Mapping HEARTS

Ashwini Iyer Tiwari harnessed her energies to a different medium and came out with a bestselling novel. She shares her journey of publishing her first book with Analita Seth.

- Analita Seth

With four films out in as many years, it won’t be an exaggeration to call her a dedicated workaholic. The pandemic provided director Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari the time to slow down and exhale. Away from the chaos surrounding the director’s chair, she delved deep into her subconscious to pen a tale of love and longing. Her debut novel, Mapping Love is an insightful take on relationships and their complexities. Instead of celluloid, she took a leap of faith to tell the story in the more traditional way. She lets us have a peep into her hugely creative mind as she talks about her journey as a writer, reflecting on her process, the setbacks she faced and the glow of accomplishment she felt when she finished the book. Excerpts...

How has the lockdown treated you?

When the lockdown started last year, it came as a surprise to all of us because we never expected something like this to happen. It taught me to live life everyday, as it is and not think too much about the future. You don’t know where it will take you. The second thing it taught me is that you don’t need to be dependent on too many people to do your work. Also, the value of humanity. This pandemic didn’t see rich or poor, nothing of that sort and just disrupted everyone’s life. I don’t think we’ll ever forget this phase. This was the first time we prayed for everyone around the world and not just our loved ones.

Why did you name your debut novel as Mapping Love?