Sunday, February 12, 2012

Shobhaa De brings glamour to Karachi cultural scene

Jumbo Editorial Team

The third edition of the Karachi Literature Festival 2012, organized by the Oxford University Press with the collaboration of the British Council on February 11 and 12, came to life with the presence of the famous Indian writer-socialite Shobhaa De.

The 64-year-old Mumbai celebrity literally took Karachi by storm, having brought in a touch of glamour to the KLF 2012. She spoke about Indo-Pak relations and her literary career.

For a change, she was the only author at the festival, whose clothes, a wonderful sari, and not any of her 17 best-selling books were described during her introduction.

"Indian socialites are curious about how Pakistani women put their outfits together and the long lines of the kurtas. There is no comparison between Pakistani and Indian women when it comes to beauty – the Pakistanis are far more beautiful," De, reputed to be India's one of the top best-selling authors, observed.

"What you say on TV is live and will be there for a long time. So you have to live with the goof-up or factual error you make for the rest of your life," she emphasized.

To gel with the culture better, De also revealed that she was planning to attend a sangeet at a mehndi at a farmhouse to get a good look at Karachi society. She also expressed her desire to take a ride in a bus decorated with Pakistan's colourful truck art and shop for blue pottery to get a closer feel of Pakistan.

"Blogdosts. I am off to Karachi tomorrow. Am a little excited. A little nervous. The programme sounds fascinating. But to be at a session titled 'Superstar Author' without dying of embarrassment (secretly tickled!), will be a major feat!" De, of course, has got her priorities right,” De posted on her blog a day before she left for Karachi.

She had squeezed to make time to shop for "lawn", Pakistan's best known fabric, a day ahead of the festival and seemed quite focused on the next item on her shopping list: Multani blue pottery.

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