What's On speaks to Shinie Antony who has edited the anthology, Kerala, Kerala, Quite Contrary, which is being launched in the city this evening
What's On speaks to Shinie Antony who has edited the anthology, Kerala, Kerala, Quite Contrary, which is being launched in the city this evening
Most people go to Kerala for all the wrong reasons houseboats, honeymoons or appams and stew, says writer Shinie Antony, wryly. That, in part, provoked her to put together Kerala, Kerala, Quite Contrary, where leading thinkers and writers chronicle their views by turns satirical, insightful, passionate and playful.
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Journey through time:Shinie Antony |
Contibutors to the anthology include poet A J Thomas, cricket writer Suresh Menon; student Nimz Dean who, at 13, is the anthology's youngest contributor; senior journalist Jayanth Kodkani, and author Anita Nair, to name a few.
Shinie, who describes herself as "an NRK (non resident Keralite) from birth" says she's met a lot of people who make Kerala seem like an ideal holiday destination. But the truth remains that most Keralites have to leave the state for education, employment and entertainment. "Barring a few pleasant peasants who hold government jobs and spend their days looking after ancestral property, the rest do not have the luxury of watching the setting sun from their backyard. To them, Kerala is everywhere else," she remarks.
To her, Kerala is like a waiting room an arrival and departure lounge. "Those who come, enter from a business class lounge, and those who leave go out in bullock carts," she says, without exaggeration.
The anthology, therefore, is an attempt at constructive criticism on the state from within the state. It attempts to find rhyme in dissent and notes in disharmony. The tone, for which the contributors are responsible, is gentle and subtle and empathetic.
What was her challenge as editor? When she set out to put together the project, Shinie says she knew what she did not want to the anthology to be. "I did not want it to be a coffee table book, a tourism brochure, a photography ode or a statistical database." So, the anthology goes where the contributors take it, exploring the state through art, culture and music, and through the eyes of everyone from a US-returned visitor to the maid who leaves her home to make a living outside the state.u00a0
"I took a conscious decision to dip into dissent. I wanted the anthology to go where the contributors take it. I also wanted the element of surprise," says Shinie.
Having authored short stories, children's books and fiction, was she ever tempted to reverse roles and turn contributor during the course of the project? "No, as a non-resident Keralite, I cannot have an opinion on Kerala. I didn't feel comfortable writing a piece, but I found putting together such an anthology challenging as well as creative. To me, the anthology is part of the discovery route. Having to write would have stunted my enjoyment," she says. Having enjoyed her writing and her insights into everything mundane and magical, one hopes a sequel will tempt her to turn chronicler.u00a0
Shinie, incidentally, began her journalistic career with MiD DAY. She worked at Delhi MiD DAY for a year in 1998, and then moved to Sunday MiD DAY in Mumbai, where she says, she enjoyed the transition from classroom to newsroom.
