Author Interview: Saumya Misra, author of 'A Grey Story' (Part 2)

Read up, the second part of Saumya Misra's Interview, with regard to 'A Grey Story'. In this she tells us how she came come with core idea and developed it, the challenging part and the fulfilling part of writing the book, the next book she has planned and also has some advice for debut authors, Folks...

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

Like I mentioned earlier, the core idea was borrowed from the cruel reality of civilised society. 

The lilywhite may just have some very ugly stains for all we know.

What was the most challenging part about writing ‘A Grey Story’?

The most challenging part was to stay detached / neutral and not get carried away. I did not wish to write another Cinderella tale but needed to expose a malpractice. The truth is we are all so busy in our lives that we have no time to bother about our neighbour. Also, interference of any sort is unwelcomed by most families so, we cannot really blame ourselves.

Then what is the solution? If a child is exploited in school, parents, administration and police interfere. Then exploitation is a very difficult term, mostly associated with physical molestation.

However, causing mental and emotional trauma to someone is worse. When it is being done by your family members, you cannot even speak up because of social stigma and lack of concrete evidence.

What drove you to write a story on this subject?

I was driven by my heart and my sensibility to write on this subject.

What is the most fulfilling part, now that you have written your book?

The most fulfilling part is to know that you have done your bit. You have dedicated something you knew deep down needed to be dedicated to those people for who no one really speaks up. 

I hope more and more people read it and find out if they have a similar character like Surya in their midst or whether they are intentionally or unintentionally creating one.

What is the next book that you have planned? 

My next will be a shocker. It will be very different from my previous Works. I prefer to pick up a different genre every time.

The one I am penning will have real life incidents with documented proof and evidence. It will disturb a few big hornets’ nests for sure.

Saumya Misra

Which book are you currently reading?

At the moment, I am busy with my magazine on environment – TreeTake, and am only reading my columnists who are experts in their fields. It is adding a great deal to my knowledge. 

So, you can say I am reading non-fiction at the moment but cannot wait to pick up a good novel as soon as I can. Which one, only a visit to the bookstore can decide that because I don’t go for only established names or ‘bestsellers’ when selecting a novel but a book whose plot appeals to me. 

And, yes, I do judge a book by its cover sometimes!

What advice do you have for people, who are trying to debut right now?

I would advice the debutants to treat their writings with respect and hope. These days, people talk about books more than they actually read them, so don’t be disheartened even if your friends and acquaintances demand free ‘complementary’ copies from you instead of purchasing the same.

Do not give away your Work for free, claiming that you only want to be read. If you are getting published, you mean business. Also a true writer never eyes his/her Work as a shortcut to fame.

Be patient, be strong and write good fiction. Pulp fiction may make some quick money but not a lasting impression!  

You can Read the Review, and the First Part of this Interview right here, and Buy the Book here, as well.

Book Review : 'Gangamma's Gharial' by Shalini Srinivasan

Shalini Srinivasan’s ‘Gangamma’s Gharial’ is quite the delight, but only quite. When you first open a page, you find yourself in another world, well… not exactly, but let’s say it’s a world of animals, trees, yakshas, magic and humans, of course.

It starts off with the world of yakshas and their adventures. Twelve of them, who manage to take off from their inward existence, and are living among us.  Initially, when they were out, one of them, Jayant comes upon a girl, and he quickly signals her to keep quiet. She is at a lake where blue lotuses are in abundance.

The girl, who nods in understanding, goes off to sleep in a while, as she sees the yakshas, disappearing. When she awakes, she is suddenly realises that the world is chnaged. It does not exist anymore, shaken as it is by a landslide. Not understanding, she begins walking. She walks to find her village, a mess. Then, she is meant to give her name register herself. But, she chooses to walk and walk away.

Almost 1,000 years later, at Giripuram, a temple town lives an old lady. She looks after blue lotuses and becomes the proud owner of a talking gharial or a fish eating crocodile. She is one among few gardeners in the village. A rich man comes to town and gives her a precious earring, in exchange for the flowers.

The earring, which was in the shape of a ghariyal could talk too! The ghariyal is all set to travel and it tells Gangamma of all the new places, they could travel to. Gangamma is intrigued and agrees, in spite of never having travelled beyond her village. So, Gangamma travels (teleports or whatever it was called, at that time) to a beautiful place, up north where she encounters a young girl, a choute, a bird and an apple tree. The old lady takes a liking for the apple tree.

Shalini Srinivasan

Gangamma decides to leave the place with the tree and she travels again, this time with everyone in tow. She did not want them and neither did the 12 year old girl, who is the guardian of the tree. The events turn and soon, everyone finds themselves in Giripuram. Faster events occur and we soon find the girl, who refuses to tell her name, becomes Ondu to all and sundry.

The yakshas are still trying to find the 12 of their missing bunch. And Gangamma and Ondu, together with the gharial are left together to rear the garden of blue lotuses.

With adventures, the whos and whys get answered. There is also he temple in Giripuram, whose priests have a few ideas and the strange looking idols too. All these people, yakshas, bird, and other animals have one thing in common. They all have a vague adventure to tell.

As we approach an end, there are times when I got very confused. I guess, all the characters were a little too many to handle. Also, need to mention that teleporting is the way to travel. You can get to so many places in minutes! It adds to the confusion, though! :(

Overall, a decent story, especially at the beginning, when you are introduced to the characters. Once you get the idea of teleporting and the yakshas, it lost its touch of magic and really went over my head. I felt the overall coming together of the novel did not happen too well. Brilliant illustrations, though.

You can Buy the Book, right here.

Author Interview: Saumya Misra, author of 'A Grey Story'

Saumya Misra

Read up, the first part of the Interview with Saumya Misra, the author of 'A Grey Story'. In this one, she tells us how the book first happened, how Surya, the lead character came about, how she came up with the core idea of the book before developing it, what the challenging parts of the book were, and particular incidents in the book, that she felt she could relate to.

There is much more to come in the second part of this Interview, Folks…

How did ‘A Grey Story’ happen? Could you describe the journey? 

‘A Grey Story’ is the result of what I have perceived in certain families around me. In the book I have dramatised the outcomes, in reality I have seen the ‘victim’ – or should I say ‘protagonist’—just get into a shell and lead a miserable life, and, believe me, such a ‘victim’ can be a very, very talented person who, if given a chance, could have outshone many in a number of fields. This is what pained me into writing this novel. 

Why is society so callous towards individuals who are a little different from others? Why should there be such a lack of concern for a single person? Even family members—in fact mostly family members—are the ones to exploit timid, sensitive souls. 

How did the main character, Surya come about? And what about the sisters and brothers?

Like I said, this novel may be a fiction but I have borrowed heavily from real life. I have seen a couple of real-life Surya’s and her kind of brothers and sisters. 

This work is my way of telling the world that not everyone is blind to the plight of such people and if the society continues to treat certain ‘special’ kids with such disdain, the outcome can be very scary.

I even spoke to a couple of psychiatrists and they also said shabby treatment at an impressionable age can be very damaging. Thus, if you wish to turn into a parent, you should know your duties and responsibilities towards your children. No two kids can be brought up in a similar manner. It is the primary duty of the parents to understand the psychology and nature of their kids and ‘lead’ them accordingly.

What according to you is different about your book?

My book is different as it is not a narrative of ‘events’ or ‘outcomes’ but of ‘circumstances’. It is the tale of how a child can be unintentionally or intentionally be ‘harmed’ by one’s own family. Thus the cover page design—the hand with a chopped finger symbolises a disjointed family where one member has been harmed beyond repair.

It also propagates the idea of small families, where at least one parent should be committed to looking after the kids and bringing them up in the right manner. These days, with nuclear families and working parents, there are greater chances of special kids getting a raw deal. 

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

I do not feel close to any character. That is the reason I have been able to look at the subject with an unbiased mind. I have highlighted the mindset of each individual and not painted some black and others white.

My characters are all grey, which is the colour of the human being. I have researched well and dealt with the topic in a detached manner.

Any particular incidents in the book, that you feel you could relate to? Why?

There has not been any similar incident in my life but in the lives of a couple of people I know. I have seen individuals suffer for no fault of theirs but because it provided pleasure to their ‘near and dear’ ones. Such raw deals have to be exposed and people must be made aware that if they see families where a particular person is being made a scapegoat, they should speak up.

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

Book Review : 'Gabriati : Rise of the Preceptor' by Sreyus Palliyani

‘Gabriati : Rise of the Preceptor’ by Sreyus Palliyani is an interesting book. It starts off with a prologue, telling us of a covert brotherhood, which is 3,000 years old. The job of the brotherhood is now at stake, as the protagonist stands up.

He is Gabriati, an almost superhero, with powers, which could leave the people of the world, flabbergasted. It basically runs across the globe, across people, and manages to kill them and protect them. With utmost cruelty and utmost gentleness, Gabriati takes on to the world’s largest religious institutions.

It is up to him to find, research and hunt. Through ruthless killings and through gentle ways, he manages to get through his living days. Whether it is the terrorists, or the so called saints or the swamis of the world, Gabriati would find them. You never really get where he is or what he is doing, but one thing is for certain, he will definitely get his man, at the end. 

Palliyani, though is good at the research, tends to test my patience. It did make sense to me, that there are bad people, and he would find ways of destruction, but what did not make sense, was the pages and pages around it. The book touches upon the various ways of handling of faith and how it is manipulated, over a period of time.

The book is of a fast pace, but I felt at times, that it could have

Sreyus Palliyani

been a tad, faster if only the pages were down. And the second story of Michael and Azaria was an interesting one, and I wish that it did not overshadow the original Gabriati story. There are times when it tends to do that, and probably take over the story.

But, in the end, the story told is a good one, and I hoped that this one was in two parts. But nevertheless, welcome to the world of publishing, Sreyus Palliyani…

You can Buy the Book, right here.