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Photo: N. Sridharan

A LOT HAS CHANGED… Timeri Murari

Set in the Chennai of today, which is still grappling with old traditions and the new age of liberation, the story explores modern marriages. “It’s about a woman who finds out that her husband has a mistress in a ‘chinna veedu’, or small house” (an established term for an established practice), says Murari, adding, “It deals with history, the city and a number of things we face everyday.”

Nirmala Lakshman, Joint Editor of The Hindu, who was in conversation with the author at the launch of the book, at The Park hotel, talked about how history plays a large part in Murari’s latest story, since the book’s central character is fascinated by the past. “She dives into history like a swimmer,” agreed Murari, “She immerses herself in it to forget the present.”

He went on to discuss how, in India, “We have never really come to terms with the past. We have a sense of amnesia about it… And our history has always been written by someone else…” Murari also spoke about how “history is so important to understand how we grow. We’re losing our very anchorage in the cities. We’re losing our buildings. We’re losing our forests. Where are we going to be in 10 years?”

In reply to a question from Nirmala Lakshman on whether the book is a sociological portrait of modern marriage, Murari discussed how rapidly things are changing in homes and families, despite the fact that “Society wants us to keep up a façade in our marriages.”

He said, “More women are choosing not to accept old strictures. Economically, they now have the freedom to escape from the marriage.”

Since his first book, The Marriage, a lot has changed for the author. “Well, when I wrote it I wasn’t married,” he laughed, adding “I wrote The Small House after 20 years of marriage…I have developed a lot. As you get older, you get a bit wiser. You try not to put your foot in it.”

On the topic of how difficult it is to get published these days, Murari spoke of how the publishing world has changed drastically over the years. “It’s owned by corporates now. So the world of publishing is run by auditors and accountants who want to see the bottom line. You speak to agents in London and New York and ask them what you should write and they’ll say ‘a best seller’!”

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