Akash Verma: "I have witnessed caste based discrimination personally" (Interview) !!!

1478th BLOG POST -->>

It has been 4-5 years since I am fan of the author, Akash Verma. And this happened just after reading one book of his named "Three Times Loser". I recently read his new novel named "A Broken Man" which is based on the mindset with which a Dalit boy grows up in a region where caste discrimination is prominent. Hence, I thought of interviewing him finally about several questions I had in my mind. 

1. Hello Akash, can we know where were you from last 4 years  after releasing Three Times Loser? Why did it take so much time to bring your next book in front of the world?

It takes me while to get away from the story that I have recently finished. But yes after Three Times Loser it’s rather been long. I had to switch careers during this and turned into an entrepreneur after having been a corporate professional, so that took a while. Also A Broken Man required research as well for the protagonist here is a Dalit and to get his thinking and psyche right I had to put in a fair amount of struggle.  

2. How has been the response for Three Times Loser from the last 4 years from the readers?

Three Times Loser has been well acclaimed and has been receiving love from the readers for last four years. However I think that the shelf life of a book is fairly long, so in that sense it still has a long way to go.

3. Tell us something about your newly released book- “A Broken Man”?

A broken man, my recent book, is the story of love and hope. It is the story of Krishna a Dalit boy from Bihar who struggles to overthrow the chains that hold him back and Chhavi is a high caste Brahman girl fighting for the rights of others, propagating equality in a politically charged Lucknow University campus. After Krishna saves Chhavi from getting torched during a protest against reservation, love slowly blossoms, only to be ruthlessly crushed by a society that thrives on divisions of caste and religion. 

From student politics in Lucknow to the interiors of Bihar, from the corridors of power to the glitz of media and the film industry in Mumbai, A Broken Man is the quest of a deprived Krishna to redeem hope from despair, love from separation and success out of repeated failures. 

4. How did you think of writing a book on caste discrimination based on a backward class society?

I belong to a middle class family where you grow up with everyone around, meaning all strata of society. I have witnessed caste based discrimination personally. Moreover Mandal was a dominant issue when I was passing out from school and took admissions in college. It has stayed with me and became a backdrop for A Broken Man. 

5. Weren’t you doubtful that metropolitan readers might not pick it up?

A metropolitan reader is first a human being and then a city inhabitant. So a good story to my mind would have a universal appeal. I write because I want to tell a story and not particularly worrying about who and where is going to read it. However a broken man is the story of eternal love and invincible hope which to me is a fairly common human quest.

6. Why is it that your last two books have saddening titles consisting of words like “Loser” and “Broken”?

Three Times Loser despite having a not so happy ending is the story of optimism and moving on despite having faced failures in the matter of heart. A Broken Man is the story of hope and fighting against the odds despite facing tremendous challenges and repeated failures, and coming victorious in the end. The essence of the book is that the potential within each one of us is infinite. It is completely up to us of how much we can tap.

7. Has there been any talk related to any of your three books to be adapted into a movie?

Yes there have been and interest was shown by some parties however none turned into a finalized project till now.

8. Can you throw a little light on what your next book is going to be based upon?

I have a broad outline of my next book in my mind. It’s going to be a crime thriller set in Gurgaon. Quite different from the books that I have written so far. I am currently researching it. 

9. Any words for your readers who are falling in love with your books?

I can only wish that my books make my readers happy in the present and hopeful about the future.