Transgressions , a book that begins with the suicide of an Indian fashion designer in Paris and authored by Vaiju Naravane, The Hindu ’s Paris-based Europe Correspondent, was released here on Wednesday.
The book was released by Chiranjeev Singh, former Additional Chief Secretary. Introducing the book, author Anita Nair, who moderated the discussion with Ms. Naravane said that the book which begins with the suicide of Kranti, the fashion designer unfolds into why she got into that condition. The book narrates events in India as well as in Paris. Mr. Singh said that the book was a page-turner said that the book had a novel within a novel.
To a question about why she chose to write fiction even though she was a journalist, Ms. Naravane said: “Fiction gives you the kind of freedom that non-fiction does not. You create characters and decide what happens in their world.”
She, however, said her experiences as a journalist had “created an emotional collage” which gave her food for thought as an author. She said that she travelled extensively to research her book and look at cases of violence within families that helped shaping her novel.
Ms. Naravane said it was a challenge to switch roles, the artificial universe that she was trying to make real as an author and her job as a journalist.
