BENGALURU: It took an incident in France to set author Srividya Srinivasan thinking about the human angle behind terrorism. The incident involved a policeman stopping a lady on a scooter for wearing a burqa. “While people often die in an instant, they do carry the story of their lives from time of birth to that point of death. It is destiny that draws people to a place to meet their end together. Even the terrorist is just an actor in the drama,” says Srinivasan, who will be holding a dramatised reading of her book on Saturday.
The Hand of Destiny (published by Leadstart Publishers) is the story of two women, whom fate brings together, to find answers to profound life questions and their roles as mothers. The story focuses on pain, guilt, loss, tragedy, and healing through a rare friendship that transcends all boundaries. Midway into her writing, the horror in France happened in 2015, blurring the lines between fact and fiction. “Every tragedy has a story behind it, as has every victim and abuser. My story focuses on vulnerability and through it, the grace of healing and inner strength,” she says.
This subject, Srinivasan feels, needs to be written in a certain balance. Too much negativity can get depressing, but neither can you trivialise death. “One is meant to write with integrity only when one is in that state of balance. There were waiting periods where I felt the need to not rush,” says Srinivasan, who has now started her sixth novel, The Dance of Kotravai, set in the Sangam period which has nearly 50-75 characters.The event will be held on March 27, 7pm, at Alliance Francaise, Thimmiah Road.