Richard Crasta
Encyclopedia
Richard Crasta is an Indian American
writer and novelist, with a strong Indian identity in his writings. He is the author of the comic novel The Revised Kamasutra, nonfiction and essay collections like Impressing the Whites; Beauty Queens, Children and the Death of Sex, and some semi-fictional works like What We All Need. His first novel The Revised Kama Sutra was published under the name of Avatar Prabhu in the United States and Germany.
Crasta was born in Bangalore
, India
. He grew up in Mangalore
and lived in India till the age of 26. After emigration to the United States, he lived mostly in the New York
metropolitan area for 18 years. He spends most of his present time in Asia.
Crasta considers himself as a stateless person, a compulsive itinerant, a migrant, a man without moorings except to his imagination, his memories, and his childhood. He believes that his roots in the Mangalorean Catholic culture
had a significant impact in his writings. Although he considers himself an open-minded agnostic, some writers attacked his first novel as anti-Christian; Crasta responds that he has been deeply influenced by fundamental Christian principles, which remain with him.
D'Souza) in Bangalore
, India. Richard had two brothers and a sister. His father John, son of Alex and Nathalia Crasta, originally hailed from Kinnigoli
in South Canara
district, about 20 miles from Mangalore
. John was a World War II
veteran and prisoner-of-war who survived a Japanese prison camp.
Richard had a strict middle-class Catholic upbringing and grew up in Mangalore
in the 1960s and early 1970s. He began writing when he was ten. He wrote a 12,000 word novel in which the hero was a composite of John F. Kennedy
and Robin Hood
. Writing was just an outlet for his fantasies, which he used to escape his real life. An important factor in his development was the church and the convent school to which he was sent as a boy, and the secondary school of his adolescence. Ever since the age of 16, he knew he had a novel to write, but felt he was too poor to afford clean white paper.
He completed his Bachelor of Arts
(BA) in Economics, History and Political Science from the University of Mysore
in 1972. He was eventually accepted into the Indian Administrative Service
(IAS), through which he became the Assistant Commissioner
and Sub-Divisional Magistrate
of Chickballapur Subdivision in Kolar district
and Belgaum
Subdivision in Belgaum district
. Later, he became Special Deputy Commissioner of Shimoga district
. However, this position suited him neither professionally nor socially as a creative writer. He later served in the IAS for 13 years. Crasta traveled to the United States in 1979, enrolling in the American University
in Washington, D.C.
. He worked for a New York literary agency and taught English at a New York college through 1981, and completed his Master of Arts
(MA) degree in Literature and Communication. Crasta emigrated to New York City
in the United States in 1984. Crasta received his Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree in Creative Writing from Columbia University
in 1987.
A collection of humorous and political essays Beauty Queens, Children and the Death of Sex, appeared in India in 1997. Finally, Crasta edited and contributed to essays Eaten by the Japanese: The Memoirs of an Unknown Indian Soldier, by John Baptist Crasta, his father, in India in 1998. In the 1998 U.S. edition, and in one or two European translations of his novel, he used the
name Avatar Prabhu, reverting to Richard Crasta in 2000.
In 2000, he published Impressing the Whites. Five years later, he published two other books, What We All Need, entirely his own, and Fathers, Rebels and Dreamers, compiled with two of his Mangalorean friends Arunachalam Kumar, conservationist, and Ralph Nazareth, poet and professor.
Although sometimes his work is described as anti-Christian, he admits that his deep principles are actually Christian. Though Crasta is not a church-goer, he believes values like charity, forgiveness, and redemption have stayed with him throughout his life. He likes the truth in Buddhism
and also likes Hinduism
for its abstract call, its belief in the oneness of life, its glorious myths and stories, but refuses to accept Karma
. According to Crasta, if someone is suffering, it will be said it's because of that person's bad deeds in the previous life. There is no compassion there.
Ideologically, Crasta describes himself as "a profound, all-round skeptic whose religion is literature, laughter, and love". He states that his beliefs are diverse and that these cannot be lumped into any single brand of philosophy. He states that he often contradicts himself over the space of a few years. Crasta further dismisses any attempts to label him as "Anti-Christian" or "Pro-Christian" as an absurdity, stating that religion to him is an abstract principle and simply not important to him, although he does make occasional observations of the influence that religion has on human behavior.
Indian American
Indian Americans are Americans whose ancestral roots lie in India. The U.S. Census Bureau popularized the term Asian Indian to avoid confusion with Indigenous peoples of the Americas who are commonly referred to as American Indians.-The term: Indian:...
writer and novelist, with a strong Indian identity in his writings. He is the author of the comic novel The Revised Kamasutra, nonfiction and essay collections like Impressing the Whites; Beauty Queens, Children and the Death of Sex, and some semi-fictional works like What We All Need. His first novel The Revised Kama Sutra was published under the name of Avatar Prabhu in the United States and Germany.
Crasta was born in Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. He grew up in Mangalore
Mangalore
Mangalore is the chief port city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It is located about west of the state capital, Bangalore. Mangalore lies between the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghat mountain ranges, and is the administrative headquarters of the Dakshina Kannada district in south western...
and lived in India till the age of 26. After emigration to the United States, he lived mostly in the New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
metropolitan area for 18 years. He spends most of his present time in Asia.
Crasta considers himself as a stateless person, a compulsive itinerant, a migrant, a man without moorings except to his imagination, his memories, and his childhood. He believes that his roots in the Mangalorean Catholic culture
Culture of Mangalorean Catholics
The Culture of Mangalorean Catholics is a blend of Goan and Mangalorean cultures. After migration to Mangalore, they adopted the local Mangalorean culture, but retained many of their Goan customs and traditions...
had a significant impact in his writings. Although he considers himself an open-minded agnostic, some writers attacked his first novel as anti-Christian; Crasta responds that he has been deeply influenced by fundamental Christian principles, which remain with him.
Early life and education
Richard Crasta was born in 1952 to John Baptist Crasta and Christine Crasta (néeNEE
NEE is a political protest group whose goal was to provide an alternative for voters who are unhappy with all political parties at hand in Belgium, where voting is compulsory.The NEE party was founded in 2005 in Antwerp...
D'Souza) in Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
, India. Richard had two brothers and a sister. His father John, son of Alex and Nathalia Crasta, originally hailed from Kinnigoli
Kinnigoli
Kinnigoli is a small town in Mangalore Taluk. It is located approximately 32 km from Mangalore City, 7 km from Kateel , 8 km from Mulki and 17 km the from the Mangalore International Airport...
in South Canara
South Canara
South Canara was a district under the British empire, located at . It was bifurcated in 1859 from Canara district. It was the undivided Dakshina Kannada district...
district, about 20 miles from Mangalore
Mangalore
Mangalore is the chief port city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It is located about west of the state capital, Bangalore. Mangalore lies between the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghat mountain ranges, and is the administrative headquarters of the Dakshina Kannada district in south western...
. John was a World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
veteran and prisoner-of-war who survived a Japanese prison camp.
Richard had a strict middle-class Catholic upbringing and grew up in Mangalore
Mangalore
Mangalore is the chief port city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It is located about west of the state capital, Bangalore. Mangalore lies between the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghat mountain ranges, and is the administrative headquarters of the Dakshina Kannada district in south western...
in the 1960s and early 1970s. He began writing when he was ten. He wrote a 12,000 word novel in which the hero was a composite of John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
and Robin Hood
Robin Hood
Robin Hood was a heroic outlaw in English folklore. A highly skilled archer and swordsman, he is known for "robbing from the rich and giving to the poor", assisted by a group of fellow outlaws known as his "Merry Men". Traditionally, Robin Hood and his men are depicted wearing Lincoln green clothes....
. Writing was just an outlet for his fantasies, which he used to escape his real life. An important factor in his development was the church and the convent school to which he was sent as a boy, and the secondary school of his adolescence. Ever since the age of 16, he knew he had a novel to write, but felt he was too poor to afford clean white paper.
He completed his Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
(BA) in Economics, History and Political Science from the University of Mysore
University of Mysore
The University of Mysore , is a public university in India. The University founded during the reign of Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV, the Maharaja of Mysore, and was conceptualized on the basis of a report on educational progress in the United States and Australia, submitted by Messrs Thomas Denham and...
in 1972. He was eventually accepted into the Indian Administrative Service
Indian Administrative Service
The Indian Administrative Service is the administrative civil service of the Government of India. It is one of the three All India Services....
(IAS), through which he became the Assistant Commissioner
Assistant Commissioner
Assistant commissioner is a rank used in many police forces across the globe. It is also a rank used in revenue administrations in many countries.-Australia:...
and Sub-Divisional Magistrate
Sub-Divisional Magistrate
A Sub-Divisional Magistrate is a title sometimes given to the head official of a country subdivision, an administrative unit that is sometimes below the level of district, depending on a country's government structure....
of Chickballapur Subdivision in Kolar district
Kolar district
Kolar district is a district in Karnataka state of India. The town of Kolar is the district headquarters. Kolar district is located in the southern region of the State and is the eastern-most district of the Karnataka State...
and Belgaum
Belgaum
Belgaum is a city and a municipal corporation in Belgaum district in the state of Karnataka, India. It is the fourth largest city of the state of Karnataka, the first three being Bangalore, Mysore, Hubli-Dharwad....
Subdivision in Belgaum district
Belgaum district
Belgaum district is a district in the state of Karnataka, India. The city of Belgaum is the district headquarters in North Karnataka. By the 2011 Census of India, it had a population of 4778439...
. Later, he became Special Deputy Commissioner of Shimoga district
Shimoga District
Shimoga District is a district in the Karnataka state of India. A major part of Shimoga District lies in the Malnad region of the Western Ghats, a hilly area known for its green forests, plentiful rainfall, and as the source of many of the area's rivers. Shimoga City is the administrative centre...
. However, this position suited him neither professionally nor socially as a creative writer. He later served in the IAS for 13 years. Crasta traveled to the United States in 1979, enrolling in the American University
American University
American University is a private, Methodist, liberal arts, and research university in Washington, D.C. The university was chartered by an Act of Congress on December 5, 1892 as "The American University", which was approved by President Benjamin Harrison on February 24, 1893...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
. He worked for a New York literary agency and taught English at a New York college through 1981, and completed his Master of Arts
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
(MA) degree in Literature and Communication. Crasta emigrated to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in the United States in 1984. Crasta received his Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree in Creative Writing from Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
in 1987.
Career
Although Crasta wrote his first 12,000 word novel at the age of 10, he did not consider himself a writer until many years later when he wrote the first two chapters of his first novel, and felt that he had found his voice. He began his novel The Revised Kamasutra: A Novel of Colonialism and Desire while taking courses at Columbia University. After more than eight years of work, The Revised Kamasutra appeared in India in 1993. Subsequent editions appeared in Britain, the United States, Germany, Italy, and a few other countries.A collection of humorous and political essays Beauty Queens, Children and the Death of Sex, appeared in India in 1997. Finally, Crasta edited and contributed to essays Eaten by the Japanese: The Memoirs of an Unknown Indian Soldier, by John Baptist Crasta, his father, in India in 1998. In the 1998 U.S. edition, and in one or two European translations of his novel, he used the
name Avatar Prabhu, reverting to Richard Crasta in 2000.
In 2000, he published Impressing the Whites. Five years later, he published two other books, What We All Need, entirely his own, and Fathers, Rebels and Dreamers, compiled with two of his Mangalorean friends Arunachalam Kumar, conservationist, and Ralph Nazareth, poet and professor.
Philosophical views
| Charity, forgiveness, redemption – all these have stayed with me though I'm no church-goer. I like this essence of Christianity that is not there in George Bush. | ” | |
| –Richard Crasta in an interview to The Hindu The Hindu The Hindu is an Indian English-language daily newspaper founded and continuously published in Chennai since 1878. According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations, it has a circulation of 1.46 million copies as of December 2009. The enterprise employed over 1,600 workers and gross income reached $40... |
Although sometimes his work is described as anti-Christian, he admits that his deep principles are actually Christian. Though Crasta is not a church-goer, he believes values like charity, forgiveness, and redemption have stayed with him throughout his life. He likes the truth in Buddhism
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
and also likes Hinduism
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
for its abstract call, its belief in the oneness of life, its glorious myths and stories, but refuses to accept Karma
Karma
Karma in Indian religions is the concept of "action" or "deed", understood as that which causes the entire cycle of cause and effect originating in ancient India and treated in Hindu, Jain, Buddhist and Sikh philosophies....
. According to Crasta, if someone is suffering, it will be said it's because of that person's bad deeds in the previous life. There is no compassion there.
Ideologically, Crasta describes himself as "a profound, all-round skeptic whose religion is literature, laughter, and love". He states that his beliefs are diverse and that these cannot be lumped into any single brand of philosophy. He states that he often contradicts himself over the space of a few years. Crasta further dismisses any attempts to label him as "Anti-Christian" or "Pro-Christian" as an absurdity, stating that religion to him is an abstract principle and simply not important to him, although he does make occasional observations of the influence that religion has on human behavior.
Works
- The Revised Kamasutra: A Novel of Colonialism and Desire (1993)
- Beauty Queens, Children and the Death of Sex (1997)
- Impressing the Whites: The New International Slavery (2000)
- What We All Need: An Anti-Terrorist Book of Incompletions, Unsafe Love, and Writing While Brown
- Fathers, Rebels and Dreamers
- The Killing of an Author: Jackie Kennedy, Sonny Pfizer, Seven Little Ayatollahs and a Suicide Pact (formal launch April 2008)
External links
- Richard Crasta's Official Website
- Mr. Richard Crasta (Mangalorean Star: October, 2003) from Mangalorean.Com