Ektaa Rupani is a published writer, image consultant and amateur singer. She has been published in Femina, Chicken Soup for the Soul, Bonobologyand Femina Fast Fiction amongst others. She has been conducting workshops on creative writing for children and adults as well as workshops on image enhancement for schools, colleges, corporates and individuals for some years. Her book of short stories, Amma and Other Stories was published by Crossword (The WritePlace) in 2019. Ektaa has won a writing contest by Tumbhi and one by Femina Fast Fiction. Her short stories and poems have often been published in anthologies by Writefluence and The Write Order.
She has also had the honour of being invited to judge many interschool debates and writing contests in Mumbai. Her ideologies and writing often reflect the mindset of the present day Indian women, who are striving to strike a balance between tradition and modernity.
Readomania caught up with her to know more about her experience with poetry and her latest book, Solo.
Readomania: Ektaa, congratulations on the release of Solo! Shreya’s story of self-discovery and self-love is one that will resonate with most modern women. How did the story germinate in your mind?
Ektaa: The idea came to me in April 2021, when I tested positive for covid, and was confined to my home. At that time, I enrolled for a creative writing workshop online, hosted by the Himalayan Writing Retreat and was asked to come up with a few ideas for a book. The idea of a solo traveller appealed to me because I wanted to explore, not just the various places mentioned in the book, but also the myriad emotions that may be experienced by a solo traveller. Like a deep sense of liberation coupled with fear, vulnerability, a sense of achievement would all play out at different times in the traveller’s mind. I wanted to experience and convey these emotions through my book. And at a time when we were all literally trapped at home, this was one way for me to get respite from all the restrictions, at least in my mind. J
Readomania: Do you think most women, beyond the multiple roles they play in their married lives, are essentially lonely souls?
Ektaa: Where loneliness goes, anyone be lonely. Be it a man or a woman. A person may feel lonely in a huge crowd too. What I have stressed upon in my book is solitude rather than loneliness, which is a very positive word. Shreya Sen wants to be alone with her thoughts, revel in her individuality and process her feelings which may have lain buried for a long time due to mundane routine of life.
Readomania: How important is travelling solo especially for women? Do you think in a country like India, women think twice before embarking on a solo journey because of the inherent safety issues?
Ektaa: Travelling solo is a choice and one cannot generalise whether it is important or not. Travelling itself opens up one’s mind, and travelling alone may further help some people in gaining perspective on various things. Depending on where you are headed, travelling in India may be fraught with some challenges. But looking at how the number of solo travellers is burgeoning, it may not be such a daunting task to travel alone, after exercising due diligence while planning and also during the trip. Moreover, one can face safety issues in any part of the world.
Readomania: Shreya has everything, so to say. She is an accomplished painter herself; is financially comfortable with a well-earning husband, loving children who are grown up and supporting in-laws. Yet, there is something missing in her life. Is this restlessness a first-world problem then? Or is this, as one would term it, a mid-life crisis?
Ektaa: What you call mid-life crisis, I would term as ‘coming of age’. For most of us, men or women, life is encased in compartments that we have created for ourselves. We have a set routine of going to work, attending to family, meeting friends etc. How often does any of us wake up in the morning, and decide to explore an unknown street in our city or connect with a stranger out of the blue? Even our conversations are around the same people and the same topics. Also, needs can be classified as material needs, emotional needs etc. And then there is this need to liberate oneself from the shackles of societal roles albeit for a short period of time, and live like a nomad, taking each day as it comes and this is exactly what Shreya is restless for.
Readomania: Shreya meets multiple and sundry characters during her travels. Which one was your favourite to write?
Ektaa: I loved etching out the character of Sara, the Israeli girl who is Shreya’s roomie in Kasol. Sara may at first be perceived as a carefree and maybe irresponsible person who comes to Kasol to enjoy forbidden pleasures like ‘malana cream’ but as one reads on about her, one realises that there is much more integrity and strength of character there. She comes from a broken family and relationships, but still has empathy for others and wants to save Shreya from regret. The reverence that she shows while visiting Manikaran, speaks volumes about her character and the fact that she and Shreya are able to establish such a deep bonding in such a short period of time, reflects positively on her too.
Readomania: You have given elaborate descriptions of the many places that Shreya visits, some well-known and many quaint and not so famous. How did you do your research? Did you yourself travel to those places?
Ektaa: Quite a few places mentioned in the book have been visited by me. Like I have attended the music fest in Mehrangarh fort, spent a few days in the luxurious Ananda Spa in the Himalayas, visited Kashmir etc. There are a few places I haven’t been to yet but am absolutely looking forward to visiting in the future. My habit of reading has helped me here, as I have spent a lot of time reading about these places.
Readomania: Shreya’s travels take the reader on a culinary cruise too with so many local dishes that are so beautifully described by you. First, thank you for making us salivate! Second, how important is the food choices she makes to the liberation of her soul?
Ektaa: Shreya is a quintessential city bred, who watches her calories and makes sensible food choices to keep healthy. She also uses proper cutlery each time she sits to eat her meals. In the book, however, Shreya is shown to let go of her calorie-counting routine as she gorges on local delicacies and stops worrying about putting on weight. At one point I have mentioned that she wipes the plate of chaat with her finger and puts it to her tongue and a thrill runs through her whole being. This is again a liberating feeling for a person who is otherwise restrained in her conduct.
Readomania: Do we all live some kind of lie in marriages? How easy or difficult is it to break away from a comfortable and secure life?
Ektaa: Truth and lie may generally be termed as specific, but in the real world, just like there is no clear black or white, there is also no clear truth or lie. Everyone has their own version of what is true and what is a lie. Hence to comment on this would be difficult. However, breaking away from a comfortable and secure life takes a lot of courage and a deep sense of self-worth and is definitely not easy.
Readomania: How much of Ektaa is in Shreya? You recently turned 50 yourself, just like your character Shreya. How similar has your trajectory been to Shreya’s? Was it easier to etch a character of the same age as you?
Ektaa: One of the most common things is to compare the protagonist to the author. More so when there are similarities in terms of age, sex etc. Yet, I would like to say that authors are generally curious and observant souls. Even while sitting at an airport, the author may observe how a person speaks, appears or behaves. So Shreya, is the culmination of many people I have met, spoken to or observed. I resonate with her being the quintessential Indian woman who is trying to strike a balance between tradition and modernity. Trying to be empathetic towards the needs of others without ignoring one’s own. The reason I have shown her to be a 50 year old, is because this is an age when one is free from attending to the needs of young children, or a demanding career and can set out for a long trip alone. It was easier to etch out a character closer to my age, because most Indian women of our generation would probably think the way Shreya does, at least to some extent.
Readomania: You use Shreya’s two children as almost the two voices of reasoning when life presents its biggest challenge to her. Was that intentional?
Ektaa: Yes, absolutely. The way her two children react to the situation, would perhaps be the two ways in which any individual including Shreya would react to the situation. While weighing the pros and cons of one’s further actions, these are the two arguments that would come to the fore.
Readomania: Can we expect an encore for Shreya? Will she embark on yet another solo journey this time, albeit ‘officially’?
Ektaa: Too early to comment on that!
Readomania: Thank you Ektaa, for this wonderful conversation.
Her latest book, Solo is available on Amazon and Readomania
Comments