Off the beaten road with Heena Jadav Sunil

Romantic fiction has never been Pakistan’s cup of tea but Heena is determined to change that

“I am pathetically romantic,” says the delectable Heena as she scribbles down well-wishes on a copy of Equinox for me. Considering that she is the brains behind Pakistan’s first English language literary venture into romance, I am hardly surprised.

There is something uniquely amorous — almost childlike — in Heena’s discourse which gives away the hopeless fantasiser within her. Equinox happens to be the outcome, the first installment of a trilogy penned by her in an attempt to fill the void and make way for local fantasy writers.

“It was only during publishing that I discovered no one here has ever tried their hand at romantic fiction,” shares Heena disapprovingly. “Pakistanis have always read romantic novels but in private. Writing one was simply not an option! I have actually been called the ‘bravest woman alive’ for pursuing this genre in a country like Pakistan!” Perhaps it was this desire to challenge social norms which prompted Heena towards Equinox but she claims her writing is more of a service to readers than anything else. “Most Pakistani authors focus on socio-political non-fiction and I wanted to offer a break from that,” explains Heena. “For me, writing is an escape from the harsh realities of everyday life and that’s how my readers will hopefully regard Equinox as well.”

Set in the Victorian-village of Cold Ash, Equinox narrates the story of naïve orphan April Rivers who has made peace with her life at a local Catholic boarding until she encounters the enigmatic and supernatural Lord Richard Chase. For the world, Richard is a wealthy philanthropist known for his alluring charm and wit but for April, he soon becomes a mania to feed her aching soul — a soul which has already been claimed by another. So begins the saga of two star-crossed lovers, trying to alter fate. After all, loving a mortal girl sold to another demon is not only impossible, it is forbidden.

Unsurprisingly, much of Equinox shares striking similarities to Heena’s personal experiences at Sophia High Convent School in Rajasthan, India, where she studied before moving to Karachi in 1996. “A lot of the instances I have written stem from things I experienced as a youngster,” says Heena. “April, for example, attends a boarding school because I myself am from one. Similarly, my whimsical nature wouldn’t settle for a less-than-perfect male protagonist and so, Richard became supernatural. For me, my characters emulate life. They are alive and ready to be explored.”



The starry-eyed fervour with which Heena speaks is somewhat of a shock to me as she tells me about the whirlwind her life has been. She speaks fondly of her times in India, prior to the divorce of her parents which prompted her Pakistani-born mother to move back. “Many people question how I moved from India to Pakistan and I tell them that this has always been my home,” says Heena. “I am Pakistani by birth and nationality but Indian by origin. Both nations are my identity.” Soon after returning to Pakistan, however, the then 19-year-old Heena joined UK-based theatre group Bharti Vidya Bhavan, conducting plays across Britain for women’s awareness. “My time in England was a great learning experience as I gained a great deal of exposure and truly understood what writing means,” Heena reminisces. “Unfortunately, I had to return in 2006 as my mother took ill, suddenly.”

Upon her return, Heena enrolled in an undergraduate course at Karachi University, majoring in commerce and business. “But my chief focus always stood at reading, theatre, dance and literature and I began to write plays for Beaconhouse School System (BSS),” she admits. “After the demise of my mother and father (in 2011 and 2012, respectively), it was only writing which alleviated the depressive state I was in. When writing, I go into a trance wherein nothing and no one can affect me,” she adds.



In retrospect, perhaps working at BSS was Heena’s saving grace as it was through a colleague there that she met Humaira Fatima, chief editor of Equinox. “The problem in Pakistan is that there is no literary culture,” she complains. “Not only do our books focus primarily on the somber side of life, there are also no publishers or distribution houses to offer your work to. It’s no wonder local authors like Saba Imtiaz turn to foreign institutions to have their writing published!” Heena highlights a cyclical pattern between Pakistan’s general apathy towards literature and the lack of sound publishing infrastructure, claiming that the local population keeps abreast with pop-culture books only. “Many people have compared Equinox to Twilight simply because they have little else to juxtapose it with,” says Heena. “They don’t realise that authors do not appreciate having their work compared to another’s. Masterpieces aren’t written — they are created by people.” Once again, her passion for writing and creativity becomes apparent by how animated she becomes whilst talking about it.

Heena is currently riding high on the appreciation garnered by Equinox and has already finalised the second installment of the trilogy. In fact, ever the literature enthusiast, she has also worked on other adult edits like Thunder and Lightning along with a short story based on child marriages in the subcontinent which she hopes to release as a musical. “I am waiting for the right opportunity to publish it,” she says with a twinkle in her eye. “I want to release it internationally so that will take time.” In the meantime, Heena’s loyal readership and romantics around the world eagerly await her next book, to be released later this year.

Published in The Express Tribune, Ms T, May 3^rd, 2015.