Straight answers

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal"><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="" font-style:="" italic="">Gurcharan Das</span><span style="" font-style:="" italic="">, Writer, On current trends in writing</span><br /><br /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">Your recent book talks about India spearheading the information age. Are we moving in that direction?</span><br /><br />India has certainly moved in the direction I have captured in my book.The new middle class has come up, replacing the old middle class. Changes are taking place everywhere, so also in Bangalore. Industrial jobs are giving way to IT jobs. But we should not talk in terms of skipping industrial jobs, we need them, too.<br /><br /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">You were a corporate and are a writer, can one be a perfectionist while doing two things simultaneously?</span><br /><br />I am a man with two hearts. People should not confine themselves to things like ''fat cat businessman'' or ''hungry writer''. Life is more complicated. One''s life span has extended and one can have as many careers as he wants. The important thing is to be passionate about what you do. <br /><br /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">Do you think that today''s Indian-English writers will take the country forward?</span><br /><br />Today''s Indian-English writers reflect a new confidence, the confidence that I have described in one of my books. They are writing more liberally — they have become free, and don''t just imitate. English has become an Indian language, so much so that Hinglish is almost becoming part of English. We are definitely moving ahead but I am still waiting for a great piece of work from an Indian writer which will establish English as an Indian language.<br /><br /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">What is the future of literary works in English in India?</span><br /><br />English is no more an alien language for us. It is also a key language in our country, which is certainly a positive factor for us.</div> </div>