The book launch of The D'Costa Family on 6 August 2025 was beyond expectations with a house full of enthused and engaged audience at Little Theatre, NCPA, Mumbai - and an audience interaction with such positive energy that it made for a memorable evening.

This is the recording of the conversation between Rochelle Potkar (author of The D'Costa Family) and Smita Sahay, Editor-in-Chief, Usawa Literary Review.

About the Book -

Set in the vibrant Goan-Indian milieu, the book introduces us to the riotous D'Costas - a family as outrageous as they are unforgettable. At the center is matriarch Rita D'Costa, navigating betrayal, secrets, and reconciliation with wicked humour and unflinching honesty. With Potkar's signature blend of lyricism and wit, the narrative explores themes of family dysfunction, cultural legacy, and feminine agency.

(The book is available on Amazon and at a few select bookshops.)

Usawa Literary Review celebrated its 7th anniversary.

Usawa is a bi-annual English language literary magazine dedicated to feminist literature and writings by and about underrepresented communities. We publish poetry, fiction, nonfiction, reviews and interviews that question hierarchies, hegemonies and naturalized biases.

This evening started with dramatic readings by Neeta Doshi and Digant Sharma (artists and storytellers) and followed with this conversation.

Curated by -

Dr. Sujata Jadhav - Head – Libraries and Documentation Centre, NCPA

NCPA’s Page to Stage Literary Initiative is a unique platform by the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA), Page to Stage is dedicated to celebrating the written word through performance. It offers authors and poets an opportunity to bring their work to life, transforming literature into engaging staged experiences that connect with diverse audiences.

Monalisa Joshi hosts a fun conversations around my latest novel The D'Costa Family and the Writing Life.

About the book -

The Goan Indian D'Costa family descends into glorious chaos after patriarch Don Theodore's death. His widow Rita, who never loved him, launches a campaign to install their gravedigger son Jason as the new Don, bribing tenants, and manipulating family members. Meanwhile, her pregnant daughter-in-law Annette juggles a secret lover, stolen jewelry, and an accidental shooting, while Inspector Gaitonde - allergic to family drama - stumbles upon the D'Costas' most absurd secret beneath Jason's manicured graveyard. As real estate schemes collapse, guns are mishandled, and a Catholic-Hindu wedding spirals into hullabaloo, Rita recognizes the madness of the patriarchal power game she had been playing, finding unexpected solidarity with the tenants she once chose to exploit. The D'Costa Family is a wild ride packed with over-the-top characters and crazy twists that come fast and unexpected - sometimes emotional, sometimes macabre, but always gripping.

'A darkly comedic family caper filled with gangsters, gold, and Goan grit, The D’Costa Family is a madcap saga of greed, deception, and one last shot at legacy.' -- Jesal Shah, Filmmaker

'From the very first page, the story keeps you hooked, filled with dark humor, warmth, and an undeniable charm.' - Priyanka Tanwar, Filmmaker

'Rochelle masterfully crafts each character with such rich detail that they leap off the page, making their world impossible to resist.' - Namrata, Literary Consultant

‘Potkar’s eclectic prose allows the metaphors to flow, the setting to flourish, and connections to deepen.’ - Keith Correa, Academic & Editor

‘Potkar also brings forward the story of women in a household and their roles across generations.’ – Sukaina Majeed, Book Blogger.

'Rochelle masterfully crafts each character with such rich detail that they leap off the page, making their world impossible to resist.' - Namrata, Literary Consultant

Rochelle’s sense of humour is crazy, sinister, macabre even. Listen to this: “Had it been any other occasion, she would have nitpicked on how badly the priest invoked the Lord. But the more Theodore’s history was muddled up with, the better, she felt.” And, “not all in the church had come to grieve his death. Some had come to assure themselves he was gone.” – Heta Pandit, author, activist, independent researcher on Goan Culture.

Chrysanthemum Chronicles (@ch_chronicles) helmed by Monalisa Joshi is an Indian Contemporary Publishing House that publishes books on Prose, Poetry, Interviews, Cover Stories and Coffee Table Books.

In Conversation with Ekta Bhandari, Anurag Kothari, and Kalpak Chavan of Read A Kitaab on my debut novel - The D'Costa Family.

The Goan Indian D'Costa family descends into glorious chaos after patriarch Don Theodore's death. His widow Rita, who never loved him, launches a campaign to install their gravedigger son Jason as the new Don, bribing tenants, and manipulating family members. Meanwhile, her pregnant daughter-in-law Annette juggles a secret lover, stolen jewelry, and an accidental shooting, while Inspector Gaitonde - allergic to family drama - stumbles upon the D'Costas' most absurd secret beneath Jason's manicured graveyard. As real estate schemes collapse, guns are mishandled, and a Catholic-Hindu wedding spirals into hullabaloo, Rita recognizes the madness of the patriarchal power game she had been playing, finding unexpected solidarity with the tenants she once chose to exploit. The D'Costa Family is a wild ride packed with over-the-top characters and crazy twists that come fast and unexpected - sometimes emotional, sometimes macabre, but always gripping.

'A darkly comedic family caper filled with gangsters, gold, and Goan grit, The D’Costa Family is a madcap saga of greed, deception, and one last shot at legacy.' -- Jesal Shah, Filmmaker

'From the very first page, the story keeps you hooked, filled with dark humor, warmth, and an undeniable charm.' - Priyanka Tanwar, Filmmaker

'Rochelle masterfully crafts each character with such rich detail that they leap off the page, making their world impossible to resist.' - Namrata, Literary Consultant

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Read A Kitaab is an unbiased community of Readers, Booklovers, writers and artists. We strive to provide the community an ecosystem with an online library. (@readakitaab)