Deepti Naval Mesmerises The Audience With Heartfelt Poetry And Prose At Sharjah International Book Fair

To a room packed with fans, Deepti Naval, famous actress, poet, author and painter, shared some insightful experiences of her life by reading her poetry and a short story on the evening of 13th November at the Sharjah International Book Fair. The famous Indian artist is known for pushing boundaries.

To write the scriptin A Journey from LamhaLamha to Mad Tibet, and in order to develop her characters, Deeptidecided to move into the women’s ward in a psychiatric facility for 23 days. She originally intended to stay for only three, but she was so fascinated by what she saw, and felt she had so much to learn, that she stayed for twenty more. “I had to live it to write about it,” she told her fans last night. From the poems she shared in her jewel-like voice, her empathy and keen observations were evident.

The 56-year-old actress writes from her experiences, shaping her ‘little scribblings’ into poems and short stories:LamhaLamha in 1981 and Black Wind in 2004. Her collection of short stories, The Mad Tibetan: Stories From Then and Now, was published in 2011.

The Mad Tibetan opens with a short story of the same name, which the actress read aloud. It begins with a walk in the snow. Hanging a camera around her neck, Deepti as the narrator set out purposefully with no purpose: just to observe nature and see what she wouldfind. Eventually she comes across a Tibetan living in a make-shift house. As the suspense builds, the audience wonderswhat the ‘mad Tibetan’ will do to her.

Born in northern India, Naval moved to New York City where she received a BA in Fine Arts from Hunter College in Manhattan. She debuted as an actress in EkBaarPhir in 1979 and has been admired on the big screen ever since. Over the course of her career she has acted in more than 60 films. She is also a philanthropist and founded VinodPandit Charitable Trust to further girl’s education. Her most famous movies include ChashmeBaddur (1981), Mirch Masala (1985), and most recentlyAurangzeb (2013).

This year’s SIBF features representatives from 53 countries and delivers more than400 cultural activities to the public. The fair will be open daily from 10am to 10pm for eleven days. All sessions arefree and available on a first come first serve basis.

Emirate:  Sharjah

Date: Nov 14, 2013

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