A slow afternoon with P.Raja

Professor, publisher and prolific author who has contributed significantly to all genres of writing, With a writing career spanning more than two decades he is very much a conspicuous presence in the area of Indian Writing in English. He has published articles, short stories, poems, interviews, one act plays, and features in prominent national and international journals, newspapers and magazines. He has to his credit some 13 books written on a variety of topics and themes including For Your Ears Only (Pondicherry :Busy Bee Books 1977), The Blood and other stories (Delhi: BR Publishers, 1991), Many worlds of Manoj Das (Delhi : B.R.Publishers 1993), A Concise History of Pondicherry (Pondicherry, All India Books, 1987) from Zero To Infinity (Pondicherry : All India Books, 1987)

Professor Raja has been the recipient of Literary Award (Pondicherry University 1987, Pondicherry), International Eminent Poet Award (Madras, 1988), Michael Madhusudan Academy Award (Calcutta 1991) Gold Medal and citation (USA: American Biographical Institute, 1996)

At present he is busy with several assignments as well as his own writing. In this interview Dr.P.Raja talks candidly about his major preoccupations, concerns and future projects.

Rita Nath: Do you consider yourself as an Indian English writer?
Dr.P.Raja: I see myself as an Indian writer with an Indian sensibility. I would like to avoid any categorization of this kind. I write in English, my chosen language, and in Tamil, my mother tongue.

R.N: Would you not like to transcend national boundaries?
P.R: My consciousness is embedded in my native culture and although I continue to imbibe western influences I cannot turn into a so-called international writer. Moreover the local ethos adds a rich flavour to the universal themes of literatures. I can re-create the idiolect of amusing characters who live in my region with authenticity. I can attempt the same with foreign tourists who come here. However, if I want to present American characters breakfasting in New York I will have to rely solely on my imagination.

R.N: Do you feel completely at ease with the English language? Do you see English as an intellectual and cultural acquisition since it is not your mother tongue?
P.R: I write in English because I can express myself spontaneously in it. Secondly I wish to communicate with readers all over the world. When I write in Tamil I can’t even cross the borders of Tamil Nadu. The Tamil speaking people residing outside the state may not read my works.

R.N: When did you begin your career as a writer?
P.R: I was posted in Karaikal (Which is part of the Union Territory of Pondicherry) as a tutor in English at the age of twenty-three. Since Karaikal was an uninteresting place then I used to feel emotionally and intellectually suffocated. Writing helped me to cope with the isolation.

R.N: Marrriage must have brought about a positive change in your life.
P.R: Yes, it did. My wife still remains my most ardent admirer. My children not only brought me joy but also helped me to add new dimensions to my personality.

R.N: Did you start writing for children to entertain the little ones at home?
P.R: This is true. Since I had exhausted all the known stories I invented new ones to entertain them.

R.N: Do you have any distinct political ideology?
P.R: I believe neither in the parliamentary system which is a mockery of democracy nor in any communist philosophy.

R.N: Have you been influenced by Sri Aurobindo’s Philosophy?
P.R: Year ago the Central Government wanted to start a university in Pondicherry in the name of Sri Aurobindo. An army of local students protested against this because they felt a Bengali’s name would degrade the university. These students took out a procession shouting slogans against Sri Aurobindo and his Ashram. A pre-university student then, I had participated in this procession that covered almost all the main streets of Pondicherry.

During my UG days when I entered the realms of gold, I began reading excerpts from Sri Aurobindo writings. I moved on to his plays and poems. I admired them for they were on a par with Shakespeare’s. When I started writing and developed contact with Manoj Das, K.D.Sethna and M.P.Pandit, the three eminent writers of Pondicherry who were also Ashramites I felt that I was slowly moving closer to Sri Aurobindo. This happened because I was listening either to their satsang or reading their works related to Sri Aurobindo.

When I realized the genius of Sri Aurobindo I cursed myself for having raised my voice in protest against him.

R.N: It seems that some of your college professors have also influenced you?
P.R: They influenced me only at the intellectual level. Prof’s Venugopalan Nair and N Santhalingam allowed me direct access to their libraries. Manoj Das, M.P.Pandit and K.D.Sethna made a writer out of me. In fact, I can even say that they made a man out of me. My wife bears testimony to this phenomenon in my life.

R.N: You are a bilingual writer. In future do you see yourself opting for one language over the other.
P.R: I propose to be faithful to both. When I write it is the subject matter that determines the medium of expression.

R.N: You are a well-known writer in foreign countries as well. Can you tell us something about the reader response there?
P.R: Since the beginning of my writing career my works have been getting published abroad though I have not collected a booty. The editors of "Aristos" (Michigan, USA) and Spindrift (Toronto, Canada) brought out special issues covering my writings. In general the editors of American and Canadian journals have always shown interest in my work. I can even add that editors in USA, Great Britain, Canada and Japan are keen on publishing Indian writers if their stuff is worth the salt.

R.N: You have written "A Concise History of Pondicherry" but have you ever explored the unique heritage of the Tamil French community here?
P.R: I have written a few short stories and retold several folktales pertaining to the amalgam of Tamil and French cultures in Pondicherry. One such short story is "The Cook who saved the Natives". Since the Tamil-French community has a unique heritage and a promising future it can offer a goldmine of themes and ideas to discerning authors. I have plans to write novels/novellas on such themes.

Apart from this one, there are other communities with their strikingly different cultures in Pondicherry. The members of these communities have preferred to settle down here rather than anywhere else. Such loyalty to this coastal area is heart warming for a native like me. Even one-time tourists feel the magic of this place. On the other hand cross-cultural exchange has worn out many of the traditions and much of the old world charm of Pondicherry.

R.N: Can you tell us who your favourite authors are?
P.R: To all the tale tellers of yore I continue to remain a fan. Among the poets I admire Byron, Sri Aurobindo, Francois Villon, Rimbaud and Wislawa Szynborska (I have translated two hundred of her poems into Tamil). Among fiction writer it is Nikos Kazantzakis, Tom Wolfe, Shobha De, Kurt Vonnegut, Philip Roth and Manoj Das, I love the dramas of Shakespeare, Sri Aurobindo and Kalidasa.

R.N: Many critics have traced the influence of Manoj Das in your writing. Any comment?
P.R: I did my Ph.D. thesis on the short fiction of Manoj Das. I have translated several of his English stories into Tamil. Many aspects of his stories have inspired me.

R.N: Why did you set up a publishing firm?
P.R: My first ten books were published by various publishers. Every year I had to write half-a-dozen letters and make a dozen phone calls to get the 10% royalty due to me. What I bagged was only frustration.

Writers in India are the most exploited lot. When I thought that I should not be cheated anymore I started my publishing house. Though it has begun with the publication of my books it will help the local writers worth their salt to see their deserving manuscripts in print.

R.N: What are you working on at present?
P.R: I am working on Encyclopaedia Pondicherriana. It has been planned in five volumes – 1.Historical Pondicherry 2. Cultural Pondicherry 3 Religious Pondicherry 4 Literary Pondicherry 5 Political Pondicherry. This encyclopaedia will cover all details about the union territory and be a complete source of reference for anyone seeking information about Pondicherry. This report, not assigned by any government or institution, will come to a finish, if everything goes well, by 2003. This is a one-man show.

Rita Nath is a lecturer in English at Tagore Arts College, Pondicherry.