The Hindi Urdu Flagship’s Jishnu Shankar recently sat down with well-known Hindi writer and actress Susham Bedi to discuss her journey into a life of Hindi letters. In the interview, Bedi describes her childhood and adolescence in India, her acting career, and some sources of inspiration for her most famous stories. The conversation is wonderful listening comprehension practice for intermediate Hindi students and a fascinating insight in to the life of a Hindi writer.
Bedi is the author of a number of well-known Hindi novels and short-stories. Two of these novels, Havan and Vapasi, were also translated into Urdu and published in Pakistan. Bedi has also been involved in Hindi language pedagogy for more than a decade. She teaches at Columbia University and has developed a number of widely used Hindi comprehension materials.
In addition to her work with Hindi language and literature, Bedi has had a highly successful career as a stage and screen actress. She featured in many well-known Hindi theater productions during the 1960s and 70s; more recently, she has appeared in a number of American television shows (True Crime, Third Watch, Law & Order: SVU) and movies (The Guru, ABCD).