WA: Can you introduce yourself and tell us about your journey into writing and the arts in your country?
Shashi Kadapa: My name is Shashi Kadapa from Pune, India. I am an engineer, MBA and worked for several manufacturing and IT organizations. My journey into writing began by authoring short stories across various genres like life stories and narratives, speculative, fantasy, horror, true crime, and more. I have about 45 stories published in UK, and US anthologies.
In 2018, I started ActiveMuse, a journal of literature. We have published 500+ authors from 49 nations. A few years back, I was appointed as the International Ambassador of IHRAF and we published two volumes on women’s issues, featuring 30 women writers from small nations. Getting unknown and faint voices to a global audience gives me immense satisfaction.
Writing and arts is an ancient, maybe 5000-year passion in India. Even now we see temples with exquisite carvings. We have several world-renowned authors, singers, and painters. Some of the writers are Naipul, RK Narayan, Salman Rushdie, Premchand, Jhumpa Lahiri, and many more.
WA: How would you describe the current state of literature and creative writing in your country?
Shashi Kadapa: It is very strong and growing. Kindle provides huge opportunities for writers to self-publish. There are several communities, Facebook groups, publishers, and literary meets where hundreds of visitors attend seminars and panel discussions by eminent authors. The Jaipur Literary Festival is an example.
WA: In what ways does your cultural background influence the themes and stories you explore in your writing?
Shashi Kadapa: I grew up when TV, Internet had not appeared, and books were our escape into a fantasy world. I was brought up listening to stories from the Ramayana and Mahabharata. We had subscribed to printed lending libraries and I just devoured books. Enid Blyton, Perry Mason, Alistar Maclean, Westerns, Burroughs, comics, fairy tales. They had a profound influence on my thinking.
WA: Many writers engage with social issues. How has the human rights situation in your country influenced your creative work?
Shashi Kadapa: Yes. Like all other countries, inequality, discrimination, racial abuse, gender violence has influenced my work. I have published several stories on marginalized communities.
WA: Do you believe writers and artists have a responsibility to speak about human rights issues? Why or why not?
Shashi Kadapa: Yes. We writers have a moral obligation to write about human rights issues. We have the talent to bring out suppressed voices and cries to the front.
WA: What challenges do writers in your country face when addressing sensitive political or social issues?
Shashi Kadapa: We tend to get slotted into categories though many do not belong to vested beliefs and practices of some group. So, a Hindu author writing on Muslim issues is considered either as a turncoat or a Islamophobic. Just do your work.
WA: How supportive is the publishing industry in your country for emerging writers and poets?
Shashi Kadapa: Like all other countries, very little support for emerging writers and poets. Most of the headlines are occupied by social butterflies, glamour, and breaks are given to them.
WA: Are there enough platforms, literary festivals, or organizations supporting writers and artists in your country?
Shashi Kadapa: Somewhat. We have some big-ticket literary festivals, where publishers and writers interact, and given a platform. Same with painters, dancers, singers, dramatists.
WA: What role do you think literature and art can play in promoting human rights awareness?
Shashi Kadapa: I believe it is the medium to narrate human rights awareness and make issues public. A good song, skit, or book does more than speeches by politicians hankering for votes.
WA: How accessible is publishing for young writers in your country today, especially with the rise of digital platforms?
Shashi Kadapa: Limited. Trad publishers do not even respond to queries. Many self-publish with limited results and reach.
WA: Can you share some of the biggest obstacles you have faced in your writing and publishing journey?
Shashi Kadapa: Initially, I collected rejection mails. Maybe my work was not to the expected grade. Then things started moving. I guess the biggest obstacle was myself, and I learned to come out of self-pity.
WA: What themes or human rights issues are most urgent for writers in your country to address today.
Shashi Kadapa: Main issues are gender violence, reverse discrimination against Brahmins (I am one), land grab, and suppression of marginal voices.
WA: How has the global literary community influenced writers in your country?
Shashi Kadapa: Yes. Leading western writers are popular in India.
WA: Can art and literature truly contribute to social change? Can you share an example from your experience?
Shashi Kadapa: Not really, but we have to keep trying. People are busy with their own problems and do not give much attention to literature.
WA: How did you first become involved with the International Human Rights Art Movement (IHRAM)?
Shashi Kadapa: I had sent two stories for the IHRAM short story contest. They won the first and second prize. Then I read a call for an international fellow, applied, and got selected. I edited two books on Women’s issues.
WA: What has been your experience working with or participating in programs organized by IHRAM?
Shashi Kadapa: Unbelievable! Tom and his team are brilliant artists, kind, and supportive. This matters the most.
WA: In what ways has IHRAM helped amplify the voices of writers and artists concerned with human rights?
Shashi Kadapa: My two books were on domestic violence, Tom has published several books on social issues such as problems in Ukraine, Palestine, and others. These works push the problems into different social strata.
WA: How important are international collaborations like IHRAM for writers in your country?
Shashi Kadapa: Extremely important. Such collaborations with IHRAM add credentials, legitimacy, and the reputation of unknown people.
WA: What advice would you give to young writers who want to use their art to advocate for human rights?
Shashi Kadapa: Keep creating. Focus on the issues and the different ways in which you can promote problems. Also give solutions and not just the problems. There will be discordant voices who will try to supress. Keep fighting. They want you to give up, do not yield or retreat.
WA: What projects are you currently working on, and what message would you like to share with the global community of writers and artists.
Shashi Kadapa: I had sent a proposal on a book, “"Narratives on Women's Issues: Impact on Artistic Creativity,” with Lisa as the co-author.
The book will examine perspectives on the ability of artistic creativity in the new environment. Ten elements of creativity will be covered.
The questions the book will address is, “Has the current environment created a fear of retribution that stunts artists from expressing themselves? By women, we can consider born natural, and trans people who have undergone procedures to make them women. Focus will be stories of communities and individuals.”
This will be good, an unexplored but critical area. I have to work out the details.
