says Vikas Swarup, a diplomat, an author and a well-known personality in the literary circle in conversation with Varsha Verma. Vikas Swarup was born in Allahabad (India) in a family of lawyers. After graduating with distinction, he joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1986, motivated by an interest in international relations and a desire to explore different cultures. In his diplomatic career, Vikas has been posted to various countries such as Turkey, the United States, Ethiopia, the United Kingdom and South Africa. Since August 2009, he is the consul general of India in Osaka-Kobe, Japan.

He penned his first novel, Q&A, in two months, when he was posted in London. Published in 2005 by Doubleday/Random House (UK & Commonwealth), HarperCollins (Canada) and Scribner (US) it has been published in 42 languages. It was short listed for the Best First Book by the Commonwealth Writer’s Prize and won South Africa’s Exclusive Books Boeke Prize 2006 as well as the Paris Book Fair's Reader's Prize, the Prix Grand Public, in 2007. It was voted the Most Influential Book of 2008 in Taiwan, and winner of the Best Travel Read (Fiction) at the Heathrow Travel Product Award 2009.

HarperCollins brought out the audio book, read by Kerry Shale, which won the award for Best Audio Book of the Year 2005. The BBC produced a radio play based on the book which won the Gold Award for Best Drama at the Sony Radio Academy Awards 2008 and the IVCA Clarion Award 2008. The film version of Q&A, titled Slumdog Millionaire, directed by Danny Boyle, took the world by storm, winning more than 70 awards including four Golden Globes, seven BAFTAs and a staggering eight Oscars, including Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Picture.

Vikas's second novel, Six Suspects was released in the UK & Commonwealth by Transworld in August 2008. Published by HarperCollins in Canada and St Martin’s Press in the US, it has sold translation rights in 30 languages. Today, he is the well known personality in the literary circle. More recently, he was one of the three judges for the Man Asian Literary prize 2011.

Here, Vikas shares more about his books and more. Excerpts.

Varsha: You are a man of various facets. Describe your various roles and how you balance them?

Vikas: I am a professional diplomat and an accidental writer. I’ve been practicing diplomacy for the last 27 years and writing only for the last 10 years. So, I prefer to call myself ‘a diplomat who writes’. Balancing the roles is not very difficult as I spend my weekdays fully immersed in my diplomatic day job and I write only on weekends and holidays.

Varsha: Tell us something about your journey as a novelist?

Vikas: I have been telling stories since childhood, but sadly, didn’t write anything beyond my schooldays, when my last published story was The Autobiography of a Donkey, way back in 1979!

My diplomatic posting in London marked a turning point. All around me, I saw authors, editors, publishers and agents. Some of my own contemporaries in the Indian Foreign Service were trying their hand at writing fiction. So I thought to myself, “Do I have a novel in me?”

In the summer of 2003, when my posting in London was drawing to a close, my wife and sons left for New Delhi because the school session in India starts early. So I was all alone in London for two months with a book in my head. That is when I started Q&A. I wrote the entire novel in just those two months and what has been published is my first draft! Of course, you can get lucky only once. My second book Six Suspects took me a year and a half to write.

I have now come out with a third novel and hopefully there will be a fourth…and a fifth. I will continue to write as long as I have the urge to tell stories.

Varsha: Your debut novel Q&A was an instant hit. Tell us something about it?

Vikas: I wanted to write something off-beat, something ‘different’, as the cliché goes. I did not want to write a typical family saga, a generational love story or that sort of a thing. And then it struck me, why not tap into the global phenomenon of the syndicated televised quiz show. Who Wants to be a Millionaire was the biggest show in town at that time. Kaun Banega Crorepati had become an overnight sensation in India. So I thought of framing a story based on a quiz show but with a very atypical contestant, someone who has not even had a formal education. I wanted to show that the greatest teacher in the world is life itself.

Varsha: You were the judge at the Man Asian Literary Prize 2011. Share your experience about that as well?

Vikas: It was a wonderful experience, allowing me to sample works from a whole range of Asian writers that I would otherwise not have had the opportunity to read. Though, I had two other judges we had a remarkable meeting of minds and there was no difficulty in picking the eventual winner.

Varsha: As a writer, what do you aim to achieve when you start writing?

Vikas: To be able to tell a story without losing the reader’s interest.

Varsha: In your opinion, what is the hardest part of writing a book? Why?

Vikas: I think the hardest part is getting the narrative voice or tone right, because if the voice does not feel authentic, the reader is not going to persist with the book. For Q&A, I struggled till those two lines just popped into my head: “I have been arrested. For winning a quiz show.” And I knew instantly that I had the voice of Ram Mohammad Thomas. The rest of the novel just flowed after that.

Varsha: What writing/publishing advice do you give to aspiring writers?

Vikas: To write from the heart and believe in what you write.

Varsha: What are you reading right now? Are there any authors that you would name as influences?

Vikas: I just finished Sweet Tooth by Ian McEwan and loved it. Before that I read the biography of David Foster Wallace by DT Max. There are several authors whose works I admire. Among contemporary writers, I would mention JM Coetzee, Haruki Murakami and Paul Auster.

Varsha: We live in a time when young people have numerous choices for entertainment. What would you like to say to people who may be hesitant about reading a book for "fun”?

Vikas: Television and films are two-dimensional mediums, and do not leave any scope for imagination. They create their world right in front of our eyes. Only through reading can we learn to use the mind’s eye, and escape to literally any place a human mind can imagine. Finally, only through reading can we learn how to write and write well.

Varsha: Tell us about your likes and dislikes, your interests and hobbies, your favourite ways to unwind....

Vikas: To relax, I listen to music - something soft or semi classical. I also love watching films when I am not writing, anything with a gripping storyline.

Varsha: What next can the readers expect from you?

Vikas: Another book, hopefully in a couple of year’s time.

For those of us who have known to Prakash Iyer only as the MD of Kimberly Clark Lever, would be surprised to know that he is a writer too! Yes, besides managing company operations, Prakash is the author of best selling self-help book – The Habit of Winning. Here’s Smita Dwivedi in conversation with the corporate czar. Excerpts. With a corporate career spanning 25 years, Prakash Iyer has worked with teams selling everything from soaps, colas, watches, yellow pages to even diapers. A busy corporate genius, he’s a big time cricket buff but when he is not busy selling or watching cricket, Prakash speaks and writes on teamwork, leadership and the habit of winning.

Being a busy professional with commitments, he works hard to keep his passion alive. An alumnus of the IIM Ahmedabad, Prakash believes in the power of written words, “A picture may be worth a thousand words, but when it comes to getting your message to register in people’s minds – or in your own – nothing works quite as well as a story.” Prakash is also a trained leadership coach! And no guesses, yes he enjoys speaking on leadership, teamwork and of course about winning.

Writer’s instinct

How writing actually happened, and he explained, “I have had the writing bug for a while! As a little kid, I used to write letters to the editor of Sportsweek. And in later years too, I continued to write the occasional piece. I started blogging some five years ago, and I guess that's when it occurred that a book may not be too far away!”

“The Habit of Winning (THoW) is my first book. It's a collection of stories to inspire, motivate and unleash the winner within. It has stories about leadership and teamwork, self belief and perseverance. THoW is ultimately not just about winning. It's about finding balance, being happy, and making a difference, to yourself, and to the world around you,” he added.

Being a writer

It took him just six months to complete his book, which means it was a smooth sailing for him. But even greatest writers have felt creative block, so did he faced any challenges while wrapping up the manuscript and he added, “Yes, there have been several challenges at work. But I do believe I've managed to face them largely because I've had the pleasure of working with some wonderful people. They made winning easy. And fun too.”

And what was the hardest part of it, “Getting started was tough. Once I was on my way, the book seemed to flow. And then, in the end, getting it finished was tough too. It probably mirrors what we all experience in our lives! Getting started and finishing are often the toughest and most important bits!” he shared.

Tales of inspirations

To write a book was a gradual progression for him, so from where did he derive his inspiration from, and he added, “In my career, as I worked with teams, I realized that stories are very powerful in getting your message across to other people – and to your mind too. And there were several stories that made a difference to my life – and I thought they might make a difference to other people too. I often wondered what made some people winners, and what made some teams emerge winners every time. The answers I thought could help all of us unleash the winner inside each of us.”

The stories and incidents in the book are experiences based on someone he knew, or events in your own life and he said, “Yes, the stories are a mix - drawn from the world of frogs and rabbits, Gandhiji and Tendulkar, ordinary folks and sporting heroes. And I have tried to link those stories to my own experiences and the experiences of people I've known.”

Funny facts

While deciding about the title, Prakash and publisher (Penguin) felt that The Habit of Winning captured the essence of the book quite nicely, so it was named the same. Doing something for the first time brings many amusing incidents and Prakash affirmed, “Yes, in the first week after the launch of the book, I went into an airport bookstore and asked if he had The Habit of Winning. He didn't - and hadn't heard of it. Being the helpful sort - most booksellers are - he pulled out the Seven Habits by Steven Covey and Winning by Jack Welch - but no 'Habit of Winning'. I still go into every bookstore and ask if they have The Habit of Winning. Luckily, the response is different now!”

Books ‘n’ me

Like most of the writers, there must be some other favorites too and he went on, “I enjoy books that influence my thinking and help shape my attitude toward people and life itself. I am a big fan of Brian Tracy, and in my early years, I spent a lot of time listening to his tapes! And I like Malcolm Gladwell's books and Dan Ariely too. Right now, I am reading The Bhagavad Gita for Daily Living by Eknath Easwaran and Timeless Steel, a collection of essays on my favourite cricketer Rahul Dravid.”

“My all-time favourite is RK Narayan.

I like his easy, simple style which makes you feel someone is sitting on a rocking chair close to you and telling you stories. He brought alive the town of Malgudi for me, and I became friends with Swami, and the English Teacher and the vendor of sweets. And I liked the idea that when you read RK Narayan, you don't need to reach out for a dictionary after every other page! That's what good writing is all about!”

Message o Readers…

On a concluding note, we asked him to share a word with our readers and he happily added, “The joy and satisfaction of being able to make a difference. When a reader writes in to say that something in the book turned the switch on for him and helped change his thinking - I get a big high. Big thanks to all my readers for the warm response to the book. I am hoping it allows us to form a bond, a relationship that continues beyond the book itself! Do connect with me on www.facebook.com/authorprakash - so we can continue the conversation. And yes, keep winning!”

What next!

“Hopefully a second book sometime soon - in the same genre and then a third...,” he concludes happily.

says Pritish Nandy, an icon in poetry, journalism and film industry in conversation with Varsha Verma of All About Book Publishing.

Pritish Nandy, the man who redefined Indian poetry is a man with various feathers in his cap. He is one of India’s most celebrated names, whose books, record albums, readings drew an iconic following and won him the Padma Shri and the EM Forster Literary Award. Alongside being a famous and award-winning journalist and editor, he is also well remembered as the host of India’s first signature TV show, The Pritish Nandy Show. The show also helped launch Pritish Nandy Communication, a company that has made over 25 films in the past decade, including Kante, Chameli, Jhankar Beats, Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi and Pyar ke Side Effects.
More recently, Pritish Nandy launched his new book Stuck on 1/Forty. Here, Pritish Nandy tells more about his new book and his varied experiences, in an exclusive interview with All About Book Publishing.

Varsha: Tell us something about your new book Stuck on 1/Forty?

Pritish Nandy: You can call it a book of poems if you want. You can call it notes to oneself, a quick look at the mirror. You can call it a conversation that I hope will be picked up across different media to create a new insight into the poetry of our times. It can be read, looked at, experienced. It can be shared across platforms, disseminated. It can be a dialogue with oneself. It all depends on how you find your own response to the book, to the work. I believe the nature of poetry is itself undergoing change today. Like everything else, it is becoming visual and interactive.


Varsha: Who would be the target audience for your new book?

Pritish Nandy: Anybody who loves any kind of new writing is its target audience, but especially those who love to read stuff that can touch their lives and change it. Young people would be the obvious answer. But that is not exactly true. Because lovers of traditional poetry and literature can also enjoy these poems, savour them, dip into them at will. This is about the magic of rediscovering the power of words. You can read the poems here in a way you want to. If you like them, you will keep going back to them and find new things out there. These are poems you can share with others or savour in absolute solitude.

Varsha: As a writer, what do you aim to achieve when you start writing?

Pritish Nandy: As a writer I have only one purpose: to push back boundaries of the literary experience and bring more readers into the fold. The audiovisual experience is drawing away everyone today and the only way literature and poetry can survive is by enriching the experience through greater sensory power. You cannot expect the iambic pentameter or the classic sonnet to impress readers today. You have to find new formats, new interactive experiences. You have to uncover the veil and look in. You will find poetry is as much a sensual experience as a song or a movie. That is how it was always meant to be; way beyond the pedantic and the purely literary that we have reduced it to.

Varsha: When did you "know" you wanted to write professionally?

Pritish Nandy: I wrote and published my first serious bit of writing in The Statesman, Calcutta when I was 13. At 16, I wrote my first book of poems. It was published when I was 17 and I have never looked back. I wrote over forty books before I left Calcutta and came to Mumbai in the winter of 1982 to head The Times of India Group. That was when I stopped writing books and became a full time journalist and editor. It is only now, after so many years, that I have returned to writing poetry. But I realise that a poet writing in the 70s and a poet writing today are pursuing entirely different courses. Language has changed. Form has changed. Idiom has changed. Readers have changed. And so have reading habits. This book attempts to address these concerns and yet be true to what we have traditionally seen as literature and poetry. That is its inherent challenge, the contradictions it contends with.

Varsha: You are a man of different facets. Which role is the most challenging and which role you like the best?

Pritish Nandy: Everything I do, whether I write or paint or take pictures or make movies, it is all about talking to others and trying to begin a conversation. That is what all creativity is finally about. It's the magic of reaching out to unknown, often unseen people and sharing your most private thoughts with them. It's a slow, sexy strip tease.

Varsha: In your opinion, what is the hardest part of writing a book? Why?

Pritish Nandy: There is no hardest part in writing a book. I enjoy every part of it. I struggle with words at times but that is a delightful experience fraught with both pain and pleasure. I struggle with images. That too is wonderful. And, finally, I struggle with the way we put the book together. That's the ultimate challenge. And with Sanjana and Amaryllis there this time, I have had the easiest, most wonderful time of my life. No sweat at all.

Varsha: What writing/publishing advice do you give to aspiring writers of any age?

Pritish Nandy: I give no advice to anyone. Not even my children. I let them discover their lives. That is as it should be. Writers are a proud race. Why should they seek anyone's advice? They must each create their own road, their own track. That is how they will eventually reach their own goals. But yes, confidence is the key to good writing. If you are not confident about what you have written, don't publish it. Work on it till you are. You will know when you are ready to publish it. Your heart will tell you.

Varsha: Tell us something about your reading habits and any authors that you would name as influences?

Pritish Nandy: My problem is that I am a disgustingly eclectic reader. I read any trash that comes my way: Swedish thrillers, Latin American poetry, Political history, Woody Allen screenplays, even 50 Shades of Grey! I read what catches my attention. That is why you will often find me lurking in a corner of a bookshop when everyone is desperately searching for me. When I start reading something, no one can tear me away. As for influences, at different times in my life, different writers have taught me many things. But I unlearn them easily and casually. Influence is too strong a word. I have been grabbed by authors, yes. But I have weathered it and journeyed on. Every day is a new discovery, a new experience, a new learning.

Varsha: What was the book that most influenced your life — and why?

Pritish Nandy: It was not a book. It was a couple of lines from a poem that Life magazine once carried many years ago: Si muero, dejad elbalcón abierto (English translation: If I die, leave the balcony open). I was a school boy that time and was so moved by it that I learnt Spanish to read Lorca and it not only opened up his poetry to me but also the amazing gamut of Latin American verse. I read about love and adultery, a magnificent continent coming alive through its words and images. I found Neruda's first sheaf of love poems and a song of despair. Then there was Howl by Ginsberg, a completely difference experience. Poetry of the Beatnik generation. Unforgettable times that threw up unforgettable writing! Books are where my life began.

Varsha: We live in a time when young people have numerous choices for entertainment. What would you like to say to people who may be hesitant about reading a book for "fun”?

Pritish Nandy: There is nothing more magical than opening a book and getting drawn into it, word by word. It's like discovering God. Or love. It never stops. Try it and it will change your life forever.

Varsha: What message would you like to give to your readers?

Pritish Nandy: Love. Live. Read. Do them all in excess. You will find joy, fulfilment and the realisation of all your dreams. Never hold yourself back. Enjoy every excess. That is what I believe in. The celebration of excess. The outrageous dream. It always comes true.

Varsha: What next can the readers expect from you?

Pritish Nandy: My three next books are a collection of my casual writing for The Times of India called Nothing in Particular (I have been writing a weekly column there for thirty years), a new version of the Isha Upanishad and a collection of 10th and 11th century erotic Sanskrit poetry in a wildly contemporary translation. Yes, I am having fun. Lots of it!

Says well-known author Jaishree Misra in conversation with Varsha Verma of AABP. Jaishree Misra rose to fame with her first book Ancient Promises, which was published and sold worldwide by Penguin UK and became a major bestseller in India. Another book Secrets and Lies became a bestseller in Britain. Since then, there has been no turning back.

She has an MA in English Literature from Kerala University and two post-graduate diplomas from the University of London, the first in Special Education and the second in Broadcast Journalism. She was awarded a part-scholarship by the Charles Wallace for India Trust in order to complete her course in Special Education. Here, Jaishree shares her love for reading and writing.

Varsha: I think all of your novels have women as the main characters. How would you describe it – is it intentionally or has it happened naturally?

Jaishree: I’m sure my natural inclination would be to write stories from a woman’s point-of-view but, in my third book Afterwards, I made a deliberate decision to use a male protagonist and I use his voice in first person too. I must admit this was considerably more effort and I was careful to use two male friends as readers to make sure I wasn’t making any silly bloomers. At one stage, I was worried that my hero was too nice (womanly, even!) to be realistic but, all said and done, the book seemed to work as I often have men writing to me to say that they enjoyed it and identified with the main character.

Varsha: Are your characters inspired by real life – why/why not?

Jaishree: Even when writing fiction, real life does almost remain a key ingredient. This doesn’t necessarily mean that one must lift characters and stories directly from life but, if fiction isn’t informed at all times by reality, it will come across as hollow and unconvincing. A fiction writer obviously cannot forever rely on directly experienced incidents and emotions but they become very good at pecking away at the fabric of the life they see around them for all sorts of raw material.

Varsha: What has been the response for your novels so far? Are most of your readers female?

Jaishree: I’ve become aware of a reasonably strong and loyal readership here in India. Less so abroad but my recent Secrets trilogy changed that as the UK publishers are aggressively commercial and the book was sold in supermarkets and airport bookshops at very competitive rates – apparently a much more efficient way to reach new readers than through traditional bookshops which some people (especially new readers) can find daunting. Besides, the three Secrets books were also brought out as e-books so I benefitted from that readership too.

Varsha: When did you "know" you wanted to write professionally?

Jaishree: As a child, without a doubt. For one, I showed early signs of having a rather vivid imagination (telling all kinds of tall tales to my unamused parents). Then I discovered quite early on the magic of stringing words together to form meaningful sentences. Finally, my great-uncle, Thakazhy Sivasankaran Pillai, won the Jnanpith award and, when he came to Delhi to receive it, I saw the adulation he got and was convinced that being a writer was the best job in the world.

Varsha: In your opinion, what is the hardest part of writing a book? Why?

Jaishree: The hardest part is writing the first draft or what I can ‘producing the wordage’. This is the period when one must sit down for long periods of time, bashing away at a keyboard even though the story and characters are still relatively unformed. It’s all too easy to suffer immense self-doubt at this time and give up altogether. It’s also all too easy, once the first draft is done, to rejoice in it being finished and send it off to publishers and agents far too prematurely. This is, generally speaking, not a clever thing to do as there isn’t a single manuscript that does not benefit from being re-crafted and re-drafted a few times over.

Varsha: What writing/publishing advice do you give to aspiring writers of any age?

Jaishree: Persist, be patient, have faith. This is a slow-moving business, it can take years to get published, let alone become successful. Also, don’t embark on a writing career expecting to become famous or make lots of money. The joy has to come from writing itself. Everything else is simply a bonus.

Varsha: What are you reading right now? Are there any authors (living or dead) that you would name as influences?

Jaishree: My desk is inevitably piled high with an eclectic collection (of mostly fiction) as I just grab whatever I can lay my hands on and enjoy sampling all sorts of genres. Now that I know a lot of writers personally, I also make the effort to read as many of their works as possible as it would be simply rude not to!

My biggest influence (in terms of personal early advice) was my grandmother’s brother, Thakazhy Sivasankaran Pillai. In terms of writing, inspiration came from the first crop of Indian writers who were acclaimed abroad (RK Narayan, Rushdie, Naipaul, Seth, Roy) because they made me aware of the universal appeal of good writing. They were great confidence-givers to those of us who only had vague dreams of becoming writers at that point and would never have even dreamt of a foreign readership.

Varsha: What was the book that most influenced your life – and why?

Jaishree: To Kill a Mockingbird, which I read first as a pre-teen. I was totally awed by the manner in which three kids who seemed just like me were spending their childhood in ways very similar to mine even though they lived in some far-off place called ‘Alabama’! While the theme of racial prejudice and the storyline about rape probably went largely over my head, I was aware that I was being exposed to an important subject and was feeling very moved in the process too. That to me remains the benchmark of good writing as it was entertaining, informative and genuinely touching. Perhaps, subconsciously, it was the influence of this book that led me to choose a bildungsroman, kind of theme for my own first novel, Ancient Promises.

Varsha: We live in a time when young people have numerous choices for entertainment. What would you like to say to people who may be hesitant about reading a book for fun?

Jaishree: More and more I see youngsters turning to movies and TV to provide fun and now – scarily – digital entertainment too (I really do hate seeing children playing those mindless video games which help them develop athletic thumbs but turn their brains to mush and rob them completely of important qualities like empathy). All I know is that I’m very grateful to have developed the reading habit early on in life. This means that, wherever I find myself and whatever my circumstances, I will never be lonely or bored as long as I have a book with me.

Varsha: What else do you want your readers to know? Consider here your likes and dislikes, your interests and hobbies, your favorite ways to unwind — whatever comes to mind.

Jaishree: I occasionally remind my husband that he’s lucky to have such a low maintenance wife as my best pleasures really are reading and writing. Having said that, I often use the excuse of ‘research’ to travel and see interesting places. The best way I unwind is usually at home, with family and friends.

I’m also involved in getting a long-term residential care project going for mentally challenged adults. This is coming up in Dera Mandi on the outskirts of Delhi and, this month, our first seven residents move in. A time of immense challenges but great satisfaction too.

Varsha: What next can the readers expect from you?

Jaishree: At the moment I’m editing an anthology on motherhood for Zubaan, the feminist publishers. They’re a great team to work with and I’m getting to boss around 25 of India’s best writers so it can’t be bad! Besides, this is no fluffy, sweet book as may be anticipated. Some exceedingly powerful pieces have started coming in dealing with many unusual aspects of motherhood which include surrogacy, trans-gender adoption and loss. We’re hoping to bring it out by Mother’s Day 2013, so do look out for it.

My own new book is on a back burner at the moment but it is going to be a part-historical, part-contemporary true story that focuses on an issue known as ‘Stockholm Syndrome’. I’ve completed that first draft ‘wordage’ stage and the manuscript now awaits a good clean-up and polish which I will only do when I have a clear mind and lots of time.