Jahnavi Barua Wiki, Family, Biography & More

Jahnavi Barua is an Indian author, who has written several novels and a collection of short fiction like Next Door (2008), Rebirth (2010), and her third book Undertow (2020). Her books are on the syllabi of many universities.

I would like to be seen as merely a writer; one with roots in Assam and Bangalore, if geography has to be brought in.”

Wiki/Biography

Jahnavi Barua belongs to Assam and now lives in Bangalore. Jahnavi Barua has obtained her MBBS degree from Gauhati Medical College. Later she studied creative writing in the United Kingdom.

Family

Parents & Siblings

There is not much knowledge about her parents and siblings.

Husband & Children

On Tuesday, 1 June 1993 Jahnavi Barua married Baptu and has a son.

Career

Next Door (2008)

In this book, the author has used themes like Innocent desires, Assamese culture, and furtive longings. The plot of the short stories in this book happens to be remote areas of Assam.

Rebirth (2010)

The book unfolds a story about a woman, Kaberi, who belongs to Assam, from a humble background, and has a tumultuous arranged marriage to a rich man in Bangalore. This book is a portrayal of a sensitive bond between a mother and her unborn child. In an interview she said,

‘Rebirth’ is not autobiographical. Kaberi and I come from the same place – Assam – and we share an interest in flowers, trees – and flowering trees! – and in forests and what lives in them, but our paths diverge there. Kaberi’s story, her journey, is her own. It is hard to say exactly where I got the idea for ‘Rebirth’ from, but it slipped insidiously into my mind as I looked at women around me – at their struggles, dreams and aspirations.” ^[1]Eleutherophobia

Undertow (2020)

The story touches on various themes like home, family, and belongingness. Undertow is the story of a twenty-five-year-old girl named Loya who goes on a journey to discover herself. Barua has beautifully shown a mother-daughter equation in her story. In an interview, when asked about the inspiration for her third book, she said,

The themes of home and homecoming and also of identity and finding one’s own have always been close to me. This prompted me to explore these themes in Undertow. By home and identity, I don’t mean just the obvious ones of place or the region you belong to, but also the more personal ones of who you are as a person, what you stand for and where it is that you feel accepted and thus, at home. Another area of interest to me has always been the family and the complexities of this unique entity. In Undertow, I have woven this thread in along with Loya’s search for home.” ^[2]Times of India

Awards, Honours, Achievements

• Her third book, Undertow, was longlisted for the JCB Prize 2020 and the BLF Atta Galatta Book Prize 2020.

• Her book Rebirth (2010) was shortlisted for the Man Asian Literary Prize (2011) and the Commonwealth Book Prize (2012).

• (2009) Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award, longlist.

• In 2006, she won Second prize in the children’s fiction category at a Short Fiction contest hosted by Unisun Publishers.

• In 2006, Jahnavi Barua won the Charles Wallace India Trust Scholarship for Creative Writing.

• Jahnavi Barua won the AutHer Award (2021) in the Best Author Fiction category for Undertow.

Facts/Trivia

• The river Brahmaputra has always been prominent in her story plots. In an interview, when asked about her relationship with the river, she said,
  

  The Brahmaputra runs through Guwahati, indeed through all of Assam, and thus runs through my life too. As a child, I lived on a hillock overlooking it and its majestic beauty found a permanent place in my heart and soul.”