It is not everyday that one shares the dais with a Secretary, an Additional Secretary and a Joint Secretary to Government of India. More so when one is the the so-called centre of attraction of the programme.
Thus, starts the story of my book discussion. which was part of the series of Books & Authors that the Civil Services' Officers Institutes has initiated. It was a privilege, to be invited to have a discussion on my book, Fly on the Wall & Other Stories, barely a month after it was released amidst much fanfare. A more eminent panel could not have been wished for. There was Secretary, DoPT (Department of Personnel & Training), Mr.Shyamal Sarkar, Mr.Raghav Chandra, Additional Secretary and Financial Advisor in the Ministry of Agriculture and Mr.Sanjeev Chopra, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture.
The room was reasonably full to begin with and by the end of the session, there was no place left! My publisher celebrated the sale of some more copies. More importantly, the audience comprised of people who had read the book and had their own views about the stories and characters. It was interesting to see how different people interpret the same piece of writing.... it convinced me, yet again, that there is no universal truth. Each of us has our own opinion on events and people, seen from our individual perspective. There was heated discussion on certain issues, ably fueled by Mr.Chopra's observations and comments on the different characters. Mr.Chandra tested the readers' knowledge and provoked a feisty response from the otherwise sedate audience. At the end of the day, I emerged a champion of women's rights, perhaps a man-hater and in all likelihood a murderess in disguise. A promise was extracted that the next book (if there is one!) would focus only on male characters as they have been short-changed in all the stories in this book. My feeble attempts to defend myself by saying that some stories did have men, and saintly ones at that, were brushed aside. Finding no escape, I capitulated. Sigh! Now you know why my next book will take forever.
The Q & A Session was one of the liveliest I have encountered. Thank you Mrs.Lippi Parida, Mrs. Rashmi Chopra and Mrs. Jyoti who had some of the most wonderful insights to share. My personal favourite- when Mrs. Raashmi Chopra observed that the protagonist in the title story 'Fly on the Wall' took far too long to bump off her undeserving husband. (I guess I stand guilty, as charged, for being a violent feminist!)
However, the best comments of the evening were from Secretary, Mr.Shyamal Sarkar. A soft spoken speaker, he turned his address into an inspirational speech on the need for bureaucrats to develop multi-faceted personality. How I wish all our bosses could hear and adhere to his advice. If they gave us a little more respite, and sent us on long travels (on the international circuit only, mind you), there would be greater display of talent in the bureaucracy. Better still, we should be given mandatory vacations every year to reach out to our inner soul and re-discover ourselves.
By the end of the session, I was left marveling at the fact that so many people had read the book and actually wanted to discuss it.
THANK YOU.
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