Born in the mad nation

Sriram Karri’s debut novel talks about friendship and the nation he was born in

Sriram Karri

Sriram Karri’s first fictional book, ‘Autobiography of a Mad Nation’ (Fingerprint publishing; Rs. 450) is filled with emotions, though it has been described as a racy and unputdownable novel to read this year.

Apparently he had decided upon the title of the novel even before he began to write it. It was an outcome of a Q &A session with an author who he recalls, “asked us to ask questions only if we know or if we are related to someone suffering from mental illness. I raised my hand and said, ‘well I have a relation. I am born in a mad nation.’ Since then his urge to fulfil his long-standing dream of completing a novel became strong. His first book, ‘The Spiritual Supermarket’, was longlisted for the Vodafone Crossword award in 2008 in the non-fiction category and his debut novel ‘Autobiography of a Mad Nation’ was longlisted for the MAN Asian Literary Prize – 2009, given to unpublished works.

‘Autobiography…

’ depicts the helplessness that citizens experience on seeing events unfold all around. And they watch or become a part of the events unknowingly.

To Sriram, who had been a journalist and still writes columns for international publications, every story needs to have a context and that is precisely what his novel does. “But the context isn’t the story. The context is a bridge to draw comparisons and help the story unfold,” he explains.

The writing itself was not laborious. “It took me less time to finish my draft. Having remained a journalist for long and belonging to the old school practise of deadlines I was quick at finishing my part. That is because I was clear about what should be in my book. I was clear in my thoughts and I knew I was writing a book as a man angry with the nation, which means angry with myself. We make the nation.”

Sriram’s novel begins with a young boy writing a letter to the president. “My hero isn’t working looking for mercy. He writes to the president describing his offence and says, ‘I don’t like your hairstyle, also I do not seek mercy. I seek punishment if you can prove me guilty. And my story unfolds.”

Sriram who used a video to talk about his book or rather give an introduction and create curiosity amongst readers says, “The story is supreme. But does the book talk about his anger as an author? Does it deal with the disappointments he has with the system and the failure of governance thereof?

“I am expressing my anger through my writing. It is not without context. However, I am not using a novel to talk about my personal grievances, I have used history and political views as my canvas; used the context of Emergency, to Godhra. I have used that part of history which I am comfortable with. So, the thought of writing a novel is a result of more than one trigger. It is definitely not a political drama. It is about a group of friends. It isn’t about evil Vs good, but is rather between two viewpoints. Drama also constitutes a part of my novel,” shares Sriram, without revealing more.