Click to play videoNew Delhi: Siddharth Shanghvi's second novel The Lost Flamingoes of Bombay has been shortlisted for the Man Asian Literary Prize 2008. With characters that mirror some real life personalities, and a fictionalised account of the Jessica Lall murder and its fallout. This is a novel that encompasses very gritty stories of love and loss, death and survival, in the city of dreams.
"With Samar's life I was keen to explore how sexuality unravels itself in India, shows how fiction, your sexuality is fine in prviate. Once you are in the public realm, can be manipulated used against them. I was keen to explore and understand, how something at core of individual, how you can be hated for who you choose to love," explained Shanghvi.
Shangvi made a a deliberate choice to hold on to the name Bombay instead of Mumbai.
"It was important for me to hold on to the word Bombay throughout the book and title, it's an individual act of sedition, tell people in the MNS and Shiv Sena that you can take name of my city and turn it around, I will take it back and see what it means to me," he further said.
The title is a metaphor one that we admittedly stretched a bit. Not finding flamingoes in the Capital, but whether the flamingoes in Mumbai, or Delhi's intrepid pigeons. Even when they take flight, there's something about the way they come home to roost.
"The Lost Flamingoes of Bombay is a metaphor for the beautiful fragile souls who come to Bombay and stay in Bombay. Flamingoes can leave, it makes me wonder why something as beautiful with a gift of flight, why they would continue to stay," he said.
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