Author Rita Chowdhury at the book launch in Guwahati on Wednesday. Picture by UB Photos

Guwahati, Jan. 2: Award-winning author Rita Chowdhury today said the new novel, Mayabritta (Circle of illusion), might be her last.

Chowdhury said in the voluminous novel released today she had expressed her views on life, garnered from experience. “With Mayabritta, a phase of my life has come to an end. I feel I may not be able to write another novel,” she said.

The 53-year-old author said it was age that had forced her to think about bidding goodbye to novel writing. “It was different 10 years ago. I did not feel the way I do today,” she said.

Chowdhury has penned around 11 novels so far with Makam (The golden horse) triggering reactions in literary circles as it exposed the tragic buried history of Chinese-origin people living in Upper Assam.

Chowdhury said the theme of Makam still kept her occupied as she continued to receive invitations from different parts of the country and the world to deliver lectures and give presentations on the Chinese-origin people. “Usually, I forget the subject of a novel as soon as I finish writing it. But that is not so in case of Makam. Rather, its subject is growing popular every day. I am yet to forget it,” she said.

Abirata Jatra (Relentless journey), Tirthabhumi (Pilgrimage), Maha Jibonor Adharxila (Foundation of a great life), Nayana Tarali Sujata, Popiya Torar Xadhu (Tale of a meteor), Raag Malkosh, Jala Padma (Water lotus), Hridoy Nirupai (The heart is helpless) and Deo Langkhui (The Divine Sword) are Chowdhury’s other novels.

In Mayabritta, the author has shifted her focus from one of her strongest areas — historical novels — to one replete with various shades of society and human nature. Women’s emancipation, life of the new generations, the big dam movement, love and pilgrimage are some of the subjects this book deals with. “It is neither a historical nor an autobiographical novel. But, yes, nature plays an important role in it,” Chowdhury said.

Interacting with the media and her fans, Chowdhury today said she was “bad at writing” but good at giving the final touch to the drafts of her books. “The drafts of my novels are so bad that you would wonder if it was my writing if you read those. But, I am good at giving them the final touch with much labour. It is a time-consuming process. That is why Mayabritta took a pretty long time to come to the readers,” she said.

About her future plans, the author said: “I want to work for the voiceless sections of society. If I do anything after Mayabritta, then it would be for them only,” she said.