So, for this month featuring author from Indian Literary World is
Tirupathi Kumar Khemka author of 'Dented & Painted '
I am the Group Managing
Director of NEPC, wherein I established NEPC Micon Limited in collaboration
with the World Leader in Wind energy - Micon of Denmark, and created a
revolution in wind energy by installing over 500 MW generating capacity in
India, with indigenous wind turbines manufactured in the country.
My latest interest is in the field of education and
Hence I am also Managing Director of Robot Tutor Solutions Private Limited,
spearheading the growth of Robot Tutor in all schools, colleges &
Universities across India, and providing leadership to the management team that
needs seasoned business inputs on taking it forward.
Shortly after graduation, at the age of 23 I
started a string of companies adding one each year to the NEPC group. The first
one was NEPC AGRO FOODS LIMITED, the first Indian Company to have branded the
basic consumer products under name "TRUPTHI". Next year I established
NEPC TEXTILES LIMITED, which produces Premium Quality hosiery yarn with 30,000
spindles, and now fetches the highest price in Southern India. It undertakes
manufacturing with an ISO 9002 quality certification. I then followed it up with
NEPC Airlines which subsequently took over Damania Airways and renamed it as
SKYLINE NEPC LTD. NEPC Airlines and Skyline NEPC Ltd. covered 33 destinations
in the Indian Sky. I pioneered the concept of aircraft chartering apart from
personal use in India. This became a catalyst for many companies to promote the
concept avidly later.
In 2008, I ventured into natural health and
established an Ayurveda Centre in one of NEPC tea gardens in Valparai. The
collaboration along with Arya Vaidya Pharmacy in Coimbatore, leaders in
ayurvedic medicine has been beneficial to many. In 2009 I built a 59 room
budget hotel in the heart of Chennai city in the name and style of NEPC All
Seasons hotel.
I am also the
co-founder and Chairman of Tinacca Media Pvt Limited that has redefined the way
integrated marketing communication can be offered from an agency as a
collective offering to various top brands since June 2013.
I am an ardent
Numismatic and have a collection of coins from across the world. I also love
travelling and during my years of
travel, observed different societies, cultures and people as a profound
enthusiast of human character.
How did you first get involved in with
writing, are you an imaginative person?
Writing
was a natural corollary to my enthusiasm as a traveller and observing societies
and diverse human character. Talking to various individuals made me realize
that each of us have a different set of experiences in life, some poignant, a
few strange and yet others that provide a thought on the vagaries of life. The stories I have narrated are true life
experiences of a few individuals who were kind enough to share their life
experiences with me.
What do
you find most challenging about your writing?
The fact that I had
to discern each individuals feeling while narrating it from their point of view
was a little disconcerting to say the least when I was penning it all down. The
other factor was to find the time within my busy schedule as an industrialist
to transfer my time and energy to write regularly.
What do
you do when you are not writing?
Most of the time I
am busy in the day to day activities of running my set of companies, but after
meeting different women who were instrumental in me turning out as an author to
record their life experiences, I have decided to front-end an NGO name Aaj ki
Nari that will work towards empowering women with information that will enable
them to stake a claim for parity in a male dominated society such as ours.
Where do
you see yourself in the next 6 months, and 5 years down the road?
While I
am sure most of my time will be spent in pursuing my business interests, I have
also decided to ensure that I will be authoring a book on Cosmic & divine
energy which is today one of the most sought after subjects. I also intend to make Aaj ki Nari an
organization that will champion the cause of Indian women on a world wide
scale.
How do
you keep coming up with material / content for your story?
The
trick is to ensure that you train your mind to act as a sponge that will soak
in information and adapt it later on. It also helps if you are a good listener
and then stop being judgmental about people while understanding their personal
issues and problems. The trick there is to be able to empathise with them and
then ensure you do justice to their experiences while narrating it as an
author. In my first book I took 26 such individuals whose lives imparted a
valuable lesson to me.
Any
specific tips you have for new writers who want to make it big in the world of
published books?
First is to ensure
that you write at least one page a day and then ensure that you evaluate your
work as your personal critique. Your first draft need not necessarily be the
best. One should pursue writing for the love of it and not just to reap
monetary benefits. Also one needs to be prepared for the long haul as initially
one may face rejection from various publishers. The important thing is to
believe in your ability, take guidance where it is necessary and then explore
the possibility of working with a book agent who may be able to guide you
further on how to get it published.
What’s
the best thing a writer can give to his readers?
A write should be
able to transport the reader into a realm where he can visualise the
characters, feel the pain or joy within and identify with the situation of the
protagonist. The author should then provoke the reader to think how he or she
may respond to that particular situation and kindle that spark of empathy for
the characters in the book.
A lot of
people are interested in writing for the money earning potential. What are some
tips for people interesting in making money from writing? What are some
realistic expectations in regards to what can be made?
It is very rare
that one’s first work will become a blockbuster or a best seller. Even so the
thought of writing to earn money should be the least of one’s priority. Having
said that one needs to spend a considerable amount of time and money in
marketing the book as the publisher is unlikely to do that for you. Ensuring
that some preview chapters are given out as free hand-out’s at leading book
stores can surely help create a keen anticipation for the books arrival. A new trend has also been to create a video
trailer for the book which can then make it’s way to social and digital
marketing circles. Self-Publishing is yet another avenue that is now available
to circumvent disappointment of rejection from top publishers. You will be
lucky if you break even in terms of costs while penning your first book. Even
Amish Tripathi had to self-publish his first book – Immortals of Meluha. The
success however made him a sought after author who now commands a premium in
the market. If you believe in your story and your ability keep knocking at
doors till you succeed in getting it published. Chances are that the royalty
for your first book will only be around 8 to 10 % of the M.R.P. So you may well
have to sell at least 50,000 books to actually make profit from your venture as
an author.
What
motivates you most in life?
The
ability to touch people’s lives in a positive manner and make a change that is
for the better. Aaj Ki Nari is one such foundation that is a result of this
thought to change and impact lives of Indian women in a positive manner. The
goal is to be able to act as a catalyst that will help women achieve 100 %
parity with their male counterparts in this country.
The
majority of the readers tend to take sides due religion and such other
considerations?
It is unfortunate
if they do so. I subscribe to the
thought of Nationality first and then religion or cast or creed. Having said
that readers are also like you and me entitled to their views and belief
systems, it is important that collectively we have a mature outlook in a
society that is increasingly getting fragmented by religion and caste.
What is
the story behind the name of your book?
Abhijit
Mukherjee son of Indian President Pranab Mukherjee made this highly sexist
remark that caught my attention. It was
an appropriate title in irony for the way we tend to look at women in the
society around us through our coloured glasses of bias.
What are
your views on increasing plagiarism?
An Individual who
is high on the self-respect quotient would never resort to plagiarism. There is
a very thin line between being a fan of ones work and stealing it and
presenting it as one’s own. That line is
the one between an honest person and a thief. It is as simple as that. How can
one look at oneself appreciatively in the minds mirror and accept the accolades
coming ones way when deep within, the individual knows it belongs to someone
else.
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