A talk about people and the world

In the second part of this interview, we will be analysing other essays published on Barsaat, a Substack blog full of insights about contemporary society. We will also discover when the author’s passion for writing was born and how it has shaped her. Here’s the link to read the essays: https://barsaat.substack.com/.

Thank you Sagarika Srivastava for sharing your unique voice and good luck with your future projects.

“Playing with fire pays off if you’re brave enough” – from I never drink my tea until it turns cold. Which bold choices have you made? What does it mean to be brave for a 21-year-old woman? 

I think the bravest thing that I ever did was convincing myself that I was independent and capable of taking charge of my own life. I carried that independence with me as I went to Hong Kong for University. Trying to transform your life at the age of eighteen, when I look back at it, is a crazy thing to do. The toughest decision that I made was applying, but now I’m glad I did it, because attending HKU has changed my life for much better.
I’d say the bravest thing a 21-year-old woman can do is to believe that there is the possibility of changing. If you’re someone who wants a different future than what it looks like right now, you can create it, even if it seems impossible. If you’re trying, something will work out. There’s this Hindi saying: “If you desire something with all your heart, the whole universe conspires to bring it to you”. 

In the politics of touch you talk about touch on various levels: metaphorical, literal, political and historical. Are the untouchables still discriminated in your country?

I would say to a certain level yes. Even though there are legal protections, caste discrimination still exists. It’s a very sad reality. Of course there are social reform movements, but I hope that with time more progress will happen at an even greater and deeper scale. It’s one of the ugly realities of the culture that a lot of Indians are proud of. Behind a façade, there is a history of discrimination. No matter how far you’ve come as a society, misogyny, racisms and inequality remain. There’s always more work to be done.

When did you start writing? How has it shaped you? How did you develop your own style?

I’ve always been writing, even as a child. I guess I was a social kid, but I was also one who really valued her own private time. From a young age, I felt emotions very deeply, but I struggled to express them verbally. So, I did two things: I was always reading and writing. Ever since I could read and write, I’ve been reading and writing.

I developed my own style through reading, not writing. It helped me discover which style I immerse myself in the best. I’m happy to say that I keep discovering more and more great writing. There are some writers that are my anchors, but I keep getting new ones. As a reader, it’s very exciting that you can always discover new books that make you think: “Wow, I have so much to learn from this person”.

As a person, the way writing has shaped me is that I’m more observant than I intend to be of social situations. It’s kind of a problem: I’m always thinking thoroughly about the people that I talk to and the conversations that I have. When I’m watching people, I’m always making small analytical notes, maybe not very kind ones, maybe a bit harsh, but I can’t help it. I learnt to shift my perspective very quickly, from a person to a watcher and vice versa.

“I had not known that there could be anything worse than the silence, but here it was, its replacement” – from Dust to dust. How can we cope with change when we are still mourning a loss?

To be honest, I’ll tell you that when I’ve figured it out. I think change is a good distraction when you are coping with grief.

In Hinduism, there are a lot of small rituals that you have to do with the family after someone passes away. I used to not get it, but now I understand that they are intentionally useful in the sense that they distract you. They are very old, thousands of years old, and complicated. Based on my personal experience, the physicality of the body is something that is ignored when we are mourning a loss. If grief is stored physically, then perhaps the recovery is also physical. Maybe you need to be physically engaged and spend a lot of energy to slowly get the grief out of your body.

Do you believe creativity stems from an artist’s suffering?

I think that’s something that people tell themselves to feel better about the quality of their work or their inability to write. I believe imagination is intrinsic to calling yourself a creative person. If you cannot write about things that are not your own life, perhaps you need to gather more sources of inspiration. It is perfectly possible to be an adjusted and emotionally stable person and still write very incisive and emotional books about human suffering. So no, I don’t think you need to suffer, imagination and empathy are the most important elements.

Why do you use the pseudonym of Jahanara?

Ever since I studied the Indian Mughal history in my high school history classes, I was really drawn to the figure of Princess Jahanara. She was a member of the royal court of Delhi in the medieval era. Based on the narrative written upon and by her, she was a deeply educated woman who radiated power, spirituality and peace. Her father, the emperor, and her brother would take decisions after consulting her and that is how much influence she had. I chose to use a pseudonym because I write quite honestly, without a lot of fictional embellishment, and I did not want that connected to my real name.

What was your dream when you were little? Now?

Oh gosh… I can’t remember. I had a lot of dreams as a kid. Maybe I just wanted to see what kind of person I would become, without a specific goal in mind. I was eager to grow up and become independent, like all dumb children. When I was in my adolescence, I used to chase prestige, power and intellectual differentiation. Now I want to be healthy and to be surrounded by my friends and family, there’s nothing that I prioritise more than that. There has been a major shift in my thinking, because I was a very aspirational kid at school. I don’t strive for that anymore, instead I try to focus more on emotional achievements. I consider it a success if I can be honest with people and build relationships with them. I don’t care about competing anymore. I take it easy now.

Anna Baracco