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Interview with the author: Nirendra Dev
“Communalism in any form makes me angry”
E.P: Nirendra, You seemed to have come a long way starting from Nagaland-based tabloids in early 1990s and now as many as four books.
Dev: When I look at the rear view of the mirror; I find it quite interesting. Through books, may be I want to keep memories intact. I write more for myself than posterity, as people say. My father served with Assam Rifles, as a military man prides about medals to wear on chest, I thought I will have these books to display in the book shelves.
E.P: From Journalism to fictional writing? You are writing short stories for Washington Bangla Radio?
| When a journalist decides to write a book, you ought to be sure that either he is excited about the subject. He likes it or he is annoyed with it, disturbed with it. |
Dev: I am penning these short stories now for more than a year after Supratim Sanyal MD of Washington Bangla Radio encouraged me into this. My brother-in-law Mukesh, who had eloped with my sister, once mocked, why don’t you write some fiction about my love story. Today, I feel fictions can move not only readers but also the creators, the writers. I find many characters of my short stories leaving some changes in my life.
Dev: How much of Nagaland and northeastern experience works in your stories? Your father seemed to have made an interesting comment on Nagas?
E.P: Ha ha… My father made the comment about me. He disliked my joining journalism. When I did not listen to him; angrily he said, “you think like a Naga. This led me into thinking really…. Was I really thinking like a Naga? Today, I seek answers on all these through my short stories. I was deeply infatuated with Naga life, loving all things about Nagas – especially the pork rice. Openness…the openness to invite friends straight into kitchen. All about urban and life in Delhi or Mumbai is artificial. The ways Nagas can laugh…. I can go on.
EP: ‘Modi to Moditva’ is your fourth book. Out of four, you have written two on Gujarat and one on Ayodhya dispute. Any special reason?
Dev: When a journalist decides to write a book, you ought to be sure that either he is excited about the subject. He likes it or he is annoyed with it, disturbed with it. In my case, the book on northeast ‘The Talking Guns: North East India’ comes under one category. I love northeast region, where I was born and brought up. The communalism really disturbs me. I am not saying Hindu communalism only. It’s about all. The Godhra carnage, then post-Godhra riots all of it left me angry. So, came my first book on Gujarat and I was surprised that my first book was not on northeast India.
