About Vishwas Pethe
One of the original Grindr developers and the first Indian to survive HIV infection describes the technique he uses to stay alive in his memoir.
Doctors gave Vishwas one year to live—every year for twenty years. Six times it looked as though death was imminent, but his unflappable spirit helped him overcome incredible odds. Despite living with HIV/AIDS for thirty-five years, he has led an extraordinary life by every measure; from world travels to his 30-year marriage with a former Catholic priest to being one of the original developers of Grindr.
Ten years after AIDS became survivable (thanks to antiretroviral drugs), Vishwas faced a whole new life-threatening challenge: How to Survive Living. Listen in as he shares his amazing life in intimate detail with his psychologist (and with us) in this unique memoir that readers call “heartwarming,” “inspiring,” and “unputdownable.”
LiFT: Tell us about your book, the journey of writing it and its content?
Vishwas Pethe: After my stroke and seeing a psychologist, I thought my story would be useful for the general public, so I decided to write the book.
LiFT: Why you chose this title?
Vishwas Pethe: My uncle told me a story when I was a boy. It’s a well-known fable in India called “Gay Crow.” This crow is “gay” in the sense of happiness.
The story goes something like…There once was a kingdom ruled by a very unhappy king. One day, a visitor told the king about a happy crow who lived in the forest. The king sent soldiers to find the happy crow and throw him in jail. The soldiers reported back to the king that, even in jail, the crow remained happy. “Cast him into the thorns,” the king commanded. But, even among the thorns, the crow sang and was happy. “Put him in a hot oven,” the king ordered, “And if that doesn’t make him unhappy, boil him in hot oil!” Nothing seemed to turn the crow from his happiness. Finally, the king relented and let the crow go free. The king declared to the people, “Let us all be like this gay crow and find happiness in whatever circumstances we find ourselves.
My uncle said I was very much like the Gay Crow, and that is why I named it Gay Crow.
LiFT: When did you realize that you want to be a writer and what’s your inspiration behind it?
Vishwas Pethe: I didn’t. I had a ghost writer. He wrote the story. I was always a poet.
LiFT: Where do you see yourself ten years down the line in the world of literature?
Vishwas Pethe: Ten years is a long time. I don’t think of it.
LiFT: What is the message you want to spread among folks with your writings?
Vishwas Pethe: You should all be like the Gay Crow.
LiFT: What do you do apart from writing?
Vishwas Pethe: Artificial Intelligence and painting, etc.
LiFT: What if your story will be adopted as a movie? Whom would you want to work as a director or actors in it?
Vishwas Pethe: The best director you can find and a handsome and great actor.
Click here to order Vishwas Pethe’s Book – Gay Crow: A Memoir
