A Rendezvous with Narayan Wagle

After I completed reading ‘Palpasa Cafe’, I was in love with the protagonist, Drishya. Don’t take it otherwise!!! What I mean is that I was very much impressed by his attitude, his way of life, persona and every little detail the author has presented about him in the book.

So meeting the author was something like meeting the protagonist himself. I was very anxiously looking forward to the meeting. I had already made different assumptions about the writer. How he’s going to be? Will he be similar to the protagonist in any way? What if he’s not at all frank and considerate? What if he chose not to speak about himself but the literary aspects of the book? I was a bit apprehensive and unsure about the meeting, at the same time was also excited and curious of what’s coming next. Finally the big day arrived. It was Saturday and Narayan Wagle was there with the ever enthusiastic book club members to discuss about his much acclaimed book. What I admired most of the moment is that the guest was as enthusiastic as the crowd itself. And the enthusiasm from both sides heated the discussion for more than 2 hours.

Questions of all sorts started pouring from the readers. And I must congratulate Narayan dai who tackled every question with confidence and persuasion. When you meet someone for the very first time, first impression means a lot. I must say that, he was successful in making a very good first impression on his admirers. A frank and confident speaker, very down to earth person, and a wonderful personality, Narayan Wagle was as gifted and talented as a speaker as he was as a writer. Both the guest and book club members contributed in making this meet a memorable one.

After meeting the author himself that I now realize that Drishya was only a reflection of a part of Wagle’s persona. And I believe that, this is also one of the many reasons why his book is so good and praised by all.

Samrachana