“Words – spoken or written – are what connect us to the world, and so speaking about it to people, and writing about this stuff, helps connect us to each other, and to our true selves.” — Matt Haig
There is little doubt that writing is a powerful tool which helps one focus and channelize thoughts, ideas and musings. Well, this is definitely true in the case of Indian-American writer, Dheepa R. Maturi. Born in New York City to immigrant parents from India, Dheepa grew up in a small town in the midwestern United States, where she also attended college and then law school.
Early Influences
Books have always been Dheepa’s best friend ever since she was a child. “When I was young, our family finances were tight, but my room was always full of books, with topics ranging from outer space to history and mythology. My favorite books were always fictional, and I still remember the lilt and melody of my mother’s voice reading to me. I spent hours with these stories, fascinated by the ways authors pulled me into new and unfamiliar worlds and immersed me in the lives and feelings of characters” reminisces Dheepa. Though there were relatively few South Asians in their town, her parents found opportunities for her to learn classical Indian dance, and she loved this new and different pathway into storytelling. “Learning to convey ancient stories, as well as complicated emotions like longing, misery, and melancholy, intrigued and challenged me. It taught me that storytelling is part of the human experience in multiple ways. I would say I was always a writer. One of my earliest memories is repurposing a stack of multi-colored origami paper to record my own thoughts and ideas into poems. Writing was my way of understanding the world—of living and then processing through my particular lens on life” adds Dheepa.
Diverse Experiences
While Dheepa studied English literature in college, she also had the opportunity to study Indian history, philosophyand art. “As these topics and themes fused together in my mind, I began to understand that my own background and my own life experiences had provided me with a unique viewpoint that I could express and share in words” says the author. When she went to law school, Dheepa started missing the topics she had been delving into, as well as the opportunity to write about topics that moved her. “I worked in law, then business and then the nonprofit sector, but I kept hearing an internal voice, sometimes a whisper, sometimes a drumbeat — ‘I should be writing’” quips Dheepa.
Finally, about ten years ago, she committed to writing regularly as well as submitting her work for various publications. She wrote and published shorter pieces—essays, poetry and short storiesabout culture and identity, but those themes quickly interwove with the environmental and ecological themes that resonated deeply with her. Her work soon began to be published in various journals and anthologies and she has also been nominated for awards like the Pushcart Prize. “In many ways, having a clear and committed writing practice felt like a relief, like finally coming home to the work I was supposed to be doing in the world” mentions Dheepa.
108: A Compelling Eco-thriller
Dheepa’s latest book 108 is about an Indian-American woman who learns that she possesses an ancient ability that can stop a global ecological collapse, only if she is strong enough to use it. “I know it can be extremely difficult to face environmental realities. Sometimes this is the case because those realities are not happening in front of our eyes; in a way that we can physically perceive. I became particularly interested in the subject of soil erosion and degradation, a critical issue that does not always get attention. Topsoil which is the top twelve-inch layer of the planet and one that allows our food to grow and provides us nutrition, is rapidly going extinct. Without counter-measures this will lead to severe food shortages in a matter of decades. This is the central issue of 108. I hoped that writing a page-turner, with a ticking clock, a terrifying villain, and an engaging protagonist, would let readers engage with this problem in a way that was also entertaining” says Dheepa. With 108, Dheepa hopes that people realize and acknowledge the reality; the fact that we do have time, resources, and ingenuity to solve this crisis. The only thing needed is resolve and willingness to do so.
Nature Lover
Dheepa has always been fascinated by nature. “Even though I was a bit of a home-body as a child, preferring my books to playing outside, the oaks, maples and birches regularly called me outdoors. I still would not call myself an outdoorswoman, but I do love time in nature—walking, hiking, and sometimes just sitting with a book to read or a journal to write in. I think it is so important to remember my connection to the natural world, to remember that home is not the four walls of my house, but rather, the whole planet” says Dheepa. Another thing she enjoys is taking part in group dancing classes whenever possible for she feels that there is something so uplifting about a group of people dancing in formation and patterns together. It is something that never fails to fill her with energy and joy.
