Is there anything better than curling up on a weekend & burying your nose deep in a book?? Letting your mind wander to an imaginary World & being disassociated with your own surroundings. It is even better, when the book in your hand is a simple "slice of life" story. A story made up of everyday characters; characters that you see in your neighborhood, workplace, or in yourself.
A "slice of life" lit, when told with simplicity & with heart warming situations is the perfect recipe for soothing the soul.
Luckily, Indian authors, have been quite adept with painting such pictures in our mind with the brush of their literary words, especially when it comes to "slice of life" lit.
A new book, in the same genre, is Dr. Anuradha Prasad's "Two Winters & 365 days".
The author is an established name in feature editing & writing & has a rich career in the field of feature journalism, creating a variety of articles for leading publications & magazines in the country. It is then no surprise, that someone who has studied life's various colours as her subject should pen a book on a protagonist, who is like any one of us, yet her courage & determination to pick up the pieces & move on in life sets her apart from the rest. A story that is not larger than life in text, but so heart touching & soul warming.
Now, i haven't read "Two Winters & 365 days" yet, but just a dialog with the author prepared me for what could be in store in her debut novel.
Please read Kitabi Keeda's tete-a-tete with the lovely Anuradha Prasad. A conversation with her revealed more about her book, her thought behind the characters she created, her expectations from authors by & large; and also gave me deep insight into the Indian Literature industry.
(Here is the lovely lady herself with her debut novel)
KK: Tell
us about your new book “Two Winters & 365 days”, and please tell us the
thought behind the interesting name?
AP: Two Winters is all about self
discovery and self invention....there are so many qualities in us which are
lost and we do not tap into and go on with life. Most of the times we do not
know who we are and what we are capable of and what we are made for . This book is for everyone who wants to get
inspired , feel inspired and go in for that extra self search that would define their very existence . A very
few lucky people get such an opportunity
and my protagonist Ananya is the chosen one .
This book is also about moving on
in life after pain, loss and taking care of your parents , children and
respecting relationships .About the interesting name ( of my book) I can say that as a feature writer and an editor I
have learnt to create interesting , punch lines to catch eye balls and that has worked for the title too. Besides I wanted the name to
represent the book . The events take place over a period of one year . So that
explains - 365 days . The story starts
in september and ends sometime during that time the next year . That comes
together as ----Two Winters and 365 Days.
KK: You have seen a career of
editing & writing for many lifestyle magazines yourself; Is Ananya, your
protagonist in “2 Winters..” an inspiration of you? Is this book somewhere
inspired by your own life?
AP: Most of the books reflect a writers
experiences that include the characters. Having said that the qualities of
‘hard work’ and ‘not easily giving up’ can be termed as mine. When I started with the book I had not thought of any particular
element but as the story developed ,the element of self discovery
topped the rest! The life of a magazine editor is portrayed out of my
experiences . As for Ananya and the
story - they are totally imaginary.
KK: As
a reader, should we expect “2 Winters…” to be a Rom Com chick lit or a Slice of
Life lit? Can you elaborate a little upon your choice?
AP: Its not a Rom Com and Chick Lit
but it is pure language, and a "slice
of life" literature . The language is
totally different from the kind we read in books written by Indian authors.
KK: Both Indian Book
market & Western is rife with romantic literature at the moment; what is it
about “2 Winters..” that sets it apart from the rest?
AP: Two Winters is
fueled by theme such as coping with
loss, sustaining one’s self after pain, answering love’s call for the
second time and situational humor.Apart from it- A simple flowing and a beautiful language
sets “Two Winters and 365 days” apart.It
is adventurous, humorous and pictorial in its descriptions that culminates into success of the main
character Ananya. I feel that these elements will hold the attention of a
reader and keep him/her grounded to it , till the last page. Besides my book has
a fresh story that readers can relate to easily .It leaves a feel good
life like experience behind.One can take the book and relax, enjoy and
at the same time learn from it. Romantic literature is lopsided but my book has
elements that make it gripping.
KK: Now that your first book
is out, what is in your mind for your next book?
AP: I have thought of the story line
and am working on it day and night. I have already completed a substantial part
of the book .I will write for another 50 pages or more and close it. Then I
will start writing dialogues and other things that will give life to it.
KK: What is your take on
current situation of upcoming Indian fiction authors vis-à-vis say 20 years
back? Do you think our current literature industry is poised to be as big as
Western industry currently is, with authors being signed in advance by
publishing houses to pen a Bestseller, and movie rights being brought as soon
as the book is out on the shelves?
AP: There is a lot of potential out
there . A lot of people are good writers..today . But most of them lack experience . Compared to a westerner we
need to master the craft of perfection . We as Indians need command over
english as it is the strong point of expression in a book. Besides our writings are tradition and region
bound which are not properly understood
by a western reader thus lacking in a global appeal.
There are a lot of
mistakes in sentence construction, formatting and editing that need to
be immediately addressed.The current crop of writers need to really, really
improve the language skills than to attempt in establishing a name immediately
after their debut novel. Developing an individual style, ability to learn from
mistakes , working with deadlines for long hours with a very little monetary expectation
should be painstakingly developed by us writers. Writing for writings sake is
no good. According to me---Writing
to burn the fire in the belly and then
re-firing it to burn more will pump blood into your work ! My
suggestion would be to write articles , features or short stories and get them
published before attempting to write a
full fledged novel that will help a person to know where they stand in the book
industry.
However, getting contracts is a
very good motivation for a writer . It helps him to concentrate and finish his work in a deadline. It can be
also a problem as there are huge expectations
that he/she may fail to meet.
This can lead to an end to his career as a writer.Besides though a book is a
best seller the movies made out of them may not be that good.There are
drawbacks everywhere.
KK: Lastly, a purely fun
question!! Do you see a full length motion picture being made on your novel in
the future? If yes, can you tell us who to your mind, is best suited to play
Ananya from current Bollywood actors?
AP: Wow that's like a dream come true! I think Deepika Padukone will suit the role .She is tall
with beautiful large eyes with pain in them like Ananya . Her face is
soft yet fierce . Her features can reflect
fire and innocence. Her gait is athletic yet soft . She would also look
stunning in the red gown that Ananya wears towards the end , to the awards
function.
Ananya stands for vulnerability, motherhood,
commitment, hard work, professionalism, a sterling character and success. In recent
years Deepika has evolved as a versatile
actress too so I feel she can
portray the role very well.
KK: Any words for Kitabi
Keeda…
AP: You guys really rock! I am
actually much inspired by the blogs that
you create , the wonderful truthful reviews you post and the interview was really great! Keep the good work going
guys. Let everyone who reads your blogs
may turn into ‘book worms’ as the name terms it aptly as ----Kitabi
Keedas. All the Best!
Disclaimer: This is NOT a paid article or a paid review; This is an interview conducted by this blog with the author to talk about her upcoming work.
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