Chandigarh-based author Suditi Jindal has now come out with her second novel “The ADULTERESS” that is already receiving critical acclaim. The first “Grow up Moon” was about friendship between two women. Suditi has shown much more maturity as a writer in her second book, deftly delineating numerous delicate situations. “The ADULTERESS” is the story of Arunima – an extraordinary woman who was head and shoulder above her peers in the school. Her teachers loved her for her exceptional brilliance both in academic and extracurricular activities. Above all, she was the most beautiful of the girls.

HER best friend was Abhiuday, scion of a wealthy aristocratic family of Allahabad. The two were in love; they would go for evening walk in a nearby park. Uday was the romantic kind in the mould of a Dev Anand. She too was equally responsive and the two would occasionally indulge in hurried kissing and necking under the shade of thick trees; she had, however, drawn up a Lakshman Rekha that was strictly adhered to. The two swore eternal love and would have usual lovers’ spats followed sooner or later by amorous reconciliations.

As luck would have it the two protagonists were destined to walk divergent paths. Abhiuday’s aristocratic grandfather would not hear of his grandson courting a girl from a middle class family. Uday himself was too much of a Mamma’s boy and easily fell in line, forsaking his lady love. He was sent for studies to the U.S. in order to keep him far away at a safe distance.

Arunima was shell-shocked by Abhiuday’s betrayal and took that night a dozen or so of sleeping pills. It was by sheer providence and timely intervention by her parents who rushed her to a hospital that she was saved. She felt much guilty and ashamed to see the distraught faces of her parents. Though she was shattered by Abhiuday’s betrayal, she did not allow it to adversely impact her life. Another shock was in store for her. For a compelling reason, her parents have had to move to Haridwar. However, it was unthinkable for them to leave behind alone their darling daughter, but she somehow persuaded them that she would be alright by herself.

Then one evening Arunima met Tarun at a birthday party. She was irresistibly attractive. And Tarun’s charm too “worked wonders on her soul”; the two danced virtually non-stop that evening. They started dating. In a way, Tarun was just the opposite of Uday. To her utter puzzlement and even disappointment, Tarun did not make any amorous overtures even when they were alone in his hotel room. His upbringing was proper and conventional that taught him to be a ‘gentleman’. Arunima married Tarun and soon gave birth to a girl. She has all the worldly luxuries, social status and whatever, yet she felt an emptiness of sorts and desperately yearned for that elusive ray of sunshine. She had grown up into a free spirited and enterprising young woman, breaking all social norms and challenging the conventional behaviour expected of a woman. The ADULTERESS is the story of self-actualization of Arunima against the back-drop of her love affair with Abhiuday.

Arunima had hitherto imagined that her unrequited love had sown within her the seeds of licentiousness However, one day, to her utter confusion, it dawned on her that it was something entirely different that she had yearned for. Her incessant search for that oasis in the desert leads to a sensual communion with the divine and she realizes that all her answers are with her and within her. She then answers the call of her inner self and gradually emerges as the epitome of a fulfilled person who attracts to herself fame, money, success, love and all the worldly things.

The story is analogous to the dilemma faced by many people who thirst after a higher quest or purpose in life. The book is fast-paced and easy to read. The universal thread of love in the story keeps it fragrant and light, even while talking about the profound concept of discovering the purpose of one’s life. The depiction of mother-daughter relation, the evolution of the relationship between the husband and wife and the transformation of Arunima, are the highpoints of the novel. The metamorphosis is achieved in the novel through a gradual unfolding of events that unleash a wave of love and harmony to all involved in the situation. The scenes of love-making are aesthetically delineated to create images of pristine emotions manifesting themselves. “She looked like a lotus leaf with drops of water dancing on its surface, delicate and pure,” these words are used by Suditi to portray her protagonist Arunima, after she spends a long night of unabashed passion with her lover. The novel is a bold rendition which will find a universal appeal. Incidentally, the story has all the ingredients needed for a successful movie with a message relevant to the present times. In fact, it is like a movie in print.

Title: The ADULTERESS

Author: Suditi Jindal

Publisher: Grapevine India

Pages: 205

Price: Rs. 149/-

“Writing Is Sheer Joy For Me”

Suditi speaks with Raj Kanwar about “The ADULTERESS” and how and why she came to write it.

What actually motivated you to write “The ADULTERESS”? What lessons do you expect your readers to learn from the character of Arunima?

Initially, I began writing “The ADULTERESS” as a fantasy in a utopian world. But I soon realized that a straight line had no nooks for interesting escapades. So I introduced a dilemma as to what is the purpose of one’s life. The story thus took on its own shape and form and I became a mere medium of expression. I wish the reader to realize that the most important relation in our life is with our own selves. We need to invest in ourselves and answer the call of our inner voice. This alone is the road to all forms of gratification – worldly and the other worldly.

Did your husband, daughter and others in the family express any reservation on your taking up such a bold theme further accentuated by the title "The ADULTERESS"?

I believe that any successful person needs a strong support group within or outside the family. These people hold the fort when the pace of the tired or confused warrior slackens. My family knows that I am an independent-minded woman in thought, decision making and action. Thus it did not think of asking me to soften or mellow my writing either in content or theme.

Besides being an author, you are also a Life Coach, Corporate Trainer and Founder & CEO of “The Learning Curve Academy”. How do you manage to juggle these different interests?

Since I am a life skills coach and the time management is a skill that I train others to become proficient in, I easily manage to practice what I preach. It takes a lot of discipline, meticulous planning and willing support from my staff to do justice to all the professional roles I engage in from time to time. Besides my multi-dimensional interaction with people in different aspects provides fodder for my stories.

Is writing your passion or an occupation?

I write for the sheer joy of writing. Writing puts me in a privileged position to be able to add more value to other people’s life while satisfying my own urge to communicate.

What is your writing routine? Have you another writing project in the pipeline?

I have no fixed routine especially for writing. However once I begin a writing project, all other engagements take a back seat in my life. The story that is ready to be written overpowers me to such a great extent that I forsake sleep, hunger and much of my other routine. Yes, I have begun work on my third novel. As of now, it seems to be a love story with a strange twist.

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RAJ KANWAR