Neera Maini Srivastav
Book Title : Hack the boredom Code
Neera Maini Srivastav is an author, Creative Director at chlorophyll and a mindfulness coach who is always on the lookout for new ways to inspire and be inspired. She is also the author of the recently published book - Hack The Boredom Code.
Q.1 “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’.
Well, let me just say that my author journey has been influenced by every person, event, circumstance that crossed my path.
To begin with my family who gave me the most precious jewels: love and values, my teachers/educators who sharpened my intellect, books that fuelled my power of expression, bosses who powered my growth with appreciation and criticism, gurus who opened the funnel of wisdom and spiritual learning, my pets that evoked another emotional dimension in me and above all a higher power that truly held the pen. All of this has been part of my journey as author.
Q.2 How and when did you first realize your calling for writing books?
My first book was a part of a writing course that I had taken – my search for the story led me to my window that gave me a glimpse of a crow in all its unsung beauty. I was smitten and my first book was born. Thereafter, one story after another pursued me to find expression and I happily complied.
Q.3 Please tell us a bit about your book titled ” Hack the boredom code” and share a few lines from it.
In a world with increasing stress, lifestyle imbalance, new age challenges and mental health glitches, ‘well-being’ is the new God everyone’s seeking. While adults have infinite choices and options to course-correct paths, the young adults, though have increasing incidences of mental and physical health challenges, have little or almost no aids to holistic health and well-being. With increasing juvenile obesity and depression hitting the teens, there is a dire need to address the same- the key issue being ‘Boredom’- the new pandemic.
The book is based on addressing just that in a contemporary, light-hearted fashion. Split into 3 sections: Mind, Body and Spirit, the book offers tips /hacks/solutions in each category that seed the respite from boredom in a fun, engaging way. What better than a ready reckoner for young adults to get by their highly stressful daily lives in a more meaningful, healthier and stimulating manner. A companion of sorts, the book aims at delivering well-being to the troubled young things by throwing open a world of ‘creative’ solutions to combat the new age ogre– boredom, including a ‘boredom tracker’- for journaling purposes.
“Monotony is a close relative of boredom! It’s a good idea to keep distance from such kin.”
Q.4 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?
- “The Alchemist” -Paulo Coelho
- “Angela’s Ashes”- Frank McCourt
- “Autobiography of Yogi”- Paramahansa Yogananda
- All plays- Shakespear
- “Kite Runner” – Khaled Hosseini
A.S.Byatt, Paulo Coelho and Elif Shafak- It is very difficult to restrict the number to just 3 authors- there are many who have been a huge contribution to my thinking. Their craft, story-telling, simplicity and richness of thought have honed my expression.
Q.5 What inspires you to write? Where do you get the information or ideas for your books?
Human dilemmas, human challenges, human victories, relationships all inspire me. It’s tough to locate the source of my ideas. But I guess it is such an organic process that it just flows- sometimes born out of life experiences, the world around or simply from silence. Most of the ideas have emerged in my meditation.
Q.6 Could you share a few tips for budding Authors and aspiring writers?
The only tip is ‘write, write, write’ and suspend your own judgement about your writing. The more you write, the more your craft will sharpen. More importantly, enjoy the writing.
Q.7 What has been your most cherished experience as a writer? Which is your best-preferred genre?
My most cherished experience was when my first book was introduced as curriculum by Podar School for grade 9 – English department. It was a great honour. Next was when recently the same book was translated in braille. And to hear the experience from the visually impaired about the book and its story was so gratifying- greater than any award.
Q.8 What were the struggles and learnings you experienced while writing your book?
The pandemic and the mood during the pandemic was the greatest hurdle. It was a challenge to keep motivating oneself to write the book when all one could hear were stories of grief and loss.
Q.10 Are you working on anything at present that you would like to share with your readers? What are your future plans?
I am working on a fiction title – I would rather keep the suspense going!
Q.11 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.
Unfortunately we don’t have many in the ‘self-help’ category for the younger lot. I can recommend 2 of mine: “150 brilliant ideas to keep young minds fit & fine” and my latest “Hack the Boredom Code”. Also Sean Covey’s ‘The 7 habits of highly effective Teens’
books that are about hope, following your dreams, kindness, magic rather than violence and the dark side.
Books like ‘The Giving Tree’, ‘The Little Prince’, ‘The Alchemist’ and many more that are uplifting and bring values to the fore are a must-read. Sometimes the simplest stories are the most profound as they leave you with a wiser worldview.
Rapid Fire Round
- Favorite
- Place- Turkey, Greece, Mussourie (India)
- Actor & Actress – Richard Gere, Deepika Padukone
- Person, Food, beverage….- Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Lebanese food (Shawarma), ginger ale
- Your other Talents apart from writing…. – mindfulness coaching, alternate healing practitioner, yoga instructor, teaching writing modules … still acquiring more!
- Your First Love…writing
- Favorite Quote…. “Silence is an ocean. Speech is a river. When the ocean is looking for you, don’t walk into the river. Listen to the ocean.”- Rumi
- Favourite Character from a book…Antigone from ‘Antigone’ (Jean Anouilh)
What if Round
- What if you had to live with only three things all your life, what would the three things be?
My pet, my home and my faith
- What if you were given the power to change one thing from this world, what would you change?
Lack of kindness & compassion for self and others.
- What if you had all the money in this world, what would you do first?
Build a state-of-the-art pet care medical centre and parks for pets.
