Evil Empire 45English? Kashmiri English? There are 780 languages in India, 22 of
them formally “recognized.” Most of our Englishes are informed by our
familiarity with one or more of those languages. Hindi, Telugu, and
Malayalam speakers, for example, speak English differently. The char-
acters in my books speak in various languages, and translate for and to
each other. Translation, in my writing, is a primary act of creation. They,
as well as the author, virtually live in the language of translation. Truly,
I don’t think of myself as a writer of “Indian English fiction,” but as a
writer whose work and whose characters live in several languages. The
original is in itself part translation. I feel that my fiction comes from
a place that is more ancient, as well as more modern and certainly less
shallow, than the concept of nations.
Is The Ministry of Utmost Happiness an indirect call to rethink
representation in the Indian English novel? Not consciously, no. But
an author’s conscious intentions are only a part of what a book ends
up being. When I write fiction, my only purpose is to try and build a
universe through which I invite readers to walk.
as: In addition to writing novels, you are also a prolific essayist and
political activist. Do you see activism, fiction, and nonfiction as exten-
sions of each other? Where does one begin and the other end for you?
ar: I am not sure I have the stubborn, unwavering relentlessness it takes
to make a good activist. I think that “writer” more or less covers what I
do. I don’t actually see my fiction and nonfiction as extensions of each
other. They are pretty separate. When I write fiction, I take my time.
It is leisurely, unhurried, and it gives me immense pleasure. As I said,
I try to create a universe for readers to walk through.
The essays are always urgent interventions in a situation that is
closing down on people. They are arguments, pleas, to look at something