Delving into a reader's mind

Dazzling in the writing firmament, at 28, Eleanor Catton is the youngest Man Booker Prize winner for her book, The Luminaries. The gripping fictional thriller is set in the goldfields of New Zealand in 1886.

In the same league, the Indian- American contender, Jhumpa Lahiri’s The Lowlands made it to the nominated shortlist. Starkly unknown lands, cultures, or Indian context, what is it that defines the interest of youngsters in the City, as the world of writing keeps bejewelling itself with new collections.

Catch a Metro in Delhi and you would see youngsters sitting precariously on their sits with their heads dug into their books. One such book lover is a young shutterbug, Pratik Kumar. Brooding over his collection, he says, “I would not  pick up Jhumpa’s book only because she is an Indian. In fact, she is more like a westerner to me. But she has an amazingly fresh take on issues that smell Indian. Her work has this longing for the world which she left behind.”

Reflecting upon his choice of books, a journalism professor at Delhi University, Brahm Prakash shares, “There’s been a lull in Indian-English writing if you consider the books I read at the age of 11 by literary heavyweights like Salman Rushdie and Amitav Ghosh. For me, even the 2008 Man Booker winner The White Tiger by Arvind Adiga didn’t fill the gap as its theme that critiqued the Indian social structure did not offer anything new in terms of content or writing style.”

Taking a peek into his bookshelf reveals his interest in internationally popular Pakistani literature. To this, he says, “Reading books such as The Reluctant Fundamentalist and A Case of Exploding Mangoes shows that these writers do not shy away from dissecting the image of their country.  Using satire and techniques like flashbacks, they make their stories turn multilayered.”

Coming from the Hindi belt, in Anshuman Shekhar’s opinion, even Indian literary awards like Jnanpith do not influence his choice. Engrossed in Peeli Chhatri Wali Ladki, a hindi novel by Uday Prakash, he says,” I wish there were platforms like goodreads for regional books as well. It is so easy to share your favourite books and reckon other people’s comments upon the same work using such networks. Whereas, we can only depend upon our circle of friends.”

A student of English literature, Bhoomi Badoni wants to visit Harry Potter’s imaginary King’s Cross station. Keeping everything aside, she believes, “Just pick up a book and read its synopsis. If it clicks then buy it and don’t drop it till the last page.” Bhoomi impatiently waits for Vikram Seth’s, A Suitable Girl as she also rues the lack of substance in the currently produced Indian-English books that usually qualify as quick reads amongst youngsters.