From fashion to fiction, Amrish Kumar traverses the spectrum of cricket and a coming-of-age story

In his book Gods of Willow: A Coming of Age Innings, the first-time author tells the story of a boy growing up in an India on the precipice of change

In India, where cricket is a religion, Amrish Kumar’s Kabir Menon does not play god. He has his flaws in a country at the precipice of change–in an India of the late 1990s and early 2000s. It is this coming-of-age story that came to Kumar many years ago, which he finally got to finish during the pandemic, culminating into his debut book–Gods of Willow: A Coming of Age Innings. As the name of the book suggests, cricket is a significant part of the plot as well. Kumar might be known better for his entrepreneurial role at the House of Ritu Kumar. However, he, of his own admission, has always been an avid reader–and had this story brewing inside him. In a chat with The Established, Kumar talks about telling Kabir’s story of growing up, displacement and how his fate is inextricably linked to the “fortunes of the Indian cricket team”. 

Much has already been said about you being an “unexpected author”. What is it emblematic of to you? What are the pros and cons of being one, according to you? 

I suppose it’s emblematic of anyone’s ability to tell a story or indeed pursue something they had no idea they could. So if you have a story, tell it. If you have a vision, draw it, make it. The pros are that there is no expectation. Everything around polishing this book is an adventure. There are no cons as such for me but if there were to be one, it would be that perhaps there may not be as much interest to read something by an unknown author.  

How did the story come to you and evolve over the years? Were you worried about getting the socio-political relevance of the setting of the book right? 

It was a long time ago so I am not sure how it came to me in the beginning. What I know is that it was an alchemy of the films and books I loved and the desire to write a coming-of-age story. The relevance of the milieu never concerned me much because it was an India I had lived in. Its story was authentic to the time. I did need to research some peculiarities about the history of student elections and while writing it, I was also reading about post-Independence Indian history, which helped with context.

How did you create Kabir Menon? What were the aspects of his character that you put in to make him connect to your readers? Is cricket a common passion between the protagonist and the writer?

Kabir was a boy of his time. He comes from a secular family with its roots in different parts of the country. I feel like this was much of the post-colonial generation and their influences. Their learned experience of the time India was becoming a nation was what our generation was born into. It made the subsequent opening up of our economy so much more jarring and exciting.

But at its essence, it’s Kabir’s story–the story of a kid–growing up. I think a coming-of-age story is a universal experience and we can all relate to those times of giddiness, confusion, thrill and doubt. All these emotions lived in extreme. The story of firsts and growing up belongs to us all.
Cricket is an important part of the book and is essentially spoken from the mouth of a die-hard Indian cricket supporter and a lot of the cricket bits were my voice.

Everyone writes a book to tell a story. What response do you wish to evoke in your readers with this one?

I hope this touches a chord of nostalgia and recognition of the human condition. It will hopefully take you back to the 90s in India, which became the decade that changed mindsets in our country. I also hope that the reader enjoys the humour, love and truth of what is essentially a family story.

Everyone, so far, has been kind to me and obviously, the first lick of readers are your friends and family members and most have been fairly positive so far.

How does a fashion entrepreneur of a thriving label(s) ground himself and write a book, which is often a solitary process? 

It wasn’t very difficult as I started writing this in the solitude of the pandemic-induced lockdown. Once I started writing, the process became easy to slip into.

Do you worry about creative comparisons or a reader’s preconceived notions about your name? Do you see yourself writing again? 

Not really. Hopefully with time, this book will speak for itself. I am guessing most of the readers will have no clue as to who I am so that helps. I am not sure about writing again. I am thinking about it, but an idea has to come to me first.

According to you, what is the biggest lesson learnt from and achievement of this book? 

I think it taught me that there are many things possible and within one’s reach. The process has taught me about writing and storytelling. And finally it has reaffirmed the great joy of creativity and imagination.

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