Writing is my passion

Writer Binda Biswas who recently returned from Dhaka Lit Fest 2017, talks about her experience and says, “My books are all products of my own experiences in the world around me, my travel stories and the life I live and have lived”.

Which book that you have authored is the dearest to you and why?
Tagore’s Heroines, Portraits of Gender Orientation is the closest to my heart. It has also gone for second reprint. I have covered women in Tagorean literature by length and breadth. Each woman is a unique identity. Each one is different. I have critically analysed them vis-a-vis women in world literature. How Tagore made them so strong and dynamic, how he imported this western concept of women-emancipation...I have discussed in this book.

You recently travelled to Bangladesh. Share your experiences there
This was my second visit in this year. Earlier I was invited by City University, Dhaka for a lecture on Tagore. And at Dhaka Lit Fest 2017 I was one of the panellists at Dhaka Lit Fest 2017. It was a very fulfilling and great learning experience.

You participated in the International Kolkata Book Fair 2017 and have attended/organised launches. Which of these have been special and tell us why?
I participated in IKBF 2017 as an independent publisher and also attended many launches and promotions. My own translation (with co-translator Dr Sayantan Gupta) of ‘Meghnaadbadh Kabya’ was released by the last president of India Shri Pranab Mukherjee at the Rashtrapati Bhawan. My husband Air Cmde KK Biswas too was there so it was all the more special.

How have you managed to achieve so much in such a short while?
My passion for writing dates back to my school days. There was always a writer/thinker in me. I used to scribble a lot, but I published my first story when I was in college. I am very passionate about people, animals, birds; I mean nature as a whole. They always bring me stories. My books are all products of my own experiences in the world around me, my travel stories and the life I live and have lived. They are all realistic stories. Since magic realism is my favourite genre I use this as a vehicle to ride on my fantasy. Still I remain grounded. I write almost 8-9 hours a day.

You write both prose and poetry. How difficult is it to switch from one to another?
Yes! I write prose but poetry writes me. Prose writing is my first love and poetry the last love. There are many in between these two. Switching over is not difficult at all. One has to give time for prose but poetry is a spontaneous flow (if not an overflow).

What are you working on now?
I am working on a docu-fiction which is actually my travel memoir and a part autobiography. I intend to complete these two in this forthcoming year. Two of my books one on Tagore and another on Kamala Das and Sylvia Plath will hit the stands soon.

By: Beyniaz Edulji