Bhabra

fin.

Hi! Long note ahead.

I started this book in August 2019 and in my mind, it looked much more different than it turned out later. I guess that's what happens when you scrap your outline seven chapters in and decide to wing it. Mostly I mean, I still had some idea where and how it'll end.

Anyway, this wasn't supposed to be more than twenty chapters long, but once I started writing about Bhabra, this fictional village I'd made up, nostalgia hit me hard. And well, I couldn't stop until all I knew and remembered about small town UP and Bihari villages from the early 2000s came pouring out on paper. That and plenty of (only mildly guilty of wish fulfilment) romance. Fortunately, I didn't have to change my blurb because it still fits.

This wouldn't have been possible without the amazing community of friends—fellow authors and readers—that Bhabra attracted. Thank you for being so patient with me as I struggled to update over the months this stretched on for, thank you for the engagement and for bombarding me with comments and messages. Thank you all so, so much.

Also, on another, more serious note, I felt like addressing the real-life issue that somewhat became the secondary conflict of this novel, outside of Madhulika's own journey.

Cattle theft and smuggling is a shockingly underreported crime in India which affects millions of people across states like UP, Bihar, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Haryana, Assam, Odisha and West Bengal along with Karnataka, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh to a lesser degree. I tried to touch upon this topic in Bhabra but chose to whitewash the extent of the violence and suffering farmers have to go through. That was a creative decision because this book was supposed be a simple Diwaliesque story.

The reality of these crimes, however, include farmers and their families being shot in the face by smugglers when they try to protect their cows and buffaloes, smugglers running their trucks over policemen and women on duty, both cattle and their owners being set on fire by the smugglers, and animals being thrown out from moving trucks in order to escape the chasing police vans. The people involved aren't just ordinary thieves, they're pretty much like the villainous dacoits old Hindi films had, who terrorise entire villages.

Mostly smuggled across state and international borders into illegal slaughterhouses, these stolen cattle make up the backbone of a thriving trade worth hundreds of millions of dollars. A trade which is built on the dead bodies of poor farmers (and animals).

I understand that there is a religious element attached to the sentiment of cattle protection, especially cow protection. And that some social groups try to exploit that sentiment to create divide within the society. But in our haste to condemn those social groups, we end up ignoring the much larger issue of why those groups emerged in the first place. The police tries to help, but doesn't have enough resources and can simply be apathetic to this crime. At the end of the day, farmers need to fend for themselves, and they don't have the tools to do that. Every day, I see at least one Instagram story where my fellow city dwellers appeal on behalf of dogs being put up for adoption, but where do the poverty-stricken farmers go when their animals get stolen?

There isn't much you and I can do about this except raise awareness and attract media attention to it which will ultimately force the authorities to be more vigilant. Search up more about it, there are extensive articles on the issue in publications like The Times of India, Hindustan Times Live Mint, Swarajiya News, as well as several Hindi (and I suppose other regional language) outlets. It's high time we hear our farmers.

Jai Kisan!

Jai Hind!

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Hi again!

Those of you who are familiar with the writing side of Instagram (and I assume that's a lot) might've seen a post that keeps appearing everywhere, titled "10 questions to ask your friend who's read your novel." So like, this is basically the same thing, and it would be immensely helpful for me if you could answer these. No compulsion though, I'm already extremely grateful to y'all for making it till the end of Bhabra!

Okay so the questions:

1. At what point did you feel like, "Ah! Now the story has really begun!"

2. What were the points where you found yourself skimming?

3. Which setting in the book was clearest to you as you were reading it? Which do you remember the best?

4. Which character would you most like to meet and get to know?

5. What was the most tense moment of the book?

6. If you had to pick one character to get rid of, who would you axe?

7. Was there a situation in the novel that reminded you of something in your own life?

8. What were the cringiest and best moments of this book?

9. Do you think that Madhu's character wasn't good enough for Nakul? (My friend used to say that when their romance had started).

10. Do you think Pundit ji's character contributed to the story in anyway or should I remove all "spiritual" themes and make the commentary strictly socio-political in nature?

11. What are your favourite genres? (Not related to the book but I'm curious ^.^)

That's it basically. If you have any questions for me then you can ask here in the comments or DM me on either Wattpad or Instagram (@tripuaditi).

Thanks a lot! I love you guys!!

~Aditi Mani 

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Started: September 1, 2019

Completed: August 5, 2020

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PS: I have some vague ideas about Suananda, but no promises. 

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