Warm, open, and gregarious are the first words that leap into the mind if you want to describe Jaishree Misra. The Delhi-based Malayali author, who shot to fame with her debut novel Ancient Promises, was in the city in connection with the release of her seventh and latest book A Scandalous Secret. It is the third book of a trilogy commissioned by Harper Collins, the other two being Secrets and Lies and Secrets and Sins . Excerpts from an interview with the author…
What is your latest book A Scandalous Secret the novel about?
It is about motherhood; mothers and daughters. The central character gave up her illegitimate daughter at birth and is now happily married to someone else. The daughter turns up after 18 years in search of her birth mother.
What is the inspiration for your books?
My first book, Ancient Promises, was autobiographical. It was initially a four page memoir that grew and grew and then became a full length novel. Inspiration for my other books comes from different places, probably something I read in the papers or something I heard some one say. Incidentally what provoked me into writing A Scandalous Secret is a clipping I saw in the newspapers sometime ago about the reunion of Clare Short, a British politician, and her son whom she gave up at birth. In Britain adopted children have a right to information about their birth parents when they turn 18.
This book is the third in the series of a three-book deal that you signed with Harper Collins. What does this book have in common with the earlier two books?
Expect for the fact that in all the three books, a secret from the past comes to haunt the lives of the characters, they do not carry anything in common.
Did it affect your freedom as a creative writer when you signed a deal for three books and you had a deadline to adhere to?
I signed the deal with Harper when the recession was at its peak in the United Kingdom. The publishing industry was badly hit and it felt like a miracle when my agent rang up to tell me about this offer. The publishers had read the manuscript of the first book and they wanted a comprehensive deal with two more books. Yes, it did affect the kind of writing I did but given the circumstances it was too good an opportunity to miss. The experience was both exciting and daunting.
Is ‘love and loss' a kind of common theme that runs through all your books?
Since this is my seventh book I guess people are now trying to find patterns and themes. But honestly I don't think that way when I write a book and in any case when you write about people, both love and loss are emotions that you can't escape.
Were you upset with the furore caused by your book Rani and its subsequent banning by the Uttar Pradesh Government?
When I started writing historical fiction, I knew it would be a sensitive topic. But I was fascinated with Jhansi ki Rani and the more I read up on her the more I liked her. I seriously don't think there are any elements in the book that put her in a bad light or that hurt public sentiments. My friends had warned me that I shouldn't be tinkering with an iconic figure. Although I distantly anticipated trouble, the actual incidents shocked me. I have sold the rights of the book to Sushmitha Sen who wants to make a movie on Rani .
How is your project in Delhi for adults with learning disabilities coming up?
It's taken on a scale that I didn't envisage. Initially, six of us – parents of children with learning disabilities – got together and the idea was to set up a residential unit for our own children. But the way the project has been going, the Delhi government has granted us an unused community centre on three acres of land. The plan now is to house up to 70 inmates and they may all not necessarily be people with learning disabilities but also those with physical disabilities and senior citizens too. We intend to commission the project by October.
Have you begun work on your eighth book?
Yes, I have. And I am through with around 30 pages. I have made the mistake of telling people about a book that has yet to be finished. What finally evolves could be very different from what was initially thought of. All I can tell you now is that it has historical bits interspersed with current events. So wait and read.
A Malayali at heart…
I may have lived in other parts of the country and the world and that has diluted my culture to an extent but the dilution is only on the surface. I am not a Delhite or a Londoner. If you ask for my identity I am essentially a Malayali. Both my parents are conservative Keralites, the food I mostly eat is the thoran and avial kind and I speak Malayalam. I am probably the only one in my family to marry outside the State. In fact, I am often resentful of the fact that people don't recognise that I am a Malayali. It is probably to do with my surname which is my husband's and my appearance which could make me pass off for a North Indian.
