Book Review: 'The Fallen Love' by Rashmi Singh

This was my first book by the author Rashmi Singh. Few days I had mentioned about having interviewed her on the platform of Isahitya. I had also received a copy for review and I must say the book left a deep impact on me. Since I had to put up a formal review on the website I didn't get a chance to mention but this my own space where I can blabber at my own pace. The moment I opened the envelope nothing could surpass the beautiful handwriting of the author. Yes, I remember teachers telling us about the importance of crystal clear pearly handwriting and I finally understood its meaning that day. I was totally mesmerized by her writing and I just forgot that we are here to read the book review. So check it out here

And I plan to post a Book Giveway soon...Anyone excited?

Rendezvous with Author Rashmi Singh

Few weeks back I got the opportunity of interviewing the four book old Rashmi Singh. When I got the opportunity to interview her on the platform of Isahitya, I was pretty ashamed of being unaware of her two books on fiction. Till then I had heard of her self help books namely 'Back to School @ 30' and 'Taming The Restless Mind' but when I began to research on her I found out about 'Love's Journey' and 'The Fallen Love'. Meanwhile I was sent a copy of 'The Fallen Love' for review and I was halfway through when the interview happened. And this has been the best interview I have ever taken. In my journey of interacting with authors since the past six months, I never felt so comfortable with the author like it did with this beautiful lady. She helped me lot while I googled out about her and researched all the more for framing questions. Read on to see what we talked about here

‘How About A Sin Tonight?’ is my first character driven novel : Novoneel Chakraborty

Published @ www.isahitya.com

In the biggest casting coup of the Hindi film industry, five top stars are signed up for a new movie: Shahraan—a living legend still lamenting the loss of his first love; Reva and Neev—newcomers allied in a common journey; Nishani—the celebrity kid who must avenge her father’s untimely death; and Kaash—the actor harbouring a secret love from his past. As their intimately intertwined personal stories take centre stage, the industry’s underbelly is left exposed for all to see. By the time the curtain draws to a close, the gossip-hungry media has enough fodder on its plate to last a lifetime.

Novoneel Chakraborty, bestselling author of A Thing beyond Forever and That Kiss in the Rain, unveils the grime behind the glitz, the insecurities and compromises, in a world where aspirants come prepared to strike a Faustian bargain. A beguiling tale of love, ambition, jealousy, and betrayal, How About a Sin Tonight? will leave you asking for more.

Ques: How did writing come into existence in your life?

Novoneel - From the time I was 19-20 years of age, characters and plots started happening in my mind which kept haunting me till I penned them down. I guess writing happened as an eventuality. I did it because I enjoyed ‘thinking’ a lot and it was only when I penned a particular set of thoughts that I felt ready to think more.

Ques: You started off with ‘A thing beyond forever’ and now you it’s ‘How about a sin tonight’. How has the journey as a writer been so far?

Novoneel- As I said writing for me happened as a by-product to my obsessive act of ‘thinking’. Now, I feel home with writing. To cut a long story short, if it wasn’t for writing I wouldn’t have discovered anything about myself.  I would have lived a pre-historic life in a modern world where I would have first honed my skills at something that would fetch me food and do so for the rest of my life and thereby celebrate an ignorable existence which I have a problem with.

Ques: How did you come up with the title of your latest novel?

Novoneel - The phrase ‘How About A Sin Tonight?’ comes forth as a dialogue in the book at a point which is personally very special to me. I liked the sound of the title and also it went with the overall tone of the book. Hence I stuck with it.

Ques: Tell us something about your book ‘How about a Sin tonight’.

Novoneel  - ‘How About A Sin Tonight?’ is my first character driven novel. It depicts the journey of five different people, their realizations, their flaws, their vulnerability and their choices with the milieu being the Hindi Film Industry.

Ques: Is there any message you would like to give through your novel?

Novoneel - I strongly, and personally, believe ‘message’ is something a reader picks up and not a writer intentionally writes about. My writing is more inclined towards revealing aspects of the human behaviour when in a relationship. The action-reaction of characters is what intrigues me as a storyteller and in the end, I believe, it’s an important ingredient to make a memorable story.

Ques: Out of the five characters, whose character was the most difficult to write about?

Novoneel - It wasn’t difficult to write about any characters since I spent a good six to seven months trying to understand them in my mind before I started writing about them. What was difficult was how to make each character different from the other. One of the major challenges for a writer in a multiple-character driven novel is how well he can suppress his personal prejudice and let the characters’ uniqueness come to the surface.

Ques: You seem to be having an excellent command over ‘dastangoi’ which perhaps is explained by your books being National Bestsellers. What is the secret recipe behind the same?

Novoneel  - A bestseller is about quantity whereas good storytelling is about quality. There’s no secret recipe. I personally believe success in creative endeavours is always a fluke because no one can predict the reaction of the readers at large. You can give them what you know they have been reading and hope they’ll lap it up because they have been doing so or else give them something very different, if you are an adventurous storyteller like I’m, and hope they appreciate your work.  Hope is the key word in both the cases.

Ques: ‘That kiss in the Rain’ has been one of the most beautiful literature of today’s times, the character of ‘Pallavi’ being the most intriguing one. How did the idea about the book came in your mind?

Novoneel  - The characters of Pallavi, Swadha and Haasil came to me first. I wanted to write a story about these three characters. The plot happened as I started to write. Pallavi, in essence, is an anti-thesis to the protagonist of my first novel, Radhika. With her I wanted to explore areas which I wasn’t able to do with Radhika in ‘A Thing Beyond Forever’.

Ques: When you came up with ‘ A thing beyond Forever’ , did you know writing would become an inseparable part of your life?

Read more

'Red Jihad' indicts the scourge of terrorism, violence and hypocrisy : Sami Ahmad Khan

This interview was published on Isahitya on 01.08.2012

Sami Ahmad Khan book ‘Red Jihad-Battle for South Asia’ , an action packed thriller is just released.  ‘Red Jihad-Battle for South Asia is his first novel. Sami Ahmad Khan read Literature at Hindu College and Rajdhani College, University of Delhi. He then completed his masters in English Literature at Jawaharlal Nehru University. He is a PhD Scholar at JNU, where he is working on Science Fiction and Techno-culture Studies. Currently, Sami is on a Fulbright Fellowship at The University of Iowa, USA. He has engaged in film production, teaching, theatre and writing. His short stories, plays and articles have been published in magazines and academic journals. 

The book takes you to 2014 when Pakistan has transitioned into a full-fledged democracy and is reconciling with India. However, there are forces working against this fragile peace. A Pakistani jihadi leader, Yaseer Basheer, travels to the Red Corridor and enlists the support of an Indian Naxalite commander, Agyaat. Their plan is to unleash Pralay, Indias experimental intercontinental ballistic missile, on the subcontinent. As the missile changes course en route, it hits Pakistan and causes collateral damage. In response, Pakistan unleashes war on India. The battle for South Asia turns murkier as an Indo-Pak war threatens to embroil many other countries in the endgame. Have India and Pakistan sparked off the mother of all wars?

Here Sami Ahmad talks about how his book came into shape and the apprehensions attached with writing on such a sensitive topic.

(Interviewed by Harshita Srivastava)

Q. How does it feel to have that ‘author tag’ with your name?

Sami : It feels good, of course, but nothing uniquely ultra-special. After all, every one of us has at least one book in our hearts. I just got blessed with an opportunity to write it. 

Q. You’ve always been related to literature for a long period. Was writing books in your mind since long or was it something that came all of sudden?

Sami :  I loved reading since I was a kid. Writing was the next organic extension. I began with poems and short stories. When the germs of this book started to proliferate in the depths of my mind, I realized it was time to move to novels, though it was a gradual rather than a sudden shift.

Q. Being a debut author, what hardships you had to face while writing as well as getting your book published?

Sami : Any writer, debut or experienced, always faces hardships, even if they're only (!) literary decisions (for example, which words to use and where) or intellectual doubts (the theme and its treatment, for example). For me, the process of writing, re-writing, and polishing the drafts of the manuscript were just as challenging as finding a publisher who was willing to take chances with not only a debut writer, but also one speaking on an atypical topic in an unconventional manner, and one who was not writing on the 'proven' formula of love, romance and relationships. I am grateful to my publisher (Rupa) and Mr. Kapish Mehra, who encourage and hone new voices and newer forms of literature, for having faith in a greenhorn such as me.

Q. Tell us something about your book .

Sami : It is a thriller set a few years in the future. Jihadis join hands with the Naxalites and try to destabilize a (relatively) stable South Asia. The book depicts how South Asia, specifically India, reacts to such threats of terror and how decisions are made at the top levels of bureaucracy, military and political executive, and how exactly they affect the soldier holding the gun or a civilian fleeing the dogs of war.  It is, however, a piece of utter fiction, though ripped out of newspaper headlines (with which I have taken extreme liberties) and extrapolated to its slightly more masaledaar form, and should be treated as such.

Q. How did you come up with such an intriguing title of the book?

Sami : Not only are the words 'red' and 'jihad' symbolic, they also represent how mass-media portrays the existence of religious fundamentalism and political extremism in contemporary discourses- both amounting to the same terror, the same insecurity, and the same loss of life felt amongst those who suffer. Red Jihad united these opposites and was thus the perfect title for what happens in the book.

Q. Weren’t you apprehensive of the fact that you are writing on a very sensitive topic that might bring your book wrong publicity?

Sami : Yes, I was aware (and afraid) that it might be misconstrued, but since Red Jihad is nothing but a figment of my imagination, is a work of fiction, and has its heart in the right place (it indicts none but the scourge of terrorism, violence, and hypocrisy etc), I was not too worried, for the underlying leitmotif in this book is peace, universal brotherhood and a shared, unified existence for all humanity.

Q. Is there any message you would like to give through your novel?

Sami : I believe in the reader extracting his or her own message through the text, rather than being spoon-fed the reasons the author chose to write the book. The reader does not need that. Though yes, if I were to give a message, it would be, a la Benjamin Franklin, this - 'we (humanity, as a whole) must all hang together, or rest assured, we will all hang separately'. And that the only way ahead for us all is via peace, tolerance and mutual cooperation. Violence can never be a solution to anything. Ever. Parochialism can only lead to bloodshed, nothing else.

Q. Is there any particular age group you are targeting?

Sami : Rather than targeting any age group, I tried to target a worldview present in us all. The outlook that makes us read newspapers, take part in campaigns against social evils, and feel responsible for the world we live in. A worldview that is interested in 'what if' and capable of believing in 'if only'. To top it all, a worldview that believes, to quote Faiz, that "Aur bhi gham hai zamane main mohabbat ke siva". I did not want to write a campus romance or a novel pertaining to the angst of another IIT-IIM graduate. There are others better equipped to do so. I wanted a topic that was much more sinister, and much more in need of addressing; a topic that could tear us apart, or unite us as brothers. In terror, I found that synthesis of emotions, of raw anger, pure hatred, blind faith, hidden sensitivity and brutal directness.

Q. What kind of reviews have you got for your book till now? Did you expect this?

Sami : Only online reviews are out till now and they've been quite good. It is quite encouraging. Though I am happy with whatever reviews or criticism that I may get. After all, I need to learn a lot more about writing.

Q. What prompted you to write a book on terrorism and who has been your source of inspiration all this while?

Sami : For evil to triumph, it is enough that good men do nothing (attributed to Burke). I have no delusions of a grandiose, heroic, nobility, but I think as a citizen of this world, I can do my bit in trying to end this cycle of bloodshed and parochialism by writing about it. In the same breath, I say this: Red Jihad is a work of fiction and was written by fictionalizing events in a manner in which I thought made them more interesting to the reader. If I had wanted to solemnly sermonize, I would have tried my hand at non-fiction. Red Jihad has all the action that a thriller might have, but I simultaneously tried to mete out an impartial and balanced treatment of the subject under consideration. As for the inspiration, my parents, my friends, and my muse, have been the inspirations behind this project. No, they did not inspire terror in me, but supported me and helped me finish this novel.

Q. What are your favourite works and who do you think have been authors who changed the literary scenario of India?

Sami : I am a huge fan of science fiction. Douglas Adams, Star Trek, Star Wars, Doctor Who, etc, not to mention the fantasy-fiction of JRR Tolkien and JK Rowling, are texts I swear by. I also think there are so many good, very good, writers who have sprung up in India over the last two or three decades and are conscious of bridging the gap between the so called 'high' literature and popular fiction. Our future looks quite bright.

Q. And finally, any advice or suggestion you would like to give to aspiring authors and readers?

Sami : The clichéd motto of 'follow your heart' does work. True story. Keep thinking about anything and everything, pen down your thoughts and just do it. Don't worry about the form or content or the result. Pouring one's heart out via the mind is what matters. The means is as important as the end. And it works!

Thank you Sir, it was pleasure talking to you

 ( Click here to Buy Your copy of  'Red Jihad-Battle for South Asia ' via Flipkart. Follow Facebook Fan page of  'Red Jihad-Battle for South Asia ' here )

My Novel is all about selfless love and true relationships : Vinit K Bansal

This interview was published @ Isahitya on 17.06.2012

Vinit K Bansal, a banker by profession is the new writer on the block.  Last Year He has come up with a debut novel "I Am Heartless: A Real Confession " describing few true incidents of his life. He considers it as a real confessin. The book revolves around  Viren who is a day dreamer, an egoistic, a hopeless romantic and an attention seeker afflicted with a bizarre madness and arrogance engulfing him. 

It is the story of his life which encompasses love, dedication, eccentricity, friendship and overall his discovery of his true love and also the anguish of losing it due to his obstinacy and self-centeredness. It is a repertoire of moments coated with velvetiness of love and bruised by the thorns of betrayal. It highlights the situations which ultimately turns him into a devil, who wants to annihilate the whole world with his impiety, consequences being the least he cares about; and eventually loses his happiness, identity and even himself in this process.

In a conversation with Harshita Srivastava, he talks about his experience on his debut as an author . 

(Here’s the interview)

Qus: How does it feel to hold your book in hand?

Vinit - Feels on the top of the world, with my feet still firm on the ground.:-). On a lighter note, it makes me feels royally humble.

Qus: How did writing come into existence in your life?

Vinit: I was into writing poetry and articles since my college days but writing a complete book is what I had never even thought of in my wildest dreams. But then an incident in my life (As mentioned in my book) motivated me to do so.

Qus: Being a debut author, what hardships you had to face while writing as well as getting your book published?

Vinit: I wanted to share the story in its real version only but being a novice it was little difficult for me to manage varying emotions of the characters and adjust its magnitude as per the circumstances occurring in the novel.

While at the time of publishing, I am amongst those lucky writers who didn’t have to move around publishers’ office. This story had been selected by some very well known publishing houses and amongst all of them I chose Mahaveer.     

Qus: Tell us something about your book.

Vinit: The book highlights the purest form of human emotions and the small yet intimate moments of love life which usually is evident in almost everyone but they do not get noticed. It portrays height of love and friendship, bizarre madness, internal conflicts, dilemmas and ocean full of sentiments. It touches the heart of every youngster or for that matter anyone who has ever fallen in love.

Qus: This book is inspired by some true incidents in your life. How did you come up with this idea?

Vinit: Yes it is a true story. . When I came to know about it I decided to share it with all, so that no one repeats the same mistake which the protagonist did. In short, the story itself inspired me.

Qus: How did you come up with the title of the book?

Vinit: I had decided the title the moment I heard the story. I somehow felt that the title conveys every emotion the protagonist experienced.

Qus: We’ve heard you are a poet too. When do we get to see your poems in print?

Vinit: Well, I have been writing for the poetry column for “Last Sunday” magazine and literary column for “Indiaa’h” magazine for about one year now. Apart from that I am also planning to publish a book containing my poems. I assure you to find it in your hands very soon.

Qus: Is there any message you would like to give through your novel?

Vinit: Always love the person who loves you.

Qus: Is there any particular age group you are targeting?

Vinit: No, nothing like that. This book is for every age group. It is all about selfless love and true relationships which are the essential to everyone’s life. I believe every reader will relate to it.

Qus: Tell us something about yourself.

Vinit: I am a banker and I work in State Bank of India, New Delhi. Originally I belong to Bathinda (Punjab). I’ve done my masters from Kurukshetra University.. My father is a business man and mother , a home maker. I worked as an investment consultant for over three years before joining SBI.

Qus: What are your future plans?

Vinit: Currently,  I am working on Hindi and Punjabi versions of “I am Heartless...”. After their completion I will start working on my second novel which will be a motivational one.

Qus: What kind of reviews have you got for your book till now?

Vinit: I am receiving very good and positive reviews and I’m really very excited about it.

Qus: Who has been your source of inspiration?

Vinit: Paulo Coelho and Ravinder Singh have inspired me to write and Dr. APJ Abdul Kalaam has been by all time idol.

Qus: What are your favourite works?

Vinit: My favourite works are: Eleven Minutes, I too had a love story, A thousand splendid suns and many more.

Qus: And finally, any advice or suggestion you would like to give to aspiring authors?

Vinit: Be true to yourself first and then to others. Just concentrate on the purity of story rather than on other marketing stuff because at the end of the day it is only your hard work and creativity that will take you ahead in this field. 

Thank you Sir, it was a pleasure interviewing you

Harshita Srivastava

( Click here to buy the novel via flipkart . )

Life is not what you lose rather than what you gain by losing something: Soumitro Chatterjee

This interview was published @ Isahitya on 03.06.2012

An engineer by profession, Soumitro Chatterjee has come up with his debut novel ‘I am still committed’ which was released this month. Based on true incidences of his life, his book has gone into reprint in a span of just seven days. Soumitro is not just a writer and an engineer, he has a heart of gold and is actively associated with AID-Prayas, Noida. AID- Prayas is an NGO that works for the education of kids of slum in Noida.

Here Soumitro  talks about the experiences that made him turn into a writer.

(Interviewed by Harshita Srivastava)

Qus - How does it feel to hold your book in hand?

Soumitro -  I was waiting for this moment since last 400days, so it had been a mixed feeling altogether. I was happy on one hand and emotional on the other. Every debutant feels the same; but as this book talks about my own life’s journey an additional emotion is attached to it.

Qus -  How did writing come into existence in your life?

Soumitro - To be very frank the only reason why I started writing this novel was due to the failure and successes of my own life. Few memories of past was dominating my present. I wanted to speak out, I wanted to share and one fine day it sparked into my mind and henceforth, I started penning down all small incidents one after the other which finally gave the shape of “I Am Still Committed”

Qus-  Being a debut author, what hardships you had to face while writing as well as getting your book published?

Soumitro -  Indeed being a debutant it was not an easy task to come up with a novel. Since I have written Srishti publication’s name as my publisher in the acknowledgement page even before writing a single line, I have not responded to any other publishing houses from where I initially got positive responses. All I can say it was worth the wait!

Qus - Tell us something about your book.

Soumitro - This book talks about my entire journey about my college life, my memories with friends, those successes & failures, a job in the time of recession, getting everything yet ending up with nothing... In short anyone and everyone who had ever been to college can connect themselves very well and for the rest it would act as a guide.

Qus- How did you come up with the title of the book?

Soumitro -  Initially the title was not this but my publisher suggested coming up with something different. With so many rejections and disagreements, one day while I was in the loo, this title “I Am Still Committed” hit me but the tag line “as hopes are yet to die” has been suggested by my elder brother Mr. Subir Chatterjee

Qus - This book is inspired by some true incidents in your life. How did you come up with his idea?

Soumitro - As I have already mentioned that there was no prior mindset or thought that I wanted to be an Author. Suddenly one day when I was unable to hold my memories, happiness, pain, success and failure I picked up my pen and started writing. From there onwards I never looked back until it became a reality as “I Am Still Committed”

Qus -Your book has gone into reprint in just seven days. How does it feel?

Soumitro - Frankly speaking I never thought or set a benchmark while writing this book but when I am getting reviews that the ghost incidents are making people scared and they are not able to sleep whole night…Those lines where I had hide my tears while penning down my emotion are making them cry, I can feel that I have started connecting to people’s heart. And about reprint it came as a big surprise for me and for that I am thankful to all my readers 

Qus- Is there any message you would like to give through your novel?

Soumitro - Certainly! Whenever we lose something we usually give up or consider everything is over. But life is not what you lose rather than what you gain by losing something. I have tried to communicate this to people through my novel.

Qus-  Is there any particular age group you are targeting?

Soumitro -  No No, because there are few instances in the novel which every human being encounters in their respective lives. Due to the simple language used, it has attracted older people as well. I was pretty happy to receive feedback from my father, dean, and friend’s mother when they said they loved it. So I would say “I Am Still Committed” is for everyone.

Qus - Tell us something about yourself.

Soumitro - Professionally I am a Software Engineer and a ground level volunteer of AID-Noida. Writing has now become my passion. I am basically born & brought up at Dhanbad and then did my engineering from Chennai, Currently I am residing in Delhi due to my job at an IT MNC and I believe I still have miles to go before I sleep…

Qus - What are your future plans? Do you plan to take up writing on full time basis?

Soumitro - I have many dreams, few of which I want to keep within myself as of now. About full time writing I would say writing will always be my passion but won’t make it a profession.

Qus- What kind of reviews have you got for your book till now?

Soumitro - So far it’s being good. People have started connecting so well. The horror incidents of my college life are making people scared and all other emotions are equally felt by readers. As of now when I heard it’s already gone for a reprint I can assume people have started liking it. But I am looking forward to more positive and negative reviews

Qus- Are you working on a second novel?

Soumitro -  I still have to do a lot of thing for “I Am Still Committed”. So I think it will be too early to jump on the second novel. Moreover, I want to work hard before coming up with my second novel

Qus - Who has been your source of inspiration?

Soumitro - For writing if I talk precisely success and failures of my own life are my inspiration but somewhere my father’s writing zeal came into me and inspired me of what I am today. Secondly my sister Suparna Chatterjee is nonetheless the one whom I admire a lot.  

Qus-  What are your favorite works?

Soumitro -  I am very poor at reading books. Before 2010 I am sure I haven’t picked up any book apart from my curriculum books. When circumstances compelled me to write, then I started picking up a few. But unfortunately I haven’t completed them yet.  I think next time when I get this question I will have a long list to say

Qus - Authors that you believe changed the literary scenario of India.

Soumitro -  Every author, may it be a renowned or unknown plays a vital role and contribute their part in literary genre of writing. Because no job is easy to be executed. And if I have to take names those who have changed the scenario then I would say it would be Rabindra Nath Tagore, Amaryta Sen, Arundhati Roy amongst few others.

Qus-  And finally, any advice or suggestion you would like to give to aspiring authors and readers?

Soumitro - How I became an Author, I even don’t know. Might be to kick start my literary journey god has given me a beautiful experience during my college days, while my parents and friends have given me that courage to put them on paper and now readers are motivating me to take this seriously. Same can happen with anyone of you. And for readers I would say whatever be their feedback I would happily accept them, work upon them to do better and yes, readers are the assets of any Author’s life so I respect them from the core of my heart.

Thank you Harshita and Isahitya for giving me this opportunity.

The pleasure is indeed Ours

Harshita Srivastava

( Click Here to Buy Flipkart 'I am still committed’ . You can Join the author's facebook fan Page here  .)

To be a good writer one has to be a good reader first :Nikhil Mukhija

This post was published @ Isahitya on 09.06.2012

Here In Our Debut Writer Special Section , this time we have Nikhil Mukhija with us, debut author of 'You & Me & Our Relationship'. Nikhil Mukhija, 21, an engineering student at Kurukshetra University bangs into the book industry with a book on the psychology of attraction. Most debut authors go for some chic lit stories but for Nikhil, it’s not the case. He has a gone a step beyond the college romance.

The book happened due to some personal experiences in his life which ignited new thoughts in his mind and the result was a book on psychology of attraction. He talks about the hurdles one goes through while falling in love and what steps should be taken in order to get successful. Suicide is not the solution after a break up. Life doesn’t end here, you have to move on. He feels love is a very delicate phenomenon and just a slight mistake can proliferate misinterpretation and misunderstanding. So in any case there's no harm in taking the precautions & being acquainted with all the dimensions.

Nikhil Mukhija, in a  chat with Harshita Srivastava, talks about his book, the literary scenario of our nation and lot more

How does it feel to hold your book in hand?

Nikhil : Like a mother holding her first baby, NAH, too dramatic, it’s good , it’s something that I have been dreaming for the past 3 years, never thought it would come so soon, I had always thought, I will be a writer someday..., yet that someday was never planned.

How did writing come into existence in your life?

Nikhil : I used to write till my 10^th standard, but then got super involved in my engineering, so could not continue it but then someone knocked in my life in my 1^st year and one day I wrote a small article ‘Life-the 2 sides’ and my crush called me for the first time and praised me a lot and from then I started writing regularly and posting them on my facebook profile and tag her, she fuelled my faith and inspired me, encouraged me and finally planted that seed of faith that someday I will be able to write a book and get published.

Being a debut author, what hardships you had to face while writing as well as getting your book published?

Nikhil : To get a publisher who publishes your book in the promised time period, and then also promote it from their side is the hardest thing to find.

Ques: Tell us something about your book

Nikhil : In India it is the first ever coming up with something related to psychology of attraction among youngsters, during my launch when Ravinder Singh Sir launched my book, the media people asked me how is a 20 year old guy qualified to pen down such a book, and my answer was, Only a 20 year old youngsters can relate to all that he has been through in his own past relationship, carefully noting down all his own mistakes and above all, I certainly did a lot of research with famous relationship authors from around the globe and one such chapter “the Three principles’ is inspired from one of my favourite authors SHAFIN DE ZANE. I have given my best to make it an interesting and effective book, with examples that everyone would be able to relate to.

How did you come up with the title of the book?

Nikhil : Title, trust me when it comes to finding a perfect title, your brain never stops thinking. I had thought of over 85 titles for my book, some were too classic, some were too clichéd, some were inspired from others, some were self, but one fine day, someone had asked me what is the book about, and then the idea clicked me, why not title it YOU & ME and of course since it is about relationships, so & Our Relationship became the subtitle.

Your book talks about the psychology of attraction, quite a different topic compared to the campus romance that most debut authors come up with. How did the idea crop into your mind?

Nikhil: Well, there were 2 reasons behind that, one was when I realized that how I missed her by a slight difference, I was the closest to her, yet I couldn’t become the one for her, I realized I had everything she liked yet a few things are necessary, people may say Be Yourself, but presentation matters the most, so then I thought that there would be many like me, who are true in their emotions yet fail because it is a superficial world where no one can see the heart only your personality and way of interaction can help you get through and get a chance to reach closer in the first place. Second was that a close friend of mine was on the verge of suicide, every day I used to talk to her for an hour or so when her boyfriend dumped her to prevent her from taking such a step, then I realized that I should reach the mass audience and that is the very reason why the biggest chapter of my book is based on suicide which uses reverse psychology to convince those who are inclined towards it.

Is there any message you would like to give through your novel?

Nikhil : Definitely! ‘Behind every successful guy or girl there is a person who had dumped him/her in the past, but then had she/he not dumped him/her, the guy/girl would have never been successful.’, Love is a beautiful emotion but certainly life doesn’t revolve around it, your past dreams which you have been harbouring since your childhood sometimes are suppressed in aspiration of getting that one person into your life, don’t let that happen to you.

Is there any particular age group you are targeting?

Nikhil : Yes, I suppose, Married people won’t be interested to read this book :D so I personally feel that the age group of 13 to 25 year old will definitely be able to relate to the book and so far it has been around 2 months, I have been flooded with positive reviews which makes my expectation rise higher and higher.

Your book has reached in the top 100 list of HomeShop18, how does it feel?

Nikhil : It’s one of the best things that happened to me since the launch, never imagined it would be there within 10 days of its market release, Someone told me to check my book at homeshop18 and there it was 96 position among the top 100, the next 3 days were even better 92 and now it is at 83, let’s see when it enters the top 50.

Tell us something about yourself.

Nikhil : I am the face in the crowd that you see every day but always with a thought to bring a wave of change in the society, I don’t care much for my looks, I try to be honest and straightforward with everyone I interact and I so far have tried my best to evolve as a human being by reading classic authors around the globe, because I believe everything that you read has an impact on your subconscious mind and transforms your thinking accordingly, so one should be very selective in one’s reading habits and personally I believe reading books is way better than watching movies. Someday I would like to start my own Publishing house to bring out novels with a substance and induce a change in the forefront of the society.

What are your future plans? Do you plan to take up writing on full time basis?

Nikhil : Yes and No, well considering the Indian Publishing scenario, no one can deny that it is too hard to sustain your living on the basis of the annual royalty amount, but if I am able to reach out to the masses and can manage even an average living through it, I would certainly try to go ahead with it and be a dedicated full time writer who does months of research before every plot.

What kind of reviews have you got for your book till now?

Nikhil : I am glad that I could live up to the expectations of the masses, my goal was to write a book which doesn’t involve redundant philosophical terms of psychology or use too many jargons, so I did my best to take real life examples to elaborate my point and I am thankful to the almighty that I was successful in accomplishing that, I am elated that both the genders are coming up with honest reviews of my book where they admired the practicality of the book and how it is entertaining throughout.

Are you working on a second novel?

Nikhil : Not yet, that depends on my 5^th semester exam results, if the results are decent I would start penning down the story I have in my mind this July if not, then will try to focus back to academics.

Who has been your source of inspiration?

Nikhil : Chetan Bhagat was the first novelist I read, so directly or indirectly, he cannot be denied the credit to bring a change in Indian publishing scenario. But on the whole Ravinder Singh and Novoneel Chakraborty among Indians and Paulo Coelho and Oscar Wilde among International authors were some of the inspirations.

Authors that you believe changed the literary scenario of India.

Nikhil : Ravinder Singh, Novoneel Chakraborty, Arvind Adiga, Amish Tripathi, these are some that I personally admire for being distinct and creative in their writings.

An author you look up to.

Nikhil : Paulo Coelho, the Pole star for me, his works like ‘The Winner Stands alone’, ‘Eleven Minutes’ & ‘The Alchemist’ inspire me every day to polish my own skills and one day come out with a book which scales mountains at the international level.

And finally, any advice or suggestion you would like to give to aspiring authors and readers?

Nikhil : For authors- “Patience pays the best” do NOT fall for anyone who says yes to you the earliest, try to bring a flair to your writing and think beyond college/school love stories, try reading ‘The Kite Runner-Khalid Hosseini’ to know how love is just a part of the novel and there are scores and scores of subjects that need to be touched and can create a magic in the minds of the readers. & to be a good writer one has to be a good reader first, just like to be a good guitarist one has to observe all the great guitarist around the globe and then experiment on one’s own.

For Readers- ‘Be selective in what you read, everything has a profound subconscious impact on your mind and thus overdose of anything is bad, be it love or be it thriller’, diversify your domain by taking up variety of genres and move out of your comfort zone and you would realize that a vast world is waiting for you to explore and be enchanted with.

Thanks 

Harshita Srivastava

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