A sixer at sixty

In a world where expert speak is more respected than experience, Shobhaa De has redefined the way one looks at those past their ‘sale-by-date’. Shobhaa at Sixty, her latest book is a rap on the knuckles for the bratty Sonam Kapoor types, who have called the enigmatic writer a ‘60-something porn writer’ and a ‘fossil’. More radiant than ever before, Shobhaa debunks the myth that age is the enemy of female fame. With her slicing wit and innate panache she embraces both the realities and the supreme highs of being an incredible brand at 60.

Her being has inspired writers to spur their personalities into action. Shobhaa uses her vivacity as a sensational marketing tool. Unlike the stereotypical image of a novelist hunching over a wooden table, inking their way through reams of paper, her effervescence increases a few notches as shutterbugs and admirers flock to bask in her aura. Sashaying in her signature designs and striking jewellery, she has relegated ageists to the attics of antiquity.

Side-stepping all the criticism about her saucy writing, Shobhaa has been instrumental in reinventing sexual satire, giving it the verve and fascinating twist that is needed to rope in the culture vultures too.

Full report here Deccan Chronicle