One fine morning with Dr. Debaprasad Mukherjee

Hi friend, we are back with our next interview.  Today, we have with us the doctor-turned-author, Dr. Debaprasad Mukherjee whose debut novel, Boltu, recently has hit the markets. Since I have got the opportunity to go through some pages of the book, I can tell you that just like the title, the plot also is unique and is quite different from those of the fictions we generally see now-a-days. Reading those pages I could not resist meeting person and knowing about him. Thus, I, with the help of my colleague, Naaz, met him and proposed him for an interview, to which he agreed with a smiling face. And now it is time to share the same with you. Together, let us get into the life of Dr. Mukherjee and see what he
has in store for us.

Hello sir! This is Naaz with my colleague Souvick, your interviewer, and we welcome you to The Insight. Today, we are super excited to interview you. Thanks for being with us.

To begin with, please tell us something about yourself.

Hello Naaz and Souvick! I’m pleased to meet you as well. Talking of me, I’m professionally a doctor. I am intrigued with the diversity of human nature right from my childhood days and I have a passion to play with words and go through the works of some contemporary and past literary greats. However, I have taken to serious literary writing since about seven years or so.

Tell us where you write from.

After going through a roller-coaster ride all over our country through most of the 57 years of my life I have finally settled at Bilaspur in Chhattisgarh, in India following my resignation from a large public sector undertaking.

‘Boltu’ is quite an unusual title. What is your book all about?

‘Boltu’ is the nickname of the protagonist of the story and this is the name that does the rounds in his known circle rather than his formal name. The book is all about his journey through the brickbats and laurels from his boyhood to transformation into a man. Other characters have incidentally been interspersed in between, albeit with equal colour and flavour. Ultimately, all trickles down to the extraordinary odyssey of Boltu. That’s why I felt the title would be apt.

Boltu, as we see, is the protagonist of the story. Is the character inspired from any real-life character around you?

Well, yes and no. To start with, it had a similarity with a character known to me in my boyhood days and the characters were etched in one of my familiar surroundings. As the novel kept building up, the protagonist and the others went on being an amalgam of many real as well as imaginary characters; as generally happens in fiction writing.

Tell something about those you found by your side while penning down this masterpiece.

Maybe ‘masterpiece ’-ing the book is somewhat overrating. I only tried to be honest with myself and my possible audience. There were quite a few I can mention including my family and friends. Most important, however, were my past readers. In spite of their number not being huge, they boosted my confidence about my literary abilities.

Please tell us about your experience with the publisher.

My publisher, Petals Publishers and Distributors was good and straightforward enough with their promises and services. Thanks to the CEO Mr. Harpreet Makkar and team for providing remotely known authors like me and others a platform. They are supportive till date as well. On the leeward side, the editing of the book desires a bit more. Hopefully, it can be bettered in the next edition.

That’s great sir. We wish you all the luck and success. Well, what do you love to do apart from writing?

Reading, following sports and movies, and of course, seeing my patients depart with a smile.

That’s wonderful! Who are the authors you love to read?

Though I go through whatever crosses my hand, I am an avid follower of PG Wodehouse, Dickens, Agatha Christie, Chekhov (English translations), VS Naipaul, Ruskin Bond and RK Narayan; to name a few.

What message would you give to the aspiring authors of today?

Though I’m not sure whether I deserve the position to advise aspiring authors, I would like to share a few points with the newcomers:

a. Never venture to write a single page before you have read 100 pages of quality literature.

b. Have patience of a saint. It pays.

c. Be true to yourself.

d. Quality is the buzzword.

e. Your audience is not fool.

Thank you for sharing. Hope your words continue to inspire the budding authors.

Please tell us your experience of this overall interview session.

Souvick, you are a master interviewer. Enjoyed every bit of interaction with you both. Thank you so much.

Thank you sir, for being with us. We ourselves had a great time with you. We wish you the best for your days to come.

An hour with Paras

Hello friends, it has been a good time since I had posted my last interview. Well, from now on I shall be quite regular at it. New writers are coming up and it indeed gives pleasure to get into their lives and know the story behind their success.

Today, we have a budding young writer, Paras with us, whose debut book, Hues of Modern Love has recently hit the markets. Let us look into the world of Paras and see what he has in store for us.

Hello Paras! Welcome to ‘The Insight’!

To begin with, please tell us something about your debut book.

This was the best experience ever in my life, those flash lights of camera, the feeling of stardom and when a star comedian from Mumbai came to launch my debut novel, which was the wonderful experience for the first novel.  I launched it in my city. I wasn’t having any good knowledge of where to go and what to do but believe me going wrong places solved my infinite questions. May be this is the reason I am writing this interview to you.

If I might have a god father, I must have gone to Mumbai to launch it among TV stars; I must have gone to so many of media people. I might have joined a press club; I might have talked with so many authors. So much to do for my first novel but I lack knowledge there.

“Writing only will not solve the purpose but trying hard to make it popular will”. That’s the best line to spread for upcoming authors.

Could you please narrate us in brief your journey of writing this book?

       

      Writing a novel is not an easy task but believe me if you enjoy writing, then writing is not a cumbersome task either. I heard it somewhere, “I wrote it on the piece of paper and then left it alone for some time, so that life could cook in it.”

But it was really difficult for me to write this novel as I was stuck in between thrice. One of the best things throughout this journey which came as a forever lesson to me was “if you share your problem with the third person then that person will destroy your relationship”

      The best example is still lying on the Facebook- search the page “I love breakups” and you will find my name there. It’s the previous title which I had decided earlier with a publisher. Though that publisher is still in touch with me but I believe that if you will discuss your problem with someone else instead of solving directly with your publisher then you will suffer, for sure.

Your book contains the term ‘modern love’. What, according to you, is the basic difference between ‘modern love’ and ‘ancient love’?

Love is the only thing which isn’t easy to understand. Here, I actually am not telling and explaining any difference between ancient and modern love. My basic motive to present this book in the front of the entire audience was to show them the real face of love they are weaving.

This book is mirror to all those who are somewhere in love but using this term in the coverage of intimacy, smooch and sex. I know this book will not be accepted by a section of the youth or even adults but this is the real part of what we people are doing in the name of MODERN LOVE.

Please let us know something about yourself.

I am leaving it blank as I don’t have a good reason to fill it. I am sorry here. Please don’t mind.

No issues!
Please tell us something about the people whom you found by your side in this journey.

Rohit, he was my mentor in everything. We gave it an initial start but then due to some misunderstandings we broke up. Then comes, Shyna. She believed in me and boosted me when I need it most. It’s all because of her prayers and wishes that now I am writing this interview to you for my book.  Very big thanks to her.

Then comes Neyha Nayyar, she is there in the book. I have named her “Neha”. Each and everything which defines the beauty of that character, actually describes her (though she is still unaware). She gave me those beautiful lines for the book.

One of them is: - Not so close, not so far and we save our love in the jar….

Cheshta Bhardawaj, the only friend of mine who told me to read books in free time and don’t waste it by sitting idle. It’s just because of her that now I am down with second book.

Please share with us your experience with the publisher.

Perceptions of every author and then reader is different, same is applicable with publishers and literary agents. They all are different in there market views, scale of operations and every single thought.

Aniket was one of the guys who helped me in my bad times, when I was struggling with my book trying to get it published. It was he who showed me the way. Experience with him was good, he helped me a lot and he was patient enough not to listen to all my thoughts. It gave me a lesson- “Be patient, and things will work on time decided by our karmas”.

Wow! I hope the lesson you got, be a lesson for our readers as well.

Please name the authors you love to read.

Paulo Coelho was one of the best author I came across but if you talk about Agatha her writings were mind-boggling fantastic. There are infinity authors who are best in there genre. Like RK Narayan, the renowned author of THE GUIDE, his simplicity and weaving story was speechless.

Recently I had gone through with Jhumpa Lahiri’s “The Lowland”.

At last I would say, I love reading so no partiality please. I love to read more authors. Suggest me the best books please.

What are your passions apart from writing?

I am in love with singing, playing guitar and dancing. I am in bad love, with all of it.  Passions are something which keep getting added now and then. Like these days am going crazy about painting.

What message do you want to give to the budding writers of today?

To all those who are better than me and the ones who are thinking that they cannot do better, I only have one message for them. “Don’t worry to take risk, if you fail you are already ready for the one who is afraid to give initial start for other things.”

I have one example here: - my senior discussed about writings one fine day with me and he told me to talk with his niece who is looking for a publisher. All I need to do is, to help her and get her book published.  All the things I had gone through acted a good support to her and she enjoyed getting the direct contacts of the publishers which I struggled getting. She will soon be launching her debut novel- in the middle of this year.

Wow that is a great thing to know! Our good wishes also are with her.

Well, Thank you Paras for being with us! We really had a great time with you.
We hope your words inspire our readers, as well as wish you the best for your future!