She does the honours

Manpriya Singh

To begin with, she challenged the stereotypical notions of infidelity and on the same note even adultery; moving on, she’s all set to redefine the right to motherhood. “I want to give the reader something to think about, draw a message from and at the same time get out of their comfort zones,” Bhaavna Arora, out with her second book Mistress Of Honour, shares some of the underlying principles guiding her writings.

Something she did with The Deliberate Sinner too, the book that dealt with relationships in an unhappy marriage. As for the current one, she adds, “It’s a fictional account although absolutely inspired by several true stories of life in the armed forces. But it’s been written in a way that civilians will be able to relate to.” There was a compelling passion to glorify the much deserving Indian armed forces. “If students are inspired to join the forces after reading my book, my duty as an Indian author is done,” shares the Patiala-based doctorate from Pittsford University.

Making sense of madness

Avid observations, eclectic mix of people around and experiences through them form a perfect backdrop for inspired writing. Then there’s always research to turn back to. “I must have interviewed as many as 160 Army officers over a period of nine months,” she shares of the book set against the backdrop of Operation Blue Star, insurgency in the North-East and also the battle of Kargil. “My characters are multi-dimensional. You’ll see an Army officer falling in love...It’s the story of mother daughter-duo Pansy and Rihanna. While Pansy’s love story with Captain Potnis unfolds during the Operation Blue Star, with Rihanna it’s during the Kargil war.” Then there’s the sub-plot and also the question of a woman wanting to have a baby despite being unwed.

Unconventional love

Love finds its way into the subjects explored, inevitably and at the same time unconventionally. Shares the author, who grew up on Paulo Coelho and Shobhaa De among others, “I wish generations of girls were not brought up on utopian and romanticised notions of love as in Cinderella, Rapunzel etc,” she shares. It’s a similar desire to pull people out of their comfort zone and also provoke their thoughts. “I haven’t thought about the next book, but whatever I do next will definitely reflect the fact that I feel a moral obligation to come up with something that society can relate to,” she shares, while making a deliberate attempt at staying away from chic lit. “That’s not for me. They can be best sellers but that’s not for me,” she signs off.

manpriya@tribunemail.com