He, she and love in these times

CHENNAI: In this fast-paced world, people often take many things for granted and according to Astha Mittal, love tops that list. We caught up with the Delhi-based writer, painter and travel enthusiast ahead of the launch of her debut novel She and He in the city on November 25. “Love and relationships define our very being, yet sometimes we forget its significance in our lives. We live very mechanical lives these days. My book is a reminder for this generation that love is everything,” she smiles.

A self-admitted ‘hopelessly hopeful’ romantic, she says that the book focuses on the many facets of the man-woman relationship - both the simple and difficult. “I have compared it with Yin-Yang and Siva-Sakti, where one is incomplete without the other. You cannot spark a dialogue on one aspect, without talking about the other. It is symbiotic, organic yet complex,” she laughs.

So what exactly prompted her to explore the dynamics of this puzzling bond? “All that I have written is a reflection of my own experiences with relationships, and also those of my friends and family. I think personal anecdotes tend to make the narrative stronger and make people connect with the story better,” she avers. “I am an engineer with a mass communication degree, but writing has always been on my mind. From the 15-year-old about to touch the flames of love for the first time to a senior citizen, who has endured what life has thrown at him or her, I believe that everybody will be able to relate to the plot.”

Though this is the first time that Astha has penned a book on the subject, it is not the first time that she has tried to creatively express the dimensions of the man-woman relationship. “As I am an artist as well, I had already come up with an exhibition of paintings based on the same theme in 2015. I also plan to do a She and He cookbook, featuring simple recipes with flavours that marry well. For example garlic bread and tomato soup, and even a short story series soon,” she grins.

Word of advice
After being turned down by publications, Astha decided to  ‘just go for it’ and self-publish her book. She recommends the same to aspiring writers.

‘She & He’ is available on Amazon and is priced at `500