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She writes of Punjab in Hong Kong
A GRADUATE of IIM Calcutta, Manreet Sodhi Someshwar did the mandatorysabun-tel sales and marketing for several years before she found her calling, writing. Starting with Earning the Laundry Stripes in 2006, she has just released the second of the Mehrunisa trilogy, a novel titled The Hunt for Kohinoor, that is selling well. The book is a fast-paced thriller that keeps the reader engaged without being too taxing. Manreet is a feisty sardarni who lives a low-profile life in Hong Kong, visiting India often to market her books. Swati Maheshwaricaught up with her to find out more about her unusual journey. How did you think of the suspense/thriller format that is set in the politically volatile and geographically dramatic region of AfPak, while living in placid Hong Kong? My writing has a strong historical narrative woven into the storyline —be it The Long Walk Home, which is the first fictional examination of the 20th century history of Punjab; or The Taj Conspiracy, centred on contemporary terrorism.The Hunt for Kohinoor, Book 2 of the Mehrunisa trilogy, is set in the tangled triangle of Ind-Af-Pak, against the backdrop of the region's shared Mughal history and the more recent history of Indo-Pak wars. What was the process of research for the second book in the Mehrunisa trilogy like? Did you need to visit Afghanistan or meet RAW officers? The Hunt for Kohinoor is a historical-action-spy thriller, for the writing of which I drew upon a mosaic of resources. The business of espionage and Intelligence is by its nature secretive and a book such as this requires an understanding of the region's multiple fault lines. I have an abiding interest in the region, driven partly by the border town I grew up in. I travelled extensively in Ladakh to develop an appreciation of mountain terrain, spoke with retired Army, police and Intelligence personnel, and equipped myself with re-reading journalists who have covered the region over decades. The first reaction on reading the book was that it read like a film script larger-than-life protagonists, a dramatic landscape, a fast-paced thriller, romance etc. Is there a prospect of this or The Taj Conspiracy being made into a film? Bollywood has evinced interest, yes. More importantly, readers of both books of the Mehrunisa trilogy have remarked on how visual and visceral the reading experience is: they feel they are in Peshawar's Storytellers' Bazaar or in blustery Khyber Pass even though they have never ventured beyond India. Which is a great joy for a writer because we read, in part, for the pleasure of being transported. Yes, I had a decade-old corporate career before I made the switch. The reason why remains a mystery to me as well. All I can say is writing chose me, not the other way round. Your origins in the border town of Ferozepore, the Sikh regiment's motto "Nischay Kar Jeet Apni", would you say that your faith Sikhism and upbringing in Punjab informs your work as an author considerably even though I can see that secular culture is an underlying theme in your book? Absolutely. When you grow up in a border town that straddles India and Pakistan, where stories of Lahore, Partition, and much more hang in the air, history is in your veins. What lies ahead? Are you in the process of writing the third of the trilogy or something completely different? What can we expect from the intrepid Mehrunisa in the next book?
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