‘My Novels are My Jewish voice'

Sahitya Akademi Award recipient Esther David (75) is often referred to as the ‘Indian Jewish author’. In this interview with Aruna Raghuram, she talks about her fascinating childhood, her brush with art, taking up writing and her love for cooking.

- Aruna Raghuram

When Esther David agreed to an email interview in the times of lockdown, I was delighted. Though we wouldn’t be meeting face to face, I had earlier met and interviewed her many times in Ahmedabad. I remember her trademark large red ‘bindi’ and broad smile, her warmth and hospitality whenever I dropped in. Esther dons many hats – apart from being a writer, she is an artist, sculptor, critic, columnist and illustrator of her books. In this interview, the recipient of the Sahitya Akademi Award in 2010 reminisces about her adventurous childhood, life growing up in the old city of Ahmedabad, how an artist and art critic became a Writer, Jewish culture and traditions, and much more.

A ‘Wild’ Upbringing

Esther was born into a Bene Israel Jewish family in Ahmedabad on March 17, 1945. Her father, Reuben David, founded the Kamala Nehru Zoological Garden near Kankaria lake in the city. Her mother, Sarah, was a school teacher. Earlier, her father would spend hours in the forests hunting with friends, who belonged to the former royal families of Gujarat. But he laid down his guns when he saw a dying deer and became a wildlife conservationist. narrates Esther: “When my father was creating a zoo on the hillocks around the Kankaria lake of Ahmedabad, each day was full of surprises connected with birds and animals.”