Amitav Ghosh: ‘Bombay needs a disaster management plan urgently’

Amitav Ghosh feels that Mumbai has a long way to go as far as having a robust disaster management plan in place in the event of ecological disasters including cyclones and rainfall events. PICS/ASHISH RAJE

Great! They have a Muscatel Okayti, then, that's what I'll be drinking," Amitav Ghosh, reveals to the attendant, after studying the menu at a quaint, charming tea room housed in a restored bungalow in Bandra. He's a tea-drinker, and a serious one we learn as he settles in for the interview. It's no coincidence that it plays a key role in his writing and routines. "I am a Calcutta boy, after all; so, yes, I grew up drinking tea (grins)."

Just like this fine Darjeeling-origin tea's sweet, dry complexities and depth that are organically complemented by undertones of the muscatel grape, his new book, Wild Fictions (HarperCollins), a collection of 26 essays, is a diverse, probing periscopic lens on Planet Earth. At times, it reads like a love letter to the many lands of his novels, its people and its natural riches.

The Nest is a collaborative effort between the Goenka family and the BMC. It has over 8,000 new plants and trees (350 species with over 200 native species) resulting in a 70:30 ratio of native to exotic species

On other occasions, it acts as a warning bell, a reality check about the world that we live in, devastated by tsunamis, deforestation, and ecological disasters. It is this mesmeric pendulum of discoveries that entices and indulges the discerning reader to navigate it like one of the many steamships that cross countless unforgiving seas in his novels, fearless and open to challenges.

Edited excerpts from the interview:

MID-DAY: Was it a challenge to select writings from the past 25 years into 26 essays?
Amitav Ghosh: Very much. We edited it from 35-40 in the original list. Some are occasional pieces that might lose their interest in time, so we cut out those. We kept the best pieces that would be relevant over time. The process went on for a year and-a-half. When I saw that final draft, it felt amazing.

This book must have also been a nostalgic trail, where you revisited your previous writings…?
AG: I'm not much of a memoir writer but this is the closest I've ever come. I'm just not that into myself (laughs).
It was a strange thing [to revisit those stories]. There were many things that I tried to shut out of memory - the 9/11 attacks, and how I lost a friend. Also, the tsunami; it was so horrifying. And before the US attacks, there were the Colombo attacks that I was witness to. This has been a tumultuous 25 years. We are living through a time of rapid, unpredictable changes. The world is in turmoil.

Tea plays a key role in Ghosh's writings, and he is a self-confessed serious tea drinker as we discovered during this interview at the Brooke Bond Taj Mahal Tea Room in Bandra

My favourite section in the book is about the Lascars. What led to their phasing out? And with it, have we also lost their fascinating lexicon?
AG: In many ways, they haven't been phased out. Today, when you look at the crews of most ships, if they are Panama, British or Indian-registered ships, most crews are either Indian or Filipino.

In fact, research reveals that until the 1950s, 60s and 70s, Lascars [sailors from South Asia] and their lexicon were still in use, after which it could have possibly been phased out. I met a senior Englishman in Bombay who was working in the Merchant Marines, and he mentioned that in the 1960s, Laskari [broad term for language of Lascars] was still in use. In the Indian Navy, there is a rank called serang that is derived from it.

Now things have changed. In the days of the steamships, dozens of sailors were needed but modern ships are automated so it requires just five to six men. But yes, this has led to the phasing out of a rich way of life. As a community, they created their own history. It has come to be more or less forgotten.

You write in this book that history cannot carry a novel on its own, characters can. How do you craft this balance, especially since history is intrinsic to your novels?
AG: Thank you. For me, doing the research is the fun part. We must constantly remind one that no one is going to read a novel because of the research; it is read because the characters are interesting. You cannot get away from this reality. The novel, whether historical or contemporary, is a novel where the characters and story have to be good. And it has to carry itself as it were.

An urban forest called The Nest, a 1.2-acre biodiverse sanctuary recently opened in Malabar Hill. It's a ‘stepping-stone habitat' to support micro-habitats and connect fragmented ecosystems and is part of the Green Corridor Initiative to increase Mumbai's green cover. What are your thoughts on this?
AG: I think it is a wonderful initiative! We need more urban forests, urban farmlands, and urban vegetarian gardens, especially in Bombay that is so heavily built-up; it's vital to create such places. I'm glad to learn that it's happening in Malabar Hill.

Something that we don't talk very much about in relation to Bombay is that the city has this unbelievable urban forest - 10,000 acres of mangroves protected by the Godrej family. It's incredible that they've managed to preserve; it's an unbelievable public service.

You are vocal about the impact of climate change on coastal cities like ours. If a key policy maker in the BMC is reading this interview, what would you suggest as a priority?
AG: Bombay has repeatedly been hit by ecological disasters. You remember those terrible rain bomb events and the catastrophic aftermath on the city?
The city faces catastrophic climate risks. Even beyond extreme rainfall events, sooner or later, it's very likely that Bombay will also be hit by a major cyclone; there have been two to three near-misses. It used to repeatedly be hit by cyclones in the late 1800s, and early 1900s. Sometimes, climate can be variable; there was a long stretch without cyclones. But now the Arabian Sea is super-heated because of climate change, and there is a bigger threat of more rain bomb events and cyclones.

One day, it's going to hit Bombay, and the city represents an incredible concentration of risk. In the event of a cyclone, the western parts of the city especially, will be devastated.
While writing The Great Derangement, where I talked about this scenario at great length, I researched disaster management in Bombay, and it turns out that there is zero planning for a cyclone-level event. One of the good parts of writing this book is that I started to collaborate with a climate scientist, Professor Adam Sobel from Columbia University who has been working with the BMC to develop a plan for disaster management.
They need to work really fast to execute it into action because plenty has to be done. One must always remember that a vast part of Bombay [which was once a cluster of seven islands] is reclaimed land. Land is never reclaimed from the sea. The sea always reclaims its own.

...and what did you think of the Coastal Road?
AG: You can sense why people like it. It is beautiful while it lasts. However, at a certain point it is also going to be a point of vulnerability.

Let's return to your writing journey. You refer to Lataifa with glowing appreciation - where you discovered Marquez's A Hundred Years of Solitude. Tell us about this tiny place in Egypt and other regions that have inspired you.
AG: It was a formative experience, and like most formative experiences, it wasn't easy - I lived in a chicken coop (laughs); there was no electricity and I had to use a basic lamp for my writing. It was difficult and very, very hot but it was a completely formative life experience.

As far as other inspiring places go, the first and most important city that comes to mind is Calcutta. In one way or the other, I've always been writing about Calcutta. It has played an important part in my life. Similarly, with New York, where I have now lived for a long time. I have travelled to many cities but these two have been most inspiring.

If you had a one-way ticket to a region for research, where would it be?
AG: I suspect it would probably be some place in Indonesia. It has been a constant process of discovery; it's so much like India, with many worlds. There is also the urge to explore more of Sub-Saharan Africa. South America is another part I'd like to explore extensively.

What's next from Amitav Ghosh?
AG: I have a novel coming out at the end of the year. It feels so nice to get back to writing fiction!
The tea is drunk. The interview ends. We say our goodbyes. The leftover tea leaves do a delicate dance with the residual brew at the bottom of the glass tea pot. Just like the book's intent - it stirs the senses; makes you appreciate but also question your surroundings. And, hopefully, trigger action in the right direction, for the sake of Planet Earth.

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