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Interview with author Naomi Datta, author of The 6 PM Slot, a new work of fiction based in the tumultous world of Indian television.
Interview with Naomi Datta, author of The 6 PM Slot, a new work of fiction based in the tumultous world of Indian television.
Naomi Datta is a television producer, presenter and writer who has worked with a number of leading channels. In her debut novel, The 6 PM Slot, she gives us a candid view of the behind-the-scenes action in Indian television.
What is the best thing about being a published author?
You get interviewed! Actually on a serious note, when you first see your name on a book – it does give you serious goose bumps. Apart from that, getting a second book out becomes that much easier once you are a published author.
But I think – that to be a successful published author is what finally matters. Success could be in terms of sales or just acclaim/ awards. For my first book, I managed a decent amount of notice but I can and should do a lot better with subsequent books. So getting published is the first baby step – there is a lot of work that remains. A lot of hard work. And no one really tells you that when you are holding onto that writing contract giddy with excitement. Your work has just begun.
While your work as a TV reporter would have helped with writing the 6PM slot, were there any drawbacks too?
The 6 PM slot wasn’t only about broadcast journalism – it was a comment on television which includes entertainment television too. The book is a satire so unflattering truths are very integral to it. So it was supremely easy to write the book.
We know the 6PM slot is fiction, but how much of it draws from your own life?
The characters and some of the stories are drawn from real life. No character is based on me because I have a rather exalted sense of self worth. If you read the book, there is no character which you would really aspire to be but probably are! It is an ensemble cast of not very noble or heroic people. No one comes out shining in the book – everyone is flawed. It is just a bunch of hustlers/ survivors not guided by any lofty pretensions except for a strong sense of preservation. Just like real life.
If you were a man, would there be anything different about The 6 PM slot?
No. The book is gender neutral. One of the central characters is a woman, but contrary to a few reviews this is not Tania’s story. It is the story of television in India. The cover of the book while provocative, unfortunately is deceptively chick lit. I like chick lit – but my book is very far from it. It is actually a rather dark, funny book which doesn’t really have a sense of redemption. However, humour writing/ satire is not taken too seriously in the Indian publishing scenario. You need to be a bit maudlin/ sentimental and not very mainstream to be literary fiction. Television unfortunately is too mainline to make the cut.
Who was the first to read The 6PM slot? What was their first reaction?
My friend Anita. She read the first three chapters and goaded me to write the rest. She was supposed to be my literary agent and spur me to great literary heights and huge million dollar advances – however she got distracted by marriage and moved to Hong Kong! Infidel. Jokes apart, the book wouldn’t have been written if it weren’t for her. She found it hugely funny and utterly brilliant – she is a person of exemplary and discerning literary taste as is quite evident!
One book you would love to have written?
No book really. But there are some bestsellers in the Indian fiction market that I would love to rewrite. Only I don’t think they will remain bestsellers then.
*Photo credit: Naomi Datta.
Previous Interviews in Author’s Corner can be accessed here.
Now dear readers, a book giveaway for you!
Answer this question: What is the one thing ‘behind-the-scenes’ on Indian media/television that you are curious about/would like to know?
Just leave your answer as a comment below – and the best comment will get a signed copy of The 6 PM Slot!
Please note: Only 1 comment per person. The book can only be sent to a valid address in India. Giveaway closes on 9 AM IST 29th Jan 2013.
So what are you waiting for? Comment away!
Update: Giveaway Closed. The winner is Arundhati! Congrats Arundhati and thanks for participating everyone! Look out for more such exciting events at Women’s Web!
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Neena was the sole caregiver of Amma and though one would think that Amma was dependent on her, Neena felt otherwise.
Neena inhaled the aroma that emanated from the pan and took a deep breath. The aroma of cumin interspersed with butter transported her back to the modest kitchen in her native village. She could picture her father standing in the kitchen wearing his white crisp kurta as he made delectable concoctions for his only daughter.
Neena grew up in a home where both her parents worked together in tandem to keep the house up and running. She had a blissful childhood in her modest two-room house. The house was small but every nook and cranny gave her memories of a lifetime. Neena’s young heart imagined that her life would follow the same cheerful course. But how wrong she was!
When she was sixteen, the catastrophic clutches of destiny snatched away her parents. They passed away in a road accident and Neena was devastated. Relatives thronged her now gloomy house and soon it was decided that she should be married off.
Women today don’t want to be in a partnership that complicates their lives further. They need an equal partner with whom they can figure out life as a team, playing by each other’s strengths.
We all are familiar with that one annoying aunty who is more interested in our marital status than in the dessert counter at a wedding. But these aunties have somehow become obsolete now. Now they are replaced by men we have in our lives. Friends, family, and even work colleagues. It’s the men who are worried about why we are not saying yes to one among their clans. What is wrong with us? Aren’t we scared of dying alone? Like them?
A recent interaction with a guy friend of mine turned sour when he lectured me about how I would regret not getting married at the right time. He lectured that every event in our lives needs to be completed within a certain timeframe set by society else we are doomed. I wasn’t angry. I was just disappointed to realize that annoying aunties are rapidly doubling in our society. And they don’t just appear at weddings or family functions anymore. They are everywhere. They are the real pandemic.
Let’s examine this a little closer.
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