Moupia Basu has worked as a journalist with The Times of India, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, and Business Today. She has written on a variety of topics including business, education, art and culture and travel. Her debut book, Khoka, was published in 2015. Her books, The Queen's Last Salute - The story of the Rani of Jhansi and the 1857 Mutiny, and Anarkali and Salim - a retelling of Mughal e Azam were bestsellers. Moupia believes that the objective of a historical fiction writer should be to bring alive certain aspects of history, not change it; to present and enhance what’s there, and pull it out from the layers of obscurity.
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Moupia Basu On "Re-imagining the past through historical fiction" In Conversation With Piorre Hart
On 27th Nov 12.00 pm - 12.40 pm
“I had consistently appreciated understanding history, generally Indian history, in school. However, tragically, the set of experiences we read in school is neither far-reaching nor locks in. When I began going around the nation, with my better half, who is in the military, being posted at better places, I began studying our nation's set of experiences and culture. Furthermore, I had the opportunity to live in spots with a brilliant history and significant occasions set apart in their authentic schedule due to my extraordinary favourable luck. One such spot was Jhansi.
What's more, if you are in Jhansi, you can't get away from the overwhelming Jhansi fortification or the accounts of Maharani Lakshmibai. You can feel her quality for what it's worth. Orchha, the past capital of Bundelkhand, is only 20 kilometres from Jhansi and is an unquestionable requirement for a vacationer location for all guests to Jhansi. When I visited this enchanting town, I was scared. There was simply an excess of fables to be overlooked. Both these towns had a rich, authentic legacy, and however, in two unique states, offered me enough material for a story. Our set of experiences resembles a secret stash. The target of a chronicled fiction essayist should be to bring certain alive parts of history, not change it; to present and upgrade what's there, or haul it out from layers of lack of definition. I don't think we deserve the privilege to change the occasions by and large. In any case, history is abstract as well and diversely deciphered.”