Hetal Adesara’s maiden novel “Matrimonial Mocktales” (Om Books International) centres on a girl raised in a traditional, conservative Sikh family who wants the perfect Mills & Boon romance though it does not happen that way. The story begins when at the age of 15, the search for “Mr. Right” commences for Rhea, the protagonist, not on her own accord, and moves on to when at 33 she continues to be single and independent. During this pursuit of the right man she meets many wrong ones and is disappointed and dejected. In an email interview, the author describes Rhea as “a modern and independent Indian woman who wants to settle down with the man of her choice. At the same time, she is also clear that she wants to do that with her parents’ consent because in their happiness lies her happiness.”
The author, who quit her job to write the book says, “I wanted to write a book for a long time and with ‘Matrimonial Mocktales’ that dream became a reality.” She adds that she was inspired by the people and situations around her. Penned in four months, the novel according to her “is largely a work of fiction. However, some instances are based on anecdotes I’ve heard over the years from my aunts, friends and cousins, whereas a couple of them are loosely inspired from my experiences.”
The protagonist’s search for love and companionship reflects what modern Indian women look for in their life partner –– education, money, status, family status and the intrinsic qualities of the man. Agrees Hetal, “I believe it is a combination of all the criteria mentioned that a modern Indian woman seeks in her life partner, with an emphasis on education and upbringing because these basic qualities are what shapes a person.”
The writer feels the changing attitude of women in modern society will not so much affect the institution of arranged marriage as will the paradigm shift in the parent-child relationship. “Parents today enjoy a healthier relationship with their children and are more like their friends unlike earlier when this relationship was more formal. So children today can talk to their parents about the affairs of the heart and have an open conversation without any hesitation,” she says, and terms it as a “good thing”.
Hetal gives a personal touch to Rhea who in the entire narrative comes up with a song when confronted with a situation or an event. Says the writer, “My mother is a huge music buff. Whenever she wants to explain a situation to me or talk about something of consequence going on in her life, she hums an appropriate yesteryear Bollywood song that sums it all up. I found it very interesting that she could come up with just the right song for that situation and thought it would be a good idea if I gave my protagonist this particular quality.”
The author is busy writing the sequel which takes Rhea’s journey forward. She intends to write some more fiction before trying her hand at non-fiction. Having been a journalist, she finds the basics of writing fiction and news the same, though in the former one has a free reign over words and can let the imagination flow. “So in that sense I had to unlearn a lot of things from my journalistic experience to write fiction,” comments the writer.
