Namita Gokhale takes potshots at elite society in new book

Twenty seven years after her debut novel shocked and awed Indian publishing with straight- from-the-shoulder sexual humour, Namita Gokhale is back with another satire that takes potshots at today's politicians and well-heeled society.

"Yes, I have caricatured society again in my new novel. From the time I have written my first novel 'Paro' society has seen many changes. I wanted to do go back to writing social comedy and took characters from the first fiction," said Gokhale, who has authored a total of 10 books.

The formula for Delhi's social networking, its obsession with acronyms used for various civic bodies and the mores of political spouses, society ladies, the working class form the various themes in Gohale's new novel "Priya: In Incredible Indyaa" that is a take off from her 1984 book,"Paro: Dreams of Passion."

"Paro was a comical novel, funny novel and then as a reaction I went into writing more and more serious books which were fun also but in a different tone," says the 55-year-old author whose bibliography sports non-fiction such as "Mountain Echoes", "The Book of Shiva", "The Mahabharata" and "In Search of Sita -- Revisiting Mythology."

Gokhale, who turned publisher at the young age of 17 by bringing out the popular seventies film magazine "Super" from Mumbai says she is now not so clued into films. "I was deeply into film culture when I was younger and had a ringside view of the happening during my time at 'Super' but in Bhutan where they had invited many filmstars like Imtiaz Ali and Madhavan, it did not ring a bell," says the author who was an advisor at the recently concluded Mountain Echoes literary festival in Bhutan.

Through the eyes of a middle class girl who works her way through social and professional ranks to become the wife of a minister, Gokhale's recent novel takes a sneak peek at Bollywood culture, cricket, gay relationships, infidelity, political hobnobbing, social activism, current economic scenario as well as various events that make it to the daily newspapers. "Yes I have caricatured society, I do encounter society ladies and their eccentricities never ceases to amaze me. The whole celebrity culture has spawned so much hilarity and triviality," says the author who strives to stick to a timeless storyline while returning to her territory of her first novel.

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