{"id":3976,"date":"2020-06-06T12:00:05","date_gmt":"2020-06-06T11:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/globalindianstories.com\/?p=3976"},"modified":"2020-06-14T17:14:25","modified_gmt":"2020-06-14T16:14:25","slug":"lockdown-diaries-saurav-dutt-author-of-dear-mr-bachchan-talks-about-the-joys-of-lockdown-creativity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/globalindianstories.org\/index.php\/2020\/06\/06\/lockdown-diaries-saurav-dutt-author-of-dear-mr-bachchan-talks-about-the-joys-of-lockdown-creativity\/","title":{"rendered":"Lockdown Diaries: Saurav Dutt, author of ‘Dear Mr Bachchan’ talks about the joys of lockdown creativity"},"content":{"rendered":"

Now is the time to take the magic of words, music, art, and creativity and to allow them to<\/i><\/span> i<\/i><\/span>nspire, comfort and empower you during the mental tests of Lockdown.<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

There is joy in finding magic and solace in the written word, and the most<\/span> testing of times empowers one to find enchantment among sentences, to flesh\u00a0<\/span>out the fabric of a personality that finds itself tested, pulled and harried<\/span> by the drum roll and grind of everyday life. That roll and grind feels more<\/span> pronounced when you feel your liberty, your personal space, your sense of viability<\/span> and freedom curtailed. That is the character of the lockdown and the book, that<\/span> saviour of mental space and personal longing, is often the saviour, the<\/span> lantern that helps you walk down the darker paths. More now than ever.<\/span><\/p>\n

We can read all sorts of things these days-news upon news bringing details<\/span> of human abjection, suffering, calamity and racial disregard. Or we can turn the dial<\/span> anti-clockwise and look within ourselves, clutch at the sunnier side of life.<\/span> Within the pages of the books we love we can find that duality,<\/span> to embrace the dark and the light and to come out winning.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Saurav Dutt – Author, political columnist, human rights campaigner<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

That’s why when I found I had time on my hands I delved into two pastimes I love<\/span> and bring me comfort: the masala of Bollywood films, particularly Amitabh Bachchan films,<\/span> and of writing and reading, fiction and non-fiction.<\/span> I put together a book, an uplifting novel, ‘Dear Mr. Bachchan’ a<\/span> tale of determination, of a twelve year old boy from the Mumbai slums who watches<\/span> f<\/span>ilms from Bachchan all day, every day. All because they remind him of his late father<\/span> and allow him to dream of a life beyond mere survival and a world<\/span> t<\/span>hat does not allow him the luxury to dream.<\/span><\/p>\n

They say there is a novel inside all of us, we just have to scrape together the<\/span> debris amongst our daily lives to put it down to paper (or computer). Why not\u00a0<\/span>use this time to sketch out the story that is buried deep within you?<\/span> Maybe you’ll see yourself in the characters, the arcs, the troubles of a fictional<\/span> world, a mirror you hold up to yourself where you see what brings you that smile<\/span> you are longing for?<\/span><\/p>\n

When I finished ‘Dear Mr. Bachchan’ and read it back I was enlightened, because this<\/span> was not my story, it was the story of anyone who dared to dream and who<\/span> refused to take no for an answer. The character of Vikram Chopra can be anyone of us,<\/span> seizing the moment and making them last everyday even when others ridicule you<\/span> for daring to ask for more than they think you’re worth.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"Why not take this moment to put together that story? A children’s book? A story<\/span> of your family, your dynasty, your religion? Maybe it could be a diary, a novel\u00a0<\/span>based on your inner pleasures and the moments of pain that need to be addressed?<\/span> Maybe it can be about your family, your favourite dishes, your longings?<\/span><\/p>\n

I didn’t know this book was in me, but during lockdown I became a lot like<\/span> my own protaganist – returning to the wonderful films of an iconic actor to<\/span> transport me far far away; and then I felt compelled to put it down into words.<\/span><\/p>\n

If I could sing I would compose a melody, if I could play an instrument I would do the same.<\/span> But all I can do is write and read more. Maybe this sounds like you, the only<\/span> difference being why not take that feeling and put something out in the world right now?<\/span> Something that is uniquely you, identifiable by your strengths, tests, weaknesses,<\/span> missteps and quests for determination and self-empowerment?<\/span><\/p>\n