Breaking Boundaries: My Journey as a South Asian Writer, Entrepreneur, and Storyteller
I often say that my life began in technicolour. Born in a tiny village in Kerala, South India, I came to England as a baby, where we settled in London’s East End—a tough, gritty place in the 1970s. My earliest memory of Kerala comes from a trip back when I was just four or five. In London, life felt monochrome; but in Kerala, everything burst into vivid colour. I vividly remember running through the darkness of that first night, somehow instinctively finding my grandmother’s house.
She was like a fairytale character—wise, mystical, and deeply connected to the villagers. She owned the local rice mill and was one of the few people who could read and write. Villagers would gather to have her read their letters, share their secrets, and solve their problems. Watching her in action taught me that stories aren’t just entertainment—they’re lifelines.
Kerala gave me a sense of belonging that I struggled to find in London. There, I was just another outsider. Like many children of South Asian immigrants, I lived a double life. My parents, like countless others, wanted me to be a lawyer or doctor—stable, predictable careers. But from a very young age, I knew I wanted to write. Writing was my way of making sense of the world around me and the emotions within. Though my fiction is often imagined, my cultural roots and lived experiences are woven into every page.
Taking the Leap: Trading Stability for Dreams
In my twenties, I found myself working for a management consultancy. It’s not that I didn’t like my job, I just thought that there was more for me.
At the time, I was working on my first novel, Gypsy Masala, a story about following your dreams. I realized that, in writing it, I was giving myself a message I desperately needed to hear. If not now, then when?
Just as I finished my novel, I was made redundant and took this as a sign from the Universe. I couldn’t tell my parents that I had been made redundant and wanted to be a novelist, so I put on a suit every day and pretended to go to work and went to the library whilst waiting for my big publishing deal. That suit routine I’m embarrassed to say lasted 8 months!
Rejection, Resilience, and Reinvention
Unfortunately, or fortunately, I was rejected by every publisher I approached. But instead of giving up, I decided to take matters into my own hands.
I created my own publishing and PR company and became my own fiercest advocate. Enter Pru Menon—my alias and alter ego. “Pru” was the feisty, fearless publicist I needed to be but wasn’t. I am naturally introverted and sensitive, but Pru was loud, unrelenting, and unapologetic. She gate-crashed publishing parties and did everything I couldn’t imagine doing as myself.
Pru became the key to promoting Gypsy Masala. After two years of a relentless journey, I got the book into the charts, and eventually signed a three-book deal with HarperCollins. My alter-ego Pru was short-listed as publicist of the year!
Finding My Voice in Theatre
After the success of my books, I found myself comfortably settled in a creative career. But if you stay too long in a comfort zone, you stop growing. I was ready for my next challenge.
At 47, having never acted before, not even at school, I wrote, performed and produced a one-woman play, Sari: The Whole Five Yards, about a 59-year-old Asian woman grappling with her past. I booked the theatre myself and spent over a year training to act.
Performing that play and playing all 22 parts was one of the most terrifying and rewarding experiences of my life. For some, the thrill of stepping out of their comfort zone might come from bungee jumping or climbing mountains. For me, it was walking onto that stage, exposed and vulnerable, night after night.
The experience not only reignited my sense of self-belief but also taught me about presence, energy, and connection. It’s never too late to try something new or to rediscover yourself in the process.
The producer of The Crown came to see the show and it was optioned for television. I then decided to turn the play into the novel, Unravelling.
Unravelling: A Journey of Liberation
Unravelling centres on Bhanu, a 59-year-old woman who appears to have the perfect life—loving husband, wonderful children, and a beautiful home—but is haunted by dark secrets from her past. On the eve of her 40th wedding anniversary, she bumps into her first love Deep, who asks her to come away with him. Everything she has worked so hard to suppress begins to unravel.
At its core, the story is about the power of self-truth. Who are we beneath the masks we wear? How much of our lives are dictated by the expectations of others? These are questions I’ve grappled with personally and professionally.
Lessons from the Journey
Looking back, my journey has been anything but linear. From navigating the expectations of my South Asian heritage to creating an alter ego, from publishing books to performing on stage, I’ve learned that growth comes when you push yourself beyond what feels safe or comfortable.
As women, particularly as we age, society often renders us invisible. Through my work, I hope to challenge that notion and give voice to the stories that are often overlooked. Life doesn’t end when we hit a certain age—in fact, it might just be beginning.
If there’s one truth I’ve come to understand, it’s this: when we embrace who we really are and pursue what sets our hearts on fire, everything changes.
Unravelling is out now.
Link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Unravelling-Preethi-Nair/dp/1998997294/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8
Preethi Nair is the author of four books and is visiting professor at various Business Schools, teaching creativity and storytelling for personal transformation. Preethi also speaks on resilience.
