“Sometimes, we do not get a chance to thank each one who has helped us in our Journey.” Let the readers get a chance to know about all the important people who have played a part in this ‘Author Journey of Yours’.

Yes, it’s true. Actually, the people who are instrumental in pushing you towards your unexplained dreams are the ones who are sometimes least acknowledged publicly. In my case of course my mother, my son, my mentor and guru Mohta Uncle, my colleague and friend Dr. Narendar Bhojak have been the first few people who wanted that I should atleast compile my inklings. I had always wanted to write but my bad habit of adjourning could only be done away with the help of these few people. And this is how I began my author journey with their beliefs. I also believe that writing is an imperative act for women, absolutely necessary for creation, survival and change. Dance of Life is a collection solely dedicated to women of fortitude and ingenuity. Each single woman whom I have met and known also plays an important role in my journey.

How and when did you first realize your calling for writing books? Please tell us a bit about your book titled “Dance Of Life” and share a few lines from it.

As an academician and teacher, I have been writing research papers and edited books. The idea of bringing out my short stories and poems in the form of book, dawned upon me during the recent unexpected and unwanted pandemic which brought our lives to a standstill. This Covid catastrophe turned our lives upside down but has also taught us unprecedented struggle, resilience, respect for social interaction, and humanitarian concern for environment. People all over the world utilized the imposed lockdown in all sorts of meaningful and stimulating activities. It was during the pandemic, I decided to recollect and finish all my half-finished, unfinished and jotted ruminations. That this collection would be gender-specific, was never planned. That this collection would relate to my perceptions, readings and some natural women centric experiences, was again not planned. It just happened like an unplanned journey unfolding itself in all its amazement at all levels of consciousness and cognition. Writing as a woman and about woman was not challenging at all, but doing justice to assertions and representations was an exigent task. What was important in compiling this collection was the subtle thread that would bind these poems together and weave a parasol.  The title ‘Dance of Life’ celebrates prakriti (adishakti) the cosmic energy, who dances the dance of life in all its glory:

Like the prakriti

wearing the resplendent olive green and crimson saree

and papidi billa and nakshi vadanam

She conquered the space.

According to you which are the 5 books that everyone should read and who are your top 3 Authors and what impact did they have in your journey as a writer?

• Raag Darbari by Sri Lal Sukla 
• 1984 and Animal Farm by George Orwell
• The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
• Pinjar by Amrita Pritam
• Kamayani by Jaishankar Prasad 

to name a few, though the list varies according to genre and mood. My personal favorites have been Amrita Pritam, Harivansh Rai Bachchan, Premchand and R.K.Narayan, again to name a few. I have always loved reading them. Their impact on my writing is difficult to decode but their conviction, clarity and sensitivity has always touched my soul. I have always dreamt and wished, I could write like them. Passion for reading has always been there, invigorated also as a student of literature. But whether these readings actually influenced my writing, I am not sure. In my case, the subjects are always I have known or observed, style, ease and conviction in delivery can be a natural influence.

What inspires you to write? Where do you get information or ideas for your books?

Infact everything inspires me to write. I love to travel and I love to observe everything around me, be it people, situations, behavoiur or surroundings. My journey as a writer also started as a simple move to pen down my everyday observations which gradually transformed into a captivating journey.  With no inkling as to how it will turn up, I travelled ahead, learning and enjoying each single moment as it unfolded. When I see the blue sky, or watch a waterfall, observe people on railway platforms, on the airport, at my workplace, at the traffic signal, on the road while driving, each single situation triggers like a cogitation, a cerebration, a musing that stretches itself sometimes into a poem or a story.  Actually when I read, I just read. But when I read my surroundings, it unconsciously metamorphoses into a snapshot or a trope.  Apart from situations, sometimes while reading a book the narrative also carries me to some similar or related situation and that is how it turns into my narrative.

What sparked your interest in becoming a Life Skills Trainer? How has this evolved you in person?

I believe that life skills come innately to all of us. As human beings we all go through ups and downs and combat them in our own specific ways. As a student or during the early years of my life, tough situations could never break me or my morale. My mom would have her treasure of mythological stories for every situation. There is no formal education or degree required to learn and teach life skills, because experience and ethos is the only skill needed to fight and win in life. As I grew, I realized that life fulfills only when we are ready to commit ourselves to a bigger cause of the community. As a teacher, I used to meet talented students and youngsters who only failed to face significant challenges and odds of life. That is how personal counselling with friends and students drove me into life skills. For me, life skills teaching and learning is very subjective. 

Could you share a few tips for budding Authors and aspiring writers?

I am not that experienced to share tips but, yes I can share what I feel works for me. At first, writing is all about reading. I mean the more we read, the better we write. This doesn’t mean we borrow or copy ideas and content, but reading always helps us unconsciously learn the process of writing. Second is, observation. Once we start observing, the narrative automatically starts flowing. This means all of us have that unexplored creativity and punch but we seldom put it into the right garb. The last tip would be, not to force writing. If it comes naturally as a habit, only then it would work. I remember Stephen King saying, “I don’t read fiction to study the art of fiction, but simply because I like stories. Yet there is a learning process going on”. As we read and decide to write, the story on the paper is all ours and it should look like ours.

What has been your most cherished experience as a writer? Which is your best-preferred genre?

Poetry and short story have been my preferred genre; poetry of course comes first. My most cherished experience as a writer was the day Rochelle Potkar wrote the blurb for my book capturing and trapping the exact feel of my poems. It was then I actually read my poems again from a reader’s perspective. Then came few reviews especially from women of all age groups telling me how they could relate to the experiences and also that it is, “a writing by the woman, of the woman, not necessarily only for the woman. I will say every man must read it to know woman’s mind”. 

Tell us a bit about your journey as a social activist. What’s your take on Women’s Empowerment?

Let me clarify that I am not a thorough social activist in the real sense. As a responsible citizen, I simply try to give and do my best in all possible ways. I have been associated with few NGOs and am the district coordinator of Vivekananda Kendra Kanyakumari which is a spiritually oriented mission. In the practical sense my journey as a social activist started with my visit to a school for the blind. The day I realized that we must be thankful to the almighty for giving us a healthy body. The struggles and challenges of life for people with disabilities or differently abled people are real life lessons.  Our trust CURE works for the folk artisans, school children, and women and differently abled people.

As far as women empowerment is concerned, we in India actually need to go beyond the dynamics of empowerment be it academia, social activism or government interventions that are working in this direction. Meaningful education, active participation and acceptance of womanhood are essential to create a deserving position for women beyond gender, class and caste.

Are you working on anything at present that you would like to share with your readers? What are your future plans?

 My second collection of poems ‘Matryoshka’ is in the press and it will be out soon. Also I am translating a collection of short stories titled Bombay Hangovers. A parallel collection of short stories is on the writing desk which I hope to finish by December. 

How can a writer keep the mental block or writer’s block away from his/her creativity?

It’s very important for the writer to keep the blocks away because otherwise creativity has no meaning. Creativity is beyond thoughts, beyond beliefs, beyond metaphors. What I mean to say is real creativity comes with thoughtlessness. And during this meditative state whatever a writer /author creates selflessly, becomes immortal. In the process of writing, both the content and context are important but mental blocks must be discarded by the writer in order to transcend his/her own identity, space and time. Only then the writer is able to connect with the mind and soul of the readers.

At Sharing Stories, we have an ongoing campaign ‘Let’s Empower Our Kids’. Please suggest some books here that you would want your child to read before the age of 15 which could help him in understanding certain dimensions of human life like empathy, sympathy, relationships, etc.

-Panchtantra by Vishnu Sharma

-Malgudi Days by R. K. Narayan

-The Blue Umbrella by Ruskin Bond

-‘Ramayana’ and ‘Mahabharata’ by C Rajagopalachari

-Vivekananda: A Biography by Swami Nikhilananda

-My Experiments with Truth by Mahatma Gandhi

Rapid Fire Round

1. Favorite Place, Actor & Actress, Person, Food, beverage….Rishikesh, Amitabh Bachchan, Rekha, Aloo Tikki, Coffee

2. Your other Talents apart from writing…. I Paint, am a classical trained Bharat Natyam dancer and I love designing clothes and interiors.

3. Your First Love…Maa always

4. Favorite Quote….Actions speak louder than words.

5. Favourite Character from a book…Lord Hanuman

What if Round 

1. What if you had to live with only three things all your life, what would the three things be?

Food, Books and Music

2. What if you were given the power to change one thing from this world, what would you change?

I would clean up the world and would make it completely pollution free, evergreen clean air, clear skies and transparent waters.

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