The new author on the block- Nandita Bose, made a sparkling entry into the world of writing with her debut novel ‘Tread Softly’. A voracious reader Nandita likes to write about relationships and romance in prose and verse. In a candid conversation with Susmita Bose, she reveals a lot about herself and she expressed her delight.
Congratulations on the release of your first book “Tread Softly”. Tell us briefly about the story…
Thank you. This is the culmination of a dream! The story of Tread Softly is extremely commonplace in the sense that it happens fairly regularly in the society around us. The bridegroom in an arranged marriage decides to back out and as a fairly desperate measure, his step brother is persuaded to take his place instead. Abhinn, the replacement groom, and Paroma, are completely different individuals, with varied backgrounds, tastes, expectations and life experiences. The novel explores rather intimately and sensitively the direction their lives take.
What kind of response you are receiving?
The nicest and most common responses I have been honoured to receive is that many of my readers cried. The novel deals with emotions and the shades of the inexplicibles in relationships and so has been written from the heart. And it is a warm surprise to find that it reaches the heart of so many people who preserve the goodness to appreciate sensitivity.
The title is very interesting. How did you hit upon it?
When in doubt, borrow :). These wonderful lines are W B Yeats’.
“But I, being poor, have only my dreams;
I have spread my dreams under your feet;
Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.”
Tread Softly makes sense for Paroma, for Abhinn, for all lovers and for a struggling writer trying to push the notion of a pure un-intellectualised romance to the publishing fraternity.
Is this book a pure fiction or a shadow of a real incident?
I belong to the old school and have an innate distrust for immediate reactions and responses, especially if that forms the core of your creative endeavours. I have let my many failures and disappointments, my lost loves and betrayals, my strengths and friends and all the positives in my life fester, rest and mellow. Hence the stories I write are pure fiction but are more than life like.
What was the motivation behind this story?
Certain incidents in my life made me question whether love exists at all. And I know through my own experiences, that it does. And I went with my desire to spread that warm glow of love if even for the span of a reading of my novel.
Are the central characters of this book is based on real persons known to you?
Let’s say I went with the hope that such simple yet wonderful people who are capable of deep unselfish love and commitment can be real too….
Do you have a target readership in mind while writing this book?
Definitely. As a matter of policy I normally warn any of my male friends who wish to read my book that it is sentimental and belongs to the romance/ nostalgic chick-lit genre. There is no gore or body count, no current affairs or politics, nor even intellectual posturing in my book. In that sense, my ideal readership is feminine and sensitive. However, there have been many male readers who have read, appreciated and responded beautifully.
Tell us something about yourself?
I actually tried extremely hard to live the recommended life: studied for my degrees, married, was a good wife, had my children, pursued my career and tried to be this poster girl of nice suburban feminity. About 3 years ago, extremely late but better than never anyway, I just realized that all of it was fake and I had to let my inner vagabond out. So I sing, I paint, I write, I am irresponsible and I can’t earn a living.
- Nandita Bose
What interests you other than writing?
Beauty in any form. People and relationships. Nature and divinity. Knowledge.
Being a debutant author, did you find it difficult to publish your book?
I did have my share of learnings. However, I do believe there has never been a better time for English language book publishing in India. And I believe publishers like Rupa Publications, who have brought out my book, are doing a great job in spearheading this literary revolution!
What kind of support you are getting?
Life is strange and never fails to surprise. There are good old friends who have refused to even buy a copy or have anything to do with the book. And there have been complete strangers who have gone out of the way to help immensely. There are some wonderful supportive writers on Facebook who have done everything they can to spread word on Tread Softly: Neelam Saxena Chandra, Sujata Parashar, Rakhi Saha and others. A couple come to mind; Lakshmi & Subodh Sankar of Atta Galatta book store in Bangalore who read my book, appreciated it, and then organized my launch so beautifully. You begin to believe in angels after meeting people like these.
According to you how difficult is the art of writing?
Very.
Is there any work of literature especially any love story that you would like to rewrite? If so, why?
As a society, we suffer from the know-it-all syndrome. A writer or an artiste is sketching out a personal vision, a personal dream and as the receiver of this dream, you may reject it, dispute it, argue with it…. However, interfering with the artistry/ authorship, in my worldview, is almost a sin. I wouldn’t dare.:)
Who are your favourite authors? What kind of books you read?
I am an eclectic reader and read from my child’s Dr. Seuss and Roald Dahl up to obscure tomes on Mimesis or Cultural Studies and everything in between. However, I do lament that writing extensively does impinge on my time as a reader. Currently, I am reading a lot of writing by Indian authors: Arundhati Roy, Amitav Ghosh, Kunal Basu, Upamanyu Chatterjee, Rahul Bhattacharya, Sudeep Chakravarti and a whole lot of translations from Indian languages.
Tell us something about your future plan?
I write. I hope to continue writing till the day I die. There are many manuscripts that I spend time honing. I hope to have all of them published as time goes by. Luckily, there is no such thing as too much romance!
Any message for the spectralhues readers…
Books are the best friends we can have. Not every book is for everybody. Please do visit bookstores and browse to find that which the universe has kept aside for you for that moment. And if you read romances, please do read Tread Softly!
Thank you Nandita for your time. Wish you good luck for your future.
