Sir becomes a novelist: A school teacher's first book

What was the process of writing your first book like?
I started writing the book about two years ago. I felt the urge to record this time, this strange interlude in a boy’s life at a boarding school. I initially wrote it as a play, which is why it’s such a talkative book.

Who were your inspirations?
I was immensely influenced by Nick Hornby and Roddy Doyle. Of course, if I ever wrote a book like A Suitable Boy, I would be able to retire a satisfied man. When I wrote the book and sent it off for publishers to take a look at it, I was prepared for a long wait. So when a call came one evening in Delhi I was completely surprised and hung up the phone on the poor man twice.

Who was the first person to read it?
The first person to read the book was my mother, who promptly started crying. I show her the finished product and she bursts into tears all over again. She’s really very proud.

Why did you set the book in the ’90s?
For a student, there was something magical in the nineties. You were on the edge of the Facebook and texting era that would shortly begin. A student still knew the magic of a kiss that remained private. The music was so important to kids. The death of Cobain was the end of an era. I remember how shocked and sad I was, and how sad I was that no grownup understood the gravity of the situation.

What’s special about life in a boarding school?
There is something very unnatural about it. The environment is insulated in a strange way, so that your friends will know you in a way that your family can never know you. A boarding school also tends to be terribly old, and consequently follow all these strange traditions it is very possessive about.

Are kids at a boarding school different from day scholars?
I’m very aware of the myth around boarding schools — about how arrogant the children are, and all that rubbish. Let me tell you, it is completely untrue. The children are brought up in this slightly hierarchical way, yes. They live in quite inhospitable conditions, far away from loving mothers and fathers, which don’t make for an easy life. I do think that the schools have scope for improvement.

There should be more scope for the individual. Not every boy has to be brilliant at sports, and not every girl has to make 50 friends as soon as she enters the dorms. There should be a place for the child sitting quietly on his bed, reading a book. But these children grow up to be some of the most confident, self-assured, and independent kids you will meet.

Are any characters inspired by fellow teachers or your students at Doon?
No. But I think I learnt more about how to write this book as a teacher. Because that’s when I got paid to observe the kids constantly, which I never did as a self-absorbed child.

Are your students excited about the book?
Mostly they keep asking for free copies. I tell them to go buy their own.