Yashodhara Lal, who spent four years in this city and graduated from IIM Bangalore, has just come out with her new book
Yashodhara Lal
I did get a desi Bridget Jones kind of vibe with your latest book, There’s Something About You. Have you got this feedback from others?
You know, I’ve actually not got that feedback from folks. Personally, at some level I was half-expecting it because of the whole overweight, always-in-trouble thing; but given that Trish’s overall context about writing an anonymous agony aunt column and her very sarcastic personality are rather different from Bridget’s, I think people aren’t really making that strong a connection. However, the fact that Trish is not your typical female lead is really getting a lot of positive attention from readers.
You have etched the character of an overweight lady with her insecurities very well. I even liked the family banter — single woman and dependent parents, very real and believable. Any influences from friends’ lives?
Influence from friends’ lives, yes, to some extent. Influence from my own life as well. Hitting my thirties and having to grow-up a little has been quite an experience. A combination of observation and imagination, but I figure the most relatable aspects of the story are probably real because they’re rooted in the actual truth of our lives in contemporary urban India.
I am not sure if I could entirely relate to Sahil’s character though. But I guess that has to do with one’s belief’s in the supernatural. Do you believe in this world or was it just the creative side taking over?
You know, Sahil doesn’t entirely relate to himself either — his own reluctance about his psychic powers is a strong theme in the book, apart from Trish’s skepticism. I actually do think there’s a lot that can’t quite be explained about our world. I don’t try to define it, but I do find such things rather fascinating. I may include more of this sort of thing in a future book — it brings out a new dimension altogether in my writing
For a management person, you have penned the frustrations of a content writer rather well. It projected a very Devil Weds Prada feel. Any personal experiences?
Yes, this is a comment that Karthika, the chief editor & publisher at HarperCollins made very early on in the book’s life. Very Devil Wears Prada, especially the character of Zee. Let’s just say I’ve had some experiences in the media space, and not very positive ones! The best part about such things as a writer are mentally filing them away to create characters based on such folks — after a safe cooling-off period, of course!
To move over to your personal life, love the way your kids are nicknamed Peanuts, Pickle and Papad, how did that come about?
Ha ha. Well, my first kid looked like a Peanut in the ultrasound when we first saw her so that was how her name came about. When we found out we were having twins, we just figured that a food-connection and some alliteration would be great to carry the tradition forward. The other options just didn’t have the same ring, you know? Popcorn, Pasta, Parantha…so we went with Pickle & Papad, who are now notorious-in-the-neighborhood five year olds.
You have talked about marriage, delved into divorce and have explored a love story. What’s next on the anvil?
I think the corporate world makes for a very interesting, if rather insular environment and I’d love to explore the dynamics of a particularly toxic yet fascinating workplace and a variety of characters, in different shades of grey. I think it’ll still be funny, but maybe a little darker than my previous work. In the meantime, strangely enough, I’m writing a book for kids’ loosely called Peanut Minds her Business — it will hopefully be out next year.
You graduated from IIM Bangalore in 2002, is there still a connect with the city?
Bengaluru is my absolute favourite city. I stayed there for four years after my MBA, working with Unilever — and it’s the place I met my husband, so, it will always have a certain romance to it. I’ve recently visited after several years and discovered that I still love it and the weather is still beautiful. A visit to my old campus made me very nostalgic. We have a home there and my husband and I both feel we’ll end up retiring there.
( Source : deccan chronicle )
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