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At 60, Shobhaa De reaches out to GenNext with tween title Sometimes referred to as the Jackie Collins of Indian fiction, author Shobhaa De has, through her books and columns, reached out to a wide spectrum of readers. Her latest book S' Secrets sees her blending a promise she made to her six children of writing a book for them and her rich experiences as a receptive mother into her latest tale that is moved forward by teenager protagonist Sandhya. De says the book is "for tweens, not a preachy handbook on modern-day parenting but a real book dealing with real tween issues".
Known to court controversy perhaps simply because she is not uncomfortable talking about certain issues that the average person finds difficult to articulate, De believes that "Indians continue to sweep sex under the carpet. They are very uncomfortable with it. Dealing with matters sexual within families is still something that even modern, so-called progressive parents don't do. They won't sit down and have a chat about what's going on." Sex, she feels, is "a three-letter word that is scarier than any other three-letter word in India. Maybe ‘God’ comes close." In fact, her response to societal mindsets and inhibitions shows up in her Simply 60, a book that addresses "the ageist mindset in Indian society". According to De, India is much kinder to women of a certain vintage because they automatically become non-threatening to society and are no longer seen as sexual predators. Still, women at that age continue to be marginalised. They are looked upon as mataji (mother). "It's about time... let society look at them without that whole burden of 'here comes this 60-year-old and, excuse me, I mean, is your neckline a bit too low'. We 60-year-old women don't have to be marginalised," said the author to an enthused and receptive audience at the recent Jaipur Literary Festival, where eager fans were delighted to see the stylish De at close quarters. De has displayed a knack of understanding the idiom of the times. And this quality is more than evident in her latest book. Perhaps her joie de vivre is something that has honed this ability. She admits to having a life rich in varied experiences, and having enjoyed every single bit of what she has done. Whether it was modelling, which was "to earn some pocket money to pay for my little perks" or "beating the shit out of the competition on the athletic field at age 12", the celebrity author has lived each moment. And that is reflected in her approach to the themes she addresses through her writing, which has often raked up controversies. However, she explains, "I just do the books I want to do. I write the columns I want to write. If they generate controversy, well, I don't care. I'm neither courting it nor am I running away from it. I'm dealing with it. I'm coping". So, whether it is her comments on regionalism in hometown Mumbai, the taboo word sex or the promise that her forthcoming book, Sethji, will be her "take on contemporary Indian politics", De is determined to continue to speak her mind as she always has. "There was a certain expectation about women writers and it's taken me a while to break through those stereotypes but, hey, I am not complaining now," she says, recalling her first book fair abroad many years ago. And she encourages her young fans, eager to follow in her literary footsteps, to do the same. Citing her own example, De, who kept diaries in her early teens that were sharp columns and observations of people, encourages budding writers to write at least 2000 words a day. "When I look at
those diaries, it's like 'have I really grown up?’ In a way, it's
reassuring because it's a continuity... The language has changed to an
extent but the rhythm is the same. It's my security blanket; it's my
comfort zone. I love it," says De, who adds, "I was lucky
enough to get such a platform and reach a lot of people through that
over the last 40 years, but did I set out to be some kind of a Molotov
Cocktail? No, I didn't. If it has happened, well, I can live with
it," she says. Here, it seems, is a woman for all seasons. —
WFS
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