Subha Sarma, a 1999-batch IAS officer is a gifted storyteller, and she writes very well.
So when Union Minister Sashi Tharoor, himself an admired writer, appreciated Sarma’s innovative way of storytelling, an august audience present in the launching of her writing Fly on the Wall echoed in the same vein. Sarma, born in Uttar Pradesh, brought up in Delhi, Bohu of Assam and posted in Odisha, brings in her unique experiences while telling the stories, which are a compelling reading, felt Tharoor. With a nice cover and artistically toned stories, the book holds one’s attention from the first to last page, said Tharoor.
Sarma, who served almost a decade in Odisha’s tribal zones, brings her rich experiences in the book, which took her about four years to complete. Sarma, a JNU product, has the knowledge of up-market experience in New Delhi and the experience of simple lifestyles of tribals in Odisha, which she has put in the stories in a lucid manner and as real life experiences.
Her husband, Bhaskar Jyoti Sarma, also a 1999-batch IAS officer, has all along supported the literary initiatives of Subha, reveals a family friend, who was present in the meeting. Bhaskar Sarma, who belongs to Assam, is now working in the Union Government in the rank of a Director. Branding herself as the proverbial fly on the wall, Shubha said, “A writer is in many ways a silent observer of happenings around him or her. She is like a fly on the wall.”
“A novel can be a boring experience if it does not appeal to one’s sensibilities. It is this realisation that egged me to explore this genre,” said she.
Union Minister for Culture Chandresh Kumari Katoch also has a liking for Subha. During her last visit to Odisha, the Minister reportedly appreciated Subha for her neat job, said sources close to an erstwhile royal family.