Vir Das tells some “terrific” stories in his new memoir, The Outsider: A Memoir for Misfits—terrific in both senses of the word, archaic (terrifying!) and contemporary (outstanding!).
“Terrific” in the ancient sense aptly describes Das’ life before and after Knox. He shares that at age 9, he was packed off to an Indian boarding school where physical and verbal abuse was routinely inflicted by, and on, students and faculty. One of his first breaks in the entertainment business, post-Knox, came to an abrupt end, when the cruise ship on which he was working as a stand-up comic abandoned him on a beach in Mexico, without money or a valid visa.
At Knox College, Das found terrific professors, in the modern sense, and a friendly community, recounted in a chapter titled “Mecca of the Midwest.” An e-mail from Tony Franklin convinced him to take a chance on the small liberal arts college. Gizmo staffer Pinky Gibbons and husband Gene welcomed him into their home. Economics professor Roy Andersen gave a final exam that showed the true value of studying. Fateful career advice came from theatre professor Ivan Davidson, who “called me [into his office after class and said,] Vir, you’re meant to be a performer.”
Das’ writing, like his humor, is raw and passionate. His 2021 “Two Indias” monologue received a standing ovation in Washington, DC, millions of views on social media and harsh criticism from many in India. “There were demands for my arrest... I was called a traitor, a terrorist... It was terrifying.”
Today, the student whose parents hoped he would go into business has done 35 plays, more than 100 stand-up comedy shows, 18 films, eight TV shows, and six comedy specials, one of which won an International Emmy Award for Best Comedy Series. In 2018, Knox awarded Das an honorary doctorate of fine arts for his ground-breaking accomplishments.