Inspector Gowda is my alter ego, says author Anita Nair

She has been writing since nearly two decades and has ventured yet again into the detective genre. With Chain of Custody, Anita Nair not only spun a thriller but also shed light on the much prevalent issue of child trafficking. At the launch of her latest book at Alliance Française de Delhi in collaboration with the French Embassy, Anita talked about her book in a conversation with Pascal Fautrat, Director of NGO Tara home for children.

Nair's book Chains of Custody is set in her home town. The central character of this book is inspector Gowda who, sets on a mission to find a 13-year-old Nandita and lands himself in a child-sex trafficking racket in Bengaluru. The inspector makes an appearance for a second time after featuring in her earlier thriller in 2013, Cut Like Wound.

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When asked, why is Inspector Gowda a man she responds, "I needed to have some fun as well. He actually is an alter ego, somebody who does all the things that I wish I could do. I actually am living vicariously through this character. Then she goes on to describe the powerful female character in the book- Ratna, the sub-inspector. She states that this character doesn't want to cool he heels at the police station and wants to go out and help. "I want to work as child rights officer and make a palpable difference in someone's life," is what Ratna would say according to Anita.

The book: Chain of Custody( Picture Credit: Twitter)

A writer needs to be motivated when writing on a serious issue like child trafficking and for Anita it was the lack of material written on this which inspired her to take the plunge. "I just thought that enough was not written on this topic and this is probably the best way to create awareness. The magnitude of the problem is so huge that writing fiction makes it easier to read and also that much more real for a reader to understand that there is this really serious issue that needs to be tackled," says Nair in a conversation with Shethepeople.tv.

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Nair believes that her being a woman, she brought a certain sense of sensitivity to the subject. "Because since I am writing about trafficking, a large number of women are also victims of it. There are many things that I am able to understand from a woman's perspective, empathize with and write in the right manner."

As the issue of child trafficking gains momentum with this novel, many other issue also find space in the discussion like prostitution, decriminalization of sex workers, and buying and selling of humans like commodities. It's a dark novel about a start reality. Not light reading, but kudos to the author for addressing the issue.

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