Nostalgia, resilience, and the power of community with 'The New New Delhi Book Club'

The COVID-19 Pandemic had brought the whole world to a halt. Schools and colleges were shut off, offices went 'work from home', shops had to shift online, and 'hanging out' was no longer casual and even required special passes!
But even in the grim moments, humans found solace in some or the other form. Some retreated to cooking, others to baking, some went back home, others tried their hands on gardening, and so much more. But as the isolation creeped in, people had to say hello to the neighbours next doors, the ones they hadn't yet met. And in a small corner of Delhi, one situation led to the other, and its story is told in 'The New New Delhi Book Club' by Radhika Swarup.
We caught up with the author recently for a conversation, and here are some revelations from the book.
1. The New New Delhi Book Club beautifully captures the emotional rollercoaster of the pandemic. How did your personal experiences or observations during lockdown shape the themes and characters in the book?
Funnily enough, the themes and characters were all born out of my own sense of being locked out during that first, terrifying period of lockdown. I had been due to fly to New Delhi with my husband and children at the end of March 2020, but as lockdown was announced, we thought it safer to stay away. My thoughts remained with loved ones in Delhi, though, and with the local news cycle – the profound, the trivial as well as the absurd – and out of this forced separation came a huge nostalgia for Delhi, and for the neighbourhood of my childhood. The people who inhabit The New New Delhi Book Club are the result.
2. Navya and Shami’s bond is central to the narrative. What inspired their dynamic, and what do you hope readers take away from their story?
Navya and Shami represent such diametrically opposed characters, one crotchety and set in his ways, and the other irrepressible and bursting with life. And yet, part of the claustrophobia of lockdown was the inability to escape one’s surroundings. A Navya and a Shami were inevitably thrown together during this time, with one unable to escape to school and the other to the golf course as they ordinarily would. They were able to find something they had in common – a love for books – and a bond bordering on the familial resulted. We became each other’s support networks during this unnerving time – over Zoom calls, when figuring out how to order supplies or keep children entertained or deal with a precarious job situation. I wanted to portray this connection through Navya and Shami’s interaction, and show how important it was through the fear and chaos of those early days.
3. Your book subtly addresses the societal divides that became more visible during the lockdown, such as the struggles of migrant workers. How did you approach weaving these complex realities into your storytelling?
All sort of societal inequalities were exposed during the lockdown – the economic one, of course, where those who were migrant labourers, or those at the front line – whether in health care or in logistics – had to confront the virus, but also those of gender and generational inequality. I wanted very much to explore these facets of the early lockdown experience, but was mindful of the work as a whole, and of the triumph of humanity in the midst of all the loss and suffering.
4. You touch on the importance of routines and creative outlets during chaotic times. How did these themes resonate with you personally, and how did they find their way into your writing?
All routine was initially thrown out of the window during lockdown. Schools were shut and children forced to rely on their screens, and for those fortunate enough to be able to work from home, their working lives became indistinct from their home lives. So much of this was thanks to technology, and yet, I found it impossible to concentrate on things that had brought me joy before. I suppose we were all on a war footing, preparing for an unseen enemy, and personally, it meant I was unable to read or write for months. I couldn’t so much as focus on a single paragraph. As things settled a little as we came to understand a little more about the virus, things improved. My concentration slowly returned, and I saw that it was so important to remember routine and rest, and that often maligned term, creativity, through the tumult.
5. The blend of humor and melancholy in your stories makes the characters relatable and the narrative impactful. How do you balance these contrasting emotions in your writing process?
I feel a lot of life has this juxtaposition – the tragic with the comic, hope in the face of despair, the joy of connection in our bleakest moments. And for as much as the pandemic took from us; liberty, health, connection, it brought great victories too. Science saved our lives and allowed us the technological advances that let us communicate, but so many of the triumphs – of the human spirit, of large-heartedness and resilience and creativity – were all human. So it felt important to note not only the undoubted inequalities and tragedies of the time, but also its undeniable glimmers of light.
6. The pandemic redefined social relationships, with virtual and distanced interactions taking center stage. How did this evolution influence the interpersonal dynamics portrayed in your book?
Virtual meetings were a lifeline during the pandemic, as they allowed people to safely interact. They’ve fed into so many of the stories in The New New Delhi Book Club too, from virtual schooling to Zoom calls to the Zoom prayer meetings for the deceased when people weren’t allowed to mourn their loved ones in person. Personally, though, I am grateful for the return of physical contact – the handshake, the hug, the high-five – and hope they remain an integral part of our interaction for the rest of our lives.
7. While many books have emerged from pandemic experiences, what makes The New New-Delhi Book Club unique in its approach to exploring shared human experiences?
While 'The New New Delhi Book Club' is undoubtedly a work set during the pandemic, and that too in a specific neighbourhood in one small corner of a single city, I feel that the themes of the book are global and timeless. They focus on the resilience of the human spirit, on our innate ability to adapt, and on our need for human connection. People fell in love, even during the first terrifying days of the lockdown, they struggled in unhappy marriages. They battled ill-health and mishaps, they contemplated the human condition, and yes, the most unlikely friendships were also forged over the shared love of reading. Perhaps it was ever thus, and as technology becomes ever more pervasive in our lives, I very much hope that these themes and the snapshot The New New Delhi Book Club provides of a community continue to resonate.