V. Sanjay Kumar

V. Sanjay Kumar (born 29 March 1960) is an Indian author, gallerist and entrepreneur. Kumar has published three works of fiction: Artist, Undone (Hachette India, 2012), Virgin Gingelly (Hachette India, 2013) and The Third Squad (Juggernaut, India, 2017, Akashic Books, New York, 2017). In 2018, Kumar won the UK Bridport Prize for Short Fiction for his story “The Fore Caddy”.

Early life and career

Kumar was born in Karaikudi, Tamil Nadu but spent most of his childhood in Chennai, India. He graduated from the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, following which he set up Synergy Finance and Leasing Pvt. Ltd in 1984, which went public as Synergy Credit Corporation Ltd in 1994. With the setting up of a software business it was renamed Synergy Login-Systems Ltd in 1996.

In 1988, he began his foray into the art world as the co-promoter of Sakshi Gallery under the aegis of Synergy Art Foundation Ltd. In 1995, he curated an exhibition titled View from the Edge and authored a book with the same title. Kumar took to writing in the late 2000s after reading a gifted copy of Jejuri – a collection of poems by Arun Kolatkar. He notes that his first attempt at a novel was unsuccessful; however he enjoyed the process and continued writing. He has participated in writing residences at Sangam House, Bangalore and Leding House, New York. Kumar is also an avid amateur golf player and has won tournaments in Chennai and Kodaikanal.

Books

Artist, Undone, India's first art fiction, moves between the cities of Chennai, Mumbai, and New York, providing glimpses into the seductive world of Indian contemporary art. The novel traces the journey of Harsh Sinha, the protagonist and an advertising executive, who recklessly purchases a work titled Fat, Fucked and Forty by Nataraj Sharma. Kumar admits that the narrative is autobiographical “to a certain extent”, deriving from his interactions and experiences with art dealers, collectors and art fairs. In describing the inspiration behind the novel, he states that:

"The first time I saw the painting by Nataraj Sharma, I was intrigued. There were stories going off in my head even as I looked at it. Much later I was looking at constructing a novel around people who in their forties were looking for someplace to get to and needed directions at the same time. The two came together; the painting became a beginning and men in their forties became protagonists. For me the art world became the canvas, so to speak."

His second novel Virgin Gingelly, a collection of loosely-linked stories, is set in a fictional middle-class colony in Chennai. His time spent in rented households in the city and his observations of local communities and customs helped him write the novel. The book tackles themes of identity and belonging with Kumar drawing from his experiences as an outsider – a member of a North Indian family that has spent three generations in Tamil Nadu.

The Third Squad – a literary noir novel – focuses on an encounter specialist with Asperger's syndrome, who works for an elite police hit squad in Mumbai. Kumar notes that the encounters are partially based on true-life events, remarking that “in the ’80s and ’90s, six hundred people were killed by police encounter squads in Bombay. Without a judicial process.” The city of Mumbai takes precedence in the novel, morphing into its own character.

Writing Style

Kumar's writing style has often been described as both poetic and lyrical. In reviewing The Third Squad, Scott Neuffer described the prose as “understated, deadpan” melding “poetic intelligence with impressive perceptiveness.” In writing on Artist, Undone, Ranjit Hoskote, prominent art critic and poet, states that “Kumar wields the dagger of irreverence to telling effect, modulating a Salingeresque tonality.”

Awards and Honours

In 2018, Kumar won the first prize in the UK Bridport Prize short story competition for his short story “The Fore Caddy”, securing £5,000 in prize money. His short story “I Believe” was among five highly commended entries for the 2020 ABR Elizabeth Jolley Short Story Prize.

Bibliography

Fiction

• Artist, Undone. Hachette, India, 2012. ISBN 978-93-5009-256-9.

• Virgin Gingelly. Hachette, India, 2013. ISBN 978-93-5195-098-1.

• The Third Squad. Juggernaut, New Delhi and Akashic Books, New York, 2017. ISBN 978-16-1775-497-5.

Art Publications

• A View from the Edge. Synergy Art Foundation, Mumbai, 1995.

• Amitava: The Complete Works. Delhi Art Gallery, New Delhi, 2013. ISBN 978-93-81217-27-6.

Short Story

• Madras on my Mind: A City in Stories. HarperCollins, India, 2017. ISBN 978-93-5177-572-0.

• The Bridport Prize anthology 2018. Redcliffe Press Ltd., Pembroke, 2018. ISBN 978-1-9114-08-36-9.

• “Kerala Boy”. TAKE on art Magazine, New Delhi, 2017.

• “Karivardan”. Out of Print Magazine, 2016. (Issue 22)

References

This article "V. Sanjay Kumar" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:V. Sanjay Kumar. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.

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