeroed in on the choice of five dedications and prefaces for the book, Bhattacharyya admits that shortlisting from the original list of 50 to 60 books was his single biggest challenge. “I decided to retain only those books which are living classics, that is people still read them. Secondly they must have influenced human civilisation in a substantial form.” As to why the preface to Rene Descartes’ two books “Discourse on Method” and “The Principles of Philosophy” have been included, he reasons, “Descartes was an exception since both his books were very good and different. The main reason is that both prefaces highlight the two dimensions of the same person.”

Bhattacharya, now working on a book tentatively titled “In Search of ‘My’ Vivekanand”, has dedicated “Much Ado About Small Things” to his wife. “Well, I had dedicated my earlier books to my father, mother, etc. but never to her. She pointed this to me. Recovering from sickness after two years, I decided to honour her with this book,” says the writer, rounding off a pleasant meeting.

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