Interview: Tishani Doshi

Different people come to writing books in different ways. How did you come to it?  I came to it through writing poetry. That was compelling. It’s so wonderful when you find what you want to do at a young age. I was 20 when I came to writing. Then from poetry,

I began experimenting with prose. It was just to see: can I take this idea somewhere? I just started writing it. It changed so many times while I was writing.

How much of you is in the book? Pretty liberal sprinklings! The first novel is where a lot of writers put a lot of their life experiences in. I actually had to pull some of it out. There’s not just me, but also people I’ve met and seen. From those who’ve had great influence to passing encounters. And even things people have told me about what they have seen. For example, there’s a scene of a woman on a bus…it was a real scene, something I saw. I think that sort of thing is important for authenticity.

Full interview here Hindustan Times