Shalini Akhil is one of the promising faces of modern Australian writing. Recently, one of her pieces — Destiny — was chosen to be part of anthology on migrant experiences
A writer of Fiji-Indian origin, Shalini Akhil has lived in Australia on and off ever since the '70s. She grew up here while her father studied law at UNSW. Once he graduated, she went back to live in Fiji and returned to Melbourne in 1990 to make it her home.
Recently, one of her pieces Destiny was chosen to be part of an anthology on migrant experiences. The book, Growing Up Asian in Australia, is edited by Alice Pung of The Unpolished Gem fame and was released in June 2008. Shalini Akhil's piece is one of her first published works and came before her more famous novel The Bollywood Beauty.
Destiny is the story of a child who wants to be Wonder Woman and is helped by her grandmother in the process. It is told with great compassion and humour and is the characteristic of all other stories in the collection. There are no traces of self-pity. It's a story of growing up, a story of living astride two cultures and finding a space for oneself in the middle.
Although Asian is not a term that Australians associate with Indians or people from the sub-continent, writers like Shalini Akhil and Tanveer Ahmed (who's parents came from Bangladesh) were happy to contribute to this volume. As they mentioned in many interviews and talks, in the US and the UK the term Asian does refer to people from the sub-continent whereas the terminology is different in Australia.
This debate does not take away from the importance of such a volume in Australia. It draws the attention away from stereotypes and tells stories of the pains of growing up. Editor Alice Pung beautifully takes ownership of terms like Battlers, Mates and Pioneers to make it part of the new Australian culture. We will all be glad that our children will have this book when they are growing up.
Although Destiny was her first published piece, her first novel is The Bollywood Beauty. Many Indians would immediately identify with the themes of arranged marriages and dual cultures. The characters of these novels will also be familiar to all Indians no matter where in the world they are.
The story revolves around Australian-born Kesh and Fiji-born Rupa. Kesh likes her drink at the pub, her cigarettes and has her “wild” ways while Rupa does not “stray” from the well-traveled path of a “good Indian girl”. So when The Bollywood Beauty (as Kesh called Rupa) comes to stay with Kesh, it's recipe for adventure – for both girls. Shalini takes us through men troubles, identity woes and life-changing decision that these two girls need to go through. It's a thoroughly enjoyable roller-coaster ride of a read.
Shalini Akhil's interest and talent goes beyond her writing. She does what only of the bravest in the entertainment industry dares to do — stand up comedy. She registered for Raw Comedy in 2003 and went on to progress till the National Finals.
Last month, Indus Age caught up with Shalini Akhil over her literary work and stand up comedy career. Excerpts from the interview:
Tell us about the journey of a self-confessed introvert going on to do stand up comedy. Also, has that experience affected your writing?
I was a massive introvert when I moved to Melbourne at 18 — I wouldn't talk to anyone and rarely left the house on my own. I think living on campus for my first year of uni was a huge learning curve for me — I had to find my feet pretty quickly. It was pretty much a crash course in learning to relate to people my own age, after years and years of sheltered upbringing. Overall, the experience was terrifying and terrific all at once. After a year and a half of full time study I decided to join the work force and this experience also helped me come out of my shell more – I learned to relate to people on different levels, and learned a lot about myself in the process. I think having a quick wit and a cheeky sense of humour helped me get through — cracking a joke is sometimes a great cover, a great way of deflecting attention from yourself.
I decided to enter Raw Comedy in 2003 because I'd always wanted to know if I could actually do stand-up comedy. As far as the experience affecting my writing, I'm not sure if it has. I am the same person on stage as I am if you're chatting to me one-on-one — maybe a little bit louder, but still the same person! So I don't think it has affected my writing as such. Though I do like to slip the occasional joke, pun, or weird scenario into my writing, I think that's more about my hyperactive imagination than about my having done stand-up.
How did you get into writing?
I am not a full-time fiction writer, though I do a bit of writing and editing in my day-job. I work as an Online Content Coordinator for VicUrban. I have always been interested in writing, but I didn't start seriously writing till the mid-nineties.
Does The Bollywood Beauty mirror your family life? How did you get started?
The story is based a lot on my own experiences, but not on my life. So an amalgamation of my own experiences, other people's experiences, and a healthy dose of my imagination. I came up with an outline to enter a pitching competition at the Melbourne Writers Festival, and over the next three years, the idea went on to become The Bollywood Beauty.
Growing up Asian in Australia has just been released and one of your stories was chosen. How did it feel?
Destiny is one of my favourite pieces — actually it was my first published piece, it debuted the year before my novel came out. So it was wonderful to see it printed again, and in such an amazing collection.
What was your families' reaction to you wanting to become a writer?
I think they're happy if I'm happy.
What advice do you have for budding writers in the wider Indian community?
Keep at it, and keep reading.
Do you think there is scope for a collection of stories of the South Asian experiences in Australia?
I think so — living in a multicultural country like Australia means that stories of different experiences should be out there as much as possible — that's why I'm really happy to be a part of Growing Up Asian in Australia.
What do you think is the future of Australian writing?
That's a tough one… but if anthologies like Growing Up Asian in Australia are anything to go by, the future's looking bright.
A writer of Fiji-Indian origin, Shalini Akhil has lived in Australia on and off ever since the '70s. She grew up here while her father studied law at UNSW. Once he graduated, she went back to live in Fiji and returned to Melbourne in 1990 to make it her home.
Recently, one of her pieces Destiny was chosen to be part of an anthology on migrant experiences. The book, Growing Up Asian in Australia, is edited by Alice Pung of The Unpolished Gem fame and was released in June 2008. Shalini Akhil's piece is one of her first published works and came before her more famous novel The Bollywood Beauty.
Destiny is the story of a child who wants to be Wonder Woman and is helped by her grandmother in the process. It is told with great compassion and humour and is the characteristic of all other stories in the collection. There are no traces of self-pity. It's a story of growing up, a story of living astride two cultures and finding a space for oneself in the middle.
Although Asian is not a term that Australians associate with Indians or people from the sub-continent, writers like Shalini Akhil and Tanveer Ahmed (who's parents came from Bangladesh) were happy to contribute to this volume. As they mentioned in many interviews and talks, in the US and the UK the term Asian does refer to people from the sub-continent whereas the terminology is different in Australia.
This debate does not take away from the importance of such a volume in Australia. It draws the attention away from stereotypes and tells stories of the pains of growing up. Editor Alice Pung beautifully takes ownership of terms like Battlers, Mates and Pioneers to make it part of the new Australian culture. We will all be glad that our children will have this book when they are growing up.
Although Destiny was her first published piece, her first novel is The Bollywood Beauty. Many Indians would immediately identify with the themes of arranged marriages and dual cultures. The characters of these novels will also be familiar to all Indians no matter where in the world they are.
The story revolves around Australian-born Kesh and Fiji-born Rupa. Kesh likes her drink at the pub, her cigarettes and has her “wild” ways while Rupa does not “stray” from the well-traveled path of a “good Indian girl”. So when The Bollywood Beauty (as Kesh called Rupa) comes to stay with Kesh, it's recipe for adventure – for both girls. Shalini takes us through men troubles, identity woes and life-changing decision that these two girls need to go through. It's a thoroughly enjoyable roller-coaster ride of a read.
Shalini Akhil's interest and talent goes beyond her writing. She does what only of the bravest in the entertainment industry dares to do — stand up comedy. She registered for Raw Comedy in 2003 and went on to progress till the National Finals.
Last month, Indus Age caught up with Shalini Akhil over her literary work and stand up comedy career. Excerpts from the interview:
Tell us about the journey of a self-confessed introvert going on to do stand up comedy. Also, has that experience affected your writing?
I was a massive introvert when I moved to Melbourne at 18 — I wouldn't talk to anyone and rarely left the house on my own. I think living on campus for my first year of uni was a huge learning curve for me — I had to find my feet pretty quickly. It was pretty much a crash course in learning to relate to people my own age, after years and years of sheltered upbringing. Overall, the experience was terrifying and terrific all at once. After a year and a half of full time study I decided to join the work force and this experience also helped me come out of my shell more – I learned to relate to people on different levels, and learned a lot about myself in the process. I think having a quick wit and a cheeky sense of humour helped me get through — cracking a joke is sometimes a great cover, a great way of deflecting attention from yourself.
I decided to enter Raw Comedy in 2003 because I'd always wanted to know if I could actually do stand-up comedy. As far as the experience affecting my writing, I'm not sure if it has. I am the same person on stage as I am if you're chatting to me one-on-one — maybe a little bit louder, but still the same person! So I don't think it has affected my writing as such. Though I do like to slip the occasional joke, pun, or weird scenario into my writing, I think that's more about my hyperactive imagination than about my having done stand-up.
How did you get into writing?
I am not a full-time fiction writer, though I do a bit of writing and editing in my day-job. I work as an Online Content Coordinator for VicUrban. I have always been interested in writing, but I didn't start seriously writing till the mid-nineties.
Does The Bollywood Beauty mirror your family life? How did you get started?
The story is based a lot on my own experiences, but not on my life. So an amalgamation of my own experiences, other people's experiences, and a healthy dose of my imagination. I came up with an outline to enter a pitching competition at the Melbourne Writers Festival, and over the next three years, the idea went on to become The Bollywood Beauty.
Growing up Asian in Australia has just been released and one of your stories was chosen. How did it feel?
Destiny is one of my favourite pieces — actually it was my first published piece, it debuted the year before my novel came out. So it was wonderful to see it printed again, and in such an amazing collection.
What was your families' reaction to you wanting to become a writer?
I think they're happy if I'm happy.
What advice do you have for budding writers in the wider Indian community?
Keep at it, and keep reading.
Do you think there is scope for a collection of stories of the South Asian experiences in Australia?
I think so — living in a multicultural country like Australia means that stories of different experiences should be out there as much as possible — that's why I'm really happy to be a part of Growing Up Asian in Australia.
What do you think is the future of Australian writing?
That's a tough one… but if anthologies like Growing Up Asian in Australia are anything to go by, the future's looking bright.
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