In SB Divya’s 2016 novella Run-time, nominated for the prestigious Nebula Award for science fiction, a gritty, under-equipped young tech genius competes with the most advanced cyborgs in a challenging multi-terrain marathon set in the distant future. As the protagonist battles the elements, pain and even betrayal equipped only in fragile gear put together from other people’s garbage, the gripping, fast-paced narrative brings up issues relevant to the present world: economic inequality, corporate monopoly, and social injustice.
There are other absorbing, evocative stories in Divya’s 2019 collection Contingency Plans for the Apocalypse (Hachette, Rs 399) full of fantastical situations, genderless, ageless humans and brilliant machines – a must-read not just for sci-fi fans but anyone who loves a good book. “Most of my ideas tend to be mashups of different elements in real life. The technological inspiration often comes from the latest research and developments. I draw the human and social elements from observations about my life or news items,” says the 44-year-old Indian-American, who worked for 20 years as an electrical engineer before becoming an author.
Born in Pondicherry, India, Divya moved to the US with her parents at the age of five. “My father was a business professor (now retired), and mother raised me full-time until my teens, when she became a software engineer. I got into science fiction around the age of nine or 10. I also enjoyed math, science, oil painting, and bharata natyam,” she narrates. Currently based in southern California, Divya continues to visit family in India every few years.
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Denne historien er fra August 2020-utgaven av eShe.
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God On The Tip Of Our Tongues
The pandemic has normalised spiritual discourse and religious references
A NEW APPROACH
Malayalam film actor and Oxford graduate Santhy Balachandran used her anthropology background to conceptualise an avantgarde music video
LOOKING OUT FOR THE BIRDS
Bird steward Karen Mason on why she wants to save the birds on Florida’s coasts and her viral photo of a bird feeding her chick
SORAYA CHEMALY: RIGHTS AND RAGE
Washington DC-based author and feminist activist Soraya Chemaly believes women’s anger can be a powerful force for social justice
A MYSTERY IN HISTORY
We review two novels set in the 20th century with fabulous, flawed female protagonists out to investigate strange goings-on
A MOM'S LIFE
Photographer Debalina Bhatta’s photo feature following her mother’s daily routine is an ode to mothers everywhere
THE RAGA OF LIFE
Mahesvari Autar’s events platform showcases Indian classical music and mantras to audiences in Holland
WOMEN FIRST
Michigan-based artist and entrepreneur Svitlana Martynjuk is determined to facilitate fair representation of women in the global art scene
UNLOCKING CREATIVITY
If the Covid pandemic affected each part of our lives, can art be far behind? Two young Indian painters Aditi Purwar and Shivangi Kalra take us through the ups and downs of their artistic journeys through the pandemic and how it has shaped their personal and creative vision
WORKPLACE WELLNESS
Management consultant Seema Rekha on why employee mental health is vital for company growth and why women make better leaders
