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August 12, 2012

AUTHOR INTERVIEW - MEGHNA PANT

We recently interviewed published author Meghna Pant


Short Bio :
A financial journalist by day and a writer by night, Meghna Pant is the editor of a business magazine. She has formerly worked as a TV anchor for NDTV Profit and Bloomberg-UTV. Her short stories have been published in over a dozen literary magazines, across four countries.
An avid traveller, Meghna Pant has stayed in various cities around the world, from Mumbai and Singapore to Zurich and New York City. She is currently based in Dubai.
One and a Half Wife - Meghna’s debut novel - has been long listed for the Cinnamon Press Novel Writing Award, selected as a top ten finalists in Word Hustler’s Literary Storm Novel Contest, and made it to the second round of the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award.


1.   Tell us something about your novel
One & A Half Wife is a prism that captures the social realities of our time – cultural bigotry, reverse immigration, the fall of the American Dream, the shift of the Golden Age to India, divorce and childless marriages – with a fast-paced narrative, a dash of humour and colourful characters. The background score is the call of the homeland and a search for one’s identity.

2.   How did this book happen and why did you choose to write about it?
The longest I’ve ever lived away from India was from 2008 to 2010, and when I returned home to Mumbai it didn’t feel like home anymore. I almost felt betrayed because I’d been carrying this image of old India in my head as the ultimate truth, while the place had changed to an extent where my truth had become deviant. That was also a time when reverse immigration peaked and divorce became commonplace. There was a tectonic shift of the golden age from the US to India, and a raging debate about modernity versus traditionalism. I combined these triggers as the narrative for Amara Malhotra’s story in One & A Half Wife.

3.   When did you take to writing?
I was 19 when my first short story, Aberration, was published online. But I started writing seriously around five years back, though at that time it was only short stories. To improve my art I took several writing courses in New York, and after a fair share of rejections my short stories slowly began to be published in reputed US literary magazines. The idea for a full-length novel, One & A Half Wife, came only in 2009. 

4.   Where do you usually write? What is your favourite setting to write in?
I am a completely horizontal writer. I need to be lying down on the bed or couch, tucked under a blanket (even in the summer) to be able to write. And since I work full-time, Saturday is dedicated to writing. I pretend as though the world doesn’t exist that day.

5.   Did this story come to you easily or did you find yourself stuck with a writer’s block sometimes?
Amara’s story simply flowed out, especially the first half which is largely based in the US. I knew the beginning and the end of the novel, but wrote the middle part organically, in line with the characters and setting.

It’s interesting that for my second full-length novel I’ve used a completely different style of writing. Before penning the first draft, I jotted down a mini-synopsis for each chapter, as well as a sketch for each character. I find that this style works much better for me, though of course the readers will be the final judge of that.

All in all, I’m blessed to not have faced writer’s block so far in my writing career. In fact, I don’t have the time to put all my ideas to paper!

6.   Tell us about your life online and the sites you maintain
I enjoy Facebook since it offers a personal way to connect with people from all over the world. Linked In is great for networking, but I use it primarily for work. I’m still relatively new to Twitter (https://twitter.com/MeghnaPant) and still learning the fine art of injecting brevity, wit, knowledge, entertainment and information into 140 characters.

I maintain two sites for One & A Half Wife:

7.   What are your thoughts on life – The one thing that it takes to live it?
Life expands or shrinks in proportion to our courage. We’re so bound by shackles and rules that we shortchange ourselves, living a half-life in fear of what may go wrong.

Fortunately I’ve discovered writing, which to me is the most powerful medium for self-realisation. By writing about others, I’ve learnt to be kinder, stronger, while coming to face with the fact that we’re all trying to do the best with what we’ve been given.

8.   How has your experience been so far in the literary world? Any highs or lows being a part of this space that you would like to share -here?
I feel like every day is bringing a new surprise, and I was totally unprepared for it. People – from bestselling authors to strangers in Agra – have reached out to tell me that they loved the novel. I’m getting friend requests and followers every day from across India – readers, reviewers, publishers and authors – and it’s astonishing just how far-reaching the power of words really is.

When I walk into parties now, people point to me and say, “The great author is here,” and I actually turn around to see whom they’re talking about since it feels surreal to be acknowledged in this fashion.

9.   Tell us something about your work & hobbies?
I have an undergraduate degree in Economics and an MBA, so it’s no surprise that I’m a business journalist. Having worked with the likes of NDTV Profit and Bloomberg-UTV in Mumbai and New York, I currently work as the Features Editor of a Dubai-based business magazine.

In my free time, which is rare when you’re an author who also works full-time, I like to read, travel and talk to myself.

10.  So how did it feel when you finally finished writing the book?
I immediately wanted to go out and meet Amara, because her world and the characters in it became so real to me. I remember typing the last sentence and feeling this great sense of relief, joy, achievement and loss, all rolled into one. I guess every writer must feel this way, and it’s so profound that even writers can’t find a word to describe it. 

11.  Top 3 All-time favourite books.

Love In The Time of Cholera by Gabriel García MárquezThis book demystifies love and relationships, and is a bible in preparing for the inevitable agony and joy that attraction brings in its fold.
The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand – For showing us how to write, and how to live. For Howard Roark who I have looked for in every man. For making struggle and obscurity sexy. For daring us to think.
Exodus by Leon Uris – This razor-sharp story about the creation of Israel is a must-read. Although I’m not a fan of historical fiction, this magnificently written novel helps crystallise why we live in the world we live in.

AUTHOR INTERVIEW - VIJAYENDRA HARYAL

We recently interviewed published author Vijayendra Haryal

Short Bio:
A Mechanical Engineer from IIT Kharagpur, Vijayendra Haryal is from the Class of 2008,IIM Ahmedabad. He is now working as a Business Manager with an IT Co and his alternative interests are Social Media, Social Enterprise. He has also co-authored India's first most comprehensive book on Social Media titled 'Social Media Simplified'. His passion for writing fiction ignited when his stories, poems got featured on the writer's forum of a leading Television channel. Some of his work has got featured in renowned collections subsequently. An ardent observer of 'creative pursuits' (Entrepreneurship, writing, music, sketching hence on and so forth), he believes that there is some method to what the world perceives as madness.

So here goes : 

Tell us something about your book 'The Break Up' and the reason behind its title. How did this book happen and why did you choose to write about it?
The journey of this book started in 2005. I wrote a poem that went too long . I pressed the delete key ,added some more words and did convert the poem into a story ! Subsequently I sent it as an entry to a leading TV channels writer's forum. To my pleasant surprise, this entry won Story of the Week. The story is titled ' The Rose' in the book. There after, I decided to take up my writing seriously.

While initially, I just wanted it to be a collection of short stories on love, life, relationships et al , somewhere in 2008 it dawned on me that may be I can portray the bigger picture ,somehow weave a theme and bring this to a logical conclusion . It took a lot of time, thought and finally I was able to conclude with 'One Happy Love Story' and ' The Color of Love' .

Another key milestone, in the course of this journey was when I came across this beautiful quote " There are no facts, only interpretations" Friedrich Nietzsche. This is what resulted in title story and hence the name of the book. We all have our own versions of how we see the world. Isn't this so true ?



When did you take to writing?
I have been penning down poems ever since I was in fifth standard.  However as I mentioned it was in 2005, when I decided to take my writing more seriously.

Where do you usually write? What is your favorite setting to write in?
I usually write in café bars like Café Coffe Day, Barista etc. The ambience and aroma of the coffee does wonders to my concentration and creativity.

Did the  stories  come to you easily or did you find yourself stuck with a writer’s block sometimes?
I do get stuck at times, but it’s rare. I start writing usually, when I have a clear theme and an ending in mind. The course in between the story is usually not a big challenge

Tell us about your life online and the sites you maintain
I am a big fan of Facebook and it’s largely my private network or the people I personally know . On a public basis, I am active on LinkedIn. Now I am beginning to get active on Twitter also.

What are your thoughts on life – The one thing that it takes to live it?
One should spend some quality time identifying his or her passions. Life without passion becomes very mundane and boring.  So ‘one thing’ is surely passion and being associated, involved in issues, activities etc you are passionate about

How has been your experience so far in the literary world? Any highs or lows being a part of this space that you would like to share here?
Last year 2011, was pretty interesting for me. Early in the year, book titled ‘Social Media Simplified: Twitter Facebook beyond casual networking’ got published which I co-authored. It got some good reviews from mainstream media as well as the Indian social media community. Later in the year this book got published. While the former book deals with more of ‘ black and white’ , this book deals mostly with ‘grey’ . Accordingly the feedback / reviews for this book are highly diversified, unlike the former book.  This entire exercise has made me richer with new interpretations of my work. I shall cherish these inputs, suggestions for quite some time.

Tell us something about your work & hobbies?
I am a Business Manager with an IT company. Other than spending time with my family and work, whatever time is left, I devote to writing and exploring the grey areas of life. I do watch a lot of TED videos and am a big fan of Sufi music.

So how did it feel when you finally finished writing the book?
It was a fulfilling experience. The whole journey of the book spread over years was quite refreshing.

Top 3 All-time favorite books
Alchemist  
Eleven Minutes
Freakonomics