| Interview on RADIO DUBLIN |
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| Written by Administrator |
| Sunday, 26 February 2012 15:57 |
Jaishree Misra - Books, Bollywood, Charity and LifeUPDATED: Listen to Jaishree Misra on Offbeat, as she discusses her books, life, and selects her favourite songs for the Bollywood Music Special on the show. I rarely send emails to people out of the blue. Well, the only time I do that is if I am passionate about something someone does and I want to invite them to be a part of OFFBEAT. So this usually involves musicians, because I prefer to write to someone that I admire directly, rather than getting someone else to send a generic "radio interview request" email. I have never ever emailed a writer before - at least I can't remember ever doing so - until about a month ago, when I stumbled upon the books of Indian born writer Jaishree Misra at the Poona Club Library about 2 months ago. I read her latest book first, and enjoyed it so much, that I went back to the library to track down her other books! They were all out - the Poona Club Library does not have more than one copy of any one book - at least not fiction! So I went to the large bookshop in the city centre, and managed to find four more books by the same author - and I worked my way backwards, as in, with the most recent first, and then the previous one and so on. So I read her first book only a couple of weeks ago! Indian writers are extremely gifted to begin with (no, I'm not biased) - just think of Salman Rushdie, Rohinton Mistry, Arundhati Roy or Jhumpa Lahiri. But I have not felt this surge of excitement for a writer in years! Jaishree's books encompass all genres - the more recent ones are "commercial fiction", before that Jaishree wrote in a more literary, semi-autobiographical style, and she even tackled historical fiction by writing a book about the Rani of Jhansi, one of the most fascinating women in Indian history. Plus, she writes in a style so unique and authentic, and without any pretense - as a result, the characters are colourful and like most human beings in the real world tend to be - multifaceted. There is also a genuine warmth that jumps out from the printed page and remains with the reader for a long time, and I suspect this has something to do with the fact that Jaishree is an incredibly warm, passionate, authentic woman who has had more than her fair share of challenges. Apart from being a writer, she is also devoted to her family, particularly to the care of her daughter Rohini, now in her mid-twenties, who was born with a severe learning disability. I was also touched and amazed to read about Jaishree's move from the UK back to India, to set up a center for people with learning disabilities in Delhi. I have written about my experiences with disabled children and adults in India, and several concerts that I did for Sarabande in Dublin were to benefit, in some small way, similar projects and centers such as the School for the Blind in Poona. I remember telling anyone who would listen that even a profit of 300 euros would go so, so far when converted into Indian Ruppees. No surprise then that I was even more excited by Jaishree's project and brave life changing relocation back to Delhi. I was delighted and honoured in equal measure when this talented writer, wife and mother wrote back and agreed to be a part of an upcoming OFFBEAT show! Many, many listeners wrote back after the Bollywood music special aired in Season 1, asking if I would do another Bollywood show! And every time I interviewed someone that was well known within Asian community in Europe, such as Zakir Hussain or more recently, Salman Ahmad of Junoon, I always received many encouraging emails from people of Indian origin who also love western classical music! So the answer to the question about having a Bollywood music follow up program is a resounding YES! Thanks to Jaishree - not only will she talk to me about her writing, her books, her daughter and life in Delhi, we will also get a chance to listen to Bollywood's greatest hits, old and new as picked by this vibrant woman. I thought it was only fair to ask one of India's most talented writers who even delves into the world of Bollywood in her latest book "Secrets and Sins" to share her favourite Indian film songs on the program. So, OFFBEAT listeners who already have to contend with ONE animated, excitable musician talk to them each Saturday night will now have the chance to hear two women talk excitedly about the music you hear on the show. So we'll depart from Bach, Schubert, Shostakovich & co for one Saturday night and take a trip to India, with some of the most memorable music from Bombay's answer to Tinsletown. And for once, I won't be alone in the studio, rambling on about concertos and sonatas! For that, I have Jaishree Misra to thank, many, many times over. |
| Last Updated on Thursday, 07 December 2017 12:22 |
