Hyderabad author Richa Sharma's book explores ideas of home and identity
A recurring theme in Richa Sharma's debut novel, Finding Home Again (published by Nu Voice Press and distributed by Penguin Random House India), is the search for belonging. Is home the place where one is born and raised? Or is it the space one builds in a new city through education, career, or marriage? Can one truly belong to more than one place, absorbing the best of multiple cultures? Set in the aftermath of a train derailment following floods in Assam, the novel traces characters searching for their loved ones — unfolding deeper ideas of home, identity, and displacement.
Richa was raised in Arunachal Pradesh, though her parents hail from Uttar Pradesh. 'My father moved to Arunachal in 1970. As a state government schoolteacher, he helped establish schools in remote interiors,' she says, over coffee at a café in Hyderabad.
She and her siblings eventually moved to different cities for higher education. Richa studied journalism, psychology, and literature in Bengaluru before pursuing a Master's in mass communication at the University of Hyderabad — where she met actor Priyadarshi Pulikonda, whom she later married.
Her love for books, she says, stems from her parents. 'My mother was a voracious reader,' she recalls, picturing her lost in books at libraries in Agra. 'Her family read and wrote extensively. My father also encouraged me to read.'
The storytelling
Reflecting on the lasting influence of her mother, whom she lost recently, Richa says, 'Mum wrote poems and even compiled a book of recipes. She was a gifted storyteller, often regaling us with anecdotes about her parents and grandparents —progressive thinkers in the 1940s who defied norms. All of that shaped who I am today.'
Both her parents were Hindi teachers, and their empathy left a deep impression on her. 'I remember mom making tea for our house help, noticing when she was upset. Dad, on the other hand, would calmly wait for a snake to slither away rather than harm it. That sensitivity stayed with me.'
Shades of these qualities appear in some of the characters in her book. The idea for Finding Home Again took root over a decade ago, inspired by the annual floods in the North East. 'I've witnessed firsthand how the monsoons affect lives in the region, but until recently, much of the country remained unaware of their severity. While studying in Bengaluru, I often had to explain that Arunachal lies beyond Assam.'
Several portions of the novel pay homage to the North East — its food, its rhythm, its people — though set in fictional towns. The use of imagined news clippings about floods and a train derailment was a conscious choice, to avoid any direct parallels with real-life tragedies. Richa coined the town names — Maajorghat and Sigo Dolung — with care, wanting them to reflect a sense of place, yet remain unanchored to one specific location. 'Maajorghat refers to a large river bank, and Sigo Dolung to an underground water source in a village. I checked with friends, who in turn asked their elders, to ensure the names felt rooted and authentic.'
However, the book does not currently contain a note clarifying that the towns are fictional. 'Maybe we'll include one in the next print run,' she adds thoughtfully.
Question of identity
Richa admits she once felt a sense of displacement. Her understanding of home and identity evolved over the years. 'At home in Arunachal, we spoke a purer form of Hindi, but with friends, we'd switch to Arunachali Hindi. I often found myself wondering — who am I? Over time, I came to realise that it is possible to belong to more than one place. '
Writing, she says, became the space where she felt most at home. 'I tried various jobs, including a brief stint in journalism, but nothing felt right.'
Her novel began as a love story and underwent several transformations across six drafts. After she completed it, Richa submitted the manuscript to numerous publishing houses. 'It was rejected 35 times over two years,' she says. 'Along the way, I was advised to make it pacier, to tone down the characters' internal conflicts. Some said, 'Who wants literary fiction from a debut writer?' But I stayed true to what I believed in.'
The story centres on three main characters — Kranti, Maya, and Mridula — each on a journey of search and reckoning. Richa confesses there is a part of her in each of them, and traces of her mother in Maya's mother. The writing process was unhurried. 'I waited for the characters to bloom. I had to be patient enough to see the world through their eyes.'
Not every character finds the closure they seek — whether that means reuniting with a loved one or even finding their body after the accident — but they come to terms with their reality. 'Transformation takes time,' she reflects. 'It involves internal conversations.'
To write about the aftermath of a train derailment, Richa read extensively on railway accidents and survivor testimonies. 'It was emotionally difficult,' she admits. Through it all, she is grateful for the support she received from her husband Priyadarshi, her in-laws, her sister, and close friends. 'Darshi is an artist — he understands what it takes to create something from the ground up.'
Finding Home Again marks the beginning of Richa's journey as a writer. 'There are more ideas brewing,' she says, smiling —'fiction, non-fiction, even poetry.'
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