The writing on the wall

It’s amongst the funniest things I’ve encountered while browsing the net and it set me thinking. Try looking for ‘Kolkata writers’ on the net. You should be smothered by thousands of pages that talk about young writers from Kolkata, about the early Lord Byron influenced Macaulayite Michael Madhusudan Dutta and about how Kolkata led the way with thinking, philosophy and literature, barely a century after the Battle of Plassey in 1757. Now try looking for ‘Bangalore writers’. There are more than enough pages to fill a modest library but, oops, all of it is to do with dull and boring technical and content writing jobs at technology companies. Literature — story telling, reflection and inspiration — don’t figure anywhere. Tells you something about us, doesn’t it?

Last Sunday, Ahmed Faiyaz, who grew up in Bangalore but now works in Dubai, was back in the city for the release of his first book, Love, Life and All That Jazz. It’s a light read about growing up, fast-and-furious relationships and the choices we make in a society that is changing. Listening to him read parts of his book, which is set largely in Mumbai, it was difficult to imagine a story placed in a Bangalore setting. It was even more difficult to imagine Bangalore nurturing credible, interesting, powerful, thoughtful and influential writers in English.

Full report here Todaynews