Siddharta Sarma's Year of the Weeds

                                                  Year of the Weeds

This book is special. Unlike other natural resources the destruction of hills don't get much mileage in books or newspapers until its too late. 

                                                

 This is probably the first Indian young adult book which touches the tricky issue of tribal land rights. Siddharta manages to  address the power play between  government officials and tribals without being preachy or judgemental.

 The book brings out a range of emotions. You feel sympathy for  Korok, the central character of the book.  You are surprised  by the calm manner in which the tribal boy deals with the personal challenges in his life and goes about tending to a garden. You are angered when you read about Korok's helplessness in dealing with the government machinery. You celebrate when Korok manages to get back his prized possession, an old cycle, from the confines of a police station.

 It will be a crime to read this book in one sitting. It needs to be savoured in small quantities  like the biscuit which accompanies your evening tea.
Author Hansda Sowvendra Shekhar  rightly says in the book's  blurb' It would be unfair to categorise this novel as a YA book because it deserves to be read by anyone who can read'.

 The book has already won a special award at the Apeejay Kolkata literary festival.  It is sure to win many more.
Year of the Weeds is a good choice  for libraries!

Siddharta Sarma  gladly answered a few queries about the book and other stuff.

Working in the editorial department of a newspaper house, you come across many news items. Why did you choose the topic of bauxite mining and tribal land rights for Year of The Weeds?

Picture Courtesy: Duckbill

              I follow land rights movements across the country because they are extremely significant for the larger story of India and where we are going as a people. Most of them occur over years, and there is very little good news from these movements. So, when the Dongria Kondhs of the Niyamgiri area in Odisha were given the opportunity to vote on a proposed bauxite mine, I wanted to write the story of this movement and this rare victory. In the process, I also included stories, ideas and structures from other parts of the country which I thought needed to be mentioned.

You spent years researching on your book’s theme. Are you happy with the way the book has shaped?

            I am happy with the way the novel shaped up. The tone and narrative structure were not really in my hands. I was channeling real events like Niyamgiri when I was writing this story, so I was merely the medium.

How much of Korok is in you? How do you channelise the silent rage within?

            There is not much of Korok in me, nor are any of the other characters. I understand and respect people like Korok, who have found one thing to devote themselves to, to the exclusion of everything else. I admire such people and I believe they represent the best of our species. If all humans were like that; if all humans could find one activity, craft or act of creation to devote themselves to, we would have created a better world. Since that is clearly not the case, I must learn to value those few people in the real world who are like Korok. But I am not much like him.

               Instead of capitalising on an audience built through writing articles for newspapers, you have chosen to write for young adults. Why? Is it a strategy to catch the readers young and keep them captured for your adult books as well?

                I stopped reporting 11 years ago because I wanted to tell stories in my own way, at my own pace, with my own rules. I have written two novels for young adults and have been grateful the readers have liked them. I value the honest feedback of young readers and their ability to go to the heart of a problem in seeking answers. Being a writer for children and young people is immensely gratifying. There is no plan or strategy to capture young readers for any subsequent adult books. I respect them too much to think in terms of capture or pinning down.

After dealing with words all day at work, how do you manage to switch off the editor’s mode and write books? What is your writing schedule?

               I have a six-day week working schedule. I reach home a little before midnight. When I am writing a book, I try to put in a few hours at night, because I am a night person and it is quieter and one can hear oneself think. While it is true that one has to stop thinking purely as an editor while writing, it is also extremely helpful. A lot of editorial tasks in print media involve rewriting, so writing and editing go together almost all the time. After the writing is done, experience as an editor also helps edit one’s own work. One can try to be cold-blooded while editing one’s own copy. That is an advantage.

Is your next book from Penguin for Young Adults?
                                                       

              My next book, which has come out recently, is for general readers. Carpenters and Kings, published by Penguin Hamish Hamilton, is non-fiction and is a history of Western Christianity in the subcontinent.

Through articles and books, you have chosen to act and put the spotlight on issues which need attention. You are also an award-winning author. Do you feel content as a writer?

             I try to take things a day at a time. I would like to hope that I am gradually improving as a writer and that my work so far has given something of value to readers, both in terms of themes and literary merit, and that they will return to my works at some point. If it has and they do, I am and shall be content.

 To buy a copy of the book,click here.