Q. It’s a pleasure to be interviewing you. We already know a little about you but for the benefit of the readers please tell us something about Sagarika the person?
A. Thanks, I can proudly say and the pleasure is mutual – I am indeed elated to be a part of this conversation.
Q. You studied law, then moved into management and did rather well in both fields. What got you into writing? Is this a sudden move or have you been consciously working towards becoming a writer?
A. I am one of those people who do not believe that anything in life can happen by chance – thus to all those who say that I smile and say “stop hiding the conscious efforts!” I have been bitten by the love for literature even before I was born I think. Blame it on my mother’s book devouring and story writing habits, thus it wasn’t a shock when she discovered that I loved spinning tales too!
I always wanted to be a lawyer ever since I was 12 and my alma mater gave me the best exposure ever. From moot court competitions to policy research presentations at UNESCO forum I have always been involved in the public policy domain. My B school gave me the glimpse of another world about making a difference. In between I decided to convert my policy research to fiction and hoped to strike chords with similar minded people.
Ans. I was clear in my head that I wanted to write about social issues and women in particular. My work of fiction need not be one of those easy reads or make the reader wonder if it is the author speaking. Instead it should represent the voice of hundreds and which the reader can easily associate with. However while writing a few stories I noticed that all of the stories almost can be attributed to a particular celebratory day on the calendar and thus I decided on the calendar type theme – each chapter is a month an d the stories in their revolve around the celebratory days of the calendar.
Ans. No, instead I would call it to be part of humanist movement. Isn’t the basic of all human rights a call out to survive and let others survive with equal rights and dignity sans the fact that they belong to a different gender?
Ans. Till the time every woman raises her son to respect the womankind in general I think the root of the problem cannot be put away. In more than half of the cases it is the in-laws who demand dowry whereas parents should be the flag bearer of a dignified marital life. The outlook that “she should suffer because I did too as a daughter-in-law” is the worst reason ever.
Ans. Not really – I think the issues that require our attention affect each class as gravely as the other despite of its social standing. Thus, you would find a high flying corporate giving a talk on the need of a properly aligned male female ratio and then rushing home to attend a prayer hoping that he begets a son this time after 3 daughters. Or you would find a girl in a pub who rushes back home after changing into her demure clothes after party to meet a prospective husband who expects her to bring in dowry and not step out and work.
Ans. Every reaction demands an equal and opposite reaction – yes however violence cannot be matched. I would prefer a stern talk, however if he raises his hand after she does I think I’ll raise and eyebrow and ask “Who started this in the first place?” When we are talking about gender equality we should also keep in mind that we should not condone the (physically) stronger sex for such acts which are reactions!
Finally if we could have a little bit of your experiences as a writer…
Ans. It took numerous attempts at first to get the MS in place. The early rejections served as an eye opener thus when I ultimately approached Niyogi Books I was hardened and more mature. It was difficult but I had the self belief to not give up.
Ans. Life and the people around us. I pick up my inspiration from everyday stories that I see around me. Life is the greatest teacher and my stories are nothing but an ode to those lessons.
Ans. I think I would at first test my maturity. For a long time now I have been writing stuff that usually fits in 10-20 pages. However for a novel the consistency has to spread around the entire book and the reader should not yawn in the middle. Thus, I would wait to grow as a writer before I test those waters.
Ans. I think I would surprise my readers by showing them my non activist side which only my close group of friends have seen. Thus, I would take up the pseudonym of Drama Queen and do curtsey to a small group of people who would hoot in agreement!
Ans. I resent getting into addiction – be it habits, things or people. I want to be able to switch off a particular thing when needed, thus stay clear of most things. However, a good cup of freshly brewed coffee whose aroma fills up the house does make my mornings. In fact the smell of coffee from my machine early morning puts on the first smile on my face!