Kishwar Desai spoke to Shana Maria Verghis about her thriller based on unsolved rape cases. By coincidence, it was nearly complete when Nirbhaya was assaulted
She developed a character called Simran Singh who investigates crime and is also a social worker. Simran appeared in two of Kishwar Desai novels which have now extended into a series.The first books about female foeticide and surrogacy, were in the form of thrillers.
But they also touch upon social issues concerning women that Kishwar, who had an earlier life as a journalist, was and still is keenly interested in. The latest of these, The Sea of Innocence (Simon & Schuster) concerns rape. It is also in the shape of a thriller that is set in Goa.
Simran receives a video tape of a girl called liza who has disappeared. She is seen being raped in the film by various men. Kishwar, who lives part of the year in Goa, said that she had partly drew upon the famous case of the British teenager Scarlett Keeling, whose case was never solved, though her mother came down from the UK to Goa, where she fought for the murdered girl.
Mrs Keeling had pointed fingers at the government and accused them of being a conspiracy to prevent further investigation. Kishwar added that she blended some aspects of that case with those of another story involving a girl called Jyothi, whom she seemed reluctant to talk about.
In any case the story is a tribute to many girls like these who have had to bear tragic fates. She explained, “It was written last year, and the final edit was done when the Nirbhaya case was going on. It would have been odd if we did not mention it. Anyhow, there were already lines in the book like ‘the streets of Delhi are not safe’.” She added, “The larger idea has been that my area of interest has been joining forces with an India which is warming up to what women have to deal with. I have always and continue to be interested in women’s subjects.”
Kishwar shared, “The Scarlett Keeling case was never completely solved. And the two accused were released on bail. Moreover, after keeping her body in Devon for five years, she was eventually given a burial. There wasn’t enough evidence anyhow.”
She has introduced to a politician as one of the culprits in liza’s case. As for the government cover-up accusation in the Keeling case. “There was never any real proof about that. But when nothing happens for a long time, there is a lot of local gossip. Until people invest properly and rapidly, little can be done. In Scarlett’s case, most of the evidence was lost.” (It was suggested she might have been given cocaine).
Kishwar explained, “I was researching several unsolved rape cases, while writing for this book, so I came across other stories too that had resemblances to my sorry. The difference is that liza vanishes. In fact, you are left wondering if she actually existed.”
She continued, “These are contemporary stories of men, just as much as they are about women. I’m chronicling contemporary India through the viewpoints of ordinary women. So there is Simran, investigating such cases that are actually happening in a real India.”
Her next books will be about Himanshu Rai and Devika Rani, the filmi couple, another Simran novel and a third book that she wasn’t revealing details about yet.