Exploring Identity and Inner Clarity: Kartikeya Vajpai Launches ‘The Unbecoming’ in Kerala

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:

Author Kartikeya Vajpai marked the Kerala launch of his debut novel The Unbecoming with an intimate media interaction in Thiruvananthapuram, engaging journalists in a conversation around the book’s philosophical underpinnings, narrative intent, and relevance to modern life. The discussion reflected the book’s engagement with themes long present in Kerala’s literary and intellectual tradition.

Published by Penguin Random House India, The Unbecoming is a work of literary fiction that reflects on ambition, inner clarity, and the gradual process of letting go of inherited identities. It approaches “unbecoming” as an inward movement that privileges awareness over external success. 

Speaking in Thiruvananthapuram, Vajpai said, “The book carries forewords by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Swami Sarvapriyananda, situating it within a broader tradition of reflective and contemplative thought. The Unbecoming emerged from an interest in how individuals negotiate expectation, performance, and uncertainty in modern life. Much of our limitation comes from rigid ideas of who we think we are or should be. The novel examines what happens when those assumptions are questioned, and when clarity replaces constant striving.”

The narrative centres on the evolving relationship between Siddharth, a successful international cricketer, and Ajay, the coach who shaped his career. As their long-standing guru–shishya bond is tested, both are compelled to examine the roles they inhabit and the emotional costs of ambition. The novel blends character-driven storytelling with philosophical enquiry, using sport as a backdrop for a deeper exploration of self-understanding.

Kartikeya Vajpai is a New Delhi–based lawyer and founder of his own law firm. A former state-level cricketer, he currently represents Team India Lawyers in the Lawyers Cricket World Cup. He is also a long-time practitioner of meditation, with sustained engagement in Buddhist philosophy, Advaita Vedanta, and yogic traditions, interests that inform the reflective tone of his writing.

During his visit to Kerala, Vajpai also participated in sessions at the ongoing Mathrubhumi International Festival of Letters (MBFIL), engaging with readers and writers on literature and contemporary ideas of selfhood.

The Unbecoming is available at leading bookstores and online platforms across India.