Ramjee Chandran said his novel is based on things he saw and lived in his career in the 1980s. |Photo source: Asha Thadani
Ramjee Chandran, a journalist and podcast host in Bangalore, debut novel No reason at all (Penguin Random House) is a fascinating story based on real events surrounding the 1980s silicon metal controversy. Politics, power drama, lobbying, skllduggery, spies and bureaucratic overlords, created puzzles for the Indian Prime Minister and his advisors. Should they advocate indigenous technology or rely on US imports? Percy’s narrative is mainly in New Delhi, full of elegant prose, wit and weird character combinations. Excerpts edited in conversation with Chandran:
Q: What forced you to tell this story?
one: This book is a record of real events that occurred in 1984-88. This is important because it captures what is not easy to happen in India – the product of scientific research actually makes it commercial production.
When two professors from the Indian Institute of Science went to Mettur to get a can of hydrogen, they met with my former boss, RV Ramani, managing director of Mettur Chemicals, which led them to find that they both had the same goal – to enable silicon metal to meet the country’s photovoltaic needs.
Q: Are you a lobbyist in Ramani?
one: Yes, I am. Mettur Chemicals is part of the Seshasayee group in Chennai.
Q: In the preface, you say, “All of this is true except for the part that doesn’t.” Can you elaborate on it?
one: I need to deny some of the things I say in the book. I need to deny that they are facts, just fiction.
None of the skeleton parts of the story are incorrect. I may have exaggerated several parts, and I have dramatized some facial expressions, the atmosphere and the color between the two lines. But my narrative is almost true. I’ve made up some of the sounds of saying something to the characters.
It is undeniable that the story itself has national and international importance; foreign intelligence and spies from Russia, France and the Americans are real. The story was placed in front of the newspaper for most of the two years and was asked in Parliament and CBI inquiries.
Q: So, the fictional element is very small?
one: rare. This novel is based primarily on everything that happens.
Q: When did you start writing?
one: I stabbed this after I left Delhi and returned 13 years ago but gave up on my first draft. I’ve been busy editing magazines for ten years, but then sat down and wrote the book and gained motivation. I wrote it entirely from memory. It was burning on my head. I can recall like a movie in a movie.
I tend not to write from the gut, all my writing is constructed. Spontaneity requires a lot of effort. I live on the principle that a person’s craft is very important.
Q: Despite the long gap, you have excellently grasped the nuances of politics and bureaucracy in Delhi.
one: I was curious and took my work seriously. I am a fly on the wall and have a lot of conversations in front of me, and I listen to a lot of things while waiting for senior central government officials, even the Prime Minister.
I have friends in RAW [Research and Analysis Wing] And get to know them and learn what their spy craft is. As far as research goes, that’s everything I see and live.
Q: In hindsight, what do you think about the silicon metal controversy and how it slows down India’s progress in this area?
one: India has never been at the forefront of making silicon chips and occupying the world. But if the Mettur Silicon project moves forward without attracting political and bureaucratic power, India will lead 30 years ahead of the rest of the world with photovoltaic silicon. We were supposed to be the leader in electric vehicles and are leading the way in many applications. In the nonsense that happened, the country was lost in this region. At that point in time, many young people felt that the country was blocked. In the viscera, I feel like my future is blocked.
Q: Should writers respond to contemporary events in society, even fictional stories, be written about them?
one: I think it’s very important to be able to tell these stories because if you want it is part of our legacy, commercial legacy.
Q: What’s next?
one: I am writing an academic book about Bangalore’s history.
The interviewer is an independent journalist in Bangalore.
publishing – February 28, 2025 at 09:30 am IST
