“Different people have different ways of interpreting reality…” – Maaria Sayed (Author of From Pashas to Pokémon)

Team Kitaab is in conversation with author Maaria Sayed for her debut work From Pashas to Pokémon (Published by Vishwakarma Publications, 2024).

Maaria Sayed is an Indian filmmaker and writer whose work focuses on the sexual and spiritual liberation of women, evolving Muslim identities, and South Asian life. She has been supported by Cineteca di Bologna, Sharjah Art Foundation, and Busan Film Commission, among others, and was a delegate and jury for the UN-backed Asia Peace Film Festival in Pakistan. She regularly holds workshops on cinema for students and teaches intercultural communication to executives of multinational companies.

She is a graduate of literature and cinema and obtained her fellowship in Asian media production and collaboration in South Korea. She is passionate about Sufi poetry, folk music, Indian theatre, and cats- big and small. This is her debut novel.

About the Book

At 25, Aisha has seen more than many people do in a lifetime and has understood one thing: no matter who you are and where you are from, there are things that you can study and others that you can actually learn from and grow.

Lively tales from family history and everyday life in a Mahammad Ali Road colony in Mumbai form the background of Aisha’s internal journey. Childhood memories mingle with her experiences while studying in London and are woven into a sharp commentary on the transformations in India over 20 years as she ponders her place in this ever-changing world. The novel narrates the story of many journeys. It is a journey of growing up: the journey from childhood to adolescence, youth to old age, from one culture to another, and a glimpse of past to present times.