Shobhaa De


Shobha De is an Indian columnist and novelist. She is best known for her depiction of socialites and sex in her works of fiction, for which she has come to be known as the "Jackie Collins of India".

Early life

Shobhaa De was born as Shobha Rajadhyaksha on 7 January 1948 in a Maharashtrian family in Satara district, Maharashtra and brought up in Girgaon, Mumbai, India. She did her schooling at Queen Mary School, Mumbai and was graduated from the St. Xavier's College, Mumbai.

Career

After making her name as a model and first working with Ashvin Gatha, she began a career in journalism in 1970, during the course of which she founded and edited three magazines—Stardust, Society, and Celebrity. Stardust magazine, published by Mumbai-based Magna Publishing Co. Ltd., was started by Nari Hira in 1971 and became popular under the editorship of Shobhaa De. In the 1980s, she contributed to the Sunday magazine section of The Times of India. In her columns, she used to explore the socialite life in Mumbai lifestyles of the celebrities. At present, she is a freelance writer and columnist for several newspapers and magazines.
Shobhaa De runs four weekly columns in mainstream newspapers, including The Times of India and Asian Age. She has been the writer of several popular soaps on television, including India's second daily serial, Swabhimaan.
De writes De Tour, a fortnightly column for The Week.
De has participated in several literary festivals, including the Writers' Festival in Melbourne. She is a regular participant of Bengaluru Literature Festival, having been part of it since its first edition and brand ambassador of Dehradun Literature Festival.

Controversies

The Shiv Sena has protested the publication of some of Shobhaa De's opinions, including the separation of Mumbai from Maharashtra to create a separate entity.
During the 2016 Olympics, De suggested in a tweet that Indian athletes visit the Olympics merely to take selfies and spend government money. Her comment received widespread criticism from various quarters.
In 2019, Abdul Basit, a former Pakistani envoy to India, revealed that a 2016 article written by De advocating plebiscite in Kashmir was under Basit's influence. https://www.dnaindia.com/india/photo-gallery-ex-pak-high-abdul-basit-commissioner-says-he-influenced-shobha-de-to-write-article-on-kashmir-columnist-denies-2781230

Books