With the elections over, debutant writer Manivannan K has seized the opportunity to present to readers “The Great Indian Democracy”. The book, a political satire, sheds light on the plight of the world’s largest democracy. From the poor maintenance of Government offices to the alarmingly dangerous rate of corruption in India, Manivannan has struck the right chord and his timing is impeccable.
Through the eyes of a guy called Vikram who aspires to become a stand-up comedian but is forced to become a journalist by circumstances, Manivannan mocks the inefficiency of our Government and the loopholes in it.
On how he turned author, Manivannan says, “The idea of writing a book was always on my mind. But last year after attending The Hindu Literary Fest 2013, I only became more determined and started working upon it immediately.”
With a number of potentially popular ideas in his head, including romantic comedy, travel and politics, he blogged on these themes and “got the best reviews” for those related to politics, “and that’s how it got finalised.”
Asked if some readers might take offence at instances where specific communities have been poked fun at, he counters, “It’s not so. I’ve just tried to keep it light, nothing intentional against any person or community. I am Tamilian and have made jokes on Tamilians as well, so there’s no wrong intention.”
Happy with the response to his first literary venture, the writer says he is considering some ideas for his second but has not started on it just yet. “My focus right now is on my new venture named Moodle Stop which is a food joint. But yes, soon I’ll start working on my next,” he promises.
