The Long Walk Home: Interview with novelist Manreet Sodhi Someshwar (Hong Kong/India)

by Zafar Anjum

You were doing well in the corporate world. Why and when did you decide to switch to full time writing? Did you know that you were taking a risk?

In late 2000, my husband’s bank moved us to Singapore. Up till then I had had a very hectic corporate career in Sales, Consulting and Advertising which had involved a fair bit of travel. I decided to take a sabbatical and do the Tai-Tai thing for a while: put my feet up, shop, set up home! But having accomplished all that within a couple of months, I found myself sitting around with time on my hands. That was when I decided to write a short story. I had always had this vague notion that I would write, however, my writing until then had been powerpoint presentations only. But i wrote a story, showed it to my husband and he said, ‘not bad’ and I was obviously desperate – or in a happy phase of life – for I took it as an encouraging sign and persisted. One story led to another, and I was enjoying myself so much that the idea of returning to the corporate world revolted me!

I was aware it was a huge risk yet, the happiness and sense of satisfaction seemed to outweigh the obvious – such madness I now know is an essential ingredient of a writer’s make up. Sigh!

Now that you have published two novels, how do you feel as a writer? Do you ever feel daunted by the challenges and responsibilities of being a writer in this day and age when the world is facing unprecedented crises?

Having written two novels, I feel I have just begin my journey – there is a long way to go, a lot to learn and a lot to write. I view my writing in the words of Bahadur Shah Zafar, the Urdu poet-emperor, “Bahut lambi hain raahen pyaar ki aur zindagi kam hai” – Long are the path of love, and life is short.

Every age has its challenges. As a writer I feel it is my charge to engage fearlessly with the issues that interest me, and hope that the story I tell connects with my readers.

Your first novel was about the corporate world. Your second novel, The Long Walk Home, is set in a tumultuous period in India’s history and polity. Which one did you enjoy writing more?

The first, Earning The Laundry Stripes, as its subtitle says, is the story of ‘a woman’s adventures in  Hindustan Lever’s All-Boys Sales Club’. India Today, the highest-selling weekly of South Asia, called it “an enjoyable tale of a sassy girl’s headlong race up the corporate ladder”. It came off my own experience as the first woman recruited into the sales function of Unilever India and is a ringside view of contemporary corporate India from the perspective of a young woman MBA. It is a lighthearted tale and I enjoyed writing it thoroughly.

My second, The Long Walk Home, is an attempt to illuminate the tumultuous 20th-century history of Punjab by refracting it through the life of one ordinary Punjabi. It required a fair bit of research and took me a long time to write – the pleasure in this case was a bit more excruciating!

You have stated that you had to do a lot of research for The Long Walk Home. What was the challenge there–the story itself or the period and its details that you wanted to get right?

The story was fairly clear to me. The challenge was to present the hundred-odd years of Punjab’s 20th century as part of the narrative and not lose the reader, stick to the historical facts and make sure the narrative is pacy and intriguing. Then, of course, were the hygiene factors of getting the period details right. For instance, when the novel starts in the 1930s, was there electricity in a prosperous Punjabi household or did they use lamps and lanterns?

I don’t recall if there is any novel in English that explores the Punjab problem of the 1980s. In that sense, you were blazing a trail with The Long Walk Home. But, given the paucity of fiction in this area, did you turn to Hindi films, for some inspiration? Gulzar Saheb’s Maachis comes to my mind when I think of the days of terrorism in Punjab.

The Long Walk Home is the first fictional examination of the twentieth century history of Punjab and certainly the first one to deal with the Khalistan movement (in English language). I grew up in a border town of Punjab – Ferozepur – during the period of Sikh militancy in the eighties. My memories of those days are of strapping burly Sardars wrapped in lois (wool blankets) waiting for my father outside his office on misty winter mornings. As my father, a criminal lawyer would explain to us, the son would have been taken away in the night by police for interrogation, and would not have returned home. A lot of ‘encounter’ killings of ‘dreaded militants’ in Punjab occurred in this fashion. The book sprang from both oral history and a ton of research. It is not possible to grow up in a border town and not be imbued with the stories circulating through it: of partition, its aftermath, the Indo-Pak wars, etc.

Gulzar saab’s Machis is a personal favourite and a movie that made a first honest attempt to chronicle the Khalistan movement. It certainly informed my views.

Are you happy with the response to your second novel?

The Long Walk Home received advance praise from the legendary Gulzar saab who penned a shayr in praise of the book. The same, in Roman transliteration is carried on the back cover in his own hand.

The book has received critical acclaim and has hit several bestseller lists in India (The Hindustan Times, The Hindu). Khushwant Singh has called me “a gifted writer of great promise”. Urvashi Butalia has hailed “The Long Walk Home” as  “A father’s remarkable journey towards a memory that eludes him” and gone on to say “It’s rare to come across a novel that is quiet and unassuming.”. India Today has called the book “A must-read for those of us who have been waiting for a promising book to come along.” I also hear from readers on my website and it is heartening to know that the book has connected with them.

I am very happy that the book has connected with people. It is my belief that as a writer one begins a conversation and it is the reader who completes it. So it is great to have started this dialogue.

What are you working on next? Is it going to be some lighter stuff after The Long Walk Home?

My next book is a literary mystery/thriller!

What is your writing process like? Do you have to write everyday?

I try to write daily (the MBA work ethic perhaps!). When I am not writing, I am plotting away!

What do you think is the best part of being a writer? And the worst?

The best part is when I write something and then I read it and wonder: where did this come from? Did I write it, wow! The worst, of course, are the times when it can feel like a terrible grind and you wonder: what is all this worth?

If you have to give one advice to a new writer, what would that advice be?

Do it on one condition only: if you didn’t do it, you would likely die! There are other easier ways to earn a living!

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