TACKLING ISSUES OF MISOGYNY AND HEINOUS CRIMES AGAINST WOMEN THROUGH FICTION

Author Interview: Damyanti Biswas

Damyanti Biswas lives in Singapore, and works with Delhi's underprivileged children as part of Project Why, a charity that promotes education and social enhancement in underprivileged communities. Her short stories have been published in magazines in the US, UK, and Asia, and she helps edit the Forge Literary Magazine. She has recently come out with the book “You Beneath Your Skin”, which tackles issues of misogyny, poverty, and heinous crimes like acid attacks. All author proceeds from “You Beneath Your Skin” will go to Project WHY and Stop Acid Attacks. In a candid chat with Chirdeep Malhotra, she talks about her latest book, her writing process and her work with the non-profit organisations Project WHY and Stop Acid Attacks.



Please tell us more about Damyanti Biswas as a person.

Just another human who believes in compassion, humanity and equality. Obsessive about reading and writing. A traveller without and within.



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

Writing came late into my life, at the behest of others. I still consider myself more of a reader than a writer. I don’t know if I’ve fallen in love with writing. I wish I could be rid of it most days, but it is an affliction. I fall back into it, often unawares.



Can you tell us more about your book “You Beneath Your Skin”?

“You Beneath Your Skin” began as a crime novel and has ended up as a ‘whydunit’ rather than a ‘whodunit’. Almost all the characters are flawed, and New Delhi is one of them. There’s a killing spree with acid involved, but more than who did it, the narrative emphasises on why the crimes were committed. It lingers on the characters, their motivations. This book is my attempt at a realistic, literary exploration of crime in an Indian metropolis.



The character of Anjali Morgan is that of a successful psychiatrist and a conflicted single mother. Can you tell us more about the genesis and development of this character?

Anjali haunted me. She came to me time and again in writing exercises, this perfectionist who was always falling short of her ideals, the perfect mother of an imperfect son, this woman unable to let go of a clandestine affair despite monumental guilt. I wondered what made her who she was. I asked a number of why’s and with each response and each draft, I saw her a little clearer. Today, she’s as real and familiar to me as a family member.



You said in an interview that you finished writing this book in 15 drafts. Can you tell us more about your writing process for this book?

In 2012, I had first draft ready when the Nirbhaya tragedy hit India. The helpless rage at the injustice trickled into the book. During my volunteering stints at Project WHY, the narrative began to take shape. The slums and alleyways in the book are all real. In 2014, while researching the book I came in touch with Stop Acid Attacks, and acid attack survivors, and slowly their stories became part of “You Beneath Your Skin”. There is no magic to my writing, only the grind of research and re-visions and repeated, soul-destroying edits. That was the story of this book as well.



You are passionate about issues of gender and gender violence, and have actively worked with the non-profit organisations Project WHY and Stop Acid Attacks. Can you share with our readers about the great work that they are doing?

Project WHY offers free after-school support to underprivileged children, and empowers women by skilling them and providing employment. Each year it reaches out to about 1200 children. It’s magic lies in the depth of the impact in the communities it works in—teachers are erstwhile maids and salesmen from the communities, and the curriculum is standardised and exhaustive. Alumni have joined the army, hold office jobs and have turned entrepreneurs.

Stop Acid Attacks works to raise awareness against acid attacks in India—women are attacked with impunity with a cheap, readily available weapon, and the punishment is hardly ever commensurate with the crime. Stop Acid Attacks educates and empowers survivors, and also gives them employment opportunities in their Sheroes cafes in Agra and Lucknow. They provide survivors legal support as well. They conduct campaigns against the ready availability of acid and the indifference shown to the survivors by members of our society.



What are the books that are occupying your non-working hours these days?

I have been very tardy with my reading this year. I’m reading “Less” by Andrew Sean Greer, “Hiraeth: Partition stories from 1947” by Dr. Shivani Salil, and also, “The Silent Patient” by Alex Michaelides.



Can you recommend five books from any genre, for our readers to add to their reading lists, that you particularly cherish?

I keep going back to Hemingway’s Old Man and the Sea. I have a fondness for Rabindranath’s short stories. Ferrante’s Neapolitan Trilogy. Chekhov’s short stories. In today’s world, I think Orwell’s 1984 is also particularly relevant.



What are your other interests apart from writing?

Not many. Reading, but I’ve had a slump this year. I like gardening, baking. Taking walks. I like long walks among trees. Sometimes I feel the longing to do that take me so hard that I can’t breathe.



Are there any other literary projects that you’re currently working on?

I’ve written a draft of a novel based in Mumbai, and am waiting for my agent to get back to me.



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

I don’t know if it is motivational (I’m suspicious of anything that purports to be motivational or inspirational)—but the motto of my life is from poem, “Expect Nothing”, by Alice Walker: “Live frugally on surprise.”