The journey towards finding a Mr Right, when marriage bureaus, online matrimonial sites, speed dating events try to do the job for you, exposes you to tricky situations, diverse characters, mostly amusing if not appealing ones. Author Khushnuma Daruwala’s just-launched 50 Cups of Coffee relives her mid-30s friend Dia’s relentless quest for her soulmate, a record 50 times. Khushuma’s eagerness to bind her friend’s experiences into a book was a rather spontaneous one spurred on by Dia’s resolve to go through her groom-hunting adventures despite being stuck in the most notorious of situations repeatedly. Dia’s hope to find the man of her dreams (whom she calls Passionfruit) despite her border-line cynicism opens us to entertaining judgements of her marriage prospects in an unconventional narrative. The book mirrors the awkwardness when the girl and the guy decide their compatibility through texts, emails (which turn creepy many a time) and meets.
Cover image of the book
“I started this book when I was on a sabbatical with my friend in 2011. I knew I liked writing ever since my school days, but there was a break during my college years. Being a strategy planner at an advertising firm, we always had to come up with entries on how we proceed with our campaign. I rediscovered my love for writing when writing such cases. I remember my boss commenting ‘you do write well’.
She found writing cathartic and a process that allowed her to take on a different persona. The decision to write this book was sudden; when her friend didn’t want to pen her experiences, Khushnuma took on the onus, there had been no plan or thought of a first book before that. Given her love for animal welfare, research and numbers, many expected her to be a serious author initially, but writing non-fiction and yet being fun and unique had been on her mind. “The journey towards getting this book published hasn’t been an easy one, I found a publisher after four years of rejection.”
Staying true to the voice of her friend through the book wasn’t challenging though. “We’re good friends; we really know what we speak, feel and react. When you know somebody well, it is not that difficult.” She felt the writing process was easier given that she knew her character in and out. All she did was add a flavour to the incidents she had heard of. “I sometimes used my creative license to make the instances interesting,” she shares. She considered options of turning the book into a linear narrative, but she realised her voice was getting lost and that the punchlines didn’t make an impact. What did she feel was the story’s USP? “I feel even the fact that Dia had the patience to go and meet people in a systematic and a focused manner really struck me. Your friends stories are definitely more endearing than the others. When I checked out online, the idea of a girl’s attempts to find a Mr Right and narrating them through a book was rather an unexplored format.”
As she narrated the book through the eyes of a girl, she was conscious of not making it a male-ranting spree, humour was one element that helped her do that. That many of her readers who brought her the books have been men and have enjoyed it, reassured her that her efforts paid her good dividends. “Online matrimonial sites and match-making avenues are a reality and its relevance has helped the book’s cause.” She has various ideas for her next book including a possibility of a sequel to this one, but nothing concrete has shaped up yet.
