Her latest book is a memoir about growing up as an Indian Foreign Service child in the 70s and 80s, against the backdrop of tumultuous political developments that were churning the world- the Cold War in the 60, the integration of Sikkim into India in the 70s, the student-led democracy movement in South Korea in the 80s. She would play ‘game of names with her sister —guessing which country they were headed to.
“At 15, I came to live in my grandmother’s house in Pune and joined school in Class IX. I was totally unprepared for the brutal academic rigour of Indian schools. As a teenager, all you want is to fit in. Yet, here I was, a new girl all over again. For too long I tampered with my identity to suit the habitat I was in, becoming a chameleon so I wouldn’t stick out,” Ashwini Devare, author of Lost at 15, Found at 50, says.
She tells you how at 50, it is a relief that the restless longing for belonging that marked my early years has finally receded. “Entering the 50s is like listening to Indian classical music in reverse. The 30s and 40s were the medium-tempo dhrut, with 50 the beginning of vilambit, a measured rhythm, a form of meditation,” Devare says. Her first book was Batik Rain was a collection of short stories, set in Bali, Pune, Hyderabad, Cambodia and Boston.
She tells you how she was the last one to join the list if family members to be a writer. Her maternal grandmother wrote poetry, her paternal grandfather and father have published books. Her mother wrote fiction and non-fiction in Marathi and her sister too is a published author.
“I always knew I would eventually write a book, it just took me a lot longer than the rest of the clan. Ever since I was a child, I was writing. I wrote a mini novel when I was 11. Since we are always bouncing ideas off each other, I was sharing my book ideas with the family for several years before I actually sat down to write. We always discuss plots, characters, themes together. Everyone is very supportive of each other’s literary ventures. Having their approval for my books is very important to me,” Devare shares who started off as a journalist. She was the first anchor to host Inside India with Aneesh Trivedi before working with BBC as a correspondent for five years.
She opines that sky is the limit for Indian fiction today.
“I love the confidence in Indian writing. It is honest and the universality of themes Indian fiction embraces, gives it a global appeal.
The writing is fresh and full of verve. I mean writers like Anuja Chauhan, who are reflective of the new, youthful, confident India. After all, we have one of the world’s youngest populations, and the fresh talent coming out of that pool, the voices of the 20-30-somethings is what an ageing world will be likely drawn to. There is no doubt the contemporary, commercial fiction that young India is lapping up, is resonating with youth around the world,” Devare tells you.
She explains the importance of literature festivals since they expose people to the world of books. “You walk past tents full of books, listen to authors reading from their books, you imbibe a literary atmosphere. Even if people don’t actually read the books, the literature festivals generate interest and at least raise awareness of what types of books are being written. It is equally important for authors to attend lit fests, because it allows them to engage with the audience,” Devare says.
Her advice for budding writers — the more riyaaz you do, the better you will sing.
“The same thing applies to writing. The more you write, the better you will write. There are no short-cuts to writing. It requires discipline. It requires routine. It requires reading, because to be a good writer, you have to be a reader too. Try to write something everyday, a few lines, a page even. Don’t wait for inspiration to strike, because writing is like any job, you just have to sit down and do it even if you don’t feel like it,” Devare says.
