Sagarika Chakraborty is an interviewer’s dream! A debut author armed with degrees in law and management, Sagarika is clear about the hows and the whys of her journey.
A Calendar too Crowded seems heavily influenced by mythology...
I have read and heard stories from mythology so much growing up that it is natural to draw inspiration whenever I pick up the pen.
Why did you choose to centre your debut collection around women?
Since law school, my papers have always borne a strong link to gender disparities. Movements today create blank noise. A ‘slut walk’ is forgotten, a ‘lingerie walk about’ creates a buzz and feminism is diluted to being a lost cause. I wanted people to stop and think, of not the world, but the society around them.
Inspirations?
Vikram Seth and Ruskin Bond have a way of understanding people’s psyches to build plots.
People’s reactions inspire my content. My mother and grandmother also taught me to try bettering society that blessed us with citizenship.
What is your solution to women’s real life problems: discrimination, dowry harassment, etc?
Humans can question and change the mindset of others though we often think we are too small to be significant. The day a mother raises her son to believe that the opposite sex is not ‘fairer and weaker’ but an equal individual, we have come a long way.
Do you believe that writing contributes to social betterment?
My generation has had enough of small talk, seeing our fathers praising other’s daughters but not their own. Each of us who feels for the society and is willing to work towards change is already doing a good job.
Are you biased towards feminism?
To me, feminism is respecting the rights of women, giving them a world where equality would truly reside in spirit. Anyone who calls me feminist is asked to read one story where I question the lengths the modern woman goes to prove her ‘independence’. Yet, I am proud of my love for pink and stand for my pouts, my dreams of a family and drama!
What is on your bedside right now and what would a book about you be titled?
Bishwanath Ghosh’s Tamarind City ! Since I was taught to love books even before I could read, I can’t even throw a behl-puri wrapper without glancing through it! As for the book, ‘When Jhans-ki-Raani re-incarnated fell in love with Drama Queen’ — a mixture of fighting for my rights and the girly side of me.
Having studied law and management, does diverse education help in writing?
It helps you be wiser in domains more than one. You can then connect different walks of life in your writing, making it more mature.
