Reach of online readership is huge

Team L&M

Known for her social work and commitment towards women empowerment, well-known Hindi author Sudha Arora has been writing on the country’s largest digital literature platform, Pratilipi for almost six years now. “In 2014, someone from the Pratilipi team reached out to me and introduced this idea. I tried out the platform with some short stories I had written earlier,” she says.
Two of Sudha’s stories, Udhada Hua Sweater ​and ​Rahogi Tum Wahi​, were appreciated by a variety of readers, via comments, reviews and ratings. “Udhada Hua Sweater proved particularly popular. The work questions our traditional beliefs around love and marriage as Shiva, an elderly woman separated from her husband, meets a widower with whom she develops a relationship,” says Sudha who was born in Lahore (then West Pakistan) in 1946. Following the success of the story, Pratilipi acquired the film adaptation rights, further promoting Sudha’s work.

On how different is to publish her works on a virtual medium than a print version, Sudha says, “I personally prefer the print version since there is a certain sincerity among print readers. With online free platforms, there are many casual and ‘massy’ readers but then the sheer number and diversity of these readers is huge.”
But the author says the instant feedback one gets on Pratilipi is something which is very different. “For the last five years, I receive many comments, reviews, messages and mails every day from Pratilipi readers. This motivates me to see my work still connecting with people,” avers Sudha who chose to settle in Mumbai in 1971 after a teaching stint at Ashutosh College and Shri Shikshayatan College in Kolkata between 1969 and 1971.
Though Sudha doesn’t remember how many of her literary works are on Pratilipi, she says it is inspiring to see so many men, women and youngsters finding her stories meaningful.