Kinjal Darukhanawala’s,
debut novel Emotional Hangover, is a refreshing read for the chick-it genre
that is already resonating positively amongst Indian teenagers and young
adults.
In an exclusive chat for Indiaplaza.com with Literary Analyst,
Kirtana Krishnan, Kinjal tells us about life, love and pasta!
Kirtana.K - Tell us about
yourself and what motivated you to write Emotional Hangover?
Kinjal.D- I am a dreamer and a passionate person
and writing is the most liberating thing I have ever experienced in my life. It
feeds my soul and makes me whole.
The human drama
amuses and intrigues me time and again and it is safe to say that Emotional
Hangover is the by-product of all the human drama I have witnessed in my life.
When I read Emotional Hangover today, it is almost as if my alter-ego wrote it
in a parallel universe. In short, the book took on its own path along the way
and the words just poured out.
K.K-The book deals with
psychological issues. What research went into writing about them?
K.D-I have been
told many times by my elders and well-wishers that no good can come out of
over-thinking and over-analyzing. But my curiosity about how people think and
function encouraged me to pen this book. After reading life altering books like
A New Earth, I’m Ok, You’re Ok and The Book of Nothing, I realized that all
answers are within us and I wanted to depict that in a fun and light hearted
story, which everyone can connect with.
K.D- I am
dramatic, I am obsessive, I am moody, I am oversensitive, I am foolish, I am
sincere, I am hardworking, I am spiritual, I am lazy and I am hot-tempered,
just like the characters of Emotional Hangover. So there are bits and pieces of
KinjalDarukhanawala in all the characters of the book.
K.K-Your book is markedly
different from those written by most young authors looking for easy fame and
the road to Bollywood…
K.D-That is very
flattering, thank you. On some level it would be very difficult, rather
impossible to typecast this book under any category; be it chick-lit, rom-com,
fiction or self-help. At the risk of sounding overambitious and full of myself,
I would like to confess that I want people from all over the world and not just
India to connect with the book.
K.K-You seem to be a
person very much in touch with your inner woman…and a nice person no less.
K.D-That’s a
great compliment. I live by the philosophy – Thoughts Become Things and no,
that does not mean that I have no negative thoughts, it’s just that I prefer to
choose good thoughts most of the time.
K.K-Are you a spiritual
person?
K.D-Yes,
spiritual with a hint of materialism thrown in for good measure J
K.K-Who are your favourite
authors?
K.D-Rhonda
Byrne, Eckhart Tolle, OSHO, Danielle Steel, Jeffery Archer, Helen Fielding,
Sophie Kinsella, Dale Carnegie, Louise Hay – they have all created history!
K.K-What book are you
currently reading?
K.D- I am
currently reading The Power by Rhonda Byrne and You Can Heal Your Life by
Louise Hay
K.K-Indians are very
emotional but are we good at managing those emotions? Do Indian parents ignore
their children’s emotional development over their academic development- when
the former is equally as important?
K.D- I am so glad
you brought this up. We as Indians have been conditioned to give a lot of
importance to academics, religion and societal pressure. Somehow these always
take precedence over spirituality, passion, love and kindness. What we “should”
do has become so precious, that what we “want”
- or even questioning ourselves about,
what we want has almost become redundant. I think parents need to realize that
children don’t come into the world to fulfil their incomplete dreams, but, to
carve their own journey and at some point children need to learn to step out of
the parents’ shadow and create their own individuality and value system.
The education
system too needs an overhaul. I think we all have spent endless hours mugging
battle dates, war details, Kipps Apparatus and Pythagoras Theorem. While I have
nothing against history, chemistry or maths, I really think the curriculum
should include subjects like self-image, inferiority complex, peer pressure and
the like.
K.K-On a lighter note,
tell us about your all time favourite vegetarian dish.
K.D- Give me
pasta in any form and with any sauce – pesto, cheese, arrabiata, aglio-e-olio
and I will smile from ear to ear.
It’s always a great feeling when you get to read a Fiction story which you can relate to. A Great read for all men to know how a woman thinks and for all women who experience emotional hangovers in the many roles they play daily. Kinjal has captured a very unique view of various relationships a woman experiences in the different years of life and grips your attention through out the read. I thouroughly enjoyed every page of the book and am looking forward to read more of kinjal's books soon.
ReplyDeleteHey Kinjal! From whatever little that I know u ,U have summed up yourself completely in this interview and in the book.And trust me ...its a very sensitive,yet realistic person one would feel u are.Not to mention, a very intelligent one also.Overall a person whom every person on earth would easily connect to.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Neema, that is a great compliment. I apologize for replaying this late, but I am really glad you liked the book. :)
ReplyDelete