Indian writer discusses women’s quest for love, economic freedom

KATHMANDU: Shrayana Bhattacharya, a popular Indian author and economist, was one of the speakers at the Nepal Literature Festival-2022 held in Pokhara on December 21-26, 2022.

In conversation with journalist Sewa Bhattarai, she spoke about women’s quest for love, intimacy, and economic freedom in a power-packed session. She also discussed her experiences with field surveys as an economist. Further, she described her experiences working with women in Ahmedabad’s slums. “The women were hesitant to speak with the surveyors, who came, inquired, and then left. Their research or survey had little impact on the lives of the women who struggled every day for economic freedom. They were working for minimum wage and couldn’t see themselves as part of the bigger economic structure discussed in the study,” she added.

Bhattacharya’s book ‘Desperately Seeking Shah Rukh’ has won many hearts for its novel approach to discussing women, employment, and the economy.

According to Bhattacharya, she began the survey, asking the women who their favorite Bollywood actor was as an icebreaker. ‘Shah Rukh Khan,’ women said almost everywhere she went, whether it was the slums of Ahmedabad, Jharkhand, or the posh areas of New Delhi. The clever concept of discussing Shah Rukh prompted the women to open up and tell Shrayana about their lives and financial situations.

However, they were not always discussing Shah Rukh. According to Bhattacharya, they discussed their financial difficulties and how tough it was for them to see him on screen. In these interactions, Shrayana saw a pattern. Women all around India projected their unfulfilled lifestyles onto Shah Rukh Khan’s films. Shah Rukh had on film the lives they couldn’t have and the economic freedom they didn’t have. And his on-screen presence provided relief for these women. “‘Women don’t want to marry Shah Rukh. They want to become him,” Bhattacharya assertively claimed in front of a flabbergasted audience in Pokhara.

Through her book, Shrayana has masked the hidden agenda; emancipation of women and economic liberation using Shah Rukh’s name.

Through her book, Shrayana has masked the hidden agenda; emancipation of women and economic liberation using Shah Rukh’s name. Almost a clickbait, the Bollywood star’s name has worked wonders in encouraging women to come out of their shells and dream of an end to all the various glass ceilings that suffocate them, she shared.

Journalist Bhattarai complemented Shrayana’s natural charm perfectly well. With succinct questions that led to insightful discussions, the discourse was one of its kind. Bhattacharya talked about the hard-hitting reality that despite the economy of India and the subcontinent’s growth, the economy in itself is masculine. “Women from marginalized communities are far from being included in this large, male-dominated system. Even working women who are on the same intellectual level as these men often become victims of prejudices, gender biases, and discrimination,” she shared.

The session was a fresh take on feminism and women’s evergoing plight for freedom. Bhattacharya talked about all the women who have been wronged by the patriarchal society and firmly stated the need to design an economy that is women-friendly.