Sonali Sharma
@authorsonali · 1:06
😱A daughter's hidden mystery 📚Ft. Conversation with Sharmistha Gooptu
With the profound insight, Sharmista examines the intricacies of memories, exploring how it can shape our perceptions, redefine the relations and reveal the profound secrets hidden within the recesses of our mind. The narrative immerses in a world where reality blurs with imagination and the past interwinds with the present in a delicate dance. Sounds quite interesting. Right? Then, come join us tomorrow at six in the evening for some interesting conversation around her book Unspoken. See you there. Until then, take care and stay safe. Bye
Janvi Sharma
@Janvi._.sharma · 1:29
Hey, Sharmista. Janvi. This signed so I really like the concept of your book unspoken. It revolves around the theme of an imaginary perception of reality. So there are few things which I really gather or catch from this book of yours. It's about how we blur the lines between reality and imagine nation and how it revolves around psychological exploration when it has metaphorical or symbolical representation and with a sense of suspense and ambiguity. Now it really explodes the personal throats revolving around a person's life
Sharmistha Gooptu
@Sumu · 3:13
You. Thank you, John V, for your question. Well, I have not experienced somebody with dementia firsthand directly in my family. But I have spoken to others, friends, relatives who have had experience with dementia. I have seen films, for instance, if you have seen the film The Father, which got an Oscar, Anthony Hopkins, it's a father who has dementia, advanced stage of dementia, and what's his perception of reality and how his daughter negotiates that journey with him
Anshika Mishra
@anshikaaa.aa · 0:34
Hello Mr. Mishra Anshika the Side being a fan of thriller genre, the very description of your book captivated me from the start. I'm thrilled to get a reading of this book of yours and how it explores the lostness with reality and imagination. So I have a few questions to ask. My question to you is what exactly did you try to convey through this book? And do the character of this book hold any real life significance?
Sharmistha Gooptu
@Sumu · 1:55
We should not think of them as paragons of virtue, but just as humans and mothers too, as their children. They should not try to be so perfect in front of their children because it creates a huge pressure on any human to be so perfect, to be so flawless. As our children grow up, we should allow them to understand us as human beings who are flawed as anyone else, and we should have that confidence
Lakshita Kapoor
@lakshitaaa01 · 0:51
Also, what do you hope your readers will take away from the exploration of love and identity with respect to family from your work? Really looking forward to having this conversation and reading more more about your book
Sharmistha Gooptu
@Sumu · 2:59
Mothers are always expected to forgive. When a child makes a mistake, the first thing he or she does is go running to their mother. Even when a child is grown up, they expect their mothers to be most forgiving. Then why don't mothers have that understanding? Not forgiveness. I'm not even talking about forgiveness, because who is anyone to forgive? Someone else who has led their own life as they want to lead. But mothers often do not even get that understanding
Smita jojo
@Smitazzz · 0:37
And if it does affect your thought process, it does help you to write things in a better way, or does it create some sort of hindrance while writing and how you cope up with it? Thank you
Sharmistha Gooptu
@Sumu · 1:12
Hello. You asked how my writing impacts my thought process. So obviously, when you're writing, you're completely immersed in that, you know, world which you have created. And for me, for instance, when I was writing, you know, it was during the pandemic, and I was recovering from prolonged illness
Sonali Sharma
@authorsonali · 1:07
And especially how did you came up with the concept of the book Unknown and what inspired you to write the story that delves into the complex cities of love, memory and the impact of dementia on the personal narratives? Over to
Sharmistha Gooptu
@Sumu · 3:04
So I am a historian and I still continue to edit an academic journal, south Asian History and Culture, but I am now a full time fiction writer also and a media professional. I'm co founder of Rev Sports, as you stated, digital first media company, which does sports coverage primarily
Sonali Sharma
@authorsonali · 1:12
These stories have a better connectivity and a relatable factor that connects more readers and the core message that we want to give from the book. It touches the heart of the reader. And true, the times of COVID were indeed tough with respect to mental health, with respect to physical health and much more that was going on around the environment, but glad that we all came over through that COVID zone. So, talking about your book Unspoken, can you tell us a little more about your character, Mrs
Sharmistha Gooptu
@Sumu · 2:42
So Mrs G's world in this book is a world which is partly lived in the past, because let me explain this partly lived in the past in dementia. When I spoke to doctors, they said that while the recent memory is more easily affected, you can forget if you've eaten breakfast or if you've showered in the morning
Sonali Sharma
@authorsonali · 0:39
Ah, this is so captivating. And I am intrigued the way you have shared the narration. And pretty sure I think our readers are also quite convinced to read your entire book. So the next question is somewhat similar to the previous question. Maybe you can say linked version of the previous question. So, as the blurb mentions the death of someone named Sri, which seems to weigh heavily on Mrs G's mind, so could you provide some insights?
Sharmistha Gooptu
@Sumu · 1:50
G, who is suffering from dementia, is talking about this lady who she has never mentioned before. And Sri Bose had taken her own life. So what is this mystery? How is her mother connected with this mystery of Sri Bose who had died some years before? And how is Varanasi connected the city where people go to die so that they can escape the cycle of birth and death? How is Varanasi tied to Sri Bosa's death? What is the mystery?
mannya nayar
@shesalliwannabe · 0:21
Hello, mom. Good evening. How do you think our past experiences shape our present or our opinions? And how do you think our past experiences help us, you know, develop as an individual or grow as an individual or, you know, you know, relate to someone with similar experiences? Thank you
Sharmistha Gooptu
@Sumu · 1:06
So your past is what makes your present. Who you are today is obviously shaped by what your experiences have been. And those experiences really draw you towards like minded people or people who have had similar experiences. Because those experiences make them what they are today. Like you are what you are today because of your past
Sonali Sharma
@authorsonali · 0:46
So since Varanasi has been described in your book, and Varanasi is described as the holy city where people go to die, so how does setting of Varanasi contribute to the overall theme and the atmosphere that your book carries, that your entire story carries? So what is the significance that Varanasi as a city holds in your book?
Sharmistha Gooptu
@Sumu · 2:26
Again, this city, Varanasi, is a place where people go to die. And that is why this also figures as a metaphor. Because this girl mishra. She is now imagining what her mother's last days might be. When her mother is talking things which she cannot place, things which seem to be a function of her dementia, she is thinking what her mother will become as the disease progresses. She is sometimes thinking of her mother's death
Vipin Kamble
@Vipin0124 · 2:08
Recently I had a conversation with one of my friend around after 20 years and she has disconnected all the ties with all of us. And when I was asking the reason why, then she just gave a simple answer that weapon. Everybody has a past. I do have a past and my kids are growing up and I don't want my kids to judge me for the past I have. So I felt the sadness in her voice, what she was trying to make me understand and I understood
Sharmistha Gooptu
@Sumu · 2:57
But if you have brought them up to think of you as someone perfect, someone who has always been perfect, then it can also be very difficult for children to accept that the mother has a past. So it really depends on how you bring your children up
Swell Team
@Swell · 0:15
Sonali Sharma
@authorsonali · 1:00
Okay, so when we talk about the overall theme of the book, so is there any specific message or a theme in the book that you would like readers to reflect upon after they finish reading the entire book? Any one message or any one particular teaching that you want readers should take back with them after they complete reading your book?
Sharmistha Gooptu
@Sumu · 2:13
Hi sonali. Thanks for your question. Well, I think there are two things I would like readers to think about after they finish the book. One is obviously the mother and child relation and how after a point, children are like your cohorts, they are like your friends and you should always bring them up to be ah, more compassionate, more understanding
Good evening to you. Sharmishta, ma'am. I am Kadambari Gupta and first of all I would like to congratulate you for your book Unspoken. The title in itself looks very interesting and promising. My question to you is that why have you chosen the title unspoken for your book? So that's my question and I wish you all the best ma'am, lots of success to you and may God fulfill every dream that you have seen. Thank you so much
Sharmistha Gooptu
@Sumu · 2:20
There are many things in this relationship which are implied, understood, but not spoken, which creates a tremendous pressure on this character and which then creates mental health issues for her. And then she is later diagnosed with early onset dementia. We cannot say dementia happens because of a history of mental health issues, but it might also happen because of that. So this character, she has spent up a lot inside her and she has had mental health issues
5203anushka navetia
@pavtr · 0:39
As in terms of whether in the historical time the expectations of women were less or more as compared to right now, have they remained the same, or to a certain extent, they have gotten worse or better over time. I would love to know your opinion on this. Thank you
Sharmistha Gooptu
@Sumu · 2:05
And so in that way, motherhood is, I think, something where more changes are needed. We should judge mothers less. So that's something where society has not changed as much as it should have
Sonali Sharma
@authorsonali · 2:03
So firstly, before I ask the last question, I would like to thank you so much for being such a wonderful guest and taking out your valuable time for our readers, for our audience and answering the questions about your book, sharing some insights and your back end journey. When it comes as a writer and being a historian, it was great having a conversation with you
Sharmistha Gooptu
@Sumu · 1:43
So what I would tell young writers is if you have an idea, no idea. No idea really comes a full circle in your mind. With most writers, it doesn't happen like that. You start writing and then it evolves. You write, you erase, you write again and you evolve in that way. So if you have an idea, you speak to people who are established writers if you have the chance
Prabha Iyer
@PSPV · 2:34
It wants to come out, but we suppress them due to the respecting the few relationship we have to suppress. Everybody has a past and everything. The emotions in all relationship. Probably they don't discuss with everyone. They're not comfortable doing so. But everybody has something hidden inside there always. I would say that the face that reveals you is not the real face. You have to look for the inner face