When the entire world is doing its bit to fight a deadly pandemic, can two people fall in love? Ask this question to author Vibha Batra and she would say 'No matter what, people still fall in love'. So, do not be surprised when we tell you that this Chennai author's new short story is titled My Corona Love Story.
A 28-page-long story, the tale revolves around a young woman called Riyanshi, who decides to go on a solo trip from Paris to Rome when the pandemic begins. Stranded during a lockdown, she has a chance encounter with a stranger and the story progresses from there. The story is available to read in the Juggernaut app.
"Last year, I was commissioned to write 15 love stories for the publisher, one each month. This has been going on for five months now. So this month I wanted to write something very topical about how the virus is affecting daily life. I started thinking on those lines, when I put myself in the shoes of a girl who;'s travelling across Europe, on her own, " says Vibha. "It is a scary time, but people still fall in love. It is a high-stress situation and if you meet a stranger, you tend to lower your guards. I wanted to explore how someone would react to a stranger and how judgmental will they be," says the author, who laughs telling us about how her heroes are 'drool-worthy and strong, yet vulnerable.'
Vibha admits to be a travel enthusiast herself. The last time that we spoke to her, she'd written a book called 'Euro Trip' for children. "I wanted to write a book set in Europe for adults too," says Vibha, who is now gearing up to write a book on the pandemic and the lockdown.
