In conversation with Alka Joshi: The Henna Artist (Author Event #3)

On the 14th of November, I had the wonderful opportunity to witness a live conversation between two great women who strongly believe in the upliftment of their gender. Dr. Sofia (sofia_reading) conversed with the author of The Henna Artist, Alka Joshi. The conversation was eye-opening and left me awestruck by the end. It made The Henna Artist even more appealing!

Alka Joshi is a 62-year-old woman who was born in Rajasthan, India; which was the setting of her book. When she was 9 years old, her family moved to the United States, where she graduated from Stanford University and went on to have a job in marketing before starting her own firm. The Henna Artist is her debut novel, and there is talk of two more books releasing soon; both linked to her first book.

The Henna Artist took a total of 10 years to complete, and one and a half years to publish. The book is dedicated to her mother, and Joshi mentions that the life of the fictional character Lakshmi, is the life that she would have liked her mother to follow instead. The author says that this book was initially a love letter to her mother, for all the struggles that she had faced. Which then turned into a love letter dedicated to all women, as her characters showcased the exertions that they face. And lastly, a love letter to the entire South of Asia, as it represents the fact that they had survived many battles, and still stand tall.

Alka Joshi was kind enough to let us in on a few anecdotes that included her mother. A favorite of mine that she narrated, was when she was a mere 4 years old, whilst her brothers were around 6 and 3 years old. Her grandmother had dished out more food for her brothers, and less for her on the table. On witnessing this, the mum rebelled and called the grandmother out on her actions. Joshi had observed patriarchy from a young age, but also a role model who fought against it. This factor could have helped in her writing, on how she views the world and what she would like to change. In my opinion, it made her work all the more richer and relevant.

The author then explained her writing schedule. Whereas others may have a set timetable, Alka Joshi writes whenever she finds inspiration. The times when she finds that these surface, is when she is exercising. She then makes a note of it, and later includes it in her final piece. She puts it in a beautiful way by saying that all of her writing is done in her mind, where she acts out the dialogues, and imagines the settings. I found this to be exquisite and unique. I suppose this assists in fighting against writer’s block and letting inspiration take its course. Fellow writers should take notes!

A number of researches was completed before this wonder of a book could be published, and Joshi mentions that the fact that her parents lived in the area in which the book was set helped. She visited these places and got to know their people. She also read multiple books and learned aspects from her favorite authors. One of the books that assisted with research was that of Gayatri Devi and Santha Rama Rau work; A Princess Remembers. One of her favorite authors is Khaled Hosseini, and one of her favorite books is Jane Eyre.

Book two of The Henna Artist will follow the life of Malik; the helper of Lakshmi. This book will answer all the questions we had about this splendid personality and will in fact include him having a love interest! Joshi mentioned that this book was not in her plan, but it was almost as if her characters came to life and whispered to her, “tell my story now”. The book will be called, The Secret Keeper of Jaipur. Her publishers were so taken with the idea, that they bought it last December, before the first book even released! Book two is scheduled to release in July 2021, so keep your eyes open for that.

Book three will tell the tale of an older Radha, the sister of Lakshmi. Here, she will have moved on to another country and settled down, but her past can never leave her. A drama-filled book is what we’re expecting! Joshi is still in the process of writing the novel, and conducting research, therefore a title for the book hasn’t been settled on as yet.

Another exclusive that was mentioned was that the novel will be adapted into a TV series! Alka Joshi made sure to reassure us that she is on the executive directors committee, therefore there should be no worries about character authenticity. Frida Pinto will play the role of Lakshmi in the series. When asked which character she would like to act out, the inspiring author answered that she would play the older Maharani. She disclosed that she was absolutely taken with this specific character, as she is sharp, but sweet simultaneously.

Getting to know the author on an intense level certainly allowed me to fall deeper in love with the novel, as the history of it became known. You should be able to feel the same way. Pick up The Henna Artist as soon as you can, you will not be disappointed.