Interview: ‘Under Imran Khan’s government, corruption has actually increased in Pakistan’ - Moni Mohsin, Author, The Impeccable Integrity of Ruby R
Pakistani writer Moni Mohsin, who is best known for her long-running satirical column The Diary of a Social Butterfly, is out with a new book to regale audiences with her sparkling wit and razor-sharp social commentary. The Impeccable Integrity of Ruby R is set in a world of ruthless ambition, political propaganda, social media intrigue, and fragile relationships. Excerpts from an interview with the novelist, who divides her time between London and Lahore, and longs to visit India.
How has your sense of humour sustained you during the COVID-19 pandemic? Have you been baking banana bread, yawning through webinars, and attending Zoom weddings like everyone else? I have neither baked anything, nor attended any weddings on Zoom-shoom. I have kept myself busy by creating an avatar for the social butterfly on my Instagram account and have her opine on everything from COVID-19 to Kamala Harris.
The pandemic year ended on a high note for you with the release of a novel titled The Impeccable Integrity of Ruby R. What made you create a fresh set of characters instead of continuing with your series of books about Lahori social butterflies who shop in London?I wanted to step out of my comfort zone and try something different. I also wanted to comment on a whole range of social and political issues that confront us at present, for which I could not use Butterfly’s voice.
Author-actor Twinkle Khanna’s advance praise for the book calls it “a story about Pakistan, which could be as much about India today.” Would you say that these two countries are more alike than they care to admit? Many readers of this novel have found parallels in the way both India and Pakistan are fixated with celebrities, how their political parties use social media to stifle criticism, and how an entrenched patriarchy exploits and oppresses women on both sides of the border.
On your last visit to India in 2015, you were a panelist at a literary festival in Mumbai. What are your fondest memories from that trip? When will Indian readers get to hear you again?I so enjoyed that festival at Mehboob Studios in Mumbai. My highlights were meeting Twinkle Khanna; doing a hilarious panel with Kevin Kwan and Shunali Shroff on the endless Asian appetite for designer brands; being taken for a guided tour by Naresh Fernandes in his Goan neighbourhood; listening to Ali Sethi and Salima Hashmi converse about Faiz Ahmed Faiz with the legendary Gulzar Sahib and, most of all, meeting and engaging with the attendees who came to the festival. I would return in a heartbeat if the Indian government would grant me a visa.
Why do Pakistanis and Indians fantasize about authoritarian leaders? The cabbie who meets Ruby Rauf at Lahore Airport believes that nothing will ever change in Pakistan until a “strong man with a big stick” is at the helm of affairs. What do you think?I cannot speak for Indians but, having endured 30 years of martial law, few Pakistanis now fantasize about authoritarian leaders. What most people desire above all, in fact, are justice and opportunity. People in Pakistan who voted for Imran Khan did so because he held out the enticing vision of a shiny Naya Pakistan cleansed of corruption, injustice and entrenched privilege. When, instead of delivering on his promises, he went after the opposition and media, he haemorrhaged support.
Saif Haq, the politician in your book, “who inspired a messianic devotion among his followers,” is loosely based on Imran Khan. Why did you give his political party an unusual name like Integrity? I have noticed that aspiring nationalist leaders at the helm of fledgling parties love emotive but vague titles like Respect and Freedom and Justice. It was in that spirit that I chose Integrity.
This character also has shades of Amitabh Bachchan. Saif Haq “had been the symbol of the righteous, angry young man” and people “had gathered to offer special prayers” when he suffered “a life-threatening injury.” What made you incorporate these elements in his life story?I wanted Saif to be a genuine celebrity with an aura of glamour that women found seductive and men admirable. In the subcontinent, film stars have the sort of appeal that cuts across classes and genders. And since Saif must channel macho strength and incorruptibility into his political message I thought I’d borrow some of Amitabh Bachchan’s allure as an uncompromising warrior for social justice. Readers on both sides of the border, weaned on Indian cinema of the 1970s and 80s, would be familiar with that trope.
Ruby Rauf, who is hired to mobilize Pakistani women’s participation on social media and in civil society, makes me think of model Qandeel Baloch and activist Sabeen Mahmud who were murdered for speaking their mind. Why is social media so liberating and so dangerous?Ruby bears little similarity to Qandeel and Sabeen. As you say, both these courageous, outspoken women took a stand for freedom of expression, albeit in very different ways. Ruby, on the other hand, becomes a mouthpiece for Integrity and gets manipulated into quashing the very freedom that both Qandeel and Sabeen gave their lives for. Social media is a blunt tool. Since it is largely unregulated, all opinions -- from the most sober and responsible to the most inflammatory and crazy -- are given equal space. Therein lies its strength and weakness.
How does this book’s concern with the #MeToo movement relate to the long tradition of women’s activism in Pakistan? What does the promise of corruption-free governance under Imran Khan and Saif Haq mean for women in particular? Pakistani women have made great strides in entering public space and getting their voices heard. Today, confident professional young women like Ruby and Farah are prominent in what used to be largely male-dominated fields until very recently. However, I do not mean to say that they have an easy ride of it. They continue to face harassment and discrimination on a daily basis. But they fight on. Under Imran Khan’s government, corruption has actually increased in Pakistan. According to Transparency International, Pakistan has slipped from its position of 120 in 2019 to 124 in 2020. If anything, women’s lives have become harder still as inflation has sky rocketed and COVID-19 has placed huge burdens on them with regard to educating their children, hanging on to their jobs, and keeping their homes running.
Could you talk about the genesis of your new podcast Browned Off with publisher Faiza Khan, who lives in the UK and is of Pakistani heritage? In the first episode, she says, “We are non-white but far from non-judgemental.” What can listeners look forward to?Since the killing of George Floyd last summer and the resultant eruption of the Black Lives Matter protests, much has been written and said in the UK about the need for diversity in contemporary culture. Faiza and I wanted to lift the lid on the can to see how much has actually changed. You can expect plenty of home truths, levity and lightness.
Who are the satirists that you like to read, hear and watch?Among Pakistanis, I enjoy Mohammed Hanif’s writing, Swinery’s Instagram posts, and Im the Dim, my sister Jugnu Mohsin’s fictitious diary of Imran Khan. I also love Sabir Nazar’s hilarious but savage cartoons.
You have spoken publicly about how, while living in the UK, you do not enjoy the same creative freedom that white writers do because you are expected to write stories that have something to do with your race or your religion. How do you intend to push back against this situation?By writing books like Tender Hooks and The Impeccable Integrity of Ruby R and doing my podcast Browned Off!
Chintan Girish Modi is a writer, educator and researcher who tweets @chintan_connect