Navi Mumbai's Penman

John Matthew came to Navi Mumbai 25 years ago and has seen this city shed the ‘underdeveloped’ tag and grow into the happening place it is today.

Similarly, his passion for writing also has grown and matured over the years and he is all set to publish his second novel.

“The city’s transition made life easier for the residents in many respects,” says Matthew, “be it commuting to places faster or having establishments handy to procure necessities. It is not a disappointment for recreational pursuits also and thus one can say that the quality of life is good.”

The walking trails in sectors 8 and 9 in Belapur are very helpful, if he wishes to spend some solitary hours, to think and rethink on plot and characters of his book.

With a passion for writing ever since childhood, Matthew has penned poems as well as short-stories.

“I believe that quality develops only if you write regularly. Thus, I started my blog in 2003 and keep updating it routinely. I also started a different blog for my poems called ‘poetecstasy’,” he says, adding that the habit of writing frequently also helps in people noticing your work and sharing their comments.

For Matthew, his first turning point as a writer came when he won publisher Penguin’s world-wide short-story contest and his story Flirting in Short Messages was published in an anthology.

Another story, PK Koshy’s Daily Routine, was shortlisted and subsequently published in an anthology by Grey Oaks, an Indian publishing firm.

“My first novel did not get published, but I did not lose hope and started on my second that is titled Mr Bandookwala, MBA, Harvard. In its final stage of completion, the novel is a satirical piece. It about a systematic and earnest Harvard graduate who fails to make his mark in a Bombay-based real estate company that is fraught with power struggles and politics,” explains Matthew.

Social media has proved to be a boon for him as he is connected to writer friends in France, Spain, Germany, the US and the UK, Singapore and seeks their inputs on his work.

His love for writing obviously grew with reading.

An avid reader, some of Matthew’s favourite picks include Gabriel García Márquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude, Ernest Hemingway’s Old Man And The Sea and Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace.

He is a life member at the David Sassoon Library and also the Asiatic Library. The variety of books in these libraries makes him long for similar establishments in the satellite city.

“For the young generation to develop an inclination toward reading, it is important to have well-stocked libraries in the city with books of all genres. This is surely one of the spheres to be focused upon when it comes to development,” he asserts.

Matthew also feels that developmental activities in Navi Mumbai have to be conducted in an organised manner.

“If roads are dug up then the area should be properly screened off to prevent accidents. These areas should be adequately lighted but that is missing,” he says, adding, “Like in any place, problems are bound to erupt if people do not possess civic sense. For instance, the area outside Vashi station is full of haphazardly parked autos, which in turn leads to people to run helter-skelter. People also have the habit of spitting and littering anywhere they go. These practices are sure to give a tainted identity to any place and Navi Mumbai is no exception.”

For Navi Mumbai to attain the identity of a world-class city, many such changes have to be realised. Then, maybe John Matthew will take up his to write about the satellite city one day!