“I started thinking about it 25 years ago but I was busy. I was involved in various businesses. But it was always at the back of my mind. If I died the next day, this would be one thing I’d be regretful about.”
Wadhwa no longer has to worry about that.[break]
An economist and capitalist who had been writing for years, he is slightly hesitant about being labeled a writer as he confesses that he writes but says, “I’m a writer but writing is just a medium. I don’t really have a passion just for writing, If I didn’t have a passion for economics and a fundamental belief in my ideas, then I wouldn’t be writing.”
That being said, Wadhwa has been contributing to publications like The Himalayan Times for years. After being nominated for awards such as the Frederic Bastiat Prize for journalism, Wadhwa moved towards fiction for the simple reason of reaching out. As he puts it, non-fiction appeals to more people.
When writing fiction, Wadhwa says, “The first thing to be done is getting an outlined idea of exactly what I want. On and off I kept thinking about the suspense part of it, the thriller part of it, and the India part of it. Those things were all there in my mind, but I had to think about how it would be written and given form.”
Wadhwa stuck close to the outline which he calls the skeleton of the novel. After the outline, he says that there wasn’t too much research that was required. “The research was more about looking at the Parliament building, going to Jaipur, but as far as the economic policies go, there was hardly any research.”
What was more difficult for him was to keep the story gripping. After reading “Immediate Fiction” by Jerry Cleaver, Wadhwa tried to keep every page exciting. But he wasn’t confident he was able to accomplish that.
What Wadhwa does to prevent the story from dragging is to write the entire novel as a collection of snapshots of chronological moments that allows the reader to capture important events and incidents while flying through the years. When asked if he thought he was successful in keeping the book exciting, he says “I don’t know about that. I leave it to your judgment” and to the judgment of all his readers.
The book paves a path of prosperity for India as he says, “The original idea, instead of writing a pessimistic book which is what Ayn Rand does [in Atlas Shrugged], is to write an optimistic book.” In the world of fiction where anything can happen, Wadhwa uses his field of expertise to spin a story of an honest politician and controversial economic policies that changes a nation. It was important to him that he be able to put his ideas across without lecturing.
Wadhwa’s ideas are made apparent in innovative schemes and policies that are implemented. For example, he comes up with “Care Cards” – a simple card that allows people who require financial assistance to purchase whatever they need. According to the writer’s beliefs, this would eradicate the need for a welfare system.
“I don’t believe that ultimately there should be any welfare activity by the government at all. There needs to be no welfare activity at all – that’s a little hard to swallow for many. There may be immediate need for certain amount of welfare for part of the time, but in five or 10 years, all welfare expenditures could be wiped out.”
Among the various ideas that the book presents, one that is sure to draw the reader’s attention is a solution to the Indo-Pakistan issue over Jammu and Kashimir. Through a crafty exchange, decades of disagreements are quickly resolved. As for the birth of the idea, Wadhwa says, “I don’t know when that idea came to me. It happened in a flash several years ago, much before I was thinking of the book, and I thought ‘yes, that could be something.’ ”
There are ideas that Wadhwa’s co-writer, Leon Louw, disagreed with. In particular, the method employed to resolve the Indo-Pakistan issue. “Leon didn’t think it fit with Sudesh’s character, because he was acting too smart. In that case, Louw’s point is valid.”
The protagonist in the novel, a one Sudesh Kumar who is merely seven years old at the start of the book, holds unshakeable convictions and desires to do good that carries through to the very last page, save for the few occasions where Sudesh’s actions give off a whiff of trick. In Wadhwa’s defense, “Being a politician, [Sudesh] can’t be a 100% straightforward honest guy. It’s not that he’s lying, he’s just acting too smart.”
As for the character Sudesh, Wadha says only his personal economic polices are reflected in the protagonist, “other than that, his story and my story are totally different.”
With the book completed and available in the market today, Wadhwa’s hope is “That it sells for millions.”
He further adds, “The more the copy sells, the more the chances that people will be inspired, people will start thinking about what’s wrong with the economy. It’s based in India but it could be equally applicable in Nepal or any country.”
Regardless of whether you agree with such radical capitalist ideas, one can still appreciate how the book brings together politics, thrills, suspense and even a splash of romance while presenting ideas about the economy and the possible future of a country like India.
• The Deal Maker by Rakesh Wadhwa follows a young Indian village boy, Sudesh Kumar, as he pursues his dream of making India a better place. The book begins with Sudesh at an early age and covers everything that contributes to who Sudesh is and how through integrity and honest work he strives to be Prime Minister.
The book is scheduled to launch today.
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