SPREADING LIGHT LIKE A FIREFLY

Author Interview: Ambika Barman

Ambika Barman is a 22 years old author, born and raised in New Delhi, India. A graduate in English Literature from Ramjas College, she is currently a first-year MBA student at the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, Delhi. She is a multi-dimensional personality- an avid reader, writer, trained classical singer and she also loves to paint and sketch. She has recently come out with the book “Womb of Fireflies”, in which she has written about the people staying, breathing and residing in the mysterious green land of G-Plot, Sundarbans, weaving together stories she had heard from her grandparents and locals. In a candid chat with Chirdeep Malhotra, she talks about her book, her writing journey, and her favourite books and authors. Read on!



Please tell us more about Ambika Barman as a person.

Ambika Barman as a person I would say is an over-thinker who has tried to use this habitual deep thinking process into cultivating characters and creating stories. I am an English Literature graduate from Ramjas College, Delhi University and am pursuing MBA-IB from IIFT, Delhi at present. Though, I am born and raised up in a middle-class family in Delhi, but my ancestral roots are from a little island called G-Plot in the Sundarbans. Personally, I believe in keeping the humbleness of the roots intact in whichever cities or places I visit. This helps me to differentiate myself from others, therefore giving rise to versatility on the plate.



Has writing always been a part of your life? Or did you chance upon it later on and then instantly fell in love with it?

Yes! I wrote my first short story when I was in fifth grade. Though I never got it published, but I used to scribble a lot. Little details about everyday scene things. Life. Sorrow. Pain. Happiness, etc. I used to and still weave a lot of stories. Rather, the process of writing this book started with a scribble.



Can you tell us more about your book “Womb of Fireflies”?

“Womb” for me is a powerful word, if you look through the perspective of feministic ideologies. After all, that’s the Centre or core of creation. So, here womb represents the entire Sundarbans, where much like mother’s lap or with complete dependency; these little, bright yellow fireflies- humans of that place exist. After all, those fireflies can't be Sun as they are so different from the Urban, Sub-Urban humans all far away in the distant land- the green, mysterious Sundarbans. Plus, the entire book focuses on a small island, G-Plot, which is one of the 52 inhabited islands in the Sundarbans. So, the geopolitics of the region was the main attraction, where the utmost focus was to bring affront a new region, which just exists on the Indian Map without much existence in terms of acknowledgement. In between, many social issues back there are also reflected- the concept of Child Marriage even existing after its ban in Indian constitution at such places back in the 1970s, child miscarriage due to unplanned families and norms which were never questioned by women out there. Apart from the Feminist issues, the most beautiful part is Rumi’s concept of human detachment from roots and the western drama philosophies of Charles Dickens. So, Womb was the clear reflection of that as our life begins from that.



The novel is set in the island of G-Plot in the Sundarbans. Can you tell our readers more about this island? Also tell us more about your relationship to this place and how often do you visit it.

Sundarbans is the world’s largest Mangrove forest, where G-plot is one the last inhabited islands. It takes around 2 hours in a steamer from the mainland, and around 89 hours in total from Kolkata after changing different modes of transport to reach there. I have visited G-Plot more than 15 times so far. Each and every summer vacation until my board examinations for class Tenth started was spent there. My cousins, uncle and aunt and even my grandma, Pravati Barman stay there till date. For me, it was more of a home than the cacophonous space in Delhi. After all, it has a vast historic significance. For instance, the Shiv Ling there was found after digging the ground for construction. So, the hundred year old Temple still exists. Due to its G- shaped aerial view, Britishers named it G-plot. It has one school for both boys and girl and a simple nursing home without much medical aid. Yet, the lifestyle of common people still dependent on fishing or making nets is pretty vulnerable, due to frequent attack of Indian Crocodile and other dangerous animals.



You mention that the title “Womb of Fireflies” was never the first choice for the name of this fiction. What were the other title contenders that you were thinking about and what made you choose this title?

“The joy of happiness” was my first choice of title because every time I thought about Sundarbans and G- Plot in general, the little pleasure of life during summer vacations used to come up. But, I couldn’t create a connection of the title with the Sundarbans in depth. So, I named it “Womb of Fireflies”.



How did the idea of writing this book emerge?

Honestly speaking I was scribbling paragraphs in the notepad of my phone, and never imagining that one day it would turn up into a book.



You are an avid reader. Which books are you reading currently? Can you recommend five books from any genre, for our readers to add to their reading lists, that you particularly cherish?

Currently, I am reading “Gibberish” by Anosh Irani. I grabbed it last time in a bookstall at IGT airport. And recommending five books. Okay. Firstly, “Womb of Fireflies”. Next, “Unaccustomed Earth” by Jhumpa Lahiri. Third, “Lowland” by Jhumpa Lahiri. The fourth will be “Gibberish” as I am almost done with it and really like the writing style. The fifth is “Fountainhead” by Ayn Rand.



There are many new writers and poets who are aspiring to get their work published. What would you say to them?

Consider writing as a passion, more than a money creation option. Art comes out in the best form when you are passionate about it. Write daily so that you write better. Make it a habit to at least write 500 words on a daily basis.



Can you share with our readers a motivational quote that keeps you going?

I really don’t have any motivational quote to keep me going. I am passionate about it. Like I can sacrifice everything if I just had to write. So, it comes naturally without much pressure in the thought process.