'Seventy and to hell with it!' is all about the fear of aging: Shobha De

The celebrated novelist Shobhaa Dé is back with a book that celebrates her seventieth year. In it, she looks back at the terrain of her life, at relationships, hers and those she has observed over the years, at ever-present fears and grief. Her keen wit spears and spares none, least of all herself. Her delicious irreverence makes this book a delight to read. It is the lessons in loving and living woven into the writing—intensely personal and deeply felt—that form the wise heart of Seventy. The writer celebrates her upcoming 70^th year in January 2018 with an irreverent and bold take on what it means to be a woman 'of a certain vintage'. “I have been writing this book for 70 years. It’s up to you to decide what you make of these seventy years!”,said Shobha De

The book was launched on Dec 13th, 2017 at the charming Royal Opera House in Mumbai by another woman who has never been afraid to speak her mind, Kangana Ranaut. The bold and beautiful Ranaut was in conversation with Shobha at the book launch, and the talk was moderated by yet another strong woman who we admire, Barkha Dutt.

During the launch, very talented Shobha De said, “It’s important for me to say why I wrote this book because it’s not about flaunting age, it’s about the fear of aging that every one of us has to face at some or the other time in our lives. Especially older women, as our society is pretty tough on women.The book is about love, whether you are 70, 17 or 30 you need love to survive and sustain. I am thankful to all the people in my lives who have made sure that I am looked after, that I am loved and the list includes my husband and my kids.”

At the launch, Shobha De felicitated five powerful women with Trophies that have been designed by her. These 5 women are gladiators in Shobha’s eyes and therefore they were bestowed with the honor at the book launch. They have all fought the system at some point in their careers and have emerged as path-breaking inspirations for women all across India and more. 

The list of these women includes an Indian Politician Priya Dutt- has worked extensively for civic issues like health, sanitation, women’s education etc, Indian actress Gul Panag - model-Actor- an entrepreneur who scored herself the title of a pilot , Mrunalini Deshmukh- divorce lawyer who champions the cause of women’s rights ,  Firuza Parekh - director of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics at Jaslok Hospital and Research Centre in Mumbai, has been responsible for the births of over 5000 ART (Assisted Reproductive Technology) babies and Indian Foreign Service officer Devyani Khopragade.