Dr. Shefali Arora, a PhD in Computer Science and Engineering and an Assistant Professor at Dr. Ambedkar National Institute of Technology, Jalandhar, seamlessly bridges the worlds of academia and creativity. While she is a lecturer by profession, writing remains her true passion. With an impressive body of work that includes A Paradise of Thoughts, The Infinite Road, and Dare.Dream.Travel, and Bittersweet Coffee, she continues to explore diverse genres with depth and sensitivity. Dr. Shefali has recently published “Peers and Fears”, a completely different approach to peer pressure.
In an exclusive interview with Nitish Raj; Editor-in-Chief, The Literary Mirror the academician-turned-author not only talks about her writing journey but also about the impact of academics on the younger generation and the general masses.
Q.1 As an Assistant Professor of Computer Science and Engineering in one of the most reputed colleges of the country, how does your analytical training influence the way you explore human behaviour and emotional complexity in your writing?
SA: As an Assistant Professor, I converse with students on a daily basis and understand what they go through on a daily basis. My analysis of their behaviour comes from their actions and their urge to compete and run ahead of others. Well, competition is healthy, but what I look at is the pressure that envelopes them in both academics and extracurricular activities. The emotional complexity in my writing comes from these small incidents that we (and in fact all of us) face in our lives.
Q.2 Your latest masterpiece, “Peers and Fears”, portrays peer pressure as a subtle yet powerful force—do you see it as primarily a social construct, a psychological instinct, or an interplay of both?
SA: Peer pressure is a combination of both- it comes from social obligations (because you need to be ahead in the rat race), it also comes from physiological instincts of youngsters and adults who want to look cool or rich or perfect… Well, we all have that instinct somewhere! That’s when we will be accepted by society, right?
Q.3 In today’s algorithm-driven culture of constant comparison, how has digital technology reshaped our notions of validation and self-worth?
SA: These days, social media is a rage amongst youngsters. The more the followers algorithm gives them, the better they feel about themselves. Lack of validation from social media platforms gives them an identity crisis. In many situations, decent kids take wrong steps or even end their lives. Digital growth has indeed transformed our lives, but with the amount of comparison it has increased, what world are we living in?
Q.4 Within competitive academic environments, how do you interpret the evolving nature of peer pressure among students, especially when it comes to undergraduates, while navigating ambition and identity?
SA: Peer pressure among undergraduates is both positive and negative. When I observe students competing with each other on coding platforms or for marks, per se, we take this pressure as a positive sign. They have the thirst to grow amid success. However, negative impacts too are visible when students navigate in the wrong direction on the behest of looking cool and successful. A very simple example of such negative pressure is the consumption of alcohol.
Q.5 Do you find parallels between engineering problem-solving and the ethical or emotional dilemmas your characters confront in your stories?
SA: There is definitely a connection between problem-solving in engineering and in emotional scenarios. Both are tough; the dilemmas are for real. The only solution is to channelize your energies and get into the depths of these problems. This would give you an answer. Similarly, the characters in my stories learn their lessons when they get to the root of their internal conflicts. The real freedom comes when they free themselves from the chains of peer pressure or learn something positive from it.
Q.6 How do you reconcile the human need for belonging with the pursuit of individuality, particularly within structured academic and professional systems?
SA: This is a very good take on the human psyche. In academic systems like ours, the need for belonging comes within students when they work hard to secure good marks or good jobs. In this race, the pursuit for individuality gets lost somewhere. I think there is a fragile thread that binds the two. Students need to create a delicate balance between their aspirations and the societal obligations in academic scenarios like ours. Only then can they fight peer pressure and internal conflicts.
Q.7 Your earlier works also suggest identity is shaped through choices—yet to what extent are those choices truly autonomous in a socially conditioned world?
SA: True, in my previous work, Dare.Dream.Travel, I talked about women and their choices when it comes to travel. In Peers and Fears, I have talked about the role of choices taken as an independent individual vs those taken after succumbing to peer pressure. In a socially conditioned world, these choices may not be fully in our control, as we navigate through different opinions and challenges. However, we can try a bit to overcome this ordeal.
Q.8 If one were to completely resist peer pressure, would that lead to authentic freedom—or simply a different form of isolation?
SA: I think not following the trend could lead to isolation, however that is where freedom lies- when you learn to follow what your soul desires.
