Dr Graham’s Homes has produced a number of well-known alumni over the years – not least author, television producer, actor, and stand-up comedian Anirban Bhattacharyya, who is the Chairman of GO (DGH's alumni association).

Anirban is the creative genius behind some of India’s most popular TV crime dramas; he created, produced (and wrote for) the hit series Savdhaan India, and produced Crime Patrol. He has even acted in some hit Bollywood movies. But in recent years he has also been building his profile as an author of true crime books, including India’s Money Heist and The Deadly Dozen, both published by Penguin India.

Friends of DGH will be interested to see that Anirban’s latest book is set in Kalimpong – albeit during a turbulent period in the town’s history. The Hills Are Burning is a “semi-memoir” that tells the story of three Kalimpong teenagers who become caught up in the Gorkhaland agitation of the late 1980s.

Anirban describes the story as “a tribute to [the] classmates and friends he grew up with in boarding school in Kalimpong”. He draws completely from his experience at DGH, and has even retained the real names of some of the teachers as well, after seeking permission from their families. He recently spoke to Telegraph India about the book. Here are some extracts from the interview, adapted and slightly expanded for us by Anirban himself.

Tell us about the genesis of the book…

The Hills Are Burning is a very personal book, which I have been writing over the past eight to 10 years… At the face of it, it’s an innocent, bittersweet story of three friends growing up in a boarding school in Kalimpong and you think everything is fine till, of course, the genesis and the subsequent violence of the Gorkhaland agitation happens in 1986, which the children then come face-to-face with and they are forced to grow up.

Given that the book has personal accounts as well, how challenging was it and was it cathartic?

It was a cathartic experience for my friends and me. The incidents of political unrest, the violence, the human rights violations that you read in the book are all true. It was an emotional journey revisiting the moments. My friends and I dug up dark and painful memories that we had all chosen to forget… I was nervous about writing the book and wanted it to be a true narrative. This is not some imaginative story. It’s a thoroughly researched book and a non-fiction book told in a fictional narrative manner.

Why did you choose to write this book?

My generation were eyewitnesses to the andolan/revolution. The kids of today have no clue what happened, the people who died, the brutality that was meted out by the armed forces. For this generation the stories and incidents are like urban legends and myths, hearsay. I wanted to write this book before our memories faded, or these stories went with us to our graves. Murakami, one of my favourite authors once tweeted: ‘No matter how much suffering you went through, you never wanted to let go of those memories.’ Memories are all that remain, and memories need to be shared.

When was the last time you went to Kalimpong?

I visit my school every second year. My umbilical cord with the school will never be cut. When I die my ashes will be buried in the school cemetery – that’s the standing instruction. My school is very special to me and I am in touch with all my classmates – they are family for life!

You can read the full article on Telegraph India’s website here.

For more information on Anirban, follow him on Twitter or check out his YouTube channel.

Anirban’s social media links: www.linktr.ee/anirbanb

You can buy The Hills Are Burning in the UK at this Amazon link

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