WRITING PROFOUNDLY ABOUT THE HUMAN SPIRIT OF ENDURANCE

Author Interview - Jamal Merchant

Jamal Merchant lives in London, UK where he is settled since 1972 and from where he qualified as a Chartered Accountant. Born in Mumbai, India, he was brought up in Tanzania to where his parents migrated in 1952. From his school days, he enjoyed writing which earned him the highest distinction in English language in his Cambridge exams. Over the years, he has had a varied career path and he has also forayed into the realm of authordom with his novel “One Enduring Lesson”. It is a story based in India and a tale of the undying human spirit of survival against all odds. In a candid chat with Chirdeep Malhotra, he discusses about his debut book, his writing journey, shares interesting anecdotes from his travels and also talks about his favourite books.


Please tell us more about Jamal Merchant as a person.
I was born in Bombay (now Mumbai) and brought up in Zanzibar, Tanzania. In 1972, I came to England as a student to become a Chartered Accountant. I am settled in London. Over the years, I have had a varied career path in England having worked in audit firms, the private sector and a registered public charity before becoming self-employed as a property finance broker specialising in arranging commercial property finance for my UK clients. I am a Muslim, but I believe in all religions and I feel hugely inspired by the teachings of all the faiths.

Having a degree in Chartered accountancy and being self-employed as a property finance broker, you have forayed into writing fiction. Your writing journey seems very interesting. Can you tell us more about it?
In 2009 I came up with the idea of writing a novel. It was a sudden inspiration. In my school days in Zanzibar, Tanzania, I used to write scores of essays. So writing was a habit for me from my young days. Here I would like to give credit to my late father Hassanali who taught me English from the age of 4. The interesting thing is that my father’s own command of English was very basic. So he would speak in Gujarati when teaching me English! He would teach me new English words, how to spell them and how to use them. I would then improvise and write sentences in English and build up my writing skills with his tuition.
Writing is one thing, but writing a novel is quite a different thing. I had an original story in mind, but had no idea of how to write a novel. I had to self-tuition myself in the art of storytelling, scene construction, dialogue development and creative writing. To do this I started reading novels written by famous novelists and also started watching films. In all I read 75 novels and saw 260 films. I also attended a few short courses in London in creative writing. I made extensive study notes from all these resources which immensely helped in the writing and editing of my debut novel and take it forward. I genuinely believed that I had a good story to tell and wanted the world to read it. This motivated me to write my debut novel. My motivation led me to work very hard on my project and encouraged me to make a substantial investment of my time, efforts and resources in taking it forward. I used to get up at 4.00 in the morning to write. As a debut novelist, it was a slow and painful process. But I persevered and completed my first draft in September 2011 which I later enriched with dozens of improvements and new ideas, culminating in a draft which was finally accepted by Rupa Publications of India.

Can you give a brief overview of your book “One enduring lesson”?
The title of the novel is inspired from the last paragraph of “The Memoirs of Aga Khan” wherein the late His Highness The Aga Khan III wrote: - “Life in the ultimate analysis has taught me one enduring lesson. The subject should always disappear in the object”. Based on this theme, I developed a tale of the undying human spirit of survival against all odds in which my protagonist Rahul Saxena totally immerses himself in everything he does. Eager to start a new phase in life, Rahul, 27, a half-Indian British citizen, lands in Mumbai from London. Little does he know that Mumbai, the city of dreams, will turn his very life inside out. Fate takes him on a roller coaster ride that challenges his very will and determination to survive. Inspired by India’s synergetic religious traditions, Rahul fights back internal and external demons to emerge victorious from his horrific struggles and be triumphant in love.

Your book talks about immigrant life and the protagonist traversing two separate cultures. Does any of it have a biographical tinge to it?
I have lived in Africa and England and have been to India more than 15 times. I have drawn from my experiences in all three continents in my story.

Are there any instances or parts in the story for which you had to do some research for better understanding of the complexities of the narrative?
Yes, indeed. My story is based in India. I did extensive research on many aspects of life in India and issues covered in my novel. In all I had 235 print-outs on various subjects to read and draw knowledge from. In January 2011, I made a special trip to India and visited Mumbai and Amritsar and visited all the places in these two cities where the action takes place involving the protagonist Rahul Saxena. It was a fact-find visit which greatly assisted me in describing some of the places and events in my novel.

The author blurb mentions that you have widely travelled to India, China, Egypt, USA, Canada and the Middle East. What, in your opinion, are the benefits of travelling to newer destinations and experiencing new cultures?
One must travel if he/she can afford to do so. Travelling can give you new experiences and expand the horizon of your knowledge and add to the wealth of your experiences.

Can you share some interesting anecdotes from your travels for our esteemed readers? In your wide travels, what view did people of different nationalities hold about India?
I was in Russia recently where I attended the football world cup final match in Moscow on 15th July 2018. In Russia and in many other countries I would sometimes ask people “Do you speak English?” The quick answer would be “No”. I found it very interesting that the other person did not speak English, but could understand my question and reply “No” in English! People I have met love India. It’s a great and vibrant country with many challenges and opportunities. The chaos in India adds to it’s colour and vibrancy. It’s a riot of traffic, colour, sounds, sights and smells.

What your favourite books? Can you share with our esteemed readers about the genres that you like and your favourite authors?
My favourite book is Midnight’s Children. I like love stories and thrillers. My favourite authors are Salman Rushdie and Nicholas Sparks.

What are your other interests apart from writing?
I love travelling, cricket, current affairs and watching films.

Are there any new literary projects that you’re currently working on?
There are none at present. I will write another novel only if and when I have another brilliant and original story coming to my mind.

There are many new writers there who are aspiring to get their work published. What would you say to them?
I would say to them- “Read! Read! Read!, And then, Write! Write! Write!, Till you get it Right!

Can you share with our readers a motivational quote that keeps you going?
It is "karmanyevadhikaraste ma phalesukadachana ma karma-phala-heturbhur ma tesango ’stvakarmani"
(Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Two verse 47)
I came across this motivational quote whilst watching BR Chopra’s 1965 film “Waqt” where it is recited at the start of this and all his other wonderful films. It’s English Translation is “You have a right to perform your prescribed duties, but you are not entitled to the fruits of your actions. Never consider yourself to be the cause of the results of your activities, nor be attached to inaction.”