Budding writer Ram Anand’s maiden English novel, The Rainforest Unicorns, will be launched on November 12 at Quill 7, KL Sentral.
He is a former content editor at Komunitikini.
The 193-page book is about three different relationships among conservative and traditional Malaysian Indians, and is an ode to those who choose to live differently.
“It’s basically about three relationships. One is homosexual, and another is that of a 23-year-old man in love with a 34-year-old woman,” says Anand.
“The reason why I chose Malaysian Indians is because we are by and large a very traditional society and very few Malaysian Indians live a life according to their desires. This book is about those very few.”
Though the characters are Malaysian Indians, Anand believes every Malaysian can relate to the story.
“There’s nothing Indian about this book. The characters are so because I can be more descriptive and provide more details since I know the Indian culture [here]. Otherwise, it’s a purely Malaysian story. I’m pretty sure every community has individuals such as these.”
Anand (below) says he is not championing the acceptance of homosexuality in the country. 
“When I talk about acceptance, I’m not talking about homosexuals alone. There are so many other things which require acceptance in our society. The book touches on one aspect, relationships. I don’t believe you need to be championing homosexual rights in order to tell their story. It is our duty as part of the community to tell their part of the story. They are very much a part of our community.”
Anand, who hails from Sitiawan wrote ‘The Rainforest Unicorns’ during the National Writing Month (NanoWriMo) competition in November 2010.
The novel will be available for sale at RM30 each at the launch, which is scheduled to start at 4pm on November 12.
The book is published by Anand and several partners by the name of ‘The Inspiration Hub’.
CJMY
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