Vishal Anand's Blog
January 25, 2019
Book Review: The Sun Shines Down (Sankha Ghosh)
Book: The Sun Shines DownAuthor: Sankha GhoshPublisher: Hawakal Publishers
Last month, I saw one of my facebook friends tagged with a book cover. On a closer look, I understood that it was a book written by Sankha Ghosh.
Sankha Ghosh was one of the early reviewers of my debut short story collection, Emotions Unplugged. I totally loved his honest opinion on my book. We were not in touch for a very long time. That's why when I saw him on Facebook, I sent him a friend request immediately. A set of communications, both on Facebook messenger and few phone calls followed later.
Early this month, he came with a request to share my opinion on his book. Like all other authors who reach out to me, I chose to reject his request. But then, somewhere I owed him for reviewing my book when I was a debutant. So finally, I agreed to share my honest opinion and the book took almost no time to reach me.
Author's Bio from the book: Sankha Ghosh is a banker by day and writer by night. Starting off as an environmental activist with an international foundation, he eventually got into the exciting industry of banking. An avid observer, an alternate thinker, and strictly opinionated, his writings have been published in several national and international blogs.
Before I go deeper into the story, let me be honest and say that I didn't like the cover or the title of the book. The cover doesn't tell much about the story. I would not have bought the book if I could have found it at an online portal or from a bookstore with this cover and title. The back blurb gives a rigorous idea of the plot. However, I found it a bit lengthy. Surprisingly, the page quality used in the book is good and the font size is perfect for our eyes, which is really appreciable but unexpected from a less known publisher like Hawakal.
�The Sun Shines Down’ is a story about two individuals who belong to two very different social brackets. The first protagonist is Shreya Basu, a politician that India has hardly ever witnessed. With an impeccable beauty and excellent oratory skill, Shreya Basu’s shot to fame is no less than a fairy tale. But now she wishes to contest election with a powerful incumbent government at their own bastion.
The second protagonist is Faiz Ahmed. Obscured by thousands of unanswered questions, Faiz Ahmed is haunted by the ghosts of his past. And, to put them to rest, he wants one single thing - Vengeance.
To start the review, first I will talk about Sankha's narration. When dealing with two parallel stories of different persons, who fall in different social brackets, it’s really hard to maintain the distinct flavour for each of them, but he has done that with a lot of ease. Description of events and behaviour of characters left me in admiration for his amazing narration capabilities. When I read Faiz’s parts, I felt as I am seeing an innocent boy right in front of me. His thoughts, pain, everything is submerged in the story. While on the other side, description of Shreya, made me feel the intensity of her brilliance. It’s really rare in Indian Literary scenario to see such an impressive narration from a debutant.
On the language front, Ghosh again scores full marks. He has done a commendable job by maintaining the language simple yet captivating. Chapters are structured very well and are full of his minute observations that made characters more authentic and almost real. I never felt the story losing its engrossing characters. Every time I began with a new chapter, I felt more involved in the story and perfectly synched chapters made the book a wonderful read.ÌýAlso, holding so many characters that come and leave the story after every few chapters with comfort is another skill that I loved in the author. The book was a fast-paced read with a number of twists and turns that make it ready for a good web series.
A major drawback with the book is its pricing. The book is priced at Rs 250 and is available for Rs 169 with a shipping cost of Rs 80. I believe this shall hinder the book success. Better pricing would have helped the book here.
To conclude my review, I must say, by far ‘The Sun Shines Down� is one of the best books by any young Indian Author. It takes us towards the hope and a better life through the stories of loneliness and pain of common people like many of us. The book gives a great message to society and is capable of making anyone see the brighter side of life. The best thing about the book is that literally, anyone can read it because the story is not targeted at any specific age group and it’s clean enough that you can blindly suggest it to anyone. The book is simply flawless in almost every manner. If Sankha Ghosh is working on any new project, I’d be looking forward to it with certainly higher expectations.
You can get a copy of the book from .
Last month, I saw one of my facebook friends tagged with a book cover. On a closer look, I understood that it was a book written by Sankha Ghosh.
Sankha Ghosh was one of the early reviewers of my debut short story collection, Emotions Unplugged. I totally loved his honest opinion on my book. We were not in touch for a very long time. That's why when I saw him on Facebook, I sent him a friend request immediately. A set of communications, both on Facebook messenger and few phone calls followed later.
Early this month, he came with a request to share my opinion on his book. Like all other authors who reach out to me, I chose to reject his request. But then, somewhere I owed him for reviewing my book when I was a debutant. So finally, I agreed to share my honest opinion and the book took almost no time to reach me.
Author's Bio from the book: Sankha Ghosh is a banker by day and writer by night. Starting off as an environmental activist with an international foundation, he eventually got into the exciting industry of banking. An avid observer, an alternate thinker, and strictly opinionated, his writings have been published in several national and international blogs.
Before I go deeper into the story, let me be honest and say that I didn't like the cover or the title of the book. The cover doesn't tell much about the story. I would not have bought the book if I could have found it at an online portal or from a bookstore with this cover and title. The back blurb gives a rigorous idea of the plot. However, I found it a bit lengthy. Surprisingly, the page quality used in the book is good and the font size is perfect for our eyes, which is really appreciable but unexpected from a less known publisher like Hawakal.
�The Sun Shines Down’ is a story about two individuals who belong to two very different social brackets. The first protagonist is Shreya Basu, a politician that India has hardly ever witnessed. With an impeccable beauty and excellent oratory skill, Shreya Basu’s shot to fame is no less than a fairy tale. But now she wishes to contest election with a powerful incumbent government at their own bastion.
The second protagonist is Faiz Ahmed. Obscured by thousands of unanswered questions, Faiz Ahmed is haunted by the ghosts of his past. And, to put them to rest, he wants one single thing - Vengeance.
To start the review, first I will talk about Sankha's narration. When dealing with two parallel stories of different persons, who fall in different social brackets, it’s really hard to maintain the distinct flavour for each of them, but he has done that with a lot of ease. Description of events and behaviour of characters left me in admiration for his amazing narration capabilities. When I read Faiz’s parts, I felt as I am seeing an innocent boy right in front of me. His thoughts, pain, everything is submerged in the story. While on the other side, description of Shreya, made me feel the intensity of her brilliance. It’s really rare in Indian Literary scenario to see such an impressive narration from a debutant.
On the language front, Ghosh again scores full marks. He has done a commendable job by maintaining the language simple yet captivating. Chapters are structured very well and are full of his minute observations that made characters more authentic and almost real. I never felt the story losing its engrossing characters. Every time I began with a new chapter, I felt more involved in the story and perfectly synched chapters made the book a wonderful read.ÌýAlso, holding so many characters that come and leave the story after every few chapters with comfort is another skill that I loved in the author. The book was a fast-paced read with a number of twists and turns that make it ready for a good web series.
A major drawback with the book is its pricing. The book is priced at Rs 250 and is available for Rs 169 with a shipping cost of Rs 80. I believe this shall hinder the book success. Better pricing would have helped the book here.
To conclude my review, I must say, by far ‘The Sun Shines Down� is one of the best books by any young Indian Author. It takes us towards the hope and a better life through the stories of loneliness and pain of common people like many of us. The book gives a great message to society and is capable of making anyone see the brighter side of life. The best thing about the book is that literally, anyone can read it because the story is not targeted at any specific age group and it’s clean enough that you can blindly suggest it to anyone. The book is simply flawless in almost every manner. If Sankha Ghosh is working on any new project, I’d be looking forward to it with certainly higher expectations.
You can get a copy of the book from .
April 29, 2017
A true story of the day when Chetan Bhagat met Anvita Bajpai
Early this week, I saw several facebook posts stating about Chetan Bhagat's plagiarism issue. I came to know that a Bengaluru based author, Anvita Bajpai has accused Chetan Bhagat for plagiarising her story, Drawing Parallels in his recent book, One Indian Girl. These posts were then followed by several media coverages across the country.Ìý
Generally, I prefer not to speak about any controversial issue. But then something was different this time. Firstly, I am friends with Anvita Bajpai at facebook since past 3-4 years. Secondly, I have seen her at the Bangalore Literature Festival where she claims to have given her book to Chetan Bhagat for review.
Let me rewind my life a few years back. It was mid of 2014 when I landed Bangalore looking for better job opportunities. Somewhere in early August that year, I met Vikram Sampath, founder of Bangalore Literature Festival at International Folk Festival at Jaya Mahal Palace, Bengaluru. He introduced me to Shinie Anthony, another founder of the Bangalore Literature Festival. I came to learn about the festival through them.
Almost after one and half month later, Bangalore Literature Festival was conducted. Since this was the first Literature Festival I was attending, I was quite excited. Chetan Bhagat was available on the very first day for the inaugration ceremony of the festival. I was quite new to the industry and thought getting rave reviews from popular authors would help my book. That was the reason I carried few of my books to the event.
I believe it was after 2:30 pm, when Chetan Bhagat was done with his session with Shinie Anthony, he walked towards the Author's Lounge. Several fans of him followed him. I believe this crowd had lot of new authors as well as aspiring ones. I was too a part of the crowd. We waited outside the Author's Lounge for Chetan Bhagat to come out, either to give our books, get his book/s signed or getting few pictures clicked with him.
I was sitting outside the Author's Lounge when I saw Anvita Bajpai near the drinking water area for the first time. Her face felt known to me. With social communities getting bigger and bigger, I understood she is one among the authors I've added in facebook. I scrolled down my friend list to find out who she was and landed over her profile after few minutes. Since I did not find any necessity, I did not buzz her. I waited there for Chetan Bhagat to come out.
In case, we all trust her, I would say, she must have given her book to Chetan Bhagat the same day. I too gave my book to Chetan. And, I believe, many others gave it too. But then, would Chetan Bhagat remember each one of us? Would he care to read all our books? I'm not sure what happens to books when it goes to someone like Chetan Bhagat.
By 26th April, late night, I saw a facebook post by Anvita Bajpai claiming in her own words that some of her friend shared links where glimpses of her book "Life, Odds & Ends" can be seen in hands of Chetan Bhagat during BLF 2014.
I tried to have a better look and was shocked seeing the image. And, that is also the reason why I'm writing a post about this whole issue.Ìý
It was not Anvita's book which she claimed. It was the first edition of my debut short story collection, Emotions Unplugged over which the tea cup was placed. I'm sharing the image Anvita shared in the facebook post as well as the cover of the first edition of Emotions Unplugged below for your reference:
(Click on the image to enlarge it.)
If you try to have a closer look of the image Anvita shared, you can see the top right corner of the book cover has some white space which was actually in my book cover. Moreover, you can also have a look of one of the bulbs below the white space.
Another thing that the picture doesn't say is - The red piece of cloth and the bag in the left corner in the image belongs to Shinie Anthony. I'm sure if inquired and requested (hoping she has a good memory), she can confirm that the book kept below the tea cup belongs to me and not Anvita Bajpai.
I'm not sure if Anvita got the high resolution image as she requested, but I'm afraid that her claim mentioning glimpses of her book, Life, Odds & Ends in hands of Chetan Bhagat during BLF 2014 based on the image she shared is totally wrong. Moreover, Chetan didn't carry any book in his hand all through the event.
I'm not saying that Anvita must have posted the image knowingly to prove her point that Chetan carried her book. It totally might be a mistake she did, but thought she is correct.
However, this also makes me think. - Can't it be the same case when she accused Chetan Bhagat? Can't it be just few mere incidences that she thought has been copied from her book? I'm not sure who among the two, I must trust.
But I want this whole issue to get closed soon because this surely is not a good sign for the industry which is already facing a lot of problems. If Anvita Bajpai is true, she must get the compensation she is demanding. Though I'm not in favour of stopping the sales of the title, One Indian Girl. However, if Chetan Bhagat is true, he must get back the honour that he has won all these years because of his hard work.
As I write this, I completely have faith on the judiciary system of the country and whatever decision they share in the months to come. I shall surely respect it.
I would have chosen to stay mum as I do in all other cases. After all, I belong to a society where we don't care to speak until we are the victim. But then, I had a thought.ÌýToday, it is Chetan Bhagat who is accused, it is Anvita Bajpai who seems to be the victim. But tomorrow, it can be me. Will I still be mum?
Generally, I prefer not to speak about any controversial issue. But then something was different this time. Firstly, I am friends with Anvita Bajpai at facebook since past 3-4 years. Secondly, I have seen her at the Bangalore Literature Festival where she claims to have given her book to Chetan Bhagat for review.
Let me rewind my life a few years back. It was mid of 2014 when I landed Bangalore looking for better job opportunities. Somewhere in early August that year, I met Vikram Sampath, founder of Bangalore Literature Festival at International Folk Festival at Jaya Mahal Palace, Bengaluru. He introduced me to Shinie Anthony, another founder of the Bangalore Literature Festival. I came to learn about the festival through them.
Almost after one and half month later, Bangalore Literature Festival was conducted. Since this was the first Literature Festival I was attending, I was quite excited. Chetan Bhagat was available on the very first day for the inaugration ceremony of the festival. I was quite new to the industry and thought getting rave reviews from popular authors would help my book. That was the reason I carried few of my books to the event.
I believe it was after 2:30 pm, when Chetan Bhagat was done with his session with Shinie Anthony, he walked towards the Author's Lounge. Several fans of him followed him. I believe this crowd had lot of new authors as well as aspiring ones. I was too a part of the crowd. We waited outside the Author's Lounge for Chetan Bhagat to come out, either to give our books, get his book/s signed or getting few pictures clicked with him.
I was sitting outside the Author's Lounge when I saw Anvita Bajpai near the drinking water area for the first time. Her face felt known to me. With social communities getting bigger and bigger, I understood she is one among the authors I've added in facebook. I scrolled down my friend list to find out who she was and landed over her profile after few minutes. Since I did not find any necessity, I did not buzz her. I waited there for Chetan Bhagat to come out.
In case, we all trust her, I would say, she must have given her book to Chetan Bhagat the same day. I too gave my book to Chetan. And, I believe, many others gave it too. But then, would Chetan Bhagat remember each one of us? Would he care to read all our books? I'm not sure what happens to books when it goes to someone like Chetan Bhagat.
By 26th April, late night, I saw a facebook post by Anvita Bajpai claiming in her own words that some of her friend shared links where glimpses of her book "Life, Odds & Ends" can be seen in hands of Chetan Bhagat during BLF 2014.
I tried to have a better look and was shocked seeing the image. And, that is also the reason why I'm writing a post about this whole issue.Ìý
It was not Anvita's book which she claimed. It was the first edition of my debut short story collection, Emotions Unplugged over which the tea cup was placed. I'm sharing the image Anvita shared in the facebook post as well as the cover of the first edition of Emotions Unplugged below for your reference:
(Click on the image to enlarge it.)
If you try to have a closer look of the image Anvita shared, you can see the top right corner of the book cover has some white space which was actually in my book cover. Moreover, you can also have a look of one of the bulbs below the white space.
Another thing that the picture doesn't say is - The red piece of cloth and the bag in the left corner in the image belongs to Shinie Anthony. I'm sure if inquired and requested (hoping she has a good memory), she can confirm that the book kept below the tea cup belongs to me and not Anvita Bajpai.
I'm not sure if Anvita got the high resolution image as she requested, but I'm afraid that her claim mentioning glimpses of her book, Life, Odds & Ends in hands of Chetan Bhagat during BLF 2014 based on the image she shared is totally wrong. Moreover, Chetan didn't carry any book in his hand all through the event.
I'm not saying that Anvita must have posted the image knowingly to prove her point that Chetan carried her book. It totally might be a mistake she did, but thought she is correct.
However, this also makes me think. - Can't it be the same case when she accused Chetan Bhagat? Can't it be just few mere incidences that she thought has been copied from her book? I'm not sure who among the two, I must trust.
But I want this whole issue to get closed soon because this surely is not a good sign for the industry which is already facing a lot of problems. If Anvita Bajpai is true, she must get the compensation she is demanding. Though I'm not in favour of stopping the sales of the title, One Indian Girl. However, if Chetan Bhagat is true, he must get back the honour that he has won all these years because of his hard work.
As I write this, I completely have faith on the judiciary system of the country and whatever decision they share in the months to come. I shall surely respect it.
I would have chosen to stay mum as I do in all other cases. After all, I belong to a society where we don't care to speak until we are the victim. But then, I had a thought.ÌýToday, it is Chetan Bhagat who is accused, it is Anvita Bajpai who seems to be the victim. But tomorrow, it can be me. Will I still be mum?
April 28, 2017
A true story of the day when Anvita Bajpai met Chetan Bhagat
(Image Source: Scroll)Early this week, I saw several facebook posts stating about Chetan Bhagat's plagiarism issue. I came to know that a Bengaluru based author, Anvita Bajpai has accused Chetan Bhagat for plagiarising her story, Drawing Parallels in his recent book, One Indian Girl. These posts were then followed by several news coverages across the country.Ìý
Generally, I prefer not to speak about any controversial issue. But then something was different this time. Firstly, apart from Chetan Bhagat, I am friends with Anvita Bajpai at facebook since past 3-4 years. Secondly, I have seen her at the Bangalore Literature Festival where she claims to have given her book to Chetan Bhagat for review on the same day.
Let me rewind my life a few years back. It was mid of 2014 when I landed Bangalore looking for better job opportunities. Somewhere in early August that year, I met Vikram Sampath, founder of Bangalore Literature Festival at International Folk Festival at Jaya Mahal Palace, Bengaluru. He introduced me to Shinie Anthony, another founder of the Bangalore Literature Festival. It was through them, I came to learn about the festival.
Almost after one and half month later, Bangalore Literature Festival was conducted. Since this was the first Literature Festival I was attending, I was quite excited. Chetan Bhagat was available on the very first day for the inaugration ceremony of the festival. I was quite new to the industry and thought getting rave reviews from popular authors would help my book. That was the reason I carried few of my books to the event.
After noon, when Chetan Bhagat was done with his session with Shinie Anthony, he walked towards the Author's Lounge. Several fans of him followed him. I believe this crowd had lot of new authors as well as aspiring ones. I was too a part of the crowd. We waited outside the Author's Lounge for Chetan Bhagat to come out, either to give our books, get his book/s signed or getting few pictures clicked with him.
I was sitting outside the Author's Lounge when I saw Anvita Bajpai near the drinking water area for the first time. Her face felt known to me. With social communities getting bigger and bigger, I understood she is one among the authors I've added in facebook. I scrolled down my friend list to find out who she was and landed over her profile after few minutes. Since I did not find any necessity, I did not buzz her. I waited there for Chetan Bhagat to come out.
In case, we all trust her, I would say, she must have given her book to Chetan Bhagat the same day.Ìý
By 26th April, late night, I saw a facebook post by Anvita Bajpai claiming in her own words that some of her friend shared links where glimpses of her book "Life, Odds & Ends" can be seen in hands of Chetan Bhagat during BLF 2014.
I tried to have a better look and was shocked seeing the image. And, that is also the reason why I'm writing a post about this whole issue.Ìý
It was not Anvita's book which she claimed. It was the first edition of my debut short story collection, Emotions Unplugged over which the tea cup was placed. I'm sharing the image Anvita shared in the facebook post as well as the cover of the first edition of Emotions Unplugged below for your reference:
(Click on the image to enlarge it.)
If you try to have a closer look of the image Anvita shared, you can see the top right corner of the book cover has some white space which was actually in my book cover. Moreover, you can also have a look of one of the bulbs below the white space.
Another thing that the picture doesn't say is - The red piece of cloth and the bag in the left corner in the image belongs to Shinie Anthony. I'm sure if inquired and requested (hoping she has a good memory), she can confirm that the book kept below the tea cup belongs to me and not Anvita Bajpai.
I'm not sure if Anvita got the high resolution image as she requested, but I'm afraid that her claim mentioning glimpses of her book, Life, Odds & Ends in hands of Chetan Bhagat during BLF 2014 based on the image she shared is totally wrong.
I'm not saying that she must have posted the image knowingly to prove her point that Chetan carried her book. It totally might be a mistake she did but thought she is correct.
However, this also makes me think. -Â Can't it be the same case when she accused Chetan Bhagat? Can't it be just few mere incidences that she thought has been copied from her book? I'm not sure who among the two, I must trust.
But I want this whole issue to get closed soon because this surely is not a good sign for the industry which is already facing a lot of problems. If Anvita Bajpai is true, she must get the compensation she is demanding. Though I'm not in favour of stopping the sales of the title, One Indian Girl. However, if Chetan Bhagat is true, he must get back the honour that he has won all these years because of his hard work.
As I write this, I completely have faith on the judiciary system of the country and whatever decision they share in the months to come. I shall surely respect it.
I would have chosen to stay mum as I do in all other cases. After all, I belong to a society where we don't care to speak until we are the victim. But then, I had a thought. Today, it is Chetan Bhagat who is accused, it is Anvita Bajpai who seems to be the victim. But tomorrow, it can be me. Will I still be mum?
April 3, 2017
T&C for the #VishalAnand Contest:
1) The contest is open to everyone in India.
2) By taking part in this contest, all entrants will be deemed to have accepted these terms and conditions.
3) Participants can enter only as individuals. One individual can take part as many times as he/she wants.
4) A participant should have a Facebook profile to enter the contest. One participant can use only one Facebook account to participate.
5) Entries will be accepted within the stipulated contest duration. Entries sent after the submission date will not be considered.
6) No responsibility can be accepted for entries not received for whatever reason.
How to enter the contest:
7) Solve the jigsaw puzzle available here:Â Â and share the screenshot on your facebook timeline.
8) Entry copied from another person’s timeline will be disqualified.
9) The entry should be shared only along with the hash tag #VishalAnand. The entry needs to be submitted via the participant’s Facebook profile only. The entry has to be posted on the participants Facebook profile page and on .
10) Participants must tag four or more than four people while sharing the screenshot.
11) Apart from posting on the designated FB page, participants can submit their entry to the email ID [email protected] before end date for submission.
12) The last date for submission is 05th April, 2017 till 12 midnight.
13) Any contest entry submitted which does not meet all the aforesaid requirements can be disqualified and removed from Facebook.
14) Decision on the winner will be final and binding.
15) At the end of the contest, a lucky winner will be selected from the entries.
16) Upon selection, winner will need to submit the following within 1 week of being contacted:
a. Nameb. Address of residence
Winner need to submit the following details within the stipulated period failing which I may decide to invite another participant to be a part of the winning entry.
17) Foul play of any kind will result in direct disqualification of the participant. Disqualification can happen at any point of time (before or after the winner announcement) and there will be no prior notice for the same. In case of disqualification, no further communication shall be entertained.
18) The organizer has the complete authority to change, alter and add any regulations at any point in time without notice.
19) The organizer reserves the right to alter, amend or foreclose this contest at any time without prior notice.
20) If participants violate any of these Terms and Conditions, their entry in the contest will be invalid.
21) The prize is non-transferable and cannot be exchanged for cash or any other reward.
Total number of winner:
Only 1 entry is eligible to win this contest.
September 2, 2016
Indian Buyers' Rendezvous with Online Book Shopping
Do you ever wonder who purchase your books? Which city or state they belong to? Wouldn't it be great if you know where to promote your book? I always have these questions in my mind. And, to answer these, I did a small research on few purchases done from Amazon India of my debut, short story collection, Emotions Unplugged for a particular period.
This Infographic on Books revealed some interesting facts on online shopping of books in India. I'm trying to present through a Infographic, which serves details like which Indian city or state buys more number of books and which region of India orders most books.
TOP 10 STATES % shareMAHARASHTRA Â Â Â Â 14.47KARNATAKA Â Â Â Â Â 10.2TAMIL NADU Â Â Â Â Â 10.2DELHI Â Â Â Â Â Â 9.21TELANGANA Â Â Â Â Â Â 7.57GUJARAT Â Â Â Â Â Â 6.91WEST BENGALÂ 6.25KERALA Â Â Â Â Â Â 3.62PUNJAB Â Â Â Â Â Â 3.62UTTAR PRADESH Â Â 3.29
Receiver          % shareSOUTH      36.18NORTH      32.57WEST      22.7EAST      6.91NORTHEAST      1.64 TOP 10 CITIES      % shareBANGALORE      9.54DELHI      8.88HYDERABAD      6.91MUMBAI      6.25KOLKATA      4.93PUNE      4.93CHENNAI      3.95AHMEDABAD      2.3JAIPUR      1.64VADODARA      1.64
As we are living in a highly commercial world, sale of books is the one criterion that supports every fact displayed here. Not only authors but also some publishing houses can understand which demographics prefer to buy while they browse for books. Authors can also choose to plan their book tours accordingly.
Read it, share it and send in your feedback. This Infographic is designed and developed by me (I work in Market Research in my other life) considering sales of some 300 copies of Emotions Unplugged from Amazon India after an extensive research.
This Infographic on Books revealed some interesting facts on online shopping of books in India. I'm trying to present through a Infographic, which serves details like which Indian city or state buys more number of books and which region of India orders most books.
TOP 10 STATES % shareMAHARASHTRA Â Â Â Â 14.47KARNATAKA Â Â Â Â Â 10.2TAMIL NADU Â Â Â Â Â 10.2DELHI Â Â Â Â Â Â 9.21TELANGANA Â Â Â Â Â Â 7.57GUJARAT Â Â Â Â Â Â 6.91WEST BENGALÂ 6.25KERALA Â Â Â Â Â Â 3.62PUNJAB Â Â Â Â Â Â 3.62UTTAR PRADESH Â Â 3.29
Receiver          % shareSOUTH      36.18NORTH      32.57WEST      22.7EAST      6.91NORTHEAST      1.64 TOP 10 CITIES      % shareBANGALORE      9.54DELHI      8.88HYDERABAD      6.91MUMBAI      6.25KOLKATA      4.93PUNE      4.93CHENNAI      3.95AHMEDABAD      2.3JAIPUR      1.64VADODARA      1.64
As we are living in a highly commercial world, sale of books is the one criterion that supports every fact displayed here. Not only authors but also some publishing houses can understand which demographics prefer to buy while they browse for books. Authors can also choose to plan their book tours accordingly.
Read it, share it and send in your feedback. This Infographic is designed and developed by me (I work in Market Research in my other life) considering sales of some 300 copies of Emotions Unplugged from Amazon India after an extensive research.
December 11, 2015
Short Story: The Flood
A little wetness on my left cheek awoke me. I rubbed my eyes and tried to sit on my mattress. Damn! Not only my left cheek, but half of my body was wet. The pillow and bed sheet was no different.
'Am I hallucinating?' I asked myself. I touched my forehead to find it extremely cold. I tried to open my eyes with a lot of difficulty. My room was filled with water. Half of the things kept on the floor was submerged in it. While the other half kept floating over it. Worried, I looked at my mobile. I used to feel too lazy to wake up every morning and most of the days I switched off the alarm put on the mobile and slept again. To avoid the practice, I started keeping it at some height so that I have to stand and switch it off. Luckily the phone was still kept on the rack above. I stood on the mattress in a shocked state of mind.
'Shit! Did the Chennai flood come to Bangalore too?' Another question popped up in my head. 'No. It can't be true. I live on the second floor. The two floors have to submerge in the water to reach me.'
I tried to switch on the light with fail. There was no electricity. I placed my foot safely and walked towards the window. I could see the water drizzling outside my room. I rushed towards the other room to see the damage.
Loud knocks at the door called me back. Keeping my foot with utmost care, I walked towards the door. Meanwhile, the door bell rang and the knocks turned louder. Someone on the other end of the door was too impatient to hold on. 'It might be the neighbor,' I thought.
I opened the door. My landlord shouted at the top of his voice, "How many times would I have to tell you to close the kitchen's tap properly? The whole tank is empty."
That's what I have for today. A small try to give you a sigh of relief that it's all over! Please let me know your views/comments/suggestions or feedback. Tada! :)
'Am I hallucinating?' I asked myself. I touched my forehead to find it extremely cold. I tried to open my eyes with a lot of difficulty. My room was filled with water. Half of the things kept on the floor was submerged in it. While the other half kept floating over it. Worried, I looked at my mobile. I used to feel too lazy to wake up every morning and most of the days I switched off the alarm put on the mobile and slept again. To avoid the practice, I started keeping it at some height so that I have to stand and switch it off. Luckily the phone was still kept on the rack above. I stood on the mattress in a shocked state of mind.
'Shit! Did the Chennai flood come to Bangalore too?' Another question popped up in my head. 'No. It can't be true. I live on the second floor. The two floors have to submerge in the water to reach me.'
I tried to switch on the light with fail. There was no electricity. I placed my foot safely and walked towards the window. I could see the water drizzling outside my room. I rushed towards the other room to see the damage.
Loud knocks at the door called me back. Keeping my foot with utmost care, I walked towards the door. Meanwhile, the door bell rang and the knocks turned louder. Someone on the other end of the door was too impatient to hold on. 'It might be the neighbor,' I thought.
I opened the door. My landlord shouted at the top of his voice, "How many times would I have to tell you to close the kitchen's tap properly? The whole tank is empty."
That's what I have for today. A small try to give you a sigh of relief that it's all over! Please let me know your views/comments/suggestions or feedback. Tada! :)
September 25, 2015
Find the Sachin Tendulkar in you!
Let me tell you a story today. A story of Sachin Tendulkar!
I believe, most of us know him as one of the greatest cricketers of all time. But then, Cricket is a game and cricketers are just few players. Every player has good and bad days; times when they perform well and times when they couldn't. It wasn't good time for Sachin Tendulkar those days. Most of the times, he used to get out under a score of 10. Many of the people started criticizing his abilities. Few others commented that he should quit Indian Cricket team. Matches after matches happened but his performance could not improve. After he was out one day and was returning to pabellón, a man questioned him from the crowd, "Why do you play Cricket if you can't?"Â
He listened to the man's words but ignored him. Later BCCI President, Mr Jagmohan Dalmiya called him and inquired about his poor performance. Sachin answered Mr Dalmia's queries. Months passed by. Sachin practiced harder and achieved his form. He created several new records and made his mark in World Cricket that can never be removed.
Why am I telling you this story? Because I believe, we all are nothing more than players of our life. Sometimes, we perform good while at others, we fail to do so. People criticize/comment/question our abilities. But we choose to answer all/most of them. While most of the times their views hardly matter until he is Mr Dalmia in the story above.Ìý
Thanks to a college friend for narrating me this story years ago. Maybe, I will remember this story all my life. Though this story is fictional and I don't know if something like this ever happened or not. But I believe, I have started making differences between the masses and Dalmias. I know whom to answer and whom not to. I don't want to answer everyone and waste my time which I would have otherwise used to do something constructive. Maybe, I've found Sachin Tendulkar in me. Have you?
I believe, most of us know him as one of the greatest cricketers of all time. But then, Cricket is a game and cricketers are just few players. Every player has good and bad days; times when they perform well and times when they couldn't. It wasn't good time for Sachin Tendulkar those days. Most of the times, he used to get out under a score of 10. Many of the people started criticizing his abilities. Few others commented that he should quit Indian Cricket team. Matches after matches happened but his performance could not improve. After he was out one day and was returning to pabellón, a man questioned him from the crowd, "Why do you play Cricket if you can't?"Â
He listened to the man's words but ignored him. Later BCCI President, Mr Jagmohan Dalmiya called him and inquired about his poor performance. Sachin answered Mr Dalmia's queries. Months passed by. Sachin practiced harder and achieved his form. He created several new records and made his mark in World Cricket that can never be removed.
Why am I telling you this story? Because I believe, we all are nothing more than players of our life. Sometimes, we perform good while at others, we fail to do so. People criticize/comment/question our abilities. But we choose to answer all/most of them. While most of the times their views hardly matter until he is Mr Dalmia in the story above.Ìý
Thanks to a college friend for narrating me this story years ago. Maybe, I will remember this story all my life. Though this story is fictional and I don't know if something like this ever happened or not. But I believe, I have started making differences between the masses and Dalmias. I know whom to answer and whom not to. I don't want to answer everyone and waste my time which I would have otherwise used to do something constructive. Maybe, I've found Sachin Tendulkar in me. Have you?
September 23, 2015
Find the Sachin Tendulkar in you!
Let me tell you a story today. A story of Sachin Tendulkar!
I believe, most of us know him as one of the greatest cricketers of all time. But then, Cricket is a game and cricketers are just few players. Every player has good and bad days; times when they perform well and times when they couldn't. It wasn't good time for Sachin Tendulkar those days. Most of the times, he used to get out under a score of 10. Many of the people started criticizing his abilities. Few others commented that he should quit Indian Cricket team. Matches after matches happened but his performance could not improve. After he was out one day and was returning to pabellón, a man questioned him from the crowd, "Why do you play Cricket if you can't?"Â
He listened to the man's words but ignored him. Later BCCI President, Mr Jagmohan Dalmiya called him and inquired about his poor performance. Sachin answered Mr Dalmia's queries. Months passed by. Sachin practiced harder and achieved his form. He created several new records and made his mark in World Cricket that can never be removed.
Why am I telling you this story? Because I believe, we all are nothing more than players of our life. Sometimes, we perform good while at others, we fail to do so. People criticize/comment/question our abilities. But we choose to answer all/most of them. While most of the times their views hardly matter until he is Mr Dalmia in the story above.Ìý
Thanks to a college friend for narrating me this story years ago. Maybe, I will remember this story all my life. Though this story is fictional and I don't know if something like this ever happened or not. But I believe, I have started making differences between the masses and Dalmias. I know whom to answer and whom not to. I don't want to answer everyone and waste my time which I would have otherwise used to do something constructive. Maybe, I've found Sachin Tendulkar in me. Have you?
I believe, most of us know him as one of the greatest cricketers of all time. But then, Cricket is a game and cricketers are just few players. Every player has good and bad days; times when they perform well and times when they couldn't. It wasn't good time for Sachin Tendulkar those days. Most of the times, he used to get out under a score of 10. Many of the people started criticizing his abilities. Few others commented that he should quit Indian Cricket team. Matches after matches happened but his performance could not improve. After he was out one day and was returning to pabellón, a man questioned him from the crowd, "Why do you play Cricket if you can't?"Â
He listened to the man's words but ignored him. Later BCCI President, Mr Jagmohan Dalmiya called him and inquired about his poor performance. Sachin answered Mr Dalmia's queries. Months passed by. Sachin practiced harder and achieved his form. He created several new records and made his mark in World Cricket that can never be removed.
Why am I telling you this story? Because I believe, we all are nothing more than players of our life. Sometimes, we perform good while at others, we fail to do so. People criticize/comment/question our abilities. But we choose to answer all/most of them. While most of the times their views hardly matter until he is Mr Dalmia in the story above.Ìý
Thanks to a college friend for narrating me this story years ago. Maybe, I will remember this story all my life. Though this story is fictional and I don't know if something like this ever happened or not. But I believe, I have started making differences between the masses and Dalmias. I know whom to answer and whom not to. I don't want to answer everyone and waste my time which I would have otherwise used to do something constructive. Maybe, I've found Sachin Tendulkar in me. Have you?
November 14, 2014
A Short Story about a Short Story Collection (Part -II)
Thanks a lot to each and everyone for commenting, messaging and appreciating the first part of this post. Your words encourages, inspires and motivates me. And, I'll always be grateful to you for your kindness.
Those who haven't read the first part of this post can do so by visiting the link here:Â . Others can go ahead reading further.
Everything was organized for the launch ceremony. Tarun, Pari and all other contributors already reached much before the launch. The anthology in an attractive, shining cover was kept on a table. Pari picked one of them and turned a few pages in it. She read the acknowledgements there. The more she read, the more her heart cried. Few drops of tears trickled down her cheeks. Tarun didn’t even care to acknowledge her for all the hard work she did.
The launch started. Each of the contributors who were present there was given an opportunity to share his/her feelings. Pari did the same. However, she didn’t tell her pain to anyone. I spent a little time with Pari after the event. Later, I went back to my hostel.
Time passed by. The short story collection became a hit. As it happens with all other short story collections, the credit went to Tarun, the person whose mind was behind the anthology. Who was Pari?
Time passed more. Months were replaced by a year and more months added to that year later. I’ve been writing short stories one after another during this period. My debut short story collection released. I’ve been keeping a check on the book reviews time after time. Few days earlier, I was at flipkart.com and was searching for my book when I found out this.
Even before I could complete writing my first name, Flipkart was suggesting my name under the category, Books. A moment that I shared with Pari knocked my mind for few moments and I could not control the smile that appeared on my face.
I went to compose mail and wrote a mail to Pari attaching the above screenshot. Here’s the mail:
Hey,
How are you doing? Where are you these days? I remembered you just now. Want to know, how?
Remember I said you something while you were contributing your short story? I generally search for my book at flipkart, checking for latest reviews by customers. Today, while I was searching my book, I couldn't stop a smile that came on my face. Attaching a screenshot with this mail. You will understand too.
Stay in touch!
Cordially,Vishal Anand
Her reply came to me the very next day. Here it is:
Hey Vishal,
Firstly, thank you for making this effort. A lot of people we know would probably just smile and remember. And then forget.
I think we'll remember that conversation of ours for reasons more than one! It was a necessary phase of our lives. And yes.. This is what matters at the end of it all. Truly!
A similar but a little disappointing experience happened with me. I've come to ABC Lit Fest. Yesterday was the third and final day of the event. Â After meeting all these authors and poets and others from the fraternity, I realised how much things have moved ahead from where I'd left it all, about a year back.
Gladly, few of them still remembered and recognised me.. A lot of them said that I have changed a lot.. God knows.
But yes, one thing that I realised was that, the gift that has been a part of you, wanting to come out in one way or other, someday leaves you too.
Perhaps, I have lost my quota of words. To be strung into a book..Ìý
Also, I was so much better than so many of them Vishal.. But why couldn't I make it? I've loved my words passionately. And yet, at the end of this Lit Fest, I stand empty handed.
A realisation that has become utterly clear to me, for good or bad is that, sometimes in life, there is no going back. Only moving ahead.
Maybe someday that book shall become me. Only that day my soul shall be truly free.
Too philosophical was I? Â :)
Anyway, how are things with you..?Â
So, you've moved out haan?Â
And hey, I am glad you remembered me Vishal.
Stay blessed. And believe that good will happen to you. Not because it will, but because the other way doesn't give you peace. Or hope.
Regards,Pari
I wasn’t happy after seeing her reply. I wrote my last mail to her:
Dear Pari,
Are you okay? You surely have changed a lot. Your words are speaking for you. Let me know when you reach Delhi. Will make you a call.
Things are moving fast in the industry. I believe the delay we make, the more difficult it will become. Remember, how easy it was to get published by 2011? Everyone has a book by his name. But then, there is a concept that even the industry follows - Survival of the Fittest! The poor has to leave, and the one with strong determination will fight back again.
People have a tendency - Saluting the rising sun. Or, why would one care to give so much importance to me when I meant nothing to them few years ago?Â
Words don't leave us. They are a part of us as long as we live. We just need a push. May be, someone who can hold our hand, encourage us to speak our hearts in form of a book. You're still better. You couldn't make it because you didn't try; didn't try enough to prove yourself to others. And, you're not empty handed. We keep on learning things by experience. Some teaches us what to do while others teaches us what not to do. Isn't it?
You don't have to go back. Move ahead. Show the world you're better than them. Work harder and prove yourself. With every passing year I believe, we become stronger and wiser. I believe, you will fight back with more willpower and determination than ever. Every year 84 k books release in India. Who knows them? I don't want you to write a book. Rather, I want you to create a masterpiece that will be remembered for years.
Were you really philosophical? If that's the case, am I too?
Things are still tough with me. I still have to struggle for so many things.
I will always remember you. No need to be glad. Try picking my call inspite of being glad. That will make me happier.
Even if good doesn't happen to me, I will force it to happen to me. Was doing and will continue doing it. Yes, it is.
Stay in touch!
Warm Regards,Vishal Anand
I dialed her number the next day. We talked for almost an hour until I had no balance left on my phone. I tried to convince her to write. She said that she will give it a try. That was the last time we communicated.Ìý
I would like to apologies as this is the only short story that I’m leaving incomplete. Why incomplete? I think, this story will finish when Pari will launch her debut book. I will try till I succeed. And, I think, I will be a happy man that day.
But then, I do think about others. About us. About people who have a dream to become authors! We look for a short cut and get trapped easily in the traps thrown by people who have better knowledge than us of the industry.
There are many Paris between us. A lot of them have left writing. Many of them though understand everything and cry about the wrongs done to them, still chose to be a part of these. They still contribute to anthologies with only few people knowing and appreciating them. There are also few Paris� who will shout about an anthology if they are a contributor there. However, they will be more than happy if their names are beautifully printed on the cover as an editor.
Tarun has changed as well. Even young people with no experience in writing have taken anthologies as shortcut to success, unaware of how many Paris� they make. After editors, now another term called 'compiler' is getting popular. Publishing houses too are taking it as a wonderful opportunity. They don’t need to pay to contributing authors after selling their books. Few of them choose to give certificates to contributors. While few others even choose to demand money from contributors for the sake of publishing. So called editors and publishing houses gain and we; the one with dreams in our eyes fail.
With the success of my debut short story collection, few people came to me asking me to become an editor of such anthology. But then, whenever they ask so, I ask few questions to myself. �Will I be able to give the credit to every contributor that they deserve? Will they gain anything out of such anthology? Won’t I be making more Paris?�
I don’t have an answer to these questions. And that’s why I may never become an editor. But then, I do wonder, there are still too many short story competitions. There are too many aspiring authors. And then, there are too many Tarun’s among us. I know I won’t be able to stop them. But then, this is just a small initiative to make people aware about what happens behind a short story collection. If I’m able to stop even a person from becoming Pari with this post, I think this short story is successful.
I hope you liked this post as you liked my previous ones. Feel free to drop your comments, feedbacks and suggestions. You’re welcome for a discussion too if you don’t agree to me. Maybe, I will learn something from your point of view. Anyways, that’s all I have with me today. Hopefully, I will drop another post soon. Till then. Bbye!
Those who haven't read the first part of this post can do so by visiting the link here:Â . Others can go ahead reading further.
Everything was organized for the launch ceremony. Tarun, Pari and all other contributors already reached much before the launch. The anthology in an attractive, shining cover was kept on a table. Pari picked one of them and turned a few pages in it. She read the acknowledgements there. The more she read, the more her heart cried. Few drops of tears trickled down her cheeks. Tarun didn’t even care to acknowledge her for all the hard work she did.
The launch started. Each of the contributors who were present there was given an opportunity to share his/her feelings. Pari did the same. However, she didn’t tell her pain to anyone. I spent a little time with Pari after the event. Later, I went back to my hostel.
Time passed by. The short story collection became a hit. As it happens with all other short story collections, the credit went to Tarun, the person whose mind was behind the anthology. Who was Pari?
Time passed more. Months were replaced by a year and more months added to that year later. I’ve been writing short stories one after another during this period. My debut short story collection released. I’ve been keeping a check on the book reviews time after time. Few days earlier, I was at flipkart.com and was searching for my book when I found out this.
Even before I could complete writing my first name, Flipkart was suggesting my name under the category, Books. A moment that I shared with Pari knocked my mind for few moments and I could not control the smile that appeared on my face.
I went to compose mail and wrote a mail to Pari attaching the above screenshot. Here’s the mail:
Hey,
How are you doing? Where are you these days? I remembered you just now. Want to know, how?
Remember I said you something while you were contributing your short story? I generally search for my book at flipkart, checking for latest reviews by customers. Today, while I was searching my book, I couldn't stop a smile that came on my face. Attaching a screenshot with this mail. You will understand too.
Stay in touch!
Cordially,Vishal Anand
Her reply came to me the very next day. Here it is:
Hey Vishal,
Firstly, thank you for making this effort. A lot of people we know would probably just smile and remember. And then forget.
I think we'll remember that conversation of ours for reasons more than one! It was a necessary phase of our lives. And yes.. This is what matters at the end of it all. Truly!
A similar but a little disappointing experience happened with me. I've come to ABC Lit Fest. Yesterday was the third and final day of the event. Â After meeting all these authors and poets and others from the fraternity, I realised how much things have moved ahead from where I'd left it all, about a year back.
Gladly, few of them still remembered and recognised me.. A lot of them said that I have changed a lot.. God knows.
But yes, one thing that I realised was that, the gift that has been a part of you, wanting to come out in one way or other, someday leaves you too.
Perhaps, I have lost my quota of words. To be strung into a book..Ìý
Also, I was so much better than so many of them Vishal.. But why couldn't I make it? I've loved my words passionately. And yet, at the end of this Lit Fest, I stand empty handed.
A realisation that has become utterly clear to me, for good or bad is that, sometimes in life, there is no going back. Only moving ahead.
Maybe someday that book shall become me. Only that day my soul shall be truly free.
Too philosophical was I? Â :)
Anyway, how are things with you..?Â
So, you've moved out haan?Â
And hey, I am glad you remembered me Vishal.
Stay blessed. And believe that good will happen to you. Not because it will, but because the other way doesn't give you peace. Or hope.
Regards,Pari
I wasn’t happy after seeing her reply. I wrote my last mail to her:
Dear Pari,
Are you okay? You surely have changed a lot. Your words are speaking for you. Let me know when you reach Delhi. Will make you a call.
Things are moving fast in the industry. I believe the delay we make, the more difficult it will become. Remember, how easy it was to get published by 2011? Everyone has a book by his name. But then, there is a concept that even the industry follows - Survival of the Fittest! The poor has to leave, and the one with strong determination will fight back again.
People have a tendency - Saluting the rising sun. Or, why would one care to give so much importance to me when I meant nothing to them few years ago?Â
Words don't leave us. They are a part of us as long as we live. We just need a push. May be, someone who can hold our hand, encourage us to speak our hearts in form of a book. You're still better. You couldn't make it because you didn't try; didn't try enough to prove yourself to others. And, you're not empty handed. We keep on learning things by experience. Some teaches us what to do while others teaches us what not to do. Isn't it?
You don't have to go back. Move ahead. Show the world you're better than them. Work harder and prove yourself. With every passing year I believe, we become stronger and wiser. I believe, you will fight back with more willpower and determination than ever. Every year 84 k books release in India. Who knows them? I don't want you to write a book. Rather, I want you to create a masterpiece that will be remembered for years.
Were you really philosophical? If that's the case, am I too?
Things are still tough with me. I still have to struggle for so many things.
I will always remember you. No need to be glad. Try picking my call inspite of being glad. That will make me happier.
Even if good doesn't happen to me, I will force it to happen to me. Was doing and will continue doing it. Yes, it is.
Stay in touch!
Warm Regards,Vishal Anand
I dialed her number the next day. We talked for almost an hour until I had no balance left on my phone. I tried to convince her to write. She said that she will give it a try. That was the last time we communicated.Ìý
I would like to apologies as this is the only short story that I’m leaving incomplete. Why incomplete? I think, this story will finish when Pari will launch her debut book. I will try till I succeed. And, I think, I will be a happy man that day.
But then, I do think about others. About us. About people who have a dream to become authors! We look for a short cut and get trapped easily in the traps thrown by people who have better knowledge than us of the industry.
There are many Paris between us. A lot of them have left writing. Many of them though understand everything and cry about the wrongs done to them, still chose to be a part of these. They still contribute to anthologies with only few people knowing and appreciating them. There are also few Paris� who will shout about an anthology if they are a contributor there. However, they will be more than happy if their names are beautifully printed on the cover as an editor.
Tarun has changed as well. Even young people with no experience in writing have taken anthologies as shortcut to success, unaware of how many Paris� they make. After editors, now another term called 'compiler' is getting popular. Publishing houses too are taking it as a wonderful opportunity. They don’t need to pay to contributing authors after selling their books. Few of them choose to give certificates to contributors. While few others even choose to demand money from contributors for the sake of publishing. So called editors and publishing houses gain and we; the one with dreams in our eyes fail.
With the success of my debut short story collection, few people came to me asking me to become an editor of such anthology. But then, whenever they ask so, I ask few questions to myself. �Will I be able to give the credit to every contributor that they deserve? Will they gain anything out of such anthology? Won’t I be making more Paris?�
I don’t have an answer to these questions. And that’s why I may never become an editor. But then, I do wonder, there are still too many short story competitions. There are too many aspiring authors. And then, there are too many Tarun’s among us. I know I won’t be able to stop them. But then, this is just a small initiative to make people aware about what happens behind a short story collection. If I’m able to stop even a person from becoming Pari with this post, I think this short story is successful.
I hope you liked this post as you liked my previous ones. Feel free to drop your comments, feedbacks and suggestions. You’re welcome for a discussion too if you don’t agree to me. Maybe, I will learn something from your point of view. Anyways, that’s all I have with me today. Hopefully, I will drop another post soon. Till then. Bbye!
October 31, 2014
A Short Story about a Short Story Collection
Now-a-days, we are seeing a lot of short story competitions for different anthologies. In fact, few people have come out with their poetry competitions too. I too have a short story; a short story about a short story collection.Ìý
This story is true. However, the names of characters have been changed and minor liberties have been taken for a healthy purpose here  and would like to say that the story doesn't mean to harm anyone by any means, but comes with a thought that I believe in.
Those days were different. Short story collections weren’t in fashion then. Or, they were in their infancy. I was a blogger those days. I would write poems, short stories or any other thought that came in my mind.Ìý
When you write for a blog, you want others to read and share their views. That was the time when I learned about Pari for the first time. She was a blogger too. She would write poems, short stories or anything on her blog. But there was always a difference in the way we wrote. Â She was far better than I was. I would read her blogs and would be in awe. Maybe, that was the reason, whenever I would complete writing a blog post, I would share it with Pari and would wait for her views. She would read it, criticize or appreciate what I wrote. That was the foundation of a good friendship.Ìý
A few months later, one of the bestselling authors of a romance novel, Tarun planned to organize a short story competition. His debut book was doing well. He had a good fan following. I met him few days back in one of the book launches. We spent some nice time and were happy to know each other. I was a struggling author back then. I don't remember how many publishers had rejected my manuscript till that date. The one who accepted it wanted a huge sum of money to publish my book. As a student I couldn't arrange the money to pay to the publishers. Like every other struggling author, I would ask published authors for suggestions and for any help if they could. Tarun knew I was struggling to get my book published. So, as soon as he organized the contest, he started approaching people like me who had a dream to become authors.
I clearly remember the day, he pinged me. He mentioned that he was expecting a story from my end. I had written few short stories by then. And I loved what all I had written. They were a part of my heart, my soul. I could not give any of them to anyone. They were like my children to me and I have been nurturing them like a mother. How could I give any of my children to anyone? I refused him. He didn't say me anything.Ìý
The competition was in full swing. Many aspiring writers from all parts of the country dropped in their stories. A shortlist was prepared and a list of selected stories was made. I was surprised when I saw Pari's name on the list. She didn't mention me that she had submitted a story for the competition.
I dropped her message in her chat box, �When you’re free, do ping me.�
Tell me, Sir, a reply came few minutes later.
We talked about few things going in each other’s life before I mentioned about the collection.
I wanted to talk about the short story collection, I told her.
Yes. Tell me, she replied in nanosecond.
I have done a little research. I think the contributors don’t get the credit they deserve when they participate in a short story collection, I said honestly.
I don’t understand.
I met an author few days back. He is writing since 90’s for different collections. In his last collection, even APJ Abdul Kalam submitted a poem.
Are you talking about Inklings?
Yes.
What’s the author name?
I told the author’s name. To my surprise, Pari hadn’t heard about him.
What’s the use when you don’t know the authors in your own collection, Pari?, I questioned her.
Inklings have too many authors, Vishal, she replied.
That’s why I ask you not to participate in such anthologies. I want you to write at places where people know who Pari is. When anyone types your first name in flipkart search, it should suggest your surname.
What a dialogue, dude!, she wrote in excitement.
Next, I read a few lines on her FaceBook wall credited back to me.
We chatted for a while and she said that she would give it a thought while writing next short story. It was time for her dinner. She left and I involved myself with some other work.
Everything happened as it was destined to. Editing of the short story collection began. Let me be honest with few facts that I’ve known in recent years. There may me multiple anthologies you must have read by now. Almost all of them come with a phrase on its cover ‘Edited by XYZ.� But I do wonder how many of them are edited by the same person! Pari’s anthology was no different.
Tarun’s grasp on English wasn’t that good. And, Pari was far better in literature. Maybe, that was the reason why Tarun asked Pari to edit the book. Pari was very happy as she believed that it was her first step to achieve her dreams. She agreed to edit stories of all the contributors in the anthologies. Tarun didn’t have to even read all stories once.Ìý
Days passed by. Weeks passed. Months passed. The promotion of the short story collection was going on in full swing. There is a good thing about any short story collection. Every person who contributes a story in the anthology promotes it. Each contributor thinks of the anthology as his/her own book. He/she will share posts, pre-order links, trailer or anything related to the anthology. Maybe, that’s why anthologies are promoted more than novels these days. Pari’s anthology was no different.
Most of the contributors asked their friends and relatives to pre-order the anthology. Most of them did. The anthology received good number of pre-orders. The day of the official launch for the anthology came closer. Pari was still left with too much editing. Tarun convinced her to do it faster.Ìý
I think, there’s a wonderful thing about every girl. When they love a person or a thing, they do it with all their heart. They are fully devoted to it. Pari was no different. She loved her dream of becoming an author. So, she would even skip her dinners to edit the stories; she would bunk classes. There were sleepless nights involved. Finally, editing was done.
A launch was announced for the anthology at New Delhi. Most of the contributors, few of those who lived outside Delhi came for the launch. Contributors invited their friends and relatives. I was invited by Pari too for the launch. Though I had some urgent work the next day, but I visited the launch ceremony just for Pari.
What happened on the launch day? What happened after the anthology released? What about Pari? Do you have questions in your mind? Please go through the second part of the story here:Â .Ìý
This story is true. However, the names of characters have been changed and minor liberties have been taken for a healthy purpose here  and would like to say that the story doesn't mean to harm anyone by any means, but comes with a thought that I believe in.
Those days were different. Short story collections weren’t in fashion then. Or, they were in their infancy. I was a blogger those days. I would write poems, short stories or any other thought that came in my mind.Ìý
When you write for a blog, you want others to read and share their views. That was the time when I learned about Pari for the first time. She was a blogger too. She would write poems, short stories or anything on her blog. But there was always a difference in the way we wrote. Â She was far better than I was. I would read her blogs and would be in awe. Maybe, that was the reason, whenever I would complete writing a blog post, I would share it with Pari and would wait for her views. She would read it, criticize or appreciate what I wrote. That was the foundation of a good friendship.Ìý
A few months later, one of the bestselling authors of a romance novel, Tarun planned to organize a short story competition. His debut book was doing well. He had a good fan following. I met him few days back in one of the book launches. We spent some nice time and were happy to know each other. I was a struggling author back then. I don't remember how many publishers had rejected my manuscript till that date. The one who accepted it wanted a huge sum of money to publish my book. As a student I couldn't arrange the money to pay to the publishers. Like every other struggling author, I would ask published authors for suggestions and for any help if they could. Tarun knew I was struggling to get my book published. So, as soon as he organized the contest, he started approaching people like me who had a dream to become authors.
I clearly remember the day, he pinged me. He mentioned that he was expecting a story from my end. I had written few short stories by then. And I loved what all I had written. They were a part of my heart, my soul. I could not give any of them to anyone. They were like my children to me and I have been nurturing them like a mother. How could I give any of my children to anyone? I refused him. He didn't say me anything.Ìý
The competition was in full swing. Many aspiring writers from all parts of the country dropped in their stories. A shortlist was prepared and a list of selected stories was made. I was surprised when I saw Pari's name on the list. She didn't mention me that she had submitted a story for the competition.
I dropped her message in her chat box, �When you’re free, do ping me.�
Tell me, Sir, a reply came few minutes later.
We talked about few things going in each other’s life before I mentioned about the collection.
I wanted to talk about the short story collection, I told her.
Yes. Tell me, she replied in nanosecond.
I have done a little research. I think the contributors don’t get the credit they deserve when they participate in a short story collection, I said honestly.
I don’t understand.
I met an author few days back. He is writing since 90’s for different collections. In his last collection, even APJ Abdul Kalam submitted a poem.
Are you talking about Inklings?
Yes.
What’s the author name?
I told the author’s name. To my surprise, Pari hadn’t heard about him.
What’s the use when you don’t know the authors in your own collection, Pari?, I questioned her.
Inklings have too many authors, Vishal, she replied.
That’s why I ask you not to participate in such anthologies. I want you to write at places where people know who Pari is. When anyone types your first name in flipkart search, it should suggest your surname.
What a dialogue, dude!, she wrote in excitement.
Next, I read a few lines on her FaceBook wall credited back to me.
We chatted for a while and she said that she would give it a thought while writing next short story. It was time for her dinner. She left and I involved myself with some other work.
Everything happened as it was destined to. Editing of the short story collection began. Let me be honest with few facts that I’ve known in recent years. There may me multiple anthologies you must have read by now. Almost all of them come with a phrase on its cover ‘Edited by XYZ.� But I do wonder how many of them are edited by the same person! Pari’s anthology was no different.
Tarun’s grasp on English wasn’t that good. And, Pari was far better in literature. Maybe, that was the reason why Tarun asked Pari to edit the book. Pari was very happy as she believed that it was her first step to achieve her dreams. She agreed to edit stories of all the contributors in the anthologies. Tarun didn’t have to even read all stories once.Ìý
Days passed by. Weeks passed. Months passed. The promotion of the short story collection was going on in full swing. There is a good thing about any short story collection. Every person who contributes a story in the anthology promotes it. Each contributor thinks of the anthology as his/her own book. He/she will share posts, pre-order links, trailer or anything related to the anthology. Maybe, that’s why anthologies are promoted more than novels these days. Pari’s anthology was no different.
Most of the contributors asked their friends and relatives to pre-order the anthology. Most of them did. The anthology received good number of pre-orders. The day of the official launch for the anthology came closer. Pari was still left with too much editing. Tarun convinced her to do it faster.Ìý
I think, there’s a wonderful thing about every girl. When they love a person or a thing, they do it with all their heart. They are fully devoted to it. Pari was no different. She loved her dream of becoming an author. So, she would even skip her dinners to edit the stories; she would bunk classes. There were sleepless nights involved. Finally, editing was done.
A launch was announced for the anthology at New Delhi. Most of the contributors, few of those who lived outside Delhi came for the launch. Contributors invited their friends and relatives. I was invited by Pari too for the launch. Though I had some urgent work the next day, but I visited the launch ceremony just for Pari.
What happened on the launch day? What happened after the anthology released? What about Pari? Do you have questions in your mind? Please go through the second part of the story here:Â .Ìý
