by Issac M John
To Rajat Kapoor, the auteur whose writing sensibility I worship and who took the time to read through my first screenplay. In his sparse office, he capped his sharp two-hour feedback session by telling me, ‘You can write. Just keep at it,’ and gave me a new lease of life with those words.
Mom and Dad, Viggy’s parents for never raising an eyelid when I told them I was trading my plush job at PUMA for a year of uncertainties.
To my Sister, Ammamma, for perhaps never comprehending the implications of my decision but quietly praying for me every single day.
To my family back home in Kerala who raised me and even to this day ensure there is quiet in the house, just so that I can scribble on a page or on screen.
To my adopted daughter Merin, that charming twenty-seven-year-old kid I met in PUMA, for reading every word of three different versions of the manuscript through different time zones. Twice. And for sending me copious notes. Countless times.
To Dr Uma Narain, that veritable powerhouse of all things films and literature, who I met at SPJIMR. Knowing her has been an education of a lifetime.
To Joy, for his unwavering attention to every story. He was a lighthouse I could veer to every time I felt this ship needed direction.
To my bunch of friends, philosophers and guides, who read different versions of the book and critiqued it. Sowjanya, Achala, Bhavisha, Mallika, Chiranth and Darius. As a first-time writer, what you seek most is unfiltered feedback, and if it comes in the form of people with a taste as high as theirs, you can consider yourself lucky.
To Dipta and Vikram Sampath, for showing me the way.
To Sneha of Nirvana films, who always had an encouraging word to say and only constructive feedback to offer whenever I approached her.
To those who were always only a call away when I shared a story or a concept and asked for feedback. Shariq, Mahesh, Vidhya, Sammy, Auditya (thanks for that Swamy joke), Barry, Kaus, Sunayna, Nirmal (for the China tip), Sid, Ronnie, Sowmya. Every time you said something nice or critiqued the book, you made me want to make it better.
To Milee Ashwarya of Penguin Random House, who I approached with a nervous pitch at the Bangalore Literature Festival. The year 2016 was dotted with relentless rejections from publishers, producers and directors alike and she was the last person I pitched the book to in late-December 2016. If she would’ve said anything other than, ‘Sounds interesting, send me an email,’ this book wouldn’t have happened.
To my most amazing editor, a treasure called Gurveen they have at Penguin Random House. I still have the version of the manuscript with her detailed notes. Her nuanced inputs, her attention to detail and her ability to spot exactly what might make a story better is nonpareil.
To the good folks at Book Bakers and Suhail Mathur, my agent, who to this day sends me detailed voice memos whenever I need a quick input.
To Tushar and the team at HealthifyMe, who gave me a long leash of flexible hours at work for the short while I was there.
To my former bosses, Rashmi, Neeraj, Gowri, Satish, Rajiv, Abhishek. Without the discipline, work ethic and passion I imbibed from you, this would’ve been a pipe dream.
This might sound strange, but to Pixar, the holy grail of storytelling. To the writers there, none of whom I know or perhaps will meet in this lifetime. But to you guys for inspiring mortals like me through timeless characters like Carl, Ellie, Marlin, Andy, Doc Hudson, Sadness, Riley, Bing Bong, among many others. For setting the bar so high, that it only makes me want to reach for it.
Lastly to Viggy, my effervescent better half. For your unflinching empathy, limitless compassion and undying love. I know I am better for it.
And finally, to love that devastates, enthrals, buffers and outlives us all.
THE BEGINNING
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This collection published 2017
Copyright © Issac M. John 2017
The moral right of the author has been asserted
Jacket images © Malvika Tewari
ISBN: 978-0-143-42948-7
This digital edition published in 2017.
e-ISBN: 978-9-387-32634-7
This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.