Landscape of angst & hope

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Her penchant for vibrant colours is evident as a bright red gate leads one to her home. And once in the living room, you can’t miss the beautiful canvases and artistic décor. Clad in a bright blue kurta with straight pyjama and red lipstick, Kishwar Desai is warm and friendly and ensures that she makes one comfortable from the word go.

Talking about her latest book, The Sea of Innocence, the third of the social worker-cum-sleuth Simran Singh series, she puts forth, “Just like my earlier two books of the series, that dealt with female foeticide and commercialisation of artificial reproductive methods, my present book has the issue of sexual violence against women at its core. Although they are all crime-based fiction, I feel it is necessary to raise pertinent issues plaguing the society.”
Set in Goa, her latest novel deals with the high-profile gangrape of a British teenager, with references to the recent Nirbhaya case and the rape and murder of Scarlet Keeling.
She adds, “My first book was a result of angst within me against the state of women in the country and the apathy of the system. And as the situation has only worsened over the years, my present book is also a result of my anxiety and anger. I do not want to act like an idealist and say, we need a society where women get their due. But I just want to contribute in my own small way so that topics like these don’t move to the backburner.”
Having won the Costa Book award for her first book in the series, Witness the Night, Kishwar’s protagonist Simran Singh has found much appreciation for her relatable character. “Simran Singh is no superhero. She has her own flaws, is stupid and vulnerable at times. But she is independent, smart and real. I wanted to create a protagonist who represents the woman of today. Simran is an amalgmation of all these traits,” she says.
Being a television journalist for many years and columnist for many prominent publications, writing was a natural progression. She started out with a biography based on the life of Nargis and Sunil Dutt, Darling Ji, followed by the two books of the Simran Singh series. “After spending years working, I felt I had stories to tell. Being an ardent cinema fan, taking up the story of Nargis and Sunil Dutt was only natural. Post that, my first crime novel, Witness the Night, was never meant to trigger a series. But its popularity and acceptance led to the series,” informs Desai.
The intensive research on the subjects she decides to write on, is a hangover of her journalism days. Desai usually writes her novels in a span of one to two months in one go. “I become a recluse while I write. I hardly venture out and live in the world that I am creating. It helps me to infuse life and soul to my characters,” she says.
Loving every bit of her author life, Desai says she feels she has more time for her family and social commitments. “Being a journalist for more than two decades, I hardly could give much time to my family. Now as a writer, I have the liberty to work at my own pace and create my own deadlines,” she smiles.