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I remember a time when budding writers had thoughts and ideas, stories and dreams, but no publishers and guides. More critics and people who beat them down with pessimism.
How things have changed. With the internet, with more publishing houses, with growing opportunities and most importantly open minds.
Just week before last I was invited to inaugurate, do a reading and a discussion at the Wellington Club. The Author was Rohit Trillo and the book, The Kitty Buddha. Now just a few years ago, if an author was to write a philosophic book, but with the protagonist– a Cat, I don’t know how many takers there would be. Especially if the man who wanted to publish had never written a book before.
Well he did find a publisher, and his book is an interesting entry into the magical world of the metaphysical where the protagonist, Kitty, is in search for the true meaning of existence and life.
Our chat and reading at Wellington club brought out facets of the book that everyone enjoyed hearing about. Laced with adult humor that the cat belts out unabashed, the underlying theme is a serious one, where Kitty searches for the elusive ‘seventh sense’ a sense beyond the senses that can fill the void and make her alive again. In a moment of revelation and climax, she discovers that this seventh sense is ‘unconditional love’. A love that comes without baggage of demands and conditions, expectations and preformatted roles.
Not very much later, my lovely friend Anjali Kirplani called me out of the blue with a surprise. ‘Nisha I’ve written a book and I’d like you to unveil it and do a chat and reading with me at Crossword’. Not only was I surprised but so proud. Anjali is a young ‘author’ and a first time one too. Yes I am delighted to have done a fun chat with her and an invigorating audience, but more so at the way the country is going, giving impetus to young talent and wings to new dreamers who wish to write. No longer do the youth of our country have to be straight jacketed into the ‘doctor, engineer’ format, but authors, photographers, VJ’s and DJ’s also can breathe, succeed and thrive. Way to go country. Proud of all of you and honoured to flag your dreams off!
‘Never Say Never’ is the journey of many of us newcomers to Bombay. Confused, unsure of our path, questioned often and lost in this melting pot. You grow up quickly in this competitive milieu and the rat race shapes you up into growing up quickly. Anjeli draws from her own experiences of confusion and competitiveness, of criticism from clan members and feeling unsure to realize a universal truth. That we come here, to the world for a reason, and with our own actions is the hand of destiny that takes us ahead. ‘Never Say Never’ is a slice of life with a pinch of salt and humor that Anjeli had the tenacity and guts to write. Cheers to all those budding authors, this is a good sign to get your pens out and get to the manuscript. I could be reading you soon?
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