Let me finish my term as RS member, then I'll write a story set in Parliament: Sudha Murthy
Bengaluru, Sep 1: Parliamentarian and author-philanthropist Sudha Murthy on Sunday said although she has read a book set in Parliament way back in the 1980s, about Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, since so much has changed about India and the Parliament since then, that she would not mind writing about it.
"Although, I have to finish my term as a Rajya Sabha member first, before I could attempt to do that," said Murthy on Sunday.
Murthy was in conversation with fellow author and actor Twinkle Khanna, at the celebration of the launch of her 300th book title – and 46th book – 'Grandpa’s Bag of Stories' here. The event was organised by Bengaluru-based Lit Spirit Foundation.
But in her immediate list of wishes is a book on 'shlokas' that her grandfather used to recite, she said.
"Like the one my grandfather used to recite when someone went travelling or stepped out of the house," said Murthy.
Murthy also said it is not likely that she will not set her stories in the United Kingdom, even though it is the place of her grandchildren.
"There are characters in my book that are very much my grandchildren, but they are based in India…In the UK, I have been at any point of time just for 10 to 15 days. To set a story in some place, you need to know the place well, you need to interact with the people. Then only you will get a glimpse of the culture and can write comfortably about it," she said.
Khanna and Murthy also discussed their respective approaches to writing as well as what they do to stay relevant as well as the meticulous research that goes into writing a book.
Talking about her process, Murthy said, she sits down to write only after she had framed the ‘entire story’ in her mind.
"I take only 10 to 15 days to write, not more than that. But I’ll think about the story for more than a year even," said Murthy.
Khanna said she struggled a bit in the beginning to juggle being a mother and writing, but eventually found her pace and reserved her mornings for writing.
"Writing is about discipline, finding the time – whatever works for you – and being very selfish about that time," she added.
Both the authors agreed that understanding what readers want is the key to being a productive writer.
Khanna said as a writer, she had discovered along the way that it was extremely important to form a connection with the readers.
Murthy said she regularly interacted with children, as she writes a lot of children's books.
"I try to find out what problems they are facing. I may not be able to give them solutions, but I write in such a way that makes them happy," Murthy said.
Earlier in the conversation, Murthy also talked about how difficult it is to write children’s books.
"When I write for adults, I can write without any filter. But when writing for children, I want to leave a positive message. I have to be careful about what I write because I also do not want to preach to them as well. The best way to go about it is to become a child yourself. This is not easy," she said.
'Grandpa’s Bag of Stories' is published by Puffin Books and is the second in her series of grandparents’ stories. The first one was called ‘Grandma’s Bag of Stories’.
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Sanjay Raut demands re-election, alleges irregularities in EVMs during Maharashtra polls
Mumbai, Nov 25: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday demanded a re-election in Maharashtra using ballot papers, claiming there were irregularities with the electronic voting machines (EVMs).
Talking to reporters, Raut alleged several complaints about EVMs malfunctioning and questioned the integrity of the recently held elections.
The BJP-led Mahayuti won 230 out of 288 seats in the assembly elections, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi managed 46 seats, with Shiv Sena (UBT) winning just 20 out of 95 seats it contested.
"We have received nearly 450 complaints regarding EVMs. Despite raising objections repeatedly, no action has been taken on these issues. How can we say these elections were conducted fairly? Hence, I demand that the results be set aside and elections be held again using ballot papers," Raut said.
Citing some instances, he said a candidate in Nashik reportedly received only four votes despite having 65 votes from his family, while in Dombivli, discrepancies were found in EVM tallies, and election officials refused to acknowledge the objections.
The Sena (UBT) leader also questioned the credibility of the landslide victories of some candidates, saying, "What revolutionary work have they done to receive more than 1.5 lakh votes? Even leaders who recently switched parties have become MLAs. This raises suspicions. For the first time, a senior leader like Sharad Pawar has expressed doubts about EVMs, which cannot be ignored."
Asked about the MVA's poor performance in the elections, Raut rejected the idea of blaming a single individual.
"We fought as a united MVA. Even a leader like Sharad Pawar, who commands immense respect in Maharashtra, faced defeat. This shows that we need to analyse the reasons behind the failure. One of the reasons is EVM irregularities and the misuse of the system, unconstitutional practices, and even judicial decisions left unresolved by Justice Chandrachud," he said.
Raut stressed that though internal differences might have existed within the MVA, the failure was collective.
He also accused the Mahayuti of conducting the elections in an unfair manner.
"I cannot call the elections fair given the numerous reports of discrepancies in EVMs, mismatched numbers, and vote irregularities across the state," Raut said.
