Manasi Vaidya's novel “No Deadline for Love” (Penguin) is the latest in the burgeoning genre of chick lit/ rom-com reads. The book features a spunky protagonist called Megha who has for most of her life done what was expected of her: graduation in economics, MBA in marketing and then a straight-laced job in a high-profile FMCG company. There comes a point where she starts to wonder if this unending routine of juggling late hours and unreasonable deadlines is really her life's calling. Her mother's desperate attempts to put her on the ‘marriage market' are not making life any easier. And to top it all, Megha's latest project has been bogged down by a complete dearth of creative ideas, giving her nasty boss the perfect excuse to disregard the blood, sweat and tears she's poured into her job so far. Add to this volatile mix, Yudi (the team's new creative consultant) who is gorgeous, sardonic and only too eager to disagree with Megha and trample upon all her ideas. This sets the stage for a quirky battle of wits and some unexpected romance.
In the deluge of writing in her genre, how does Manasi locate her work? “My novel is essentially a story about having the conviction to follow your heart. Sure, it's also a romantic comedy and it has a liberal dose of corporate dynamics, but at its heart it is the story of a girl who is struggling to fit into a place where she is increasingly beginning to feel like an outsider and about how she finally finds it within her to follow her heart,” Manasi says.
“Actually the book takes a look at the relationship a lot of us have with our careers, and how we let our careers define us, how it becomes an integral part of our identity, and how in some cases that can make us lose sight of the larger picture and keep us from following our true passion. That is the dilemma the protagonist battles with throughout the book. The other bit on relationships is about how she is so caught up in the pressures of corporate life, the constant demand of her job and the many deadlines, that when she finds love along the way it comes as quite a surprise. That was also the thought behind the title of the book, ‘No Deadline for Love',” she adds.
Manasi feels enthused by the response her book has received thus far (after the launch last month) and says, “I would be really happy if readers see beyond the cute pink cover and the funky title and get the theme within. This is a light read, it is a romantic comedy set against a corporate backdrop and I wanted it to be something that you can pick up and enjoy without getting too serious, but I've also tried to convey a message through the story and I hope I am successful in getting that across.” With that hope this IIM Ahmedabad graduate sets her sight ahead – creating a blend of ambition and meaning.
