A Meet with Author Sanjay Kumar

It was a long time desire come true when I met Sanjay Kumar at the launch of his new book, ‘the Third Squad’ in Chennai. I was so impressed with Sanjay’s first novel, ‘ Artist, undone’, that ever since, I had always been wanting to meet him. I had read ‘ Artist , undone’ at a time when I had just started appreciating art and the art world, thanks to the book ‘ How to be both’ by Ali Smith and the various shows and art writing workshop held at Apparao galleries.

Image from Tehelka

When I met him and suggested the idea to him, Sanjay gracefully agreed to visit our book club, that was scheduled to meet the next day  and introduce his new book to us. It was fabulous that he not only sat through but also lent a patient and a keen ear to the Book club’s deliberations on the month’s book, ‘ Racing in the rain’ and conveyed his appreciation to the members about how impressed he was with the depth and quality of the discussion.

Sanjay read out an introductory note about his new book and third novel, ‘The Third squad’, which was set in the Mumbai of, what Sanjay calls, ‘ the bloody 90s’. It would be instructive to know how Sanjay, who was born in Karaikudi, did Graduation in Loyola, Chennai and was one of the first non-engineering graduates to join IIM Ahmedabad, fresh out of graduation, for an MBA. Sanjay joined the Financial capital and had a good run in the Finance industry, that any young management graduate could dream of. It was Sanjay’s interests in the art world that led him to establish a gallery in Mumbai, and that him to brush against some of the worst things the city was going through.

Sanjay recounted an event, from his early days in Mumbai, when he had arranged for an art show by four Pakistani women artists and men from the local powers that be, threatened and almost ended up trying to burn down the gallery. The show had to be cancelled much against Sanjay’s wish. I believe it is personal brushes such as this and the larger violence that  the city was subject to that form the inspiration to this book.

Sanjay recounted how this book started as a short story about two cops and slowly grew into this novel. It’s about the cops who had to respond to the sudden growth in rowdyism, kidnapping, extortions etc and the solution had to be quick fire, as the judicial route proved to be dangerously circuitous.

The extracts that he read from the book conveyed what an art connoisseur he was. He had an artistic way of painting the cramped and mundane space of the chawl life. Its no wonder that an author in the audience called him the poet of cities. Earlier Sanjay also mentioned that he owed a lot of his writing to his friends from the art world, who took him under their wings during the initial days.

Another extract he read from the book, conveyed the mental agony and tension a police man goes through while facing his family for lunch just after he has returned from gunning down a target.

While the book was classified as a Noir, Sanjay was happy that many of his readers found it to be a gripping Thriller. The book has been published in the US and has had a good run there. It is no surprise that given the book’s setting in a turbulent period in the history of Mumbai, It is  being made into a Tele picture.

In a casual chat later with Sanjay, I figured that Sanjay was quite obsessed with the writings of Naipaul and these days he was mostly hooked to the television with shows on crime and investigation. Sanjay is interested in writing about the dark things in life that are often swept under the carpet. While I kept insisting that he write a memoir, recounting how he juggled his way up to success in Finance and the art world, Sanjay did not show any interest. His writer instincts were eagerly observing the present volatile political scenario in Tamil nadu about which he is itching to write his next novel.

i figured from my chat with Sanjay, that he is not someone who stakes too much in research. He does the basic ground work and lets his imagination do the rest. His novels are based in Chennai or Mumbai or both. Now that he has been living in Bangalore for the past two years and has developed a liking for golf, one can expect these to feature in his forthcoming novels.

Artist, undone

Ever since i read ' How to be both' by Ali Smith, i had always longed to read a book like that. i came close to a seeing a book of that kind in ' How to paint a dead man' by Sarah Hall. Both these books happened more than six months back. I had since forgotten about and lost hopes of finding book of that kind again. But then, out of the blue, this book ' Artist, undone' happened and that too blooming most expected out of my own backwaters, it has come as a refreshing, cool drizzle on my parched earth.

This book felt like it was written exactly for the kind of sensibilities i was hoping to expect in a book. In my journey in the last couple of years i had arrived at discovering art through literature,  heritage and culture. 

This book overwhelmed me in the neat way it had weaved in contemporary works of Indian art like those of Jitish Kalat, Atul Dodiya, F.N. Souza, Shibu Natesan into its narrative. it was not talking of these works as case studies, but was drawing its narrative vigor from these works or in other times using the art to add spirit to the Narrative. one has every reason to wonder, if the author started by setting out to build a a narrative around a set of art works or otherwise.

All credits to the Author for not harping around superstar artists like M.F Hussain and Amrita Shergill, in which case the reader would have felt the author was only using these big trumpets to blow up his ugly tune, instead choosing lesser known artists and lesser known works to build his narrative. This choice in turn enriches the reader's experience of art and make him seek these lesser known ones out.

The book not only talks of these works but also has these works featured beautifully in mini prints on those yellow rough pages, this feature even my much loved Ali Smith book didn't achieve, it was a stunning and a pleasant experience to see the prints featured. it was a first for me. i have not seen any novel that has such illustration. The book simply scored a big six with that feature. 

Though the whole story seems to revolve around one work ,' Fat, forty and Fucked', in its stride it starts off with Robert Longo's Triptych , ' The Freud cycle'- featured to animate the narrator's visit to a Psychiatrist and down the lane, ' Stations of a Pause' by Jitish Kalat finds a prominent place in the story.

Not just the Indian art scenario, i am also very glad that this is one of the first books that talks in great details about, Cholamandal, the artist village in my city Chennai. A great deal of action happens here. The author paints the little hamlet with quite a precision, i was trying to fig out Newton and Gopi's residences- a reconnaissance trip to Cholamandal is on, Even the so called mundane 'Kolam' finds interesting proportions and meanings here.

It not only talks of art, but also brings in various perspectives on art criticism- its role, thoughts on the nature of art, is all art copied?, when is it original?, is it at all worth while to try and make an 'original' art, what is modern in art?. It also brings in western perspectives and trends by discussing the nature of Gregory Crewdson's art, and the trend and place of Tracey Emin among the YBA. 

 http://www.blouinartinfo.com/news/story/1125807/tracey-emins-my-bed-returns-to-the-tate-after-15-years, retrieved on 8/6/16

Talking of the art critic, the book gives the reader a sense of what it takes to write about art, its significance, and the difficulties in understanding writings on art. The book gives the reader plenty from Ranjit Hosekote's writings to savour. 

Art is not only about the artist and the critic, but also significantly about the investor. This book gives plenty of gyan on investing in Art, the dynamics of a gallery space, the persona of gallery people and the dimensions of investing in art. I loved these portions best, for i could relate to a gallery space, thanks to the warm space i found Apparao galleries in Chennai to be.

Its not all art. You get wonderful sessions with Poetry as well. There are works of Arum Kolatkar, T.S Elliot, Dylan Thomas and Rainer Maria Rilke prominently featured in the course of the narrative.

Art and poetry wrap a solid core of drama of love, marriage and explorations and none of it served with any pinch of sweetening romance or melancholy but abundant wit and humor.

The Drama is heightened by shaping the characters as either highly 'talented and a misfit' or 'dumb and good'.In its style again, the book scores exceptionally well by roping in alternative narrative voices, that helps to take the monotony off and gives the narrative a fizz of energy. There are quirky lines of wisdom and provocation scattered along the narrative that helps sustain the reader's interest, keeping him entertained.

Having read this book, i feel proud that an exceptional book has been written and brought to the market for art loving people. The author has done great justice by shying away from glorifying any one particular art or work but just musing about them and leaving the rest to the reader.  I am not sure if this book can be well received by a new reader, for i believe this book found me just when i needed it and could savor it.