INDIAN BY CHOICE
By Amit Dasgupta

The book 'Indian by Choice' tackles the complex theme of identity (Who am I? Where do I truly belong?); it is a journey of self-discovery through the myriad human relationships that help us see things in perspective and in context. People are what they are because of what they do to you, how they touch your soul and affect your thinking and thus, your actions and your perceptions. Written in the form of a graphic novel, it tells the story of Mandy - a young lad in Chicago - who has grown up suppressing and denying his true identity (or self) Mandeep because of his obsessive desire to be accepted by his American friends and in American society; he denies his roots and his culture, even his inherited identity. He is American by birth and there is nothing Indian about him. He is required, under duress, to travel to India for a family wedding and despite his fears and his doubts, his distaste and his abhorrence of 'all things Indian', he finds himself drawn into a world that he was familiar with through his relationship with his parents and his sister but had never truly encountered in his other relationships in his neighbourhood or university. These had to do with strong and pervasive family ties bondings and friendships that were open and warm hearted. All this appeared to be so 'normal and natural' in India. Through candid discussions, he confronts his fears and ignorance about India. When it is time for him to leave, he finds that there is much about India he simply did not know and a great deal about India he would like to know more. He has increasingly reconciled with his suppressed identity: Mandeep. He is willing to make the choice of not denying his Indian roots. The style of thebook/novel is essentially graphic/illustrated, though it uses two additional mediums: text (through emails he exchanges with hi