Sunday 3 November 2019

Questionnaire with Anindita Bose


So this month's featured author is ' Anindita Bose'



Can you tell us a little about yourself? Your profession and your hobbies!


Born and brought up in Kolkata, I am inspired by the zeal of my city of joy. I believe my interest in psychology has connected me closely to universal ideas and human emotions. I believe words have immense possibilities to create life out of nothing. My first book is 'The Virtual Reality' [Sparrow-Delhi, 2016], which is co-written with seven other poets from all over India. My debut solo poetry book is 'I Know the Truth of a Broken Mirror' [Writers Workshop Kolkata, 2018]. I am a freelance editor of Virasat Art Publication and co-edited the short stories book Dynami Zois [Life Force] in 2017.

I have work experience of 6 years in Manya, The Princeton Review Kolkata as a Senior Verbal Mentor in Study Abroad Products and Operations Manager; mentoring and counselling school children, college students and working professionals. I have worked in Blue Mountains School, Ooty as a High School English Teacher. Currently, I am working as an independent scriptwriter in Kolkata and has shot my first short film.

Questionnaire with Anindita Bose 


1.       How did you first get involved with writing, are you an imaginative person?

I used to write the thought of the day in my school. As I grew up, words became my friends through the books of the libraries that I visited. Imagination is a state of mind and I do explore the mind often. Actively I got involved in the mainstream writing since  2014 when I co-founded my poetry group in Kolkata with Dr Amit Shankar Saha and Ms Sufia Khatoon.

2.       What do you do when you are not writing?

When not writing I am actively involved in activities of a poetry group in Kolkata named ‘Rhythm Divine Poets’ of which I am a co-founder. I am a coordinator for the Chair Poetry Evenings, Kolkata 2018 [an international poetry festival first time in India] and program coordinator for Chair Poetry Residence Program.

3.       Where do you see yourself in the next 6 months, and 5 years down the road?

A couple of new books, meeting new readers, a publishing house, and travelling around the world.

4.       How do you keep coming up with material/content for your story? 

I observe. Since childhood days, I have been looking around me. People, life, nature, struggles and miracles. And then when words came to me to become poems, short stories and scripts, those connections and observations give me content for my write-ups. 

5.       Any specific tips you have for new writers who want to make it big in the world of published books? 

We can never give up, and we have a creative heart beating inside us so look forward and walk through all odds and favours. Be aware of what is happening in the creative world, nurture your own dreams and connect with the people of the literary world as much as possible. We are all connected and the right connections give us the best breaks.

6.       What’s the best thing a writer can give to his/her readers?

Truth in the forms that will connect the readers. In a world that we are in, people need strength to survive loneliness at times and a good book or a favourite writer can open a door of hope for a reader. The best thing a writer can give to her readers is the power to believe in themselves no matter what.

7.       A lot of people are interested in writing for money earning potential. What are some tips for people interested in making money from writing? What are some realistic expectations in regards to what can be made?

Content writing is a stepping stone to earn money. Writing can bring in money, but one has to explore carefully the options and the market. Be focused and do not give up when it seems slow, approach the newspapers, magazines and advertising agencies. One can conduct workshops on writing for interested people and students.

8.       What motivates you most in life?

I lost my grandmother and mother recently, and I feel their stories keep me motivated in life. Two women of different times and temperament under the same roof, who struggled hard to create a family

9.       The majority of the readers tend to take sides due to religion and such other considerations.

Humans will always have their own choices. A writer needs to be like the Sun, no matter what ‘it’s light and heat’ cannot be ignored. Readers can take sides, but such strong needs to be a writer’s creation that at the end - his/her words, stories, poems will be remembered by the present and future generations.

10.   What is the story behind the name of your book?

‘I Know the Truth of a Broken Mirror’ published by the Writers Workshop Kolkata, got its name from Mr Miguel Escobar. He is a friend from California with a fine taste in Literature, who wrote one of my forewords. He noticed this title in a line of one of my poems in the book itself and he later said to me, ‘It reminded me of Maya Angelou’s Caged Birds…’

Travellers
a breath, a whisper
but no words
together we travel in 
land of souls

a river inflow, a dream
in motion and I stand
still
words echo how you
exist in the skies and 
stars

but I will not believe
for I know the truth of
a broken mirror

and existence of that
door...

yet I cannot open that
shadow and enter to
touch you are new life

for I have promised 
that I shall end my
journey before I would cry

11.   What are your views on increasing plagiarism?

Unacceptable crime in the world of words. We need more awareness about this and proper punishments. However, ideas indeed come from the depth of human existence and there is a possibility that they may be similar, but technical plagiarism is absolutely non-tolerant.


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