On Traditions: And ‘How to make Men out of Boys’

 

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“Tradition is a guide and not a jailer.”

— W. Somerset Maugham.

Dressed in a traditional Bengali Tangail silk sari, I’d like to remind you – that everything I write about especially in my books, is rooted deeply and anchored in our Indian culture and traditions.

But I allow the edgy kite strings of my thoughts, that I keep sharpening through varied reading, to add to my experiences and internal and external discourses – to fan my beliefs and values, fly out into open minded international spaces – onto a much broader spectrum of the universe; rather than let my views be restricted to the patriarchal and conservative mental rooftop of my own home country where I design my kites – however colourful, large and enchanting that I like them to be.

I like to write about the tradition of how ordinary men and women, in extraordinary circumstances, react to events which compel them to be heroic – perhaps out of line to their inherent natures. Also to inform and gently lead my readers mindset to an acceptance of diversity in ethnicity, culture, nationality, religion, gender and sexuality – into recognition of the profundity of the vagaries of human existences.

I would love to see my word-kites, shaped into varied human profiles, go out and play with international idea-kites, even challenge them; but finally perch like migratory birds on the readers minds in peace and harmony, as designed on my sari.