‘The God of Small Things’ (Arundhati Roy) is my favourite novel.Every woman has a secret life. Yes some examples are Nikita Lalwani, whose novel ‘Gifted’ I am re-reading Meera Syal Jhumpa Lahiri’s stories are still some of my favourites. It’s another dark comedy, and a road trip story featuring women, which we don’t often see.ĭo you follow any other authors writing about the Indian/Punjabi diaspora? My second novel is about three British-Indian sisters who go to India on a pilgrimage to reconnect with each other after their mother dies. This is the first of a two-book deal? What is the second about? I wanted to give them a voice and an opportunity to express desires that were traditionally denied to them when they were ‘somebody’s wife’. I became especially interested in what it was like to be a woman in such a setting, and it occurred to me that the widows were the most invisible women in this society. I was really fascinated by this Punjabi migrant enclave where so many traditional values and customs were preserved, yet it was in Britain, which was so different culturally.
The idea came from my numerous visits to Southall in London. What inspired you to write ‘Erotic Stories.’? India is always part of their past but it’s also something they take with them as a personal item into the present. I write more about the people who have left, and how they adapt to their new homes. I think the diaspora has a bigger role in my books than the actual physical place.
What role does Punjab play in your books? It was very exciting to see the final product. I remember the thrill of writing and creating illustrations - even though I’m terrible at drawing) - and then putting the book together with a cover and binding. We had just finished reading a few Roald Dahl books and we paired up to write our own version of ‘The Magic Finger’. The first story I remember writing was for a book-making project at my international primary school in Tokyo in Grade 2. I wrote lots of little stories and plays when I was young. Growing up, what was the first story that you ever thought of writing? Balli Kaur Jaswal, the Singapore-based author of ‘Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows’.(Photo courtesy Jaswal) Balli Kaur Jaswal, the Singapore-based author who is in the news for her book ‘Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows’, tells HT about how India is not only a part of her past but also reflects in her present.
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