As I entered the David Sassoon Library Gardens, my attention was grabbed by the provocative book covers which were being flashed on the screen, beauties with guns, some with fangs and blood stained lips. I stared at them, unable to tear my eyes away. They were covers of popular Tamil pulp fiction. I wished I could read the titles.
I had missed the Pulp Fiction workshop. Gods of KG festival had slotted it for Sat and Sunday morning. I mean, have mercy! This year I found a lot of good workshops happening earlier in the day and I had to miss them. Grrrrrrr! It had made me doubly keen to attend the event Pulped and Popped. I could see some girls setting up a table by the side piled with books. A girl with a rasping voice was here there and everywhere. My attention was divided between the screen and that girl.
Jerry Pinto entered the scene almost like a master-ji, asking every one to take their places. The energy levels were high and the sassy girls insisted upon sitting down on the stage. After some persuasion everyone took there seat, order was restored and Jerry started the introductions…
Meanwhile the gruesome slides were still being flashed on the screen.
The panelists were Rajshree aka Raju whose book was launched during this festival, Pritham K. Chakravarthy, Sudarshan Purohit, Kaveri Lalchand, Rakesh Khanna and Rashmi Devadasan who worked on Blaft Anthology on Tamil Pulp Fiction.
Rakesh confessed that his interest was roused by the covers of the books he used to see everyone in Chennai read, but was unable to read them himself.
Sudarshan was well versed in Hindi PF which is known as Pocket Books.
Pritham ( the the most vocal one in the group) was the only one who could both read and write Tamil,
The discussions were energetic. Pritham talked for everyone else and others listened appreciatively. Jerry did a great job of making everyone participate, even the girl who was content to hide behind Pritham
I remembered the Pulp I was hooked to James Hadley Chase, Star Comic romances, Mills And Boon ( are they still pulp or have been declared classics by now ? It seems ages…) I am sure everyone had their own favorites.
Meanwhile Jerry was quizzing Raju on her book. She was denying vehemently that her book falls in that category. It was Chic-lit, if you please! Don’t put it on the same shelf along with pulp. Then everyone launched in the debate defining chic-lit and pulp.
Looks like Pulp has a LOT of rules. They have to end happily. Only so much promiscuity was allowed for the main characters, bad girls had more freedom, the language also had it’s own style.
Guys, I enjoyed every minute of the hour long discussion, perhaps best in the whole series. The images were back, a stabbed woman lying in a way to display her feminine beauty , a macho Inspector with his moll with goggles, with a skull in the back ground etc. etc. A sudden craving for pulp hit me, almost like craving for chaat!
