Author Interview : Nilesh Rathod, author of 'Destiny of Shattered Dreams'

Nilesh Rathod

Read up, the Interview with Nilesh Rathod, author of 'Destiny of Shattered Dreams'. If we give this book its due, we would understand what it is that I mean by calling it a poetic book because it does have probably a little too many poems :).

This interview consists of how the book actually happened, what the core idea was, which particular character, the author feels most close to, how he relates the book and its characters  to day to day lives, the next book he has planned, advice for authors, today and much, much more, Folks...

How did ‘Destiny of Shattered Dreams’ happen?

In one sentence… ‘It was destined’. I had no intention to end up with a full length novel, when I first started writing this book. It was like one paints a picture for one self.

It so happened that when I was finished, I didn't merely write a story for myself it was a novel worth an audience. 

What kind of research did you put into the writing of this book?

I have a business background. So, researching that part of the story came easy. The tough bits were researching mind-sets in broken love, researching human relationships, et al.

My second book needs some serious research and gives me goose bumps at times. 

What according to you is different about your book?

It came naturally, and I let it be as it was… Being different was never my goal... I wrote and rewrote till the story began to overwhelm me...

And when it did I knew it was ready for the road ahead. 

How did you come up with the core idea and develop it?

I write one line at a time and had only a rough sketch. But, as I went ahead, two things happened. The sketch kept reinventing itself, and at no stage, I knew for sure what the next line would be.

I just kept going, and the book wrote itself... I cannot think of any other way of writing.

How would you relate the book and its characters to your day to day lives?

Characters are built on history... The challenge is when you spend too much time building characters, what happens is unless you can come up with something special you will bore people with rhetoric.

Therefore, I avoid spending time building characters… They display themselves with their actions as the story pulls along. 

Which particular character did you feel most close to? Why?

Hands down Qazi... I gave him my poems, remember.

I am sure he has a role... I am almost ready to take a chance and work on a sequel with him in the lead… But that's only in the mind. 

Could you tell the readers about your experiences and how it was related to what you wrote?

This is fiction and I would leave the answer to that… I do not have any significant experiences of writing to share. But editing and bringing it to the bookshelves was one hell of a job. 

What is the most fulfilling part of writing this book? And what is

the most challenging? 

I don't do anything I don't like. The day I feel writing is a challenge... I would believe it's time to quit.

And loving what you do is the fun of doing anything. I look forward to get to my work as much as I look forward to get home, when I am done... I pretty much love everything I do. 

What is the next book that you have planned?

‘The Emissary’. It's a historical fiction set in pre-independent India. The novel is a memoir of a village boy, who gets thrown into the politics of imperial rule and Anti-Semitic Germany.

I kept wondering what Gandhi would have done if he got a chance to confront the perpetuators of the Second World War. This book will be an attempt to answer that question. 

Who was it that told you that you could become the author, you are today?

I knew I could write. The decision to become one was mine… I seldom had a doubt that if I ever wrote a novel it wouldn't find a publisher or wouldn't be welcomed.

My concept of a satisfaction in writing is not by the number of copies sold. If I could influence even one person with my work, it's a job, well done. I am happy to know my first attempt has done more than that. 

Any advice to writers that would like to be published today? How tough is it to be published?

Write your best work. Believe in yourself. And keep trying... It's a tough world... But don't aim for success, as it's the wrong train to catch. It often frustrates you... Instead write to satisfy yourself.

The poetry in my first book was written about 20 years ago. I felt no anxiety for all these years that I should find a publisher for them. Knowing well, they weren't bad... When the time comes things happen… Just keep at it.

Who are your favourite authors and why?

Rabindranath Tagore

I haven't read too much fiction really… In the last year or so I have started on that. But  I do love a few already.

Which book are you currently reading?

'Gora' by Rabindranath Tagore.

What else do you do on a daily basis?

I run a company I founded 15 years ago. It's called Ensemble, it builds offices, hotels and retail on contract for its customers and employs 2,000 people, as of 2016.

I am also an amateur photographer and hope to train myself more. I love to party, speak to kids and try to keep fit. 

You can Read the Review and Buy the Book, right here.