Maverick gets philosophical

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Sharp, witty, smart and articulate, the 29-year-old, Indian origin author Sabah Carrim is an unusual maverick. The Malaysia-based human rights lecturer recently launched her debut novel Humeirah.

Interestingly, it isn’t just her educational background that has to do with Sabah’s wandering thoughts. The author rattles off names of philosophers and French writers who have inspired her and have had a deep impact on her thinking. “Russian writer Fyodor Mikhaylovich Dostoyevsky, German philosopher Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche, Australian writer, academic and journalist Germaine Greer, and novelist Hermann Hesse are people I have read and always go back to. Their diagonally opposite thoughts and ideas have forced me to think,” says the qualified lawyer, who made a conscious decision to be a teacher. She says the freedom to go around the world and teach people is what made her take up the profession.
A story of existence, beauty and wisdom is the tagline of the title. For Sabah, these three words seem to summarise the underlying themes of her first novel. “It’s a book that is loosely based on three essential thoughts. Firstly, I am complaining about certain norms that exist in the society — like the issue of classiness that often comes with money and not refinement of the intellect. Subsequently, the protagonist, Humeirah dares to question but she is dismissed by the majority of people saying she is complicating things and finally it’s my perspective on how to deal with such an antagonist approach,” explains Sabah. To put it across simply, it is Humeirah’s story, a Kutchi Memon — Mauritian woman, who questions the norms of her society and her relationships. But the author is cautious and says it is neither a feminist novel, nor a satire on the community. “I don’t believe in sensationalising. I don’t write to become famous. I write because readers need to find something,” admits Sabah.
Though a Mauritian by birth and resident of Kuala Lampur, Sabah has a strong connection with India. “My mother is from Bengaluru but my parents live in Mauritius. I have spent most of my vacations here. I love the people of this city — they are like a bottle of Thums Up, just shake them up and they will be oozing with emotions of love, anger and care. They are simple and that’s what I like,” she says. Though a voracious reader and a serious writer, Sabah confesses her love for the arts and music. “I am a regular at the Philharmonic Society in Kuala Lampur. I enjoy Western classical music but when it comes to Indian music, I am a big fan of Ravi Shankar and his daughter Anoushka. I like the Oriental feel to her music and often play her records at home. Apart from that I love watching movies and travelling,” she adds. Sabah is working on her next book, The Memoirs of Heera that talks about the ordeals one has to face in the global education system.