PVPF 2024

Interview with Rajesh Talwar, Author of “How I Became A Taliban Assassin & The Murder That Wasn’t”

on Oct 17, 2022

Rajesh Talwar has written twenty-nine books, which include novels, children’s books, plays, self-help books, and non-fiction books covering issues in social justice, culture, and law.

His novels include Simran, on aesthetics, and Inglistan, on cultural contrasts. An Afghan Winter and The Sentimental Terrorist explore the theme of terrorism. How to Kill a Billionaire reveals the workings of the Indian justice system. From the Lips of the Goddess – Mata Vaishno Devi is on the sacred feminine.

Rajesh’s plays cover diverse contemporary themes and historical retellings. They include Inside Gayland, The Bride Who Would Not Burn, Conquest at Noon, The Killings in November, Kaash Kashmir, Aurangzeb: The Darkness in His Heart, Gandhi, Ambedkar and The Four-Legged Scorpion, High Fidelity Transmission, and A Nuclear Matricide.

His non-fiction works include The Judiciary On Trial, Courting Injustice: The Nirbhaya Case And Its Aftermath, The Third Sex And Human Rights, The Vanishing Of Subhash Bose, The Killing Of Aarushi, And The Murder Of Justice. Self-help books include How To Choose Your Lawyer And Win Your Case, Making Your Own Will, The Divorce Handbook, and Indian Laws Of E-business.

His books for children include The Three Greens, The Bearded Prince, The Sleepless Beauty, Fabulous Four Battle Zoozoo, the Wizard, and Playwrights - A One-Act Play For Children On Human Rights.

He has contributed to The Economic Times, The Guardian, The Pioneer, The Times of India NIE, Manushi, The Sunday Mail, and the New Indian Express. He is a sought-after speaker at Literary Festivals.

Rajesh works as Deputy Legal Adviser to the United Nations Mission in Afghanistan.

Frontlist: What were the primary deciding factors that led you to include two novellas in one book?

Rajesh: As a writer, I like to stretch myself. Although this is my thirty-fifth book, I haven't published a novella in paperback before this. I included two novellas because they had common themes, and a single novella might not have worked for my publisher. Taken together, too, they are a short read. I believe that the younger generation, which has grown up on Instagram and WhatsApp, might be drawn to reading a novella more easily because it involves a shorter investment of time, which they are always in short supply of. Recently, a young friend bought 'Tomb of Sand' the International Booker Prize winner – an excellent read, by the way – but confessed that when she saw the size and length, she felt intimidated. Having said that, a shorter narrative must also be compelling enough to draw the reader in, and I do hope this is the case with these two novellas.

Frontlist: With the same theme, "Unfulfilled Love," in both the novellas, what other similarities can readers draw between the two novellas? What are the similarities between the main characters of the two novellas?

Rajesh: "Unfulfilled love," as you say, is a common theme that runs through both novellas. The main character in both novellas uses a first-person dramatic narration as the storytelling technique, which makes the experience more intense for the reader. Shamsher Khan and Rahul, the main characters in the second novella, are passionate lovers, and both get their hearts broken. In both cases, it is circumstances more than the choice made by the girl that leads to the 'unfulfillment,' and that, in some ways, makes the story even more tragic. No spoilers here.

Frontlist: Did you intend for your novel to address the Taliban issue? What are your thoughts on the Taliban issue?

Rajesh: As you may know, I have lived and worked for many years in Afghanistan, so the first novella is informed by my experiences in that country. In a way, since I worked for the United Nations there, I had a ring-side view of the events of the past decade or so. I did wish for my novella to speak about the terrible failure of the significant experiment carried out by the Western powers in Afghanistan, particularly the Americans. The first novella explains why the Taliban was successful in recruiting people to their cause, despite the fact that so many people, particularly women, despised them. Even Shamsher Khan, the main protagonist in the first novella, despises the Taliban and what they stand for in the beginning. Yet he is compelled to join forces with them following the massacre of his family members. 'Collateral damage' is a word that is used far too easily and casually without realising the devastating impact it can have in a country such as Afghanistan, which is a largely tribal society. Suppose you slaughter a hundred people at a wedding because the pilot made a mistake reading the situation on the ground. In that case, you create not two hundred or three hundred enemies but tens of thousands of people who will hate you for what you have done and possibly seek vengeance, and they will not care that you say it was an accident. Each error made by a pilot or drone simultaneously drives hundreds of young men who have lost their loved ones into the arms of the Taliban, who can then say: 'Do you still have any doubt that the Americans and the West, in general, hold you in contempt and are not your friends? See what they have done! They have slaughtered the ones who are closest to you!'

Frontlist: Readers often adopt the characters' personalities or at least take something from them. What traits do you want readers to take away from the characters "Shamsher Khan" and "Sunny Singh," and which do you want them to avoid?

Rajesh: Shamsher and Sunny are both courageous people. Something to appreciate. Both have respect for women. Again, something to respect and emulate. In a way, Shamsher deserves far more credit here than Sunny Singh because he has this inborn respect despite having been born into a patriarchal culture. I think Shamsher Khan must not be emulated because while he is seeking revenge against a specific individual, he doesn't fully factor in the fact that he, too, may cause collateral damage and question himself sufficiently as to whether he would really want to do that.

Frontlist: In the brief post face, you mentioned innocent victims and innocent killers. How could a killer be considered innocent in the eyes of the law and a normal citizen?

Rajesh: In both the novellas, the killer believes that he should be considered innocent in the eyes of the law. Let’s talk about the first novella first. In Afghanistan, under both Islamic and tribal law, if a person in a family is murdered, his family members have the right to ask that the killer be executed. They can waive that right if the victim’s family begs them, but it is their choice, and they can refuse to grant mercy.

So, as an Afghan growing up under Islamic and tribal law, Shamsher Singh can tell himself that he is justified in what he is doing. He is seeking revenge against a specific individual who was responsible for a large-scale massacre. It is true that he is taking the matter into his own hands, but he is living in a state where the American who was responsible for the accidental deaths will never be tried, let alone get punished.

In the second novella, Rahul too may be considered innocent in the eyes of the law because he acted in self-defense in a way, and the two deaths for which he was responsible were accidental. However, he knows that under the Indian justice system, cases often take decades before a verdict is finally pronounced, and he doesn’t want to risk the life of his surviving parent. So, in a way, you could say that he, too, is justified in not coming forward and confessing to causing the deaths.

Frontlist: What if the two main characters switch their roles? Would the result have been different?

Rajesh: That’s an interesting thought, and it could have worked with another work of fiction. In the case of these two novellas through the character of Shamsher Khan, Sunny Singh, and Rahul, the three main protagonists are all rooted in the place and the circumstances under which they grew up. Shamsher Khan grew up in Afghanistan, Sunny Singh is a British-Indian and grew up in England, and Rahul grew up in India. All three characters are very much a product of their circumstances and setting. So, a substitution is difficult to conceive. Having said that, I believe that Sunny Singh and Shamsher Khan share certain commonalities. Both come from communities that place a premium on courage. Sunny Singh reminds himself that he is a Sikh, and Sikhs must never fear anything. Shamsher Khan, too, is brave and, in a way, an honorable person. And finally, despite having grown up in different countries and societies, both respect women. So, assuming we switch roles, just for the sake of argument, I wonder if the results would have been different. Possibly yes, because Sunny Singh has a more logical mind as compared with Shamsher Khan, so he would actually factor in the fact that there could be collateral damage even if he seeks retribution against a specific individual. But that more logical mind is itself a product of being brought up in a different society.