The article is an interview with Karan Mahajan about his new novel The Complex, which examines how personal memories and political history shape contemporary life in India. Mahajan argues that the past is never truly over in India, as events such as Partition and the communal tensions of the 1980s and 1990s continue to influence politics, identities, and social relationships. Set within a Delhi housing complex, the novel follows interconnected families whose private struggles reflect larger national issues such as migration, class divisions, patriarchy, communalism, and violence. Mahajan explains that he conducted extensive research for the novel by studying archives, newspaper reports, and political events like the Mandal Commission protests, while also speaking to people from different ideological and social backgrounds. He reflects on his own experiences of moving between India and the United States, describing migration as a feeling of being emotionally suspended between cultures and identities. The interview also discusses how political ideologies shape personal behaviour, particularly through patriarchy and the normalization of violence. Mahajan suggests that literature can reveal the deep connections between public history and intimate human experiences, showing how historical trauma and political tensions continue to shape everyday life.
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