Decoding "The Peripheral" | Roundtable with Novelist Meena Mahanty Kumar | Pankaj Upadhayay |  In conversation with Debut novelist Meena Mahanty Kumar, learning more about her motivations, inspiration, early life, process, challenges and future plans. I wish her the creative best going forward.  About the book:  'Travelling home on the 5.39 from Wynyard, Sydney based solicitor Rene freezes in her seat as she glances at the cover of a book another passenger is holding. Why does the title of the book spark off a series of nightmares and strange memories for her?  Rene, troubled, opens an old suitcase of her father’s, left untouched since his death.  Inside, Rene finds photographs of a young boy holding her as a baby, along with a poem, a half-knitted scarf, some toys, and a birth certificate.  To discover the truth behind what has so obviously been kept a secret, Rene must travel to India, the country of her birth, despite the distressing experiences she had during her last visit there.  Far away Nimesh has been living a lie, a life met with fear, hostility, often violence. Two seekers are on their own voyage of discovery. Will they find what they are looking for?  A migrant herself, author Meena Mahanty Kumar provides us endearing and thought-provoking glimpses of migrant life with its culture shock and the challenges that come from straddling two worlds.'  About the author:  Meena Mahanty Kumar, author of her debut novel The Peripheral, was born in India, moving to Australia in 1999. She was inspired to write the book after a chance encounter with a Kinnar living in a secret peripheral society, thus shaping one of her protagonists because of her burning desire to give them a voice. She believes that her background in Human Resource Management specialising in interpersonal behaviour from XLRI, Jamshedpur, helps her to dig deep into the motivations and thinking of her characters, at times humorous, sad, or quirky.  Currently, she is a conveyancing lawyer in Sydney. Half her life has been spent in India and half in Australia giving her an insider’s perspective of the immigrant experience.  For Meena writing is about creating art out of everyday experiences, providing a canvas for ordinary and memorable glimpses of human nature, to create something lasting, that touches people, maybe make a difference. Mainly though, she likes to write because she has stories to tell. Married with two children, when she’s not writing, she’s probably gardening, singing or acting in a musical, theatre or film ---------------------- About Pankaj Upadhayay:  https://www.imdb.com/name/nm12524863/ https://filmfreeway.com/PankajUpadhayay Euphony Films: If you want to join us as cast/ actor/ crew/ musician/ technician, please complete the Expression of Interest Form here:   https://forms.gle/8N6VqpGj6TLpv87KA ---------------------------------------------------------- (c) Pankaj Upadhayay https://www.euphonyXpressions.comAbout me: https://bit.ly/3OCwFcp============================= https://www.imdb.com/name/nm12524863/ https://filmfreeway.com/PankajUpadhayay https://www.facebook.com/pankaj.upadhayay.75 https://www.facebook.com/euphonyFilms/ https://www.instagram.com/euphonyfilms/Google - https://g.co/kgs/Xqnthf  www.euphonyXpressions.com  Indie Filmmaker & visual artist Pls review my playlist here:  Short Films: https://bit.ly/397rFrT  Music Videos 1: https://bit.ly/3fEJLnR  Music Videos 2: https://bit.ly/32sNlgZ  Ad Films/ Corp Videos: https://bit.ly/3uk6o90Tourist attractions: https://bit.ly/3992PIj  Poetry Podcasts https://bit.ly/2ZGIRlb  www.euphonyXpressions.com  Western Sydney Australia  You can contribute to my fundraisers here:  PayPal: paypal.me/euphony Crowd Funding: https://gf.me/u/yz52p7-----------------------------------------------------------------------------