A prolific writer, Kusum Ansal is a chronicler of women’s lives.
Her vast repertoire comprises short stories, poems, teleplays, travelogues and novels. While her novel Ek Aur Panchvati dealt with a woman’s right to seek happiness elsewhere in an unhappy marriage, The Widow of Vrindavan put the spotlight on the forgotten widows of the temple town. Ansal’s books in Hindi, Punjabi and English have been translated into languages such as Bengali, Urdu, Russian, Greek and French.
Foraying beyond the print medium, Ansal has dabbled in television, radio and theatre. Ek Aur Panchvati was adapted into a film—Panchvati—by Basu Bhattacharya, starring Deepti Naval and Suresh Oberoi. Incidentally, Ansal wrote the screenplay and dialogues for the film.
She has also been actively involved with organisations working in the fields of education and social service and has helmed the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry’s women’s wing—FICCI Ladies Organisation (FLO). Ansal is the recipient of several awards including the Priyadarshani Award in 1988, Sahitya Akademi Punjabi Award in 1997 and the International Women Entrepreneurial Challenge Award in 2010.
Holder of a master’s degree in psychology from Aligarh Muslim University and a PhD in Hindi Literature from Punjab University, the 77 year-old recently led a discussion attended by Delhi’s literati at the Sahitya Akademi on her novel Parchaiyon ka Samaysar. In an interview with Raj Kanwar, Ansal talks about books, theatre and her love for ikebana. Excerpts:
What is your latest book Parchaiyon ka Samaysar about?
This story is from the March 2018 edition of Harmony - Celebrate Age.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the March 2018 edition of Harmony - Celebrate Age.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Wrapped In Love
My Dadi Meenakshi Banerji was a short and tubby woman with great gumption who raised 10 citizens of the world.
Sharing Her ‘Mettle'
To me, this bell metal vaarpu, which weighs about 80 kg and is at least 120 years old, is an enduring reminder of my paternal grandmother Aleyamma Abraham.
Medical Overload
Your doctor may walk the talk while writing out your prescriptions but here’s the thing: make sure he hasn’t prescribed one too many.
An Act Of Faith
One act of kindness can save someone’s life.’
Armed For Business
The sheer glory and glamour of the Olive Greens motivated me, a third-generation soldier, to join the Army. Thus I enlisted, brimming with enthusiasm, in 1984.
Capture the fracture
Fracture owing to osteoporosis can have a serious impact on a person’s health and quality of life. Dr Abhijit Y Pawar, consultant orthopaedic spine surgeon at Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, speaks about the significance of timely intervention in preventing fractures
Friends With Benefits!
Incontinence need not interfere with life.
Yellow, Yellow, Gritty Fellows!
It was a nippy Sunday morning but nothing that would keep the rugged Delhiite away from the annual Senior Citizens’ Run supported by Harmony at the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon. Not even the mood-dampening smog that had descended on the capital a week earlier could do that! So said 74 year-old Sarla Rani and her band of regulars at the run who arrived at Nehru Stadium on the morning of 19 November even before the sun did. Soon they were joined by busloads of silvers from all over Delhi, Noida and Gurugram.
Magic By The Sea
From Lord Jagannath to oceanside beauty and green initiatives, Braja Sorensen uncovers the many layers of Puri.
Indian Rhapsody
In a span of two decades, Roshen Dalal has attained renown for her painstakingly researched books on history and religions in India. The Puffin History of India and The Puffin History of the World, each in two volumes, have not just received critical acclaim but are bestsellers as well. Her other books include The Religions of India: A Concise Guide to Nine Major Faiths; Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide; The Vedas: An Introduction to Hinduism’s Sacred Texts and The Compact Timeline History of the World.