Sujata Rajpal, loves telling stories. She has taken her passion to the next level with her debut novel, The Other End Of The Corridor. The Mysore-based author says readers would be able to relate to the story.
“This is the story of Leela, a middle-class woman. She is married at a young age because her parents, like most parents in India, feel a girl is not settled unless she is married. Parents feel that they have no responsibilities after their daughter’s marriage. Meanwhile, Leela hopes that since she has married a cultured and educated man, her life will change. But it doesn’t happen. There is fraud, mental and physical abuse and everything else. This happens in real life in many families too.”
“One takeaway from this novel is that it inspires. Leela, the protagonist, belongs to a poor family and doesn’t have anything that can be considered good or beautiful in society’s parameters. She is far from perfect. But she still aspires to become a famous artiste. She is so focused on her dream that ultimately she surmounts all difficulties and achieves it. I end the novel on this positive note.”
The writer points out that at a time when people are still fighting for equal rights, this book is a search for gender justice. “Society has always been biased and women are groomed in India to be subordinate to the men. Even in the book, Leela’s younger brother and her husband who are both good for nothing are given more priority just because they are men.”
She elaborates that the novel is set in Patiala, Delhi and Bangalore and the story is quite contemporary. “Even with value education, the mindset of society hasn’t changed much. This book is quite relevant across all societal categories.”
Sujata, who used to initially handle corporate communications and public relations for a company, says: “I wasn’t a voracious reader and I barely wrote much apart from the usual corporate notes. I soon realised that I wasn’t happy and needed to do what made me really happy. So I started with short pieces for newspapers. That’s how the transition happened. I realised my strengths and didn’t want to be a jack of all trades. I wanted to focus on what I’m good at and every piece I wrote boosted my confidence. Eventually I found happiness in fiction and decided to do it fulltime.” She affirms that it is a very good time to become a writer. But quickly adds: “The time is equally bad because it is very difficult to market your book and reach out to the reader. However, anybody can become a writer today and ultimately your work will prove your mettle.”
To budding writers, she encourages them to “first, just start writing, don’t think. And read a lot – both good authors and those that are not good so you don’t make the same mistakes. Second, believe in your dreams and nothing can stop you from achieving what you want. And at this time, the sky is the limit.”
Sujata promises to bring her second book out in two years. “I took five years for the first book because I was balancing a fulltime job and two children. I also learnt from trial and error. Now that I am a fulltime writer and have time so I am confident of another novel in a couple of years.”
The Other End Of The Corridor is available on Amazon and select book stores.
