Fine Print: Animal's People brings back Bhopal tragedy

BHOPAL BLUES: Although based on suffering, the book never falls into the trap of being a 'miserable memoir'.

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London: ‘I used to be human once’ - the line on the cover itself draws you to the book.

Indra Sinha's Animal's People, is a startling reminder of the Bhopal gas tragedy of 1984.

It’s a tragedy that might have faded from people's memories, but two decades on, the suffering of the people continue. Set in a fictional town called Khaufpur, it is Bhopal all over again.

“There is nothing in the book that hasn't happened in Bhopal. I hope people will wake up to it and realise what happened. It’s time people were treated properly and with respect,” said Sinha.

The story is a series of taped conversations between Animal, an orphaned cripple and a foreign journalist.

Although based on tragedy and suffering, the book never falls into the trap of being a 'miserable memoir'. It is funny and thought-provoking. Sinha uses the technique of oral storytelling successfully and makes you fall in love with Animal, inspite of his crude, almost rogue-ish qualities.

“When I started writing this I felt like a fraud - I have never been hungry, never spent one night in a basti. How can I write about these people. It’s only when the idea of Animal came. For me animal is a live character, a living person who I knew rather than who I invented,” said Sinha.

An ex-adman, Sinha has been working with the victims of the tragedy and co-founded the Bhopal Medical Appeal in 1994. It’s perhaps why the story is empathetic and original.

It’s not a book for a flight or a rushed business trip, instead its best read on your couch over the weekend.

A word of warning though-the use of dialect might seem brash and crude but it makes the story authentic and comic.

And if you have trouble understanding some of the words or expressions, a glossary at the end might help. The book is in Booker prize shortlist for this year and is definitely worth having on your book-shelf.