The pretty, thirty-something, Pakistani author Kamila Shamsie was one of the favourites with the Mumbai audiences at the UK-India, Kitab literary festival that concluded in Mumbai recently.
Her undeniable charm, her forthright views as a panelist and the fact that she has four novels under her belt, published by none other than Bloomsbury, publishers of the Potter series, had the young and old flocking to her.
Of course, her being from the  Sub-continent helped. One overheard fans, claiming her to be ‘our very own’.
Her first and third novels, In the City by the Sea and Kartography were both short listed for the prestigious John Llewellyn Rhys prize in England and her second novel, Salt and Saffron, won her a place on the Orange list of ‘21 writers for the 21st century’.
Kamila is enjoying the attention. “It is great to be in India (her third visit) and engage with people who come and tell me stories about my home town of Karachi,” she says.
“I am actually aadha (half) Karachi-aadha London, New York,” she says with a smile as she explains her globe-trotting existence. She teaches creative writing in New York and writes her novels from her homes in both London and Karachi.
However, her heart lies in Karachi. “Yes, my first four books have been based in Karachi. There are characters in the book, who are Pakistanis, who have studied abroad or lived abroad but have come back to Karachi at some point. I love to read my books in Karachi. It is almost like reading to a very large family!” she explains.
However, she maintains that her fifth and latest novel is more global in nature. “This novel goes all over the world. It goes from Japan to Delhi to Afghanistan to New York! However, several chunks are firmly based in the Sub-continent.”
The fact that Kamila hails from a family that was divided by the Partition, has not surprisingly formed the theme of at least one of her books. “My second novel, Salt and Saffron is a story about a family that was divided by the Partition and has stopped talking to each other. This gave me the opportunity to bring in a sense of loss and a shared history.”
Kamila has been awarded the Prime Minister’s Award for Literature in Pakistan in 1999 and is an easily recognisable face in urban, English-speaking Pakistan.
According to her, her biggest fans are 17 and 18-year-old Pakistanis living in Pakistan who like to talk to her the most. “It is fun talking to them,” she says.
It is evident that Kamila likes to teach. She enjoys holding creative writing workshops in Karachi  schools. “Yes, I enjoy talking to groups of 20 and 30 at a time. The schools in Pakistan tend to be very regimented. You realise that the children do not have too many creative outlets. However, despite this, I am amazed at the wonderful work being produced by them in my workshops.” Kamila says.
And while she is equally at home wearing jeans and jacket in the Western world and the salwar kameez in Karachi, she shares her sense of discomfort at the increasing levels of Islamaphobia.
“In the past two years or so, I am feeling increasingly uncomfortable in London, especially when people begin to think the ‘bomb people’ are the only Muslims around. The view of Islam abroad is getting increasingly unpleasant. It is kind of difficult to hear and listen to things being said about Islam and Muslims on the radio and television in a very generalised manner.
“Of course, this will not stop me from going to London. I still love the place and there are still many sensible people around,” she asserts.