I was invited by Professor Subhash Dhuliya for an online talk on Creative Writing and creating emotionally engaging stories to a cohort of media professionals and journalists (and journalism students).

As I reflected over the bridges between the two forms of writing, here is a gist of the whole presentation.

I also harked back to references from my latest novel The D'Costa Family and upcoming novel The Fabric Goddesses.

What an engaging evening it was thanks to Leonard and Queenie Fernandes & team; Heta Pandit who was in conversation with the author (Rochelle Potkar), and a lively and attentive audience.

The Dogears Bookshop, Margao, Goa -

Independent bookshop in Goa, India with a wide selection including books from and about Goa and India. They deliver worldwide. You will find signed copies of The D'Costa Family here.

Heta Pandit is an author, activist and independent researcher on Goan History, Art, Culture, architecture, and Goan homes.

Rochelle Potkar is a prize-winning poet, author, and screenwriter based partly in Mumbai, partly in Goa.

About the book - The D'Costa Family -

Set in Burgundy House, the D’Costa ancestral home, we are ushered into a world where matriarchs like Rita D'Costa cling to jewels, sons stake their claims, and daughters their dreams.

Wickedly funny and lyrical, Rochelle’s prose glimmers even in its darkest turns where graveyards come alive, curry pots stir secrets, and nightmares are never kept — they’re returned with interest. From Bombay to Callian (Kalyan), Calcutta to Goa, the story snakes through inheritance, real estate, faith, and betrayal, giving us characters as unforgettable as their one-liners.

You can read a review of the book by Heta Pandit in The Saligão Balcão, Edition 39. Subscribe to her monthly newsletter, here.

You can also read a review of the book by Maulee Senapati in The Joao-Roque Literary Journal here.

Mumbai's Topography: panel discussion was part of The Neighbourhood Festival 2025 curated by 3 Art House and Fictionary, held at Fictionary Bookstore.

On the panel were Naresh Fernandes and Rochelle Potkar, moderated by Ekta Bhandari, Co-founder of Read-a-Kitaab.

Brief bios -

3 Art House provides accessible space and quality exposure to build art & culture.

Fictionary - India's first fiction bookstore cafe, Bandra.

Read-a-Kitaab - An unbiased community of Readers, Booklovers, writers and artists. We strive to provide the community an ecosystem with an online library.

Naresh Fernandes - a Mumbai based journalist and author. He is the editor of Scroll.in, a digital daily. His books include Bombay, Meri Jaan.

Rochelle Potkar - prize-winning poet, author, screenwriter. Her latest book is a black comedy nove - The D'Costa Family.

These books are available at Fictionary.