From Finance to Fiction

An interview with Sameer Bhagat, an author with the famous surname

Sameer Bhagat was born in Ranchi, Jharkhand in the year 1972, 26 September. His father was a civil servant with the Government of India, due to which he grew up in different placesin Bihar. Eventually, he moved to KendriyaVidhyala, Delhi for higher studies and then later joined Scindia School, in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh. He graduated witha Bachelor of Arts from Hans Raj College, University of Delhi and later he joined the State Bank Group as a probationary officer. After working in different states for almost a decade, he finally quits his job due to personal reasons and returned to his native place in Jharkhand to work there forthe people around him.

Sharing a glimpse of his interesting life, Sameer Bhagat has brilliant insight as a banker turned author.

Excerpts:

Q1: When did you start writing?

Well, my writing started way back in school. I remember, that while growing up as a school-kid in the 1980s, I had a membership of a Government Public Library at Laxmi Bai Nagar in Delhi, wherein I ended up reading whole lots of books of all kinds - like the classic-novels from Shakespeare to the Indrajal comics. As a kid, I was spending a good bit of time leading the cool stuff - as there were no mobile phones, socialmedia, satellite TV stations, OTT platforms, etc. to distract me. And yes, so I spent my time putting my thoughts into papers as my hobby. Although after joining a boarding school at senior school, I stopped writing as sports became my top priority.

Q2: What inspired you to write his first novel?

Due to personal family reasons, I had to leave my Branch-Managerial job at State Bank in Moga, Punjab, and move back to Ranchi, Jharkhand in 2008. Back home in Jharkhand, one of my cousin-sisters asked me to help her run a political campaign for the MLA's (Vidhayak) election. While travelling far and wide across the state made me come face-to-face with the harsh ground realities in the mineral-rich state characterised by the large-scale poverty in the rural belt of the naxal-affected areas at that time. The plight and the heart-breaking circumstances of tribal people inspired me to write my first novel.

Q3: What insights and reflections does your novel convey?

The local vernacular press has dubbed me as the first English language novelist from the Oraon tribe community of Jharkhand. Although I completed my maiden novel in 2011 and got myself a booking agent in 2012, the publication of my novel did not go as smoothly as I had hoped. I had written a hard-hitting socio-political novel from the perspective of the rural Adivasi (tribal) commonfolks caught in the deadly crossfire between the Right-Wing Government and the Left-Wing Naxals. It talked about the problems and challenges faced by the Adivasi people living and surviving in the so-called redcorridor of India.

Q4: Can you describe your approach to writing?

My first novel was inspired by some real-life incidents, as I did not want my realistic novel to be called a figment of my active imagination. So, I talked to quite a few knowledgeable people as well as the common folks - who have seen/experienced some of the adverse impacts of the so-called internal colonialism in our part of the world.

This discussion enabled me to understand the emotional aspects of writing about the trials and tribulations faced by the Adivasi (tribal) and non-tribal communities living in the central-eastern part of India at a time of the ongoing turmoil with the rise of industrialization, influx of immigrants, displacement of natives, forced-migration of natives, exploitation of poor and the upsurge of the Naxal movement.

Besides, I also researched various issues and real-life incidents from the print media of those times. After getting the basic ideas about the crux of the story of my novel, I started developing the key characters of the novel and the various incidents that are going to take place in their lives. While writing a novel, you take a journey along with your characters. It is a challenging process - which can't be described as a simple mathematical equation or a chemical formula.

Q5: How do you remain innovative in your writing?

Before writing anything, one has to read a lot. If I was writing about a topic, I would like to understand the diverse range of views and news on the said topic, then I decide what I am going to say (write) on that topic. Usually, the Adivasi perspective on various issues is unique and innovative, so I didn't have to try very hard.

Q6: Any message for the budding writers?

From my personal experience, I would like to share quite a few warnings for budding writers. About a decade ago, when I first sent my manuscript to the various reputed publishers in Delhi and Kolkata; some of them often told me that they do not expect a tribal writer from Central India to write in English, instead why not write my novel in Hindi and then they will translate and publish it in English. Not to forget, my reputed bookagent charged me money for the book-editing job and then wasted a couple of years without actually getting my novel published. Then 2014 happened and the political climate of India changed. Many of the reputed bookpublishers became compliant so much so, that they refused to publish anything critiquing the government. Despite many obstacles, a writer also finds a way like a river. The life of a truth-speaking writer is always challenging but one must always be brave and write honestly - as the truth ultimately prevails.

Q7: Your vision for the future.

I do have a couple of plans for the future, but I am adamant about not revealing them and sharing them right away. Maybe I am superstitious and do not want to tell you, as the time may not be right. However, I am quite impressed by the advent of new Digital (OTT) media like Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hotstar, SonyLiv, etc. These days Native Indian Americans, Black Americans, and many other marginalized sections of society worldwide are telling their stories to the world, using new media platforms.

We might see him narrating the stories of his people on the new platforms when he believes the time is right.