How often do we come across a masterpiece which bluntly attacks our preconceived notion of modernity and sophistication? Everyone loves to talk about the artificiality associated with modernity, but hardly dare to talk on public platforms. In this age when COVID-19 has already shattered the fake associations which claimed to be build on mutual trust, Fake Posh by Deepti Sharma comes as a fresh whiff of air which takes you on a rollercoaster ride of raw emotions in a realistic way which does not shy away from shaking the tree of your age old beliefs.
Fake Posh consists of four quirky slices of life stories. The title is taken from one of the short-stories and it is used for the hollowness of a soul hidden behind a veil of expensive perfumes and clever pick-up lines. With limited fake standards like speaking English, smoking weed, and sleeping around, it raises serious questions on the wide generation gap and the false notions of modernity which have confused today’s youth.
Fake Posh, the first story looks subtly into our primal human nature in different forms of what’s practical, profitable and sustainable. Circus is an analogy created between the current stance of social media and circus where the former is being treated as a personal dumpster of one’s vulnerability. Mr Touch Me Not, is about an independent radio-jockey who’s running a show on the matters of love but she herself is dealing with the emotional compatibility in her relationship. All hell breaks loose when her own preaching turns predatory to her love life. Stand-up Comedian, is about a middle aged man, Kunal, who is going through an enormous sense of loss that remains veiled in his silence behind the cacophony of his souring professional acumen, best-friends from college with their moral compasses now hanging as loose as their bellies, denial, destiny and endless what ifs.
Deepti Sharma is an assortment of languages, colours, cultures and all things eccentric. A full-time Mathematics trainer, she aspires to craft raw and authentic content through her writing in books and the Indian film and television industry. Fake Posh her second book. Her debut novel Litany of Woes was about a rebellious author and her perilous life encounters.
Sharma hails from Jaipur, Rajasthan, where she lives with her small family, including her parents and two younger siblings. It’s her literature-oriented childhood that she regards instrumental in her writing journey. Having spent her childhood reading books, she developed a deep understanding of people and their emotions. Her all-time favourite authors are Ruskin Bond, Saadat Hasan Manto, Jhumpa Lahiri, Khaled Hosseini and Mirza Ghalib. Deepti loves to read what her readers have to say about her and takes criticism as the next step to be the insightful writer that she aspires to be.
Friday, 29 January 2021 | PNS
