This is how India loves

Three bestselling authors speak about matters of the heart

January 16, 2017 02:06 pm | Updated 02:06 pm IST

Who doesn’t enjoy a good love story? And if it’s one that is set in India, dealing with all the usual issues that we face, then why not. The popularity of the genre was evident when authors Durjoy Datta, Ravinder Singh and Preeti Shenoy took the stage to discuss ‘Love in India’ with author and journalist Nandini Krishnan. The auditorium was packed with fans of the three.

Excerpts from their interpretation of modern-day love and relationships

On management and engineering graduates turning authors

Datta: It’s probably because they have so much time on their hands; especially engineering students. I believe the course should be condensed from four to two years ( laughs ).

A bestselling idea

Shenoy: I tell stories I want to tell. I’ve written some pretty dark books; in fact, there’s one coming out soon. It is once I am done writing that I think of how to sell it.

Singh: There’s no formula to churn out a bestseller. I am an emotional person and that reflects in my writing. Every author has his/her own USP. How you package it is what matters.

On the lack of commitment in Datta’s books

When I wrote my initial books, I wasn’t dating. When I read a love story, the first thought that crossed my mind was, ‘Jhoot bol raha hai yeh.’ I was cynical. But then, I began believing in love and began writing books such as If It’s Not Forever It’s Not Love . I now believe that even if true love is not for seven lifetimes, it is true for whatever period of time it lasts.

Fate rules

Singh: When I write, I’m clear about how my reader is going to feel. I’m moved by newspaper reports. That’s how I wrote something inspired by the December 16 Delhi rape incident. When I lost my girlfriend to an accident, writing was therapeutic, and found the author in me. I’ve had someone tell me that I was quite the businessman for making royalty out of my girlfriend’s death. It hurt, but take the fame and money out of it, and writing continues to be therapeutic.

On changing society

Datta: I won’t take responsibility to change the way society functions. There are other senior journalists and authors doing that. Sure, my books have dealt with issues such as body shaming, but I won’t give sermons. They’re part of the narrative.

The woman’s perspective

Datta: I’ve been writing in a woman’s voice for a long time. Men and women think the same way; they just react differently.

Shenoy: There is a difference in how a man and woman think. A guy will never understand how it is to step out every day and know one will be ogled at.

Singh: My last book was on an extra-marital affair. If I’d written it as a man, the conversation would have ended in two minutes. But, the woman’s perspective meant it had a more sensitive touch.

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