In a tale spanning the continents, Australian-Indian writer Nandita Chakraborty, is launching her new memoir, Dirty Little Secrets. Taking her readers on a journey through the past ten years of her life, Chakraborty leads us through the online love scandal that nearly tore her life apart, and writes about how through loving and losing, she finds a deeper meaning in her life.

Like many migrants staking out their hybrid cultural identity, Nandita’s life path takes her between her birth country of India and her country of settlement, Australia.

Already, reviewers are calling the book a must-read, enthralling, moving and captivating – an unmissable journey of extraordinary raw emotion.

“Everybody’s life story is unique in their own right. We all live different lives and go through different episodes and experiences in our lives, so we are all unique, and yet somehow we are all the same. This is the magic of the human race that entwines and connects us,” Chakraborty said.

“When I first started writing Dirty Little Secrets, I had intended to write it just for myself. But the more I wrote and the longer I thought about it, the more I realised that this is a story worth telling to people. I am not the only one in this world to be searching for love. Wanting to love and be loved is universal to all humans.

“Unfortunately, in this era of the internet, scammers are out there to prey on the vulnerable. It has happened to me, and it has happened to others as well. I hope that by sharing my story, that others will be more cautious in the future and avoid experiencing the torment that I have endured.”

Defining moments in life

For Chakraborty, one of the biggest turning points in her life came very unexpectedly, with a horrific rock climbing accident. On 5 November 2011, she was out on a rock climbing expedition in Mount Cathedral. Situated on the northern face of the Cathedral Mountain Range in Central Victoria, what should have been an exhilarating day of glorious views of nature took a turn for the worse when she fell 40 metres.

“The trail was difficult to begin with, and I found it very hard. The others in the group were very patient with me. I know I shouldn’t have but I detached the rope and removed the harness, and I was taking the easy route to cross over to the other side of the hill, but there was a gap and my legs weren’t long enough to make it, so I slipped,” Chakraborty explained.

“I was airlifted to the hospital with multiple head and body injuries. After all the surgeries and months of rehab, I was left with a permanent disability.

“I have cognitive issues and impaired concentration; and I get migraines and experience chronic fatigue. The road to recovery after any major accident is long and comes with twists and turns. It is not just your body that has to recover but it’s your mental wellbeing that needs time to adjust too.”

Turning therapy into success

It was during Chakraborty’s second stint at rehab that she started writing as a form of therapy. She wrote two novels, Meera Rising (2017) and Rosemary’s Retribution (2018). The two novels were both finalists at the American Best Book Awards; and were also semi-finalists at the New York Screenplay and LA International Screenplay Awards.

“These days, I spend time talking to migrant women to offer my support and experiences. I write for my local newspaper and migrant community publications. Aside from this, I am also an advocate for migrant authors. It’s a small community that stands together to challenge preconceived prejudices against authors from other backgrounds and cultures,” Chakraborty added.

“It’s important for us to stand together and celebrate the victories in our lives together, as well as help each other through the parts of life that are harder.

“Dirty Little Secrets is different to my previous works because this time I am writing about my own life story and what happened in the past decade of my life. I talk about searching for love and the dangers of searching for it online, and I write about my accident and how it changed me fundamentally and how it has become part of my identity now.

“I think that in many ways, readers can relate to my story because no matter what walk of life we come from, we are all making our way through this world of ours, searching and building on our identities; searching for and building on our relationships with friends and family; and searching, and hopefully, finding a love to build the rest of our lives on.

“The reality of life is that our lives are rich with stories, events, connections and hardship. We all have learnings to share and experiences that define us. My book is a look into my life and my how I have navigated my way through some fairly challenging and dark situations – something everyone can relate to, but hope not to endure themselves.”

The book is available for purchase from: Amazon, Readings, Good Reads and Flipkart in India. 

www.nanditachakrabortyauthor.com.au