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Siddhi Palande
@Book_gobbler · 1:05
#TalkTo Gajra Kottary Author Of Autumn Blossoms
In three sections, the stories are divided into the complicated aspects of a woman's relationship with a man, the shades of gray that marks interactions between women, and the self reflective bond a woman has with her own self. This collection of 50 short stories provides a fascinating portraits of urban women and their predicaments in contemporary India. Let's talk to author Kajakutari tomorrow. That is 10th November at 07:00 p.m. To know more about the book Autumn Blossoms, a book that celebrates womanhood
Siddhi Palande
@Book_gobbler · 0:38
Hello book lovers. I hope you're doing good. In today's session, we will be talking to author Gajakotari about her book Autumn Blossoms. This collection of short stories is a fascinating portrayal of womanhood. Author Gajakotari debuted as an author in the early 1996 with her first collection of short stories. She is an award winning screenwriter for some of the biggest shows on Indian television, including a Titwa and Balika Vadhul. Hello Ma'am. Welcome to my swellcast and congratulations on the book
Gajra Kottary
@Gajra · 3:00
I'd been so sort of used to doing long format that I felt very refreshed going back to this format that I'd actually started my career with. And then of course, the book took shape. So there are many stories which are from the earlier collections, and there are also a couple which are original. And to hit the magic number of 50, there were some which have been written in the last maybe two months or so
Swell Team
@Swell · 0:15
Siddhi Palande
@Book_gobbler · 0:23
It's wonderful to know how these stories came to be. And you've already answered my next question, which was, how long have you been writing these stories and when did you decide to amalgam them to get it published? So instead, I will ask this how is writing for screen different from writing short stories and novel? How are these two mediums of expression in storytelling distinct?
Gajra Kottary
@Gajra · 4:06
So I believe, and I would like to believe that if done properly, one sort of skill feeds into another. I have been, for example, told many times when my writing has been analyzed, that ever since I got into screenwriting, my print writing has been much more visual. And I think that that sort of skill which one has forced oneself to cultivate. When you write for the screen, you've got to think very, very visually
Siddhi Palande
@Book_gobbler · 0:19
That answer gave me a lot of clarity about two mediums of storytelling. Thank you so much. Coming to my next question. These short stories portray urban women. Are they inspired from real life incidences? Can you share a few incidences that have been turned into a story that are included in the book?
Gajra Kottary
@Gajra · 4:57
I was trying to get a hang of the Sri Lanka crisis at the time of getting admission into journalism school. And those were the days that the LTT and Prabhakaran and all know that there was a lot of turmoil happening and India was involved
Siddhi Palande
@Book_gobbler · 0:13
It's amazing how the unique stories are being offered in autumn blossoms. I look forward to reading it. So what are some of the themes, especially sensitive themes that the book deals with?
Gajra Kottary
@Gajra · 4:28
We think about and analyze everything that we do, even if we are doing something wrong and we continue to do so. There is a kind of self reflection that all women do. They may admit to it or not admit to it, et cetera
Siddhi Palande
@Book_gobbler · 0:12
Really quite pertinent themes there. So on to my next question. As a reader, what can we take away from the book? And do you see the audience of the book as only women readers?
Gajra Kottary
@Gajra · 3:55
In fact, one of the very pleasant surprises for me was a lot of my actors, especially, have read the book and gotten back to me, and some have gone on social media also, talking about how there were things in the book which really sort of surprised them. This is not how they thought women would be thinking
Siddhi Palande
@Book_gobbler · 0:18
I hope, pray and wish that this book reaches far and wide. With that we come to the last question for the session. I'm sure there is much thought put behind the title. Why name the book Autumn Blossoms? And I would like to know what are your upcoming ventures?
Gajra Kottary
@Gajra · 3:51
But I realized after writing the stories, each time that I was making a collection, there was a kind of a theme that was running through the stories, and therefore it made sense to give a generic title. I just somehow am very drawn to the idea of giving a generic title to a collection when I notice that there is a certain theme to it
Siddhi Palande
@Book_gobbler · 0:11
It is certainly a scenic and symbolic way of picking title for the book. Also with that, I would like to know what are your upcoming ventures?
Gajra Kottary
@Gajra · 1:06
You? Well, I have two shows coming up next year on prominent channels, which I'm really looking forward to, especially one of them, which is based on a novel that I have written. I can't reveal too much until it's officially sort of declared. Apart from that, in terms of my on the book front, I am writing a novel which is, for a big, big change, male centric
Siddhi Palande
@Book_gobbler · 0:27
That's amazing. Congratulations. And my best wishes for your future interviews. And it was such a delightful conversation. Thank you so much, ma'am. There was so much to learn from you. To my listeners, autumn Blossom is an engaging and heartfelt, delightfully unpredictable, often laced with a sense of picket humor. A beautiful collection of 50 short stories. So if this sounds right up your alley, then make sure that you pick up the book
Gajra Kottary
@Gajra · 0:17
Thank you so much, Siddhi. I enjoyed this conversation because the questions were very, very stimulating. It forced me to think and frame my thoughts and share them with you. Lovely indeed. God bless