Indrajit Hazra

Humor is the shortest distance between two people
- Henry Youngman

Wait a minute! Wait. Wait. I'm having a thought. Oh yes. Oh yes. I'm going to have a thought. It's coming. It's coming. ...It's gone.

Well, writing about one of the few contemporary authors who has influenced me a lot by
his writing is...well...not easy. Indrajit Hazra has been with Hindustan Times for I wonder how long. If you haven't heard of him, try checking the music reviews section or even the centre page of the Sunday Edition.

Indrajit's style can be classified as Douglas Adams-ish. There's the usual sarcasm and dark wit prevailing over otherwise dull news. His writing heavily derives from the caustic humour that brought everlasting fame to Hitch-hiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

What I like about his style is that exact pin-point, sharp-shooting, hitting the nail on the head with a sniper's accuracy. His articles contain a solid punch with a loud in-your-face limbo. That's what makes a writer stand out nowadays, the same as 30 years ago.

To speak about his music reviews is inviting trouble. For one, they can't be summarized by any other word except Mind-boggling (suffixed by any of the following: crazy, stupid, critical, well-written, mindless). In fact, his articles are taken as crazy and well-written at the same time (which is a big thing to say about any journalist, atleast in my eyes). Each of his review shows sign of effort, never have I seen an article in his name that could be regarded as passable. It would seem he listens to each record before forming an opinion and sharing it with the readers. How much truth is there in this observation, I do not know.

Anyways, a writing force like Indrajit Hazra can't be constrained to writing music reviews and Sunday editorials. So, his novels were not unexpected. What was unexpected though , was his perverted sense of humour finding its way into them too. Each of his novels (the last one, The Bioscope Man, released three months ago) contains the same dark comedy that has slowly become his signature.

Although, personally I haven't read any of them, I have read enough reviews to know what to expect.

Here's looking at you, kid! - Robert de Niro

PS.
Imagination is a quality given a man to compensate him for what he is not, and a sense of humor was provided to console him for what he is. The intellect is not a serious thing, and never has been. It is an instrument on which one plays, that is all. - Oscar Wilde

PPS.
What's with the quotations? you may ask. Nothing particular, they just fitted in. :-P