Dreams on a palette

City-based author Paritosh Uttam held up the product of his literary alter-ego when he recently unveiled his latest novel titled Dreams in Prussian Blue.

Pune-based author Paritosh Uttam has penned an engaging new book,veering off from his software engineering coded path

City-based author Paritosh Uttam held up the product of his literary alter-ego when he recently unveiled his latest novel titled Dreams in Prussian Blue. With a BTech from IIT Madras and MTech from IISc,Bangalore,Uttam’s professional and authorial lives run parallel,and in full steam. He explains,Books and reading were always encouraged at home,so it was no surprise that I got hooked on to reading quite early. When you read so much,your tastes are bound to grow and evolve. What I do as an engineer hardly has any bearing on my interest in literature,at least not in reading. In writing,my engineering background probably influences how I go about plotting and structuring my novel. How I think of going from point A to point B,or how I keep track of chronological time versus narrative time,and so on.

The novel traces the intermittent highs and persistent lows of a young and seemingly unconventional couple in Mumbai. Actually this novel developed from a short story I had written earlier. This series is targeted towards the college-going or young professional metro generation. So I developed the novel by making the characters in my story younger,and by getting them involved in situations that might be of interest to the target readership, he says.

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Elaborating further on the significance of the title of the book,he adds,The protagonists in my novel are artists,and one of them,Michael,is a highly ambitious painter. Painting and colours are a central theme of the book,and the colour Prussian blue in particular plays a key role in the plot. The significance will be clear when one reads the book.

Books by Indian authors are flooding the markets and the light,non-serious ones have emerged the most popular and commercially viable. I feel that a good story written well will appeal universally. There is a perception going around that books described as breezy or light,will also be light on the literary quality. I believe if you keep the basics of good writing in mind,such as deep characterisation or good,structured plotting,and sober prose,you can have both: fast paced writing without compromising on the quality, he says. One aspect of the novel that is bound to raise mixed opinions is as regards the protagonist,Naina,and the choices she makes through the story. But,Uttam feels she can’t be labeled easily. She’s a mix of the traditional,because of her upbringing,and the modern,because that’s how friends or peers in college are like. She is strong and independent,but her love for Michael makes her subservient to him. So,she’s in control most of the time,where she is free to think and act, he explains.

And as far as another book in the pipeline is concerned,Uttam admits,Yes,I am working on my next book,but it will take time to complete. It’s too early to reveal what it’s about.

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