Rachna Singh, Editor, The Wise Owl in conversation with Manju Kapur, an award-winning writer and former Professor at Delhi University. Her first novel, Difficult Daughters, won her the Commonwealth Prize for First Novels (Eurasia Section in 1995) and went on to become a bestseller in India, United States and England. Her other novels, A Married Woman, Home, The Immigrant, The Custody, Brothers & En Familia were highly acclaimed and very popular with readers and critics. The Gallery, her latest book, has been Longlisted for the Best Fiction category in Auther Awards. Manju Kapur lives in New Delhi with her husband, daughters and grandchildren.

 

Hi Manju. It was such a pleasure meeting you and talking to you at the Jaipur Literature Festival, so here I am reconnecting with you again for some more chitchat. Thank you for taking time out to talk to The Wise Owl.

 

RS: The protagonists in your books are women who push strongly against patriarchal mores of society and carve a distinct identity for themselves. Tell us what made you gravitate towards this subject and pick this as the central theme for your novels?

 

MK: Women lead very interesting lives especially because they have to deal with so many issues. Having been a professional woman, who had to juggle a career, along with home and family, all the many problems confronting women who try and negotiate personal spaces along with their professional lives was  something I  was familiar with. I  have daughters, I  taught women, my colleagues were all women, so these were  lives  I  knew better than any other. 

 

 

RS: The term ‘feminism’ comes with some negative connotations as most people confuse feminism with chest-thumping, bra-burning, candle-marching radical feminists. Your books do not belong to this ilk. Our readers would be keen to know about your concept of feminism.

 

MK: Feminism comes in many forms, and this bra-burning one is a symbol of a much older form that dates  back to  the late 60s, early 70s.  At the heart of all  feminism is a demand  for equality, and what kind of equality will depend on where you are, what class, what circumstances. Equality of opportunity, of pay, of jobs – in some places it might even be equality of food, of the right to live etc. 

 

RS: Are there any themes or issues within feminism in India that you think are under-represented or misunderstood in mainstream discourse? How do you think your books have contributed to correcting this imbalance?

 

MK:   In my books I try and reflect attitudes as they are. There is a difference between paying lip service to certain ideas – that is easy to do – and living them out in your daily life. Novels are an excellent way to hold a mirror up to society – this thought is certainly not a new one – in a way that provokes awareness. I hope my work performs some sort of similar function.

 

RS: Your writings dwell upon not only women-based issues but also societal imbalances like class barriers, as in your latest book, The Gallery. Talk to us briefly about the societal issues or injustices that resonate with you and influence your writings?

 

MK: You can’t live in India without being aware of all kinds of injustices, whether  based on gender, or caste, or class, or colour or whatever.  Also nobody functions in isolation, we are all connected in some way or the other.  One kind of oppression dove tails into another etc. and  this leads you to think about it and express it. 

 

RS: I have heard you say often that you work on several novels at the same time. Tell us a little about your creative process when writing a novel.

 

MK: I used to work on several novels at the same time, but that was when I was teaching. During breaks  when my attention was not divided, I was able to devote myself to drafting stories and fleshing out ideas.  During term, when time was more limited I used to revise and edit,  when it was not longer necessary  to hold the whole  work in  your head.  

 

RS: You started writing late in life and your first book ‘Difficult Daughters’ was published when you were 50. But your first book became a bestseller as well as won you the prestigious Commonwealth Prize for First novel. Did being a student and subsequently a teacher of English literature help you in your journey as an award-winning novelist?

 

MK: Actually no. And this came as a surprise to me, because I thought it would. The  process of writing is different from anything else to do with books, you work with your gut, your heart, your memory, your experience, as much as with your head. Whereas teaching and learning doesn’t involve all this, your mind  is quite capable of doing the  job  alone.  

 

RS: Are you working on another project as we speak? When are we likely to see your next book in the bookstores?

 

MK: Yes of course I am working on another project. A writer is always writing – at least I am, and I am always writing because I write very,  very slowly. So I have to do it every day and all the time, otherwise I would never get anything finished. As for when it is likely to be finished, I wish I knew. I always think it’s done, way before it is actually done.

 

RS: If I was to ask you describe yourself as a writer in three adjectives, what would those be and why?

 

MK: Three adjectives? That’s hard. Consistent is one, and I’ve just described that. Then there is  patience, you have to be patient – writing is difficult and though to begin is easy to go on with it is hard, especially in the face of self- doubt etc. Finally I am meticulous. I revise endlessly, I research endlessly, I need to get everything just right. 

 

RS: You are an award-winning novelist. Our readers include a lot of upcoming writers. What be your advice to upcoming writers on how to hone their creativity and craft?

 

MK: The way each person  functions depends entirely on their personality – there is no one way. The only advice I have for writers is you have to read a lot.  Words are your  tools, learn in how many ways they can be used and then try and find your own voice. The second bit of advice is be  dedicated, if you are a serious writer you are in it  for the long haul.

 

 

Thank you so much Manju for taking time out to talk to us about your creativity and journey as an author. Here is wishing you the best in your creative and literary journey.