“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’.

My parents are my inspiration and support in my life journey and the journey as an author. 

PM Modi catalyzed my journey into writing. The book Putting India First was inspired by the June 2021 Mann Ki Baat. 

Sandeep Singh was very supportive. Always make the time to listen to my ideas. He is himself an accomplished author. For the Putting India First book – several friends helped me in the journey – Prashant Deshpande, Anil, Ruchita Rane, Dr Gangadhar. 

How and when did you first realize your calling for writing books? Please tell us a bit about your books.

I love reading. My home and office are filled with books. Every country I have traveled to – I have always looked for book stores. I had a calling to write. But, for a long time, I did not know what I might write about. The topic I had initially thought of was rather abstract (or so it seemed at that point). That subject will become a book maybe in 2022 or 2023. 

A meeting with PM Modi in 2016 inspired the India Positive Citizen idea in me. At first, I experimented with it myself. Then invited family and friends to join in. That led to a Facebook page and then a website. There were so many aspects that I felt that a book would be an efficient way to communicate it. 

There was no genre of nation-building. There still isn’t. I wrote the essence of my book one morning. But it took me a while to put my thoughts on paper and structure it into a book that would be easy to read while being impactful. It was eventually worth the effort. Every person who read the India Positive Citizen book has appreciated it and more importantly has taken some action inspired by the ideas in the book.

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?

I like reading books by Robin Sharma, Joe Dispenza. Currently, I am reading an interesting book on Hindu culture by Swami Tejomayananda of the Chinmaya Mission. 

The books that every Indian on the planet should read are the Bhagavad Gita, India Positive Citizen, Putting India First: India Positive Citizen Perspectives. A book I have read often is Invictus by John Carlin – an inspiring story of leadership. The War of Art by Steven Pressfield is a great book, especially for writers. For children, I recommend Exam Warriors by PM Modi. It has wisdom in a way that children can relate with. 

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

Meditation and yoga inspire ideas in me. The process of writing itself inspires new ideas in me. In fact, while writing Putting India First I had ideas for 5 books. Started working on one of them already. 

Exploring solutions to real-life problems inspire ideas in me. 

What sparked your interest in becoming an India Positive Citizen? How has been your journey as an IPC? How has this evolved you in person?

When I started exploring sustainability I realised that we cannot have change at the macro level without changes at an individual level. That holds true for a nation as well. Meeting PM Modi inspired the India Positive Citizen idea in my mind.

I have always been someone who works towards solutions. In my area, I persevered for 1.5 years with the traffic police to get a signal installed at a junction on a main road. I have had all buildings in my lane to install road facing lights to illuminate the road and make it safer for commuters(as per the civic body the road is a private road and they are not obliged to do anything). Working on solutions is a bit like a muscle. The more you mindfully exercise it the stronger and better it gets. 

Over the last few years, I have learned a lot and been able to contribute towards the country. As well as inspire many to join in. 

Each person has the potential to make an enormous difference. My sincere wish is for everyone to know it and to live it.

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

My forte is non-fiction. So my suggestions will be based on that. Ideally writing should be powered by purpose. Dive into the ocean of your being to figure what is your purpose for writing. What do you feel strongly about? What do you wish to share? Writing a book is one part of the process. Getting it to people is the challenging part. Publishing/book marketing like any industry has its own factors. Sometimes there are mediocre books powered by large publishing firms simply because the writer is a known person. Which may make you wonder what drives readers. The point is that there is a lot out there that will challenge you. So, if you have a clear purpose for your writing you will be able to weather the storms and come out stronger. 

Be open to feedback. In fact seek it. It will help you hone your writing.

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

It was heartening to receive a call from the PMO and then a wonderful letter of appreciation from PM Modi for my first book. 

My book India Positive Citizen is dedicated to the Heroes of Galwan. I was keen to send a copy of each of the family of our martyrs. The Indian Army appreciated the thought and sent a copy to each of them. That is something I will always treasure. 

Currently, with my latest book the reader feedback is very interesting. One person ordered the book. A family member saw it and took it over. The readers who ordered the book are waiting for their turn ☺. This is happening in India as well as overseas. 

Tell us a bit about your Likes, dislikes and hobbies as a person.

I like handcrafted products. And I enjoy traveling and interacting with people from different regions and cultures.  I like spaces to be calm and quiet. Loud noise is bothersome. Not much of a movie watcher. Or even news in the last few years.  The obsession of media with trivial issues is mind-boggling. These days every other channel is talking about Aryan Khan and how he is an innocent 23 year old who is a victim of a system (as per reports his Whatsapp chats seem to suggest otherwise). Whereas hardly any coverage of a brave 23 year old soldier Karanveer Singh from Madhya Pradesh who was martyred in Kashmir on his birthday while battling terrorists. 

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

I have a whole range of books coming up. The next one is a book that will inspire every generation. I will be writing 2 more volumes of Putting India First: India Positive Citizen Perspectives, a book on air wellness, a journal of self reflection. 

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

Keep a notebook handy where you can write ideas as they occur. That way when you sit to write you never have a writer’s block. In fact, this if done diligently will ensure you have more ideas than you can accommodate in your book. 

For me writing is sacred. It’s not something to be done just physically. E.g.You can’t have a heated discussion with someone and next moment sit to write. If you do, the writing will either not happen or it would be mediocre. And you may then harbour doubts on your capacity to write. 

I like to meditate, reorient my energy prior to writing. This is an anti-dote to blocks – real or imagined. 

Yoga, walking or any form of exercise that does not involve any noise or watching some video is good. Because it helps you be with your self. Surya namaskar is a magic genie for me in terms of ideation. 

When writing, don’t edit. People with a perfectionist streak may get caught up in writing and editing at the same time. I had to learn this myself. This helped me immensely when I wrote my third book. 

When writing keep distractions away. Close open tabs on your computer. Soothing instrumental music of 432 Hz is helpful. Keep your phone away. Ideally in a locked cupboard making it an effort to fetch it. 

Read things beyond your genre. For instance, I recommend non-fiction writers to read poetry daily.

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.

Besides Exam Warriors I would recommend a whole range of books for children by the Chinmaya Mission. Books from our culture which have wisdom and values. 

Rapid Fire Round

1. Favorite Place, Actor, Person, Food, beverage….Gangtok . Keanu Reeves , My father, Pongal & Chutney , Masala Chai (my recipe)

2. Your other Talents apart from writing…Ideation and action on social/ environmental issues. 

3. Your First Love…books

4. Favorite Quote….The answer to every question we don’t ask is a no.

5. Favourite Character from a book…Jason Bourne

What if Round 

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

My yoga mat, some of my fav books, a stack of notebooks to write in.

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

Take away the apathy from mankind.

3. What if you had all the money in this world, what would you do first?

I would plant many city forests all across India.

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