During JLF Day 1 the afternoon session called “The Incredible Strangeness of Being” saw two renowned women writers talking about their respective recent launches. These young writers – Amrita Tripathi and Maria Chaudhuri – read paragraphs from their books guiding us through the journey to the ‘strange self of one’s being’.

We were touched by the Maria’s book Beloved Strangers, in part a novel, in a part memoir. In her JLF session, she began reading a para from her book where a small girl is preparing for Ramazan Roza. She is quickly gulping her food before the fasting time begins.

Maria belongs to Bangladeshi Muslim family – and to write a personal story was challenging. As she writes in her novel’s prologue: “She was unaware of the fact that once she stopped sharing the same body with her mother, her world would shatter.”

In the book, she is opening up about her relationships with family, marriage issues, physical desires of a woman, etc. During her chat with literature fans, she spoke about the journey while writing her novel.

Did her family let her reveal so many things about relationships?

I never told them about the book until it was published. I was aware of the fact that their reviews could pull me back.

But, why is it needed to speak in such details? Isn’t it too bold for the readers?

It is, but truth sells. People want to know stories close to their life. I am sure there are women all over the globe who can relate to my book.

But the mass still repel from controversial writings. How would it be like if your book was made into a movie?

I understand that and if in future my story turns visual, I am flexible to make few changes. Surprisingly, I got an email today morning from a Film Director who is interested.

As a woman, what sacrifices did you make while writing and after publishing the book?

The journey was emotional and that’s why I never involved my family into it until the book was out in the market. Else it would be really tough for me to reach the end. Once they knew, their reactions were difficult to handle.

Were you anxious?

I was. After all, I was about to reveal my deepest feelings for them through my book pages which is otherwise hard to express face to face.

The boldness in her book is nothing but the real feelings of a woman going through a lot in her life. Buy her book here!