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Considering her home is an imposing Lutyens bungalow on Akbar Road, author Manju Kapur8217;s vivid descriptions of middle class Indians and joint families are clearly far removed from her life.

Manju Kapur8217;s new book The Immigrant deals with the experiences of home in an alien land

Considering her home is an imposing Lutyens bungalow on Akbar Road, author Manju Kapur8217;s vivid descriptions of middle class Indians and joint families are clearly far removed from her life. But home, and by extension family, Kapur insists, is what she knows best and she says the problems remain the same irrespective of the address. 8220;My imagination works best in families. I think they are largely underrated in Indian novels, but if you look at it closely, much of the works of writers like Vikram Seth and Amitav Ghosh too deal with the family in the microcosm. Home is where we live our lives and there are so many economic, social and gender issues that are played out,8221; she says.

Her latest book, The Immigrant Rs 395, Random House, like her previous novels, Difficult Daughters and A Married Woman and Home, delves on the familiar terrain. The story of Nina, a 30-year-old lecturer of English at Miranda House, who immigrates to Canada after her marriage to Ananda, a dentist in Halifax, is set against the Emergency in India. It is also a tale about home, and the absence of it, in the face of the trials she faces in her life. 8220;I usually begin writing on an issue that bothers me. The characters come later, and finally the story. In A Married Woman it was the demolition of the Babri Masjid and here it is the Emergency. I grew up during the period and if you had an opportunity to leave, you went, hoping never to return again, leaving all that was familiar, all that you thought was yours for good,8221; says the 50-something, who returned to India despite a brief stint at Halifax in the early 1970s.

Kapur, who teaches English at Miranda House, is on an indefinite sabbatical at the moment, using the time to pen her next novel that centers around custody. 8220;Teaching has helped me a fair bit. But what has been crucial to me is my extensive reading habit. In order to be a good writer, it is important to broaden your literary consciousness. Just the awareness of what language can do and how you are constantly challenged to do something different is important,8221; she says, remarking that most of her novels go through multiple drafts and that her laptop is peppered with various versions of her manuscripts. 8220;I made 14 drafts for The Immigrant,8221; she says wryly.

Her book had an unconventional pre-launch at a Gurgaon-based call centre, but for an author who is so nuanced in the intricacies of public life, Kapur has never been one to frequent book launches or parties. 8220;I like being left to myself. It8217;s probably why I find travel very stressful and overrated. I do not have a hugely exciting life. I keep myself busy doing little things at home. I can8217;t bring myself to attend these dos. Writing can never be a social stepping stone,8221; she says. She8217;d rather distill the experiences of her everyday life into the next bestseller.

Paromita Chakrabarti

Paromita Chakrabarti is Senior Associate Editor at the The Indian Express. She is a key member of the National Editorial and Opinion desk and writes on books and literature, gender discourse, workplace policies and contemporary socio-cultural trends. Professional Profile With a career spanning over 20 years, her work is characterized by a "deep culture" approach—examining how literature, gender, and social policy intersect with contemporary life. Specialization: Books and publishing, gender discourse (specifically workplace dynamics), and modern socio-cultural trends. Editorial Role: She curates the literary coverage for the paper, overseeing reviews, author profiles, and long-form features on global literary awards. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) Her recent writing highlights a blend of literary expertise and sharp social commentary: 1. Literary Coverage & Nobel/Booker Awards "2025 Nobel Prize in Literature | Hungarian master of apocalypse" (Oct 10, 2025): An in-depth analysis of László Krasznahorkai’s win, exploring his themes of despair and grace. "Everything you need to know about the Booker Prize 2025" (Nov 10, 2025): A comprehensive guide to the history and top contenders of the year. "Katie Kitamura's Audition turns life into a stage" (Nov 8, 2025): A review of the novel’s exploration of self-recognition and performance. 2. Gender & Workplace Policy "Karnataka’s menstrual leave policy: The problem isn’t periods. It’s that workplaces are built for men" (Oct 13, 2025): A viral opinion piece arguing that modern workplace patterns are calibrated to male biology, making women's rights feel like "concessions." "Best of Both Sides: For women’s cricket, it’s 1978, not 1983" (Nov 7, 2025): A piece on how the yardstick of men's cricket cannot accurately measure the revolution in the women's game. 3. Social Trends & Childhood Crisis "The kids are not alright: An unprecedented crisis is brewing in schools and homes" (Nov 23, 2025): Writing as the Opinions Editor, she analyzed how rising competition and digital overload are overwhelming children. 4. Author Interviews & Profiles "Fame is another kind of loneliness: Kiran Desai on her Booker-shortlisted novel" (Sept 23, 2025): An interview regarding The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny. "Once you’ve had a rocky and unsafe childhood, you can’t trust safety: Arundhati Roy" (Aug 30, 2025): A profile on Roy’s recent reflections on personal and political violence. Signature Beats Gender Lens: She frequently critiques the "borrowed terms" on which women navigate pregnancy, menstruation, and caregiving in the corporate world. Book Reviews: Her reviews often draw parallels between literature and other media, such as comparing Richard Osman’s The Impossible Fortune to the series Only Murders in the Building (Oct 25, 2025). ... Read More