Meera Syal needs no introduction in the UK. Her smash-hit TV comedies—be it Goodness Gracious Me or The Kumars at No. 42—have made her a household name among people of all ages, colour or country of origin. She was made Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) last month, for services in drama and literature. This week, she releases her third novel—The House of Hidden Mothers—16 years after her last book, Life Isn’t All Ha Ha Hee Hee. Hidden Mothers touches upon the sensitive subject of surrogacy. A taboo in the British Asian community, along with divorce and dating a younger man, many ‘late mothers’ return to India for surrogacy, where it has grown into a prolific business. Excerpts from a conversation with Nabanita Sircar in London: