We take one look at the patio seating, warm and bright under the winter sun, and abandon all ideas of a walled lunch. I’m at Varq, The Taj Mahal Hotel’s Indian Cuisine restaurant, and joining me for lunch and a conversation is author Amrita Chowdhury. We take our seats, surrounded by the lush, green and beautifully kept garden of the hotel, and are served an especially delicious welcome mocktail. Chowdhury’s latest book is snug in my bag, and the menu with its promising content before me. As far as reading material is concerned, I’m having a good day.
Two books old, Chowdhury’s second, “Breach” (Hachette India), is new on the shelves, and explores a largely uncharted territory, covering data theft, cyber-crime, the pharmaceutical industry and patent laws. Though limited to only two books so far, one can already see a kind of trend emerging in terms of Chowdhury’s preferred genre. Her previous book, “Faking it”, was set in the world of contemporary art crime in India. Both are fast paced thrillers. “Faking it” did come with a pink and deceptive cover. “Back then, Indian chick-lit was doing very well, and the cover was perhaps a market driven decision,” says Chowdhury, whose books do carry a romantic sub-plot, but are far from just love stories.
Before she tells me about her new book, we turn to the menu. We’ve opted to try the chef’s special menu with set options for each course. We take our pick and wait for the first course which consists of the restaurant’s signature dish, the Varqui crab. Meanwhile, Chowdhury expands on the inspiration behind opting to write on topics which could easily be considered too dry. That’s the challenge, she says, adding that having worked as a consultant, she has been lucky enough to get an insight into several businesses and industries despite not being directly involved in them. As for her first book, Chowdhury’s interest in art goes back a long way. “I did a course in art history at IIT, and later on, started collecting art myself. As an art collector, I met several artists, gallery owners and art critics.”
On that note we pause, as an example of a different kind of art appears in front of us. The Varqui crab looks both delicious and delicate. A deceptively light presentation packs a heavy punch though, and as we make dents in the dish, we realise that it can, quite easily, be a meal in itself. The layers of crab meat and tandoori shrimp, flavoured to perfection and laid out on crisp filo sheets are heavenly, and a comfortable silence descends as we concentrate on cleaning the plate.
This takes no time, really, and soon, Chowdhury is telling me more about “Breach”. It turns out that initially, the idea was to work on a cyber bullying story, its central protagonist a girl. “But I like complex books, and I wanted to create a larger narrative which included more.” Expanding from the central idea, Chowdhury went on to corporate crime and then, cancer research and the pharma industry. This idea, she says, came to her from a more personal place. “My mother was suffering from cancer, and she passed away last year. I took time off to care for her, and during that time, I did relentless research on cancer and the new treatments. I wanted to learn as much as I could about it.” As for the research, Chowdhury says that her time as an engineer and then consultant meant that she knew a number of people, ethical hackers and cyber-security experts, who could give her their valuable input and also help her fact check her book.
Our conversation is interrupted once again when another example of Varq’s artistic food arrives. This time, it’s the main course dish, green chilli tulsi and pinenut fish. The sea bass pan seared just right, both fresh and wonderfully flavoured with basil and pinenut, sits in a rich mango and coconut curry. The crab we’ve just eaten has taken most of the room, but it doesn’t stop us from sampling this new delight, and quite as predicted, it doesn’t disappoint. In between bites, we continue the conversation, and Chowdhury moves on to answering my question about breaking stereotypes. After all, that’s exactly what each of her books, and interestingly, her current job, is doing. With engineering degrees from IIT Kanpur and UC Berkeley, Chowdhury entered a field, especially back then, almost entirely populated by men. She then went on to do an MBA from Carnegie Mellon University and holds 7 US patents for semiconductor manufacturing. Now, Chowdhury is the Country Head and Publishing Director of Harlequin.
As for her books, they break a number of preconceived notions too, both about authors and subjects. In “Breach”, especially, Chowdhury takes what is generally considered a relatively dry subject and turns it into an exciting and exhilarating read. “I like trying new things, and I like challenges,” she says, adding that now, things are changing in India, and more and more stereotypes are being questioned and broken.
Our plates replaced by new ones that hold the dessert sampler of apple kheer, jalebi and khaas malpua, we follow instructions and sample each one. The traditional Indian sweets accompanied by the rose tea that soon follows, make for a perfect end to the meal, and I ask Chowdhury my last question before we leave — what next? She laughs, and says that she is already playing with a few ideas, and hopefully, there will be a next book soon.
