Spirit W | Women at work inspires me: Parul Sharma, Author

Aptly described as charming, witty and super cool Parul Sharma author of Bringing Up Vasu: That First Year & By the Water Cooler, recently launched her third and latest book ‘Tuki’s Grand Salon Chase’. She considers herself fortunate to have spent her early years in the small towns of Uttar Pradesh because it ensured that she ran into some rather quirky characters pretty early on in life. Her first book Bringing Up Vasu: That First Year, describes the travails of Mira, a young, first-time mother while her second novel By the Water Cooler is the story of Mini and Tanya, two young women who find that the corporate ladder is actually a greasy pole. Her stories deal in juggling a lot of balls, life-hacks for working mothers and how to chase your dreams even while holding down a day job. Her latest novel is a charming tale about Tuki, a hairstylist with big dreams and a big heart. All 3 of her books have had strong women protagonists i.e. a new mother, two corporate slaves and now Tuki!

Once done with schooling, she made the rather dubious choice of studying Economics from Delhi University. This made way for a degree from Mudra Institute of Communications, Ahmedabad where many inspiring cups of tea were consumed. She worked in the corporate sector in companies such as Genesis Burson-Marsteller 

(New Delhi), Arvind Brands Ltd (Bangalore) and Indian Market Research Bureau (Mumbai) in marketing communications and qualitative market research, and presently holds a senior position in qualitative research at IMRB  but ultimately does what she likes best i.e. write novels. Parul lives in Mumbai with her husband, two children aged 6 and 3 years and sometimes, if she’s lucky, Kittu, the street cat. She is passionate about animals and their welfare and would like to open an animal shelter in the future. A resident of Bandra for many years she loves being part of the artistic community that thrives there and the suburb features in two of her three books.

In an exclusive interaction with Adgully, Parul Sharma spoke about her latest book, the research that went into writing the same, how strong women protagonists have dominated in all three of her books, her views on motherhood and more.

In Sharma’s first two books she was able to draw experiences of motherhood in Bringing Up Vasu and what is generically called the corporate life in her successive book, By The Watercooler. Speaking about the thought behind her latest work of fiction Tuki’s Grand Salon Chase and how it originated says Sharma, “I was clear that I wanted to explore someone else's life, someone who bore little resemblance to me. And then, when I saw the reflection of the hairstylist who was cutting my hair in a salon in Bandra, I just wanted to know more about her, her ambitions, insecurities and challenges. Therefore, Tuki happened.”
Giving an overview of today’s youth who are riddled with anxieties and insecurities in life she believes that on the one hand, it is increased aspirations, increased purchasing power and increased exposure to all that is attractive and luxurious. On the other, they have been brought up to believe that they can be what they want to be and achieve what they want to. “In fact, their icons are people who have done so. I think together they may have led to a sense of entitlement as well as a sense of anxiety,” she states.

Parul Sharma has interviewed several hairstylists as part of an intensive research conducted for this novel. When asked to share her take on the lives of Indian hairdressers, comprehending their psychology and the behavioral patterns Sharma avers, “There are two broad segments - the salons and the beauty parlours. Irrespective of where they work, the stylists spend their entire day on their feet so physically it is an arduous job. Also, people tend to open up to them so they are the keepers of secrets too. A lot is literally put in their hands on a daily basis and in an age where physical attractiveness seems to be becoming non-negotiable, they have a significant role to play in the lives of their client. Money at the entry level seems to be quite low but there is no telling where one might end up with a few lucky breaks, especially with respect to assignments in Hindi films.”

Sharma’s protagonists have always been strong chick lit women. She spoke at length about this genre which she is believes is evolving. Long before her books got published, a certain section of books was being slotted as chick-lit. She initially cringed when she first heard the term being loosely tossed about. According to Sharma Chick lit can mean many things to many people but by and large, any book that is written by a female writer, has female protagonists and does not fall under heavy or serious literature is termed chick-lit. There is a certain amount of condescension in-built in the term. By virtue of the values that have come to be associated with it, the term broadly suggests that women writers offer and women readers lap up non-serious writing.

Elaborating on the subject further she added, “Let us just take the broad parameters that are used to toss books in this pile - woman protagonist, an urban setting, themes such as work, relationships and friends, the use of humour as a literary tool. In my opinion, there are only two kinds of literature - good and bad. Everything else is irrelevant and often detrimental. Let's face it - when it comes to women writers, there is an urge within the community to slot it differently and that's why we not only have the broad chick-lit, but also mommy lit (apparently my first book contributed to this), historical chick-lit, hen-lit, working girl lit and so on and so forth. Whatever be the genre, this practice aims at making woman writers and readers intensely aware of their gender. Fluffy or trashy writing is just that, whether it's written (or read) by a man or a woman. It is ditto for genuinely engaging, funny, fine story-telling.”

After reading many reviews of By the Water Cooler, she has arrived at the conclusion that she is being slotted as a chick-lit writer herself. “Well, I refuse to tow the line. I am a writer. I am a humour writer, just so you don't confuse me with a mystery writer and go looking for whodunnits in my books but I am not and never will be slotted a chick-lit writer. I hope some filmmaker somewhere is echoing my thoughts when it comes to the chick-flick,” she adds with much fervour.
She also goes on to talk about Jane Austen who dealt with women protagonists and her themes reflected the concerns of women in that day and age (marriage to a suitable boy, the lack of options when it came to financial stability, obligations to the family and so on). “Ms. Austen was also unarguably one of the wittiest writers we have seen. Would we then call her writing the original chick-lit? Lord, I hope not. Of course I will be told to take a light-hearted view of things. Fortunately, the thing about being a humour writer is - I already am,” she said displaying much good natured banter in her voice.

Being a travel enthusiast the exotic locales that she has visited contribute and play an important role in her books. In Tuki's Grand Salon Chase, the cities of Mumbai (and within that Bandra), Goa (and within the same, Aldona) and London have provided a sub-text to Tuki's state of mind which alternates from young, vibrant and upbeat to quiet, inward-oriented and reflective to foreign, unsure and hopeful. 

When asked how her style of simple and lucid writing  appeals more to women who easily relate to her books she spontaneously  replied  “ I hope so. That said, the fact that I have a simple and lucid writing style should not exclude men!”  

A working mother juggles various roles in life. Sharing her views on how chasing her dream alongside become a priority and necessary for her to lead a fulfilling life Sharma avers, “ I think it's important to do what makes one happy and no artist deprived of their art can be a truly happy parent. Children are not a roadblock, ever, they are so inspiring and witty and insightful. Mine are and they are my twin muses! They are fabulously proud of me. My son recently took one of my books for a Show And Tell in his school.” She is grateful to the supportive people around her who allow her the flexibility of managing her time and do justice to her writing, kids and work.
Her second book revolves around her protagonists and their potential and the challenges they face in order to make it big in this world brimming with opportunities. Describing her outlook on the corporate world and her observations she says, “I am surrounded by intelligent, go-getting women at work and I am constantly inspired by them. Some of my closest friends have worked in what was hitherto considered men-only tight-knit clubs and gone on to do really well. So from where I am looking, the future is very bright indeed. A lot of how it goes from here on depends on how we raise our daughters and sons.” 

Tuki’s Grand Salon Chase is her third book after ‘Bringing up Vasu’ and ‘By the Water Cooler’. Her books have always focused on contemporary fiction. Now she has plans to diversify in different genres in the future and is considering writing a non-fiction book as well as writing for children. Sharma admits that her earlier two works did touch upon her personal experiences which translated into her novels. “With my first two, they did. Now I am having fun with the lives of others!” she says with regard to her latest book.

Concluding a most interesting conversation Parul Sharma shares her take on the present Indian literary scene. “I think it's just remarkably easy to get published these days. Also, people want to read voices that are like theirs and tell their stories. Both of these things together have led to many specific sub-genres erupting out of nowhere. While that by itself is interesting, the quality could definitely be boosted. That is just one part of the literary scene. The multiple literature festivals around the country go on to show that there is interest in good literature still and that is heartening,” she opined.