Sharjah: India’s renowned author, Chetan Bhagat, returned to the Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF) this year to launch and talk about his latest novel, One Indian Girl.

Hundreds of thrilled readers and fans attended his book discussion, which also saw Bhagat giving his advice to aspiring writers on how to write a manuscript while keeping their full-time jobs since he, too, started writing as a full-time bank professional.

Speaking about his latest novel, he said the plot follows the experiences of Radhika Mehta, a successful urban Indian woman who cannot find Mr Right because she is too smart and independent, which is a recurrent theme in Indian popular culture.

“One Indian Girl represents the lives of many Indian women whose personal lives bear the brunt of their professional success. The book hopes to question society which, in an era marked by enterprising women achievers, struggles to accept her in this new avatar. I ask a simple question — why is it that when it comes to love, being intelligent and ‘too successful’ is almost an impediment for women while it is, more often than not, a prerequisite for men?” said Bhagat.

He said this novel is a special one for him because he represented a woman’s voice.

“I write in first person, and this is the first time ever that I represented a woman’s voice. It took a great deal of research and understanding of the challenges women face, living lives in which they appear to be complete with professional success, social status and independence, but become lonelier and more insecure with each promotion. This is because they appear to be threatening, taking over a man’s role in what has always been a man’s world,” he added.

The book discussion also brought up other issues like corruption, cleanliness, traffic, safety and security, that plague the growth and development not only of women living and working in India and abroad, but that of the Indian society.

An alumnus of the Indian Institute of Technology and Indian Institute of Management, Bhagat left behind a career in investment banking to pursue writing. His debut, Five Point Someone, sold more than two million copies. His five fiction and two non-fiction titles have sold more than 15 million copies, establishing him as India’s most popular author.

SIBF 2016 has been organised by the Sharjah Book Authority (SBA), and is taking place from November 2 to 12 at Expo Centre Sharjah.