Reading Chup: Breaking the Silence is like staring into a mirror — only to find yourself gasping in relief after you've stared at it for too long. Author and social scientist Deepa Narayan, after interviewing 600 women, collected 8,000 pages of research that highlights seven key cultural habits that act as the underlying machinery for women to delete themselves — denying the body, sexuality, being quiet, pleasing others, isolating oneself, the absence of an individual identity, and dependence. The book got its paperback release a few days ago and Narayan now has plans to adapt it into a play and film.

Excerpts from the interview.