By Sanjana Garg, Grade 11
Author Devika Cariapa joined us at NLF 2023 to give a masterclass on the intricacies of writing history. Her book, India Through People: 25 Game Changers, was the focus of her class. Her book is about individuals—women and men with the vision, fortitude, and resolve to leave a mark—who powered the upheavals in society and politics, arts and culture, as well as science and technology, that make up the recent history of contemporary India. The country’s history over the last 150 years has witnessed profound changes, and these visionaries challenged conventions, often at personal costs, to find innovative solutions to pressing problems.
Cariapa took us through the process of writing a book like hers. She spoke about how you don’t just write a book, but rather craft it. That begins with choosing what to write about. There were thousands of people who have made up India’s history, even after narrowing it down to 150 years, and further narrowing it down to people with ‘vision’ and a ‘transformative impact on their field.’ That brought us to an intriguing revelation from the masterclass. It was the importance of shedding light on lesser-known aspects of well-known figures or featuring entirely unknown figures—which helped narrow down her search significantly.
A compelling narrative is the essence of historical writing, making it a far cry from reading a dry textbook. Examples of this are seen throughout her book as well, with her telling stories of women, of people whose voices you may not have heard. If one is writing about someone many know about (such as Gandhi), choose stories they may not know (such as why he chose to dress the way he did). This leaves the reader with new, enriching information.
Cariapa also shared valuable advice on crafting non-fiction stories, stressing the importance of storytelling. She encouraged aspiring writers to set the scene, breathe life into their characters, avoid overwhelming readers with too much information (TMI), maintain a conversational tone, and to never overlook the significance of thorough research. Another one of the key takeaways from her masterclass was the delicate balance required when portraying historical characters. It’s crucial not to glorify or vilify them based on contemporary standards, as what was acceptable in the past might not align with present-day values. Nevertheless, acknowledging their imperfections while remaining historically accurate is essential.
Participants created brief biographies of people from their own lives and presented them to the class as part of an entertaining exercise that marked the end of the masterclass. This practical lesson demonstrated the ability of narrative historical texts to vividly depict concepts and events while preserving the essence of individuals and their experiences for future generations. Overall, this masterclass helped enrich the participants’ knowledge and evoked a sense of curiosity regarding history, and how we can learn from and write about it in fun, interesting ways.
