‘NO RELIGION MUST FEAR ANOTHER’

Author Anita Nair delves into the world of Islamic lore with her latest book; says no faith in the world advocates bigotry

It’s easy to introduce Nair (below) as the award-winning author of bestselling novels such as The Better Man, Ladies Coupé, and Mistress. Her works of fiction span various genres and combine romance, mysticism and cultural values that are firmly rooted in the Indian context and hold Anita universal appeal at the same time. More recently, with her new book Muezza And Baby Jaan: Stories From The Quran, Nair has forayed into the world of Islamic lore. And the book couldn’t be timed any better. Nair’s book aims to combat negative perceptions about the religion by delving into some of its parts that lend themselves to storytelling. Excerpts from an interview:

Why did you choose to write the book for children and not for adults, who often hold hysterical perspectives about religion? None of the religions of the world advocate bigotry or fundamentalist behaviour. It is merely misguided interpretation that twists the teachings. In the case of Islam, the world has associated the doings of a few with the nature of its teachings for a long time — from marauding medieval warriors to present day terrorists. However, my own lay reading of the Quran showed me otherwise. That was when I decided that I would write a book of stories drawn from the Quran to open up the teachings of the religion. Given that I’m not an expert on ‘Islamology’, I thought it was best to write a book of stories for children. Hopefully, it will be read by adults as well. Sometimes, we need to begin with children to reach the grown-ups.

Writing in India has reached a plateau at this point, because Indian writers constantly look to the West for recognition. ANITA NAIR, AUTHOR

The book is about Islamic lore, but religion often proves to be a sensitive topic. Did you fear any backlash? Not really. How can an act of faith such as this — an act that one hopes would lead from ignorance to the beginnings of knowledge — be viewed as anything but an act of faith? However, I was cautioned that I was stepping into dangerous territory.

Tell us about the protagonists of your new book. Muezza And Baby Jaan are creatures of my imagination born out of a nugget of trivia. During my research, I had read that Prophet Mohammed (the founder of Islam) had a cat called Muezza, and I was very struck by the anecdotes attached to their association. At the same time, I stumbled upon some more trivia on djinns (a spirit in Muslim mythology). And out of the blue, I had my protagonists

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Muezza And Baby Jaan: Stories from the Quran