Interview with Sonam Gupta
Published 2017-01-06.
What is I'm Not a Betrayer about?
I'm Not a Betrayer is about a common girl who married a man to fulfill their parent's desire. The book talks about realism, marital rape and pain of the girl after marriage.
Tell us about yourself.
I am a small town girl from a middle class family with little desires and dreams to win the world. I have a small family with parents and a younger sister. I do teach children to make a living. I’m a person of principles, emotions, and morality.
What inspired you to write?
I'm not a born writer. Neither, I aspired to be one ever. It was the pain in me that forced me to write. You can mock a person once, twice or a few more times. But how long can one take it? I was tired of being a helpless, passive victim of what was going around me. I had to stand out.. sooner or later.
“I'm not a Betrayer” is a simple yet an attractive title. How did you come up with the name for the book?
Isn't it the same they called me.. an unfaithful? A Betrayer? A Bewafa? I didn't choose a title for my book. It was the title people chose for me. I had to keep my point. I had to tell my story. I had to raise my voice. I just did that.
Why did you choose to write?
We all are stories. Some are beautiful. Some are sour. But still, everyone has one. I needed to tell my story to everyone. What could be better than telling my story in form of a book? Those who want to judge can still judge. But those who want to know the reality, can peep into the story.
Does the book totally capture your personal experiences?
Yes. Everything written in the story is taken from my personal life. Though I've changed names of other characters so that their name or reputation is not hampered. My motive is to gain my respect. Not, hamper others.
You have a bold cover. A fair lady with a bare back. How did you zeroed down to this cover?
When I completed writing my story, I approached few authors and some friends. I had no idea about how the book cover should be. One of the authors who have read the book suggested a cover like this. A friend designed and everyone approved. I do understand that few people are not fine with this cover. But, whoever have read the book, have not complained about it later.
What does the book hope to achieve?
It hopes to question society, which judges women. Not only me, every girl named Sonam found it difficult to walk on roads without a cover on their face after this incident. This book is successful when not only Sonam but every woman can walk freely on road, raising her head.
What are some of the topics that you want to write about and why?
I don't know. I never wanted to write. It is more out of force than my choice. Still, I will leave this decision to people who read my book. If they want me to write, I will write for them. In case I do, I will write to bring change in the society. I believe, if a story that doesn't comes with a moral or message or it doesn't make you to think, it's not worth writing it.
In the end, what is your suggestion for aspiring writers?
Ha ha :) I do not consider myself an author yet. How can I advice to other aspiring authors? I'm still trying to learn from others. Still I would suggest one thing to everyone who aspires to write: Write! I believe that's the first and the most difficult part. Each one of us has a story. But how many of us can tell the same?
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