Writing was cathartic, helped tackle painful memories: Mukerjea

Twenty-three year old

Vidhie Mukerjea

has seen more of the world in six years than most people do in their lifetime. She was 18, just back from school, when she found that her mother, Indrani Mukerjea, had been arrested for the murder of her stepsister Sheena Bora. If that were not bad enough, her stepfather, media mogul Peter Mukerjea, was also arrested on charges of conspiracy soon after. Though neither a suspect nor an accused, Mukerjea felt shamed by the media for many years. In her first book, the Devil’s Daughter, Mukerjea confronts the incidents and gives her side of the narrative.

Speaking to author Harshali Singh at the Times

LitFest

, Mukerjea said, “When the case broke out I knew I wasn’t at fault. I was a by-product of the case, but through the years it all got so confusing and I have been under intense media scrutiny. It really made me wonder if the same thing would happen to me if I had been a boy.”

Mukerjea said that the book’s title is a metaphor for society that included the media, the public and herself. After years of anxiety, panic attacks through her parents’ trial and ill-health, Mukerjea said that

writing

proved cathartic and helped her confront painful and unsettling memories. “This journey has taught me that no matter what you do people will try to bring you down. You have to be your own cheerleader. You do you,” she said.

Her advice for other youngsters going through difficult situations? “Work on yourself and have confidence. For six years I looked for the light at the end of the tunnel till I finally found it. And for the many people who want to pull you down, there are others who are secretly rooting for you,” she said.