Interview for PTI

Written by Administrator

Sunday, 14 August 2011 05:52

PTI - Q&A - Aug 2011 1. How would you describe “A Scandalous Secret”? It’s the story of an Indian woman who gave up her new-born child for adoption when she was a student in England. She kept that a secret from everyone in her life (including the man she subsequently married) but it all threatens to emerge when the child, herself now 18, comes out to India in search of her birth mother. 2. How real are the characters? Did you come across them at any point of time in your life? A bit of reality invariably creeps into fiction, that’s what makes it credible! But, no, I haven’t met anyone who became the characters in this book. The story did, however, emerge from a newspaper story I read about a British Labour minister called Claire Short who had a very emotional and happy reunion with her long-lost adopted son a few years ago. I was pleased to see her happy ending but couldn’t help wondering at how destructive it could have been too. It was interesting to shift that subject to the Indian context too, which brings another whole set of social issues to light.      3. Do you feel Indian women are becoming more assertive and in-charge of their own lives. If yes, then what reasons would you attribute to that? Feminism gradually crept into urban Indian society as more and more women enjoyed the benefits of education, careers and financial freedom. Besides, women are very visible in many of the top jobs, particularly politics. We do have a long way to go just yet, however, as there are still large swathes of India where these attitudes have not permeated, and I’m not talking about just our villages. Nevertheless, it’s moving hopefully in the right direction and one can’t expect such major changes to happen overnight. 4. Do you think it is a common occurrence in India - unwed motherhood - among the elite set? Probably not, but I can’t help wondering sometimes at the number of skeletons that must be lurking in many a family cupboard!   5. Which aspect of the mother-daughter relationship surprised you by the end of writing the novel? Was there anything about this bond that you discovered along the way? While first writing the synopsis, I had not given much thought to the problems that would be faced by the other mother in the book – Laura, the Englishwoman who was the girl’s adoptive mother. It was only while I was writing the book and developing Laura’s character that I realized she was entitled to some angst as well! The hurt feelings and the fear of somehow losing the love of a precious adopted child when she decides to go in search of her biological mother only became apparent while I was writing the book. 6. What are you planning to write next? It’s a part-historical, part-contemporary story which has a much grittier feel than these last three popular fiction books. It takes its inspiration from the real life story of Margaret Wheeler, a young English woman who was kidnapped by a sipahi at the time of the 1857 uprising and later married him.    7. How easily does writing come to you? I’m fortunate not to have struggled too much so far although I do have off-days, like all writers must do. Back when I was working in London and juggling my writing alongside a 9-5 job, my mind used to go into very efficient ‘writing mode’ whenever I managed to get a bit of spare time. Now that I’m a full-time writer here in India, it should be easier but I do find that I have to work very hard at the whole self-discipline thing! Additionally, I have to discipline my family and friends too as Indian social life is a much warmer and less organized affair than what I was accustomed to in the west.

Last Updated on Thursday, 07 December 2017 11:33