 From left: Ms Princess Bembe and Dr Natasja Holtzhausen with Mr Vikas Swarup, Prof Rosalie Finlayson (Project Leader: Young Academic Programme) & Prof Narend Baijnath (Vice-Principal: Strategy, Planning and Partnerships), who invited Mr Swarup From left: Mr Swarup signing books for Ms Karen Reyneke (Marketing Officer: CHS) & Ms Marika Truter (Editor: CCM) with Young Academic Dr Natasja Holtzhausen looking on |
Globally acclaimed writer enlightens Unisa community
Vikas Swarup says he does not consider himself to be a writer, but rather a storyteller --- but Q&A, the first published book from this storyteller’s pen has already been translated into 42 languages and its cinematic version, "Slumdog Millionaire", received no less than eight Oscars, four Golden Globes and seven Baftas this year.
The Unisa community and especially the academics taking part in the Young Academics' Programme had the privilege of attending a presentation on Thursday in which author Vikas Swarup shared more about his book. As Deputy High Commissioner of India in South Africa, Swarup doesn’t have much time for writing and has to juggle his role as diplomat and writer. When his wife and children went back to India during 2003, he had more time for writing and completed Q&A in two months.
Swarup based his novel on the "Who wants to be a millionaire?" quiz show, which was a runaway success in 110 countries. He explained that this show changed the nature of quiz shows, due do its interactive nature and because it replaced the "value of brains" with the "value of money". Choosing the "contestant" for his novel, Swarup referred to the case in Britain where a series winner, a major in the British army, teamed up with a professor in a scam that was exposed. Swarup decided to choose a contestant that could "definitely be considered to be cheating should he win", as opposed to people like majors and professors. The chosen contestant was therefore a boy from the slums of India, who just "happened to know all 12 the answers in the show". Of course, he was accused of cheating … but then his life story unfolds, and the "pure luck" of 12 of his life experiences matching the questions on the show gave this illiterate child all the answers. Street knowledge therefore triumphed over book knowledge. The novel deals with luck, destiny and contemporary India, showcasing the best and the worst of humanity.
Commenting on "Slumdog Millionaire", Swarup said the movie perfectly captures the current "zeitgeist". He commended the movie for the brilliant child actors, the exceptional music and its fusion of various genres, and the breathtaking cinematography. He said that he does not regard himself as the "father" of the movie, but rather as its "godfather".
He also said that "a million new dreamers were born on Oscar night 2009", when India landed on the world’s biggest entertainment stage. |
