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Bhubaneswar, Sept 10: Ravinder Singh launched his latest book ‘This Love That Feels Right’ at Oxford Bookstore here Friday.
Orissa POST later spoke with the writer about the book and what inspired him to pen it.
“The book is based on love outside marriage. I have tried to explore a different theme of love with the two female protagonists in the book having extramarital relationships. Both are young and stuck in unhappy relationships; one is open minded and wants to come out of her failed marriage while the other is traditional and is hesitant,” Ravinder said.
He believes the new book is different in the sense that it explores a forbidden territory. “My previous books were love stories of the socially accepted kind whereas in this book the love is forbidden. We call a certain kind of love as forbidden and don’t accept it as love. Through this book, I want to foster a debate about why the society cannot accept relationships married people have outside their marriage,” the writer said.
The book draws from Ravinder’s observations of people who have been in such relationships and are facing problems. “People’s perception of love changes with time as do expectations of people. Extramarital affairs are becoming common, but people who are having them they try to keep it secret for the fear of being judged by the society. They become negative within; a feeling of guilt, sin haunts them,” he said.
The writer was motivated to write the book to bear out his view that marriage was an adjustment. “I have talked about this adjustment in the book. I want to change the perception about marriage. Love should be the base of any relationship,” he said.
The book has been receiving mixed response from readers and critics, but the writer himself does not keep “any expectation” of the book. “My only motive is to initiate a debate and see what happens. Different readers have different views. We can’t say right how the book will do and what they may say later.”
However, the response he received from Bhubaneswar, warmed the cockles of his heart. “I visit Bhubaneswar often as I have a connection with this place (he used to be an employee at Infosys). I love the warm response I receive here,” he said. Ravinder is planning another book that is to be released by end of next year. “I am planning to make my next book, too, into a love story. But I may experiment with something new if I find anything interesting,” he said.
