Novelist Geetanjali throws light on her Ret Samadhi

Neha Saini

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, March 4

Celebrated novelist Geetanjali Shree, whose first literary work ‘Mai’ was translated in many foreign languages, including French and Serbian, was in the city on Wednesday for Kalam, an initiative of the Prabha Khaitan Foundation. Geetanjali has been one of the most recognised Hindi writers of modern times and her works are studied as part of syllabus in prominent foreign universities.

Discussing her latest work, ‘Ret Samadhi’, which had received rave reviews since its launch in 2018, Geetanjali said she liked experiment with her language and did not stick to any agenda while writing. “It is quite spontaneous for me as I pen down my thoughts to write what resonates with my mind and my heart. I exist in a modern time where we have influences coming from every corner and so my writing is also eclectic,” she added.

Talking about the main protagonist of ‘Ret Samadhi’, who is an 80-year-old ‘daadi’ of a joint family, she said the story was about borders that women had to cross all through their lives.

“These borders can be metaphorical, physical, or real, but once they do, there is no stopping them. And ‘daadi’ in my story is just like that,” she said.

Geetanjali gave a reference of Shaheen Bagh agitation as the entire movement began with an elderly women sitting in the protest.

Having spent her childhood in UP, Geetanjali got her education in English medium schools. But when it came to choose her career as a writer, she chose Hindi.

“It was a language I was educated through my own experiences. The idea is to give Hindi more visibility and know more about our own language rather than scratch the surface,” she said.