Publish with Us

Follow Penguin

Follow Penguinsters

Follow Penguin Swadesh

© 2020 Penguin India

Category: Uncategorized

An Interview with Kabir Khan- An Excerpt from ‘Directors’ Diaries 2’

Posted on by Penguin India

‘One of the primary principles of directing is making choices, you have to make one about whether something is right or wrong, because there is no middle ground. As a director, you make a choice and then stick with it, all the way.’

Directors’ Diaries 2 is an anthology by Rakesh Anand Bakshi that features the voices of some of India’s greatest film makers – -Shyam Benegal, Tanuja Chandra, Kabir Khan, Abhishek Chaubey, Nandita Das, Shakun Batra, Prabhu Deva and Mohit Suri-as well as significant but often overlooked behind-the-scenes crew such as spot boy Salim Shaikh, make-up artist Vikram Gaikwad and sound designer Rakesh Ranjan.

The book gives a peek into the lives, souls and motivations of these icons and can be a truly wonderful resource for young film-makers.

Read an excerpt from the book below:

Kabir Khan

FILMOGRAPHY: Kabul Express (2006); New York (2009); Ek Tha Tiger (2012); Bajrangi Bhaijaan (2015); Phantom (2015); Tubelight (2017)

 

What made you script Kabul Express as your first feature film?

KK: After the 9/11 terror attack in New York, I found myself doing a lot of documentary work in and about Afghanistan. Eventually, I shot two or three documentaries in Afghanistan, as guerrilla short films. I had a huge number of real stories and anecdotes from my personal experiences in Afghanistan, which would churn in my conscious and subconscious mind, and I realized what I had experienced in Afghanistan would make a great story by itself. Thus inspired, I sat down one day to write the story of Kabul Express. In hindsight, it was easy to put it all down as a screenplay, because I basically just had to string together our experiences. I wrote the script within two or three months, which, I think, has been the fastest that I’ve written a script to date.

Considering your films may reflect socio-political themes, do you make them to raise questions or answers?

KK: Neither. Primarily, I just want to tell a story. But I do like to tell a story against a certain socio-political context, which has some sort of resonance, first within me, and then, in society. Having said that, my storytelling is neither agenda-driven nor thoughtdriven. But, yes, I think, I would like to say that I make films that raise some questions and may sometimes give a few answers that have not been heard before.

How did you get someone to produce Kabul Express?

KK: I was married by then and Mini was a VJ with MTV. So, she had a bit of an ‘engagement’ with Bollywood people; MTV VJs were celebrities back then. Mini knew some well-placed people and got me some important numbers of people I could pitch my script to. Jaideep Sahni, a screenplay writer who had written Khosla Ka Ghosla (2006), was a friend, and helped me procure the numbers of actors and producers. I started contacting them.

However, whoever I narrated the story of Kabul Express to reacted with, ‘Wow! What a lovely story! But it is a very “different” film! Difficult to make.’ They felt there was no market for such a film. I was clear that I would be able to shoot it in Kabul, because for me, Kabul was not a location, it was a character in my film; and I had already shot two documentaries there and survived. I was confident that I’d be able to pull off a feature film there.

Meanwhile, I never gave up on trying to cast well-known actors. I went to all kinds of producers and production houses— new, old, semi-old, semi-new, small, very small, medium, big, very big. But I never approached Yashraj Films, because conventional wisdom told me, ‘Yashraj? To produce this kind of film? No way! Are you crazy!’

While I waited for producers to revert, I began to look for actors myself. I approached Arshad Warsi. Arshad’s wife is my wife’s friend so it wasn’t that difficult to meet him. He read the script and was immediately on board. Then, I met John Abraham and he too agreed to be in the film. With these two in, I thought my chances of getting a producer would increase exponentially. However, I was proved wrong. I still could not convince anyone to make the film.

An executive producer friend of mine, without my knowledge, had given the script to Adi [Aditya Chopra of Yashraj Films], because, at that point, he was looking for films outside his comfort zone. This friend knew about it because he was working with Adi. I received a call out of the blue from Yashraj Films. The caller informed me that Aditya Chopra wanted to meet me. I thought it was a prank. I said, ‘Yeah, yeah, sure. Like, hell! Adi Chopra would want to meet me, a first-time film-maker whose script is nowhere close to the kind of films Yashraj makes!’ However, I eventually realized the caller was serious and was indeed calling me from Yashraj Films!

Within five minutes of that call, Jaideep Sahni called me. He had read my script long ago, because I had bounced it off him as a friend. He said Adi wanted to meet me because he had read my script and liked it. Later, I found out that when Adi had mentioned my script to Jaideep, he had replied that he already knew about it because he had read it long ago and liked it too, and had even suggested changes. Adi had then asked him about me and Jaideep had told him, ‘Kabir’s a friend and he is capable of directing this film.’ And that’s when Adi decided to meet me and his office called me.

It was a momentous feeling when I entered Yashraj Films’ office to meet this mythical character, producer and director called Aditya Chopra. When I met him, he said, ‘I have read your script, it really moved me and I want to produce it. When can we start?’ And that was it! Adi stood by me like a rock, from day one.

Can you tell us how you usually direct an actor?

KK: Like I said, I believe in giving minimal directions on the first take. I just convey the context of the scene to them, tell them about the backdrop of the moment they are in at that point of the screenplay, where it’s headed, and that’s it. Once I give them that information, I wait to watch what the actor is going to give me in the very first take, or the rehearsal, building on whatever little I have told them. From that a few questions get answered. For example, are they on the same page as me? Have they gone somewhere else? Is the path they’ve taken more interesting than mine? Should I explore that zone, their intuition, their understanding of my scene? Or have they missed the mark completely? Then and only then do I start putting in or pulling out from their understanding and performance.

Frankly, I don’t know whether it’s a good thing or a bad thing, the way I function with my actors, and I do not know how others direct. It’s worked for me so far, or so I feel.

Grab your copy of Directors’ Diaries 2 today to discover how they were first drawn to the craft of film-making to how they got that elusive first break.

Immigrant Lines from ‘Translated from the Gibberish’

Posted on by Penguin India

The people who migrate to a foreign land are often swathed in nostalgia of a place they call their own – their home. But what is really a home for an immigrant? Is it a place they inhabit or the land where their heart belongs?

Anosh Irani moved to Vancouver to pursue a degree in fine arts. It has been over two decades since he left the bustling streets of Bombay (as he prefers to call it). His latest book Translated from the Gibberish is a result of his many visits to the JJ Bridge in Mumbai, overlooking the houses lined nearby, as he expresses that, “The bridge allows me to be so close to their windows that I can literally smell their lives.”

The excerpts below reveal the everyday realization of life as an immigrant, through the lens of different characters from Translated from the Gibberish (Part One).

 

Abdul, a chef in Vancouver encounters a rat scurrying in his restaurant…

“That rat had found a way in but could not find a way out. That rat was him.” … “Abdul was a passport-less creature; he had used a tourist visa to enter Canada, and was now one of the invisibles.”

~

The only place where Abdul felt happy was at the cricket ground where –

“The soft carpet of grass had been a revelation. Unlike the dusty maidaans of Bombay, which sent him home with cuts and bruises, the grass was a homely rug— gentle and inviting. He had literally gone to sleep on it, feeling it against his back. He had been in Vancouver for more than a year by then, but this was the first time he had smiled. And the grass had smiled too. No one in Vancouver had smiled at him, but the grass did.”

~

Sujoy, an immigrant in New York, overcome by memories of his mother’s authentic recipes…

“He cooked the only way he knew how, the way his mother had taught him. But after he had eaten at some Indian restaurants in New York, the meaning became clear. Some of the meals had been great—but that was like saying the music in an opera was superb, except for when the soprano hit the wrong notes.”

~

On a Sunday morning, in their house in Mumbai, Sujoy’s father grabbed an atlas he won at a radio quiz show –

“And when he touched his atlas, he traced his fingers along its pages as a blind person would, as if searching for something.”

~

Majid, the owner of a sweet shop in Canada named ‘Almirah Sweets’, which meant –

“A treasury of sweetness. It was borrowed from the Urdu word for cabinet, but for Majid it meant a treasure chest of the most delectable delicacies known to man, woman, or beast. Of course, he did not mention the beast part to anyone, but he’d had a dream the night before the shop opened in which a fantastical beast had towered above him, baring its teeth and fangs; Majid had offered it some mawa dessert, and the beast had eaten the delicacy gently, and had blessed Majid instead of harming him. Majid interpreted the dream as a sign that no matter how foreign these shores looked, no matter how threatening its people seemed, his sweets would bring them together.”

Each narrative arc in the book conveys the pathos of hundreds of immigrants – their longing to return to their loved ones and the comfort of foreign land. Grab a copy of Translated from the Gibberish (Part One) and indulge in some nostalgic trips of your own!

Q & A: HH The Dalai Lama on India, its Teachings and His message to our World Leaders

Posted on by Penguin India

How much has India and its ancient Indian texts inspired your thinking and teaching?

Tibet’s first contact with Buddhism occurred with the arrival of a Chinese princess in the seventh century. But, a century later, the Tibetan Emperor chose to introduce Buddhism from India. He invited Shantarakshita, a venerable monk, philosopher and logician, and the foremost scholar of his day at Nalanda University, to visit Tibet. He advised the Emperor to initiate the translation of Indian Buddhist literature into Tibetan.

We Tibetans have kept this tradition alive since then, with its emphasis on the use of logic and reason and its systematic understanding of the workings of the mind and emotions. As a simple human being, a Tibetan and a Buddhist, I myself am a student of this tradition—indeed, every cell of my brain is filled with Nalanda thought. We learn fundamental texts by heart, study classic Indian and Tibetan commentaries to them, and, on the basis of logic and reason, debate what we’ve learned with each other. This sharpens the mind and yields deep understanding.

 

In the foreword you mention ‘Eight Verses for Training The Mind’, how much has the book influenced you?

This short text the ‘Eight Verses for Training the Mind’ contains instructions not only for developing the awakening mind of bodhichitta, the cultivation of warm-hearted compassion, but also for developing a view of reality. I first received an explanation of it from the then Regent, Tagdrag Rinpoché, when I was a small boy; later I heard it from my junior tutor, Kyabjé Trijang Rinpoché. I’ve been reciting it and thinking about it daily since then.

The text reminds us that when we give to the poor we should do so respectfully; we should treasure ill-natured trouble-makers and give the victory to others, regarding enemies as precious teachers. We should cultivate the practice of ‘giving and taking’ and regard all things as like illusions, asking ourselves whether things really exist the way they appear.

In my daily practice, to review the entire path to enlightenment I use the ‘Foundation of All Excellence’, but to renew my practice of compassion, I recite the ‘Eight Verses for Training the Mind’. There are other times too, when a flight is delayed and I might feel impatient—this is the text I repeat to myself.

 

If there was a message that you would want to give to the world leaders of today, what would it be?

We need to remember the oneness of humanity, that in being human we are all the same. When I see two eyes, one mouth, one nose, I know I’m dealing with another human being like me. I’m like those young children who don’t care about their companions’ background so long as they smile and are willing to play. To emphasise nationality, religion, and colour just creates division. We have to look at things on a deeper level and remember that we are all the same as human beings.

As social animals, human beings depend on the community in which they live, and these days that community is the whole of humanity. To meet the challenges that affect us all, such as the climate crisis, we must work together. Scientists have been warning us for some time of the dangers we face. We cannot simply exploit this planet and its natural environment; we have to take care of it.

 

 

Angry Goddesses: 5 Lines that Showcase the “Badass Mothers” from ‘A People’s History Of Heaven’

Posted on by Penguin India

Mathangi Subramanian’s A People’s History of Heaven takes us to a thirty-year-old slum called Heaven, hidden between brand-new high-rise apartment buildings and technology incubators in contemporary Bangalore. In this close-knit community, five girls on the cusp of womanhood – a graffiti artist; a transgender Christian convert; a blind dancer; a migrant who discovers a family secret; and the queer daughter of a hijabi union leader – forge an unbreakable bond.

When the local government wants to demolish their tin shacks to build a shopping mall, the girls and their mother refuse to be erased. Here are 5 powerful lines from the book that show us the unshakeable strength of the mothers through the girls’ eyes:

 

‘Our houses may break, but our mothers won’t. Instead, they form a human chain, hijabs and dupattas snapping in the metallic wind, saris shimmering in the afternoon sun. Between the machines and the broken stone, our mothers blaze like carnations scattered at the feet of smashed-up goddesses.’

~

‘In our mothers’ eyes, in our eyes, it’s a war we have a chance of winning.’

~

‘When the bus pulls away, our mothers go about the business of managing a crisis. Gather blankets and soap and changes of clothes. Take turns using each other’s phones to tell their employers that they won’t be in tomorrow. Probably not the next day either. […] They are bustling and efficient, moving with a surety that surprises us.’

~

‘The first time the city tried to demolish Heaven, our mothers’ mothers and their husbands streamed out of their houses with rocks and crowbars and broken metal. A few of our mothers did too. Rushed toward the bulldozers like fire from a dragon’s mouth. Wedged open the bulldozers’ doors and pulled out the drivers.’

~

‘[Our mothers are] Angry, unforgiving goddesses, the kind with skulls around their necks and corpses beneath their feet.

The kind that protect their children.

That protect their daughters.’

Vibrant and heartwarming, A People’s History of Heaven dazzles in its depiction of female friendship amidst adversity.

 

Decoding the Spaces in Lisa Brennan- Jobs’ Life in Her Memoir ‘Small Fry’

Posted on by Penguin India

Born on a farm and named in a field by her parents- artist Chrisann Brennan and co-founder of Apple Inc. Steve Jobs- Lisa Brennan-Jobs’ childhood unfolded in a rapidly changing Silicon Valley.

‘That is my father and no one knows it but it’s true’, mused a young Lisa as she stared at the face splashed across newspapers and magazines. Struggling to find her place at the periphery of her father’s ever expanding life, Lisa gradually manoeuvred a winding path into the relationship that seemed to define her.

Read excerpts from Small Fry that give insight into her relationship with her father, Steve Jobs:

 

  1. Meeting the man who had fathered her made him real while not having him around left a gaping void. Oscillating between his presence and absence made young Lisa question the veracity of the reunion-

‘I hadn’t seen him for years, and I wouldn’t see him for years after that. The memory of this day, the outlandish house and my strange father, seemed surreal when I thought of it later, as if it hadn’t really happened.’

 

  1. Meandering around his mansion on a bright afternoon, Lisa revelled in an elusive moment of Steve’s awareness of her presence as she drank in the quirks and features of her father’s physicality-

‘His face looked fresh against the dark, shiny hair. Being near him in the bright light with the smells of dirt and trees, the spaciousness of the land, was electric and magical. Once I caught him looking at me sidelong….’

  1. For Lisa, Steve was a puzzle and her endless curiosity to find all the pieces to their relationship made her wonder at all that was within him-

‘Steve . I knew so little about him. He was like those Michelangelo sculptures of men trapped in rough stone, half smooth, half rough, that made you imagine the part inside that had not yet come out.’

  1. Playing on a trampoline with her father, Lisa couldn’t bring herself to surrender to the joy of the moment. Unable to bridge the distance between them she was pitifully aware of the gaze of those around-

‘Twice we found ourselves coming down to land at the same moment. I prayed we wouldn’t touch; it would be too intimate. I was conscious of scrabbling away from accidental closeness in front of strangers.’

  1. Despite the indifference that rattled her, for Lisa, her father was a man of the world and her connection to a larger universe that she would eventually step into-

‘For me, it was the opposite: the closer I was to him, the less I would feel ashamed; he was part of the world, and he would accelerate me into the light.’

  1. For her first ever vacation, Steve took Lisa to Hawaii and in a moment where he realised they were anchored to predestined bonds of blood, he gave Lisa a glimpse of his awe at being her father-

‘Look how we both have eyebrows that come together in the middle,” he said. “And how we have the same nose.”

  1. Having lost out on her father’s presence repeatedly throughout her life, Lisa seemed determined to hold on to some tangible evidence of his being even as the final darkness crept forward to claim him-

‘Three months before he died, I began to steal things from my father’s house. I wandered around barefoot and slipped objects into my pockets. I took blush, toothpaste, two chipped finger bowls……’

When she was young, Lisa’s father was a mythical figure who was rarely present in her life. As she grew older, he took an interest in her, ushering her into a new world of mansions, vacations, and private schools.

Small Fry is a poignant coming-of-age story of a child growing up in disparate worlds as she grapples with feelings of illegitimacy and shame but also admiration for the father she yearns for.

8 Stunning Lines from ‘A People’s History of Heaven’ to Sear Your Heart

Posted on by Penguin India

Award-winning author Minal Hajratwala claims: ‘Everything about A People’s History of Heaven is wonderful: the lyrical, light touch of the narrator, the story, the humor, and most of all, the girls.’

Washington Independent Review of Books adds: ‘Mathangi Subramanian’s observations are sharp, witty, and incisive; her writing is consistently gorgeous. She is passionate about the plight of Indian girls subjected to a patriarchal system that ruthlessly oppresses and devalues them.’

Here are a few heart-touching lines from the book:

“Between the machines and the broken stone, our mothers blaze like carnations scattered at the feet of smashed-up goddesses. Angry, unforgiving goddesses, the kind with skulls around their necks and corpses beneath their feet. The kind that protect their children. That protect their daughters.”

~

‘What would it sound like, if you broke the sky? Would it be a jagged shattering of sharp-edged glass? A frayed ripping of overwashed fabric? Or would the sky break the way skin breaks, silently oozing, and smelling like blood?’

~

‘The world is full of almosts. Almost living, almost dying. Almost husbands, almost wives. Almost together. Almost apart.’

~

‘In Heaven, there are first families and second families. But there are other families too. Families born out of something more than blood. Families that cannot be erased with a new letter, a new story. A new neighborhood, a new wife.’

~

‘Neelamma Aunty had always thought of motherhood like marriage: a set of duties and obligations, a series of defined tasks. But clutching Deepa to her chest, she realized it was something more. Something she would have to learn. Not the way she had learned tailoring to bring in money but the way she had learned to raise herself.’

~

‘Her mother, who has lost a father. Lost a husband, a daughter, a son. Once, not so long ago, she thought she might lose herself. Somehow, after all of this loss, she survived.’

~

‘Padma knew then with frightening certainty that whatever her parents sought, it wasn’t here, in this granite metropolis that stared at her family with gravel-mottled eyes. Maybe it wasn’t anywhere.’

~

‘Thus far, her life had been a collection of the consequences of other people’s choices. But maybe it no longer had to be. Maybe, now, the choices could be her own.’

A People’s History of Heaven is a poignant look at the power of female bonding amidst adversity.

Is Money the Ultimate Measure of Happiness?

Posted on by Penguin India

In a world driven by quantitative economic progress, the idea of measuring Gross National Happiness (GNH) was introduced by the King of Bhutan in the 1970’s. GNH takes into account a mix of quality-of-life factors to determine the happiness and well- being of a nation. A powerful countervailing force to the concept of GNH is the fiercely competitive world of corporate success where the irrepressible urge to be everywhere, to own everything and to do all that before everyone else takes precedence over the fundamental human goal of being happy.

Read on to learn 5 Ways to increase one’s Happiness Quotient!

 

Align Physical and Mental Wellness

‘Listen to your body. If you are tired, rest. If you are hungry, eat. If you are lonely, communicate, ask for a hug. If you are angry, deal with your anger constructively, resolve it.’

Build Nurturing Relationships

‘Belonging to a supportive nurturing group is the best protection you can have against disease and unhappiness. Being loved can prevent you from the flood of negative emotions that have the capacity to destroy you. Today many people have no friends and are not in touch with their families either. They are more comfortable with an undemanding computer than with a person.’

Combat Stress

‘There is, of course, no way to make the situations less tough. Meditation and pranayama provide a way of reducing the automatic and violent reactions to stress. You can actually control autonomous systems like heartbeat and pulse rate, which were thought to be outside the individual’s control.’

Deal with Loss

‘Positive self-talk helps in such situations. Be prepared to sacrifice, to wait and do not rush to gratify every desire. Continue with your life’s work and you will be healed. A high-tolerance level when faced with frustration is due to the capacity to motivate oneself. Motivate yourself to heal.’

Engage the Power of Emotional Fields

‘Just as you can clean your physical space, your house, your office, so too do you have the ability to clean the clutter within your mental space. Sweep out all ill will, anger, fear, anxiety and the sad baggage of the past. Replace it with the smiles of loved ones, laughter and joy, peace and harmony.’

Dr. Rekha Shetty, founder of the Minds Power brand and Managing Director of Firstar Distribution Network Ltd, works exclusively on innovation initiatives and work-life balance. In The Happiness Quotient, she gives you the mantra to achieve excellence in the corporate world and still be happy in life.

 

 

 

 

On Staring Out of the Window: Excerpt from ‘The School of Life’

Posted on by Penguin India

For most of us, school is about facts and figures. It gets us to learn all about calculating probabilities and Shakespearean sonnets, but there’s not much we find out about coping with heartbreaks and maintaining interpersonal relationships.

Ten years ago, writer and philosopher Alain de Botton found an organization called The School of Life, with a singular aim in mind: to equip people with emotional intelligence to help them survive and thrive in the modern world.

By reflecting on day-to-day instances that almost all of us can relate to, Botton’s book The School of Life seeks to build an emotive understanding of ourselves. Here’s an excerpt that sheds light on a behavior that is commonplace in classrooms, yet ridiculed widely:

 

THE IMPORTANCE OF STARING OUT OF THE WINDOW

We tend to reproach ourselves for staring out of the window. Most of the time, we are supposed to be working, or studying, or ticking things off a to-do list. It can seem almost the definition of wasted time. It appears to produce nothing, to serve no purpose. We equate it with boredom, distraction, futility. The act of cupping our chin in our hands near a pane of glass and letting our eyes drift in the middle distance does not enjoy high prestige. We don’t go around saying, ‘I had a great day today. The high point was staring out of the window.’ But maybe, in a better society, this is exactly what people would quietly say to one another.

The point of staring out of a window is, paradoxically, not to find out what is going on outside. It is, rather, an exercise in discovering the contents of our own minds. It is easy to imagine we know what we think, what we feel and what’s going on in our heads. But we rarely do entirely. There’s huge amount of what makes us who we are that circulates unexplored and unused. Its potential lies untapped. It is shy and doesn’t emerge under the pressure of direct questioning. If we do it right, staring out of the window offers a way for us to be alert to the quieter suggestions and perspectives of our deeper selves. Plato suggested a metaphor for the mind; our ideas are like birds fluttering around in the aviary of our brains. But in order for the birds to settle, Plato understood that we need periods of purpose-free calm. Staring out of the window offers such an opportunity.

A veritable crash course in emotional maturity, The School of Life is a must-read for some much-needed insights into life and self.

What Can We Learn from the Chinese Companies?

Posted on by Penguin India

The Chinese invest hugely in understanding foreign cultures and markets while being confident in the knowledge that their competitors and would-be allies are unlikely to make sufficient effort to understand them.

‘Running with the Dragon’ by Saibal Dasgupta has nine case studies, which are inspiring stories of Indian and Chinese businesspersons engaged in remarkable work. The book also looks into the strengths and weaknesses of Indian companies operating in China, and the Chinese firms that have begun to unsettle sections of the Indian market.

Chinese private companies are very straightforward. Wherever there is a market, they will go and explore it. Chinese companies are risk-takers who expect to face bottlenecks and the possibility of returning after withdrawing investments.

There is a lesson for Indian companies about the successes that can be achieved by putting together IT and engineering talent. Recent forays of Chinese companies climbing the top rungs of the ladder in sunrise industries is an example of that.

There are signs Chinese investors are keener on the less-served tier II and tier III cities instead of sweating it out in the congested markets of tier 1 cities.

With a one-party rule driven by capitalistic passion, China’s diplomatic missions have been able to work hand in hand with their companies, often negotiating on their behalf across different countries.

Chinese phone makers have cut through their negative image of an invasive and dangerous neighbor and become successful in the retail segment, because they have successfully converted the classy brand game in smartphones into a more rowdy and democratic commodity play.

China has been investing heavily in research. The European Chamber says China spent around USD 300 billion on research and development, nearly 2.2 per cent of GDP. Sheer scale in absolute figures might, at some point, give China an advantage over smaller industrialized countries that spend much less.

India is China’s seventh biggest trading partner, far ahead of advanced countries like the United Kingdom. Beijing knows India, with its demographic dividend, holds a huge untapped potential that goes beyond the future growth opportunities in several countries, including Japan and South Korea. It is time for Indian companies to start collaborating with Chinese players on a global scale. The process has already begun. It is time for more players to join the party.

Running with the Dragon is a crucial lesson in navigating the market today.

Phunchok Stobdan Answers Our Burning Questions

Posted on by Penguin India

The Great Game in the Buddhist Himalayas by Phunchok Stobdan is an attempt to provide several unknown insights into the India-China, India-Tibet and China-Tibet relationships. The book tries to take into consideration the overriding power of the conflicting cultural interests that are linked to the geopolitical interests of both China and India. At the same time, the book suggests how Buddhism could become a potential source for recultivating awareness towards an India–China congruity in the current context.

In the interview below, Phunchok Stobdan talks about his book and more!

  1. What inspired you to write the book? 

 

Over the years, I have been receiving many compliments for my writings – essentially short commentaries, opinion pieces that I have been contributing to several media outlets and academic journals. The positive comments received from the readers motivated me further to elaborate my views on the subject, for the average reader knows little about the geopolitical complexity of the Himalayas.

There was certainly some fear that initially held me back from touching on the subject, but it my editor, Ms. Swati Chopra, Senior Commissioning Editor of Penguin India, who motivated me to undertake this project. I agreed with her because I had nothing to lose. I am very grateful to her.

 

  1. Were there any challenges? 

 

As always, writing on a sensitive subject like the Himalayas and Tibet is challenging not because the issues are at times shrouded in mystery as they are also mostly metaphysical in nature but because of the inbuilt political narrative that had been set for decades and embedded into the national discourse. Putting forward a contrary viewpoint and disturbing the status quo was challenging.

 

  1. Anything you would like our readers to know that would complement their experience while reading the book?

 

While I do not discount the importance of moral values and principle in the conduct of international politics, but the nature of world affairs have become more transactional especially after the end of the Cold War. India, for a very long time, has been playing a very opaque and open-ended game which has not endured well as it should have.  India’s strategic outlook towards the Himalayan region had been defined a long time go and continued to remain in practice despite the cost. On the other hand, the game pursued by India’s adversaries has been constantly changing. It is time to review our policies towards the Himalayas such as the one the country has with regards to Jammu & Kashmir. A robust policy like the one adopted for Ladakh by granting it a Union Territory status would alter the game in India’s favour.

  1. What are five reasons to read your book?

The Himalayas are no longer mystic and can’t be romanticized. Today, the Himalayas is a contested area – a theatre of competition by proxy among major powers.

This book important to understand:

a) The geo-cultural landscape of Buddhist Himalayas, its profile and the competing narratives that are being built over the years;

b) The dynamic interplay between the Tibetans vis-à-vis Himalayan Buddhist world, similarities and differences;

c) How the ‘Tibet issue’ and the discourse surrounding it has gradually overshadowed the Himalayan dynamics that has vilely blurt the Indian frontier outlook;

d) How the Chinese would eventually succeed in leveraging the critical issues of Himalayan Buddhism to meet its own geopolitical goals;

e) How India’s interests in the Buddhist Himalayas are rapidly getting compromised as compared to the Himalayan game played more perceptively by British India;

f) The Buddhist Himalayas are not a monolith region as generally perceived by people as there are inbuilt complexities and fault lines;

Finally to highlight how India has seemingly failed to grasp the dynamic interplay between sectarian affiliation and power politics — between the Tibetan plateau and the political landscape in the Indian Himalayas.

It is a case of missing the woods for the trees; clearly, understanding Himalayan complexity in India requires much more than bureaucratic bean-counting.

 

  1. Any particular sources you used to research into the India-China relationship?

 

The book is based on the official sources and vernacular media reporting. Some of the points identified are based on my experiences in the field; as a result of personal interaction with informed circles, participation in numerous conferences, seminars and discussions. Impressions gathered during my prolonged stay in Inner and Central Asia including personal visits to the Himalayan region (Sikkim, Bhutan, Himachal Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, West Bengal, Jammu & Kashmir and West Bengal) were used while writing this book. Being a native of the Himalayan region has definitely helped in writing this book.

 

  1. Do you think there will be any winners in this ‘great game’? Why? Why not?

 

Unless India evolves clarity of thoughts and objectivity, the Himalayan game is likely to remain in obscurity – largely driven by invisible actors without any tangible benefits for India. The real winner in the game should be safeguarding the interests of 1.3 billion people of India.

To know more about this Great Game, grab your copy of The Great Game in the Buddhist Himalayas today!

error: Content is protected !!