I don’t like labels,” said columnist-novelist Shobhaa De during her debut appearance at the Kolkata Literary Meet at Alipore Museum on Sunday. Reflecting on a literary career spanning five decades, De also spoke about what independence truly means for women ahead of Republic Day. Without financial independence, there cannot be any talk of independence,” De added, before discussing her latest book, The Sensual Self. Even today, women in corporate spaces have to navigate questions that men never had to.”Rejecting gendered labels in literature, De stated, “I don’t like being called a woman writer. Their attitude to sex is as bland as their food.

Source: The Telegraph January 26, 2026 05:37 UTC