Unravelling a murder mystery

Sharma, a renowned author whose works have been translated in several languages believes that ‘the older generation in India has to cope with so many new things and most of them are very plucky and brave while their children live away.’ The novel, published by Penguin Random House India, traces the life of the residents of a happy home for the aged set in Goa. It was inspired by some feisty people she met at an old people’s home in Delhi. 

The tranquillity of the Happy Home for the Aged is shattered when a body is found hanging in the garden. The residents of the home, mostly above 65 years, were at first perplexed, and then decide to come together to solve the murder that has suddenly brought the violence of the world into their Goan Arcadia. In a chat with DT Next, Sharma reveals her love for reading murder mysteries. 

The author began her writing career with short articles for a newspaper about ordinary people who came to Delhi and who made a living by working as hawkers. She did a pencil sketch about them too. “An editor at a well-known publication saw them and asked me to do a book about these people. I still have not done it but have written 20 other books instead,” she says. 

She has published five collections of short stories, Banana Flower Dreams, a novel and three books for children. “Every book is dear to me. Each one makes me explore new dimensions of Indian life.” 

To make her characters come alive, Sharma tries to get into people’s heads and find out what they really think about a particular thing and how they want to deal with a certain situation. “The five residents — Reflective Rosie, sharp-tongued Prema, analytical Devan, action-man Cyrilo and artistic Yuri — bring to the table different skills that help unravel the mysterious crime. This page-turner, with an infinite cast of possible murderer’s, is set in an old people’s home in a quiet village in Goa. It is a light-hearted, cosy, murder mystery and I have tried to show the tension between the local people and outsiders from Delhi which is a real issue in Goa,” explains the author. 

Bulbul Sharma shares a piece of advice for aspiring authors. “Every writer or artist has to find his or her own voice. Each person is unique and has so much in their mindset. Bring all that out in an honest way and share it with others. Interacting with people out of your friend circle and being genuinely interested in their lives would help you find new ideas. Empathy goes a long way to create good stories,” sums up the author, who has already finished another murder mystery set in Shimla in the 1940s.