Writing Bangalore’s Stories

SPOTLIGHT WITH SANDHYA: Kirtana Kumar on Bangalore Blues, cantonment childhoods, and why she refused to write like anyone else

Bangalore Blues, Kirtana Kumar’s first book of short stories, is the work of a writer who clearly didn’t need a warm-up. These stories by a native Bangalorean are perfect : whimsical, lyrical and offering a great variety

Her stories are about the Bangalore we grew up in: Cavalry Road before it became Kamaraj Road, Hotel Victoria’s lawns, a Durga 99 dosa. Kirtana says she grew tired of reading about other people’s cities and wanted one of her own on the page.

In the episode, she reads from “Dear Stranger” and “Jasti Joru Janardhan,” and plays a game with us. “12 Fait Divers” is a set of newspaper-style headlines from 1985, including a burglary at the Bangalore Club that netted 34 Christmas puddings and a turkey. Which are real, and which did she make up? She won’t tell, so you will have to listen and guess.

She also talks about the 33 stories that tumbled out in two months in Germany, the father who inspired them, and why she walked away from a major publisher rather than turn herself into another author. 

Kirtana Kumar is an actor, director, and film-maker whose work is known globally. She has received several major awards and fellowships for her contribution to theatre & film. She is a teacher, a singer and performer.

About their conversation, Sandhya Mendonca says, “Kirtana Kumar and I were college mates, and her grandmother was our family doctor, so this conversation felt like a homecoming.”

Watch the full conversation here.