Wednesday 25 August 2021

Questionairre with Nikhil Mahajan

 So this month featuring author is ' Nikhil Mahajan'


Nikhil Mahajan is a physiotherapist turned author who has written two national bestsellers titled “My Love never faked” and “As Long As I Love you” which were released in the year 2010 and 2011 respectively, and in the Year 2012, he co-authored a novel titled “A Little Love Incident” with Aakyaa Pandey. In the year 2013, he explored the new art of writing i.e. adult comedy in the Indian literary titled “Oh Yes! All Men are Dogs.” Which remains in the news throughout that year because of its witty content. His last book was “WHITE SMOKE” which was released in 2017 and now is set for a Web-Series by one of the biggest Production House in the country.

 

. Nikhil is prolific writes about the urban societies with civilized protagonists, and he inculcates the modernization in the Indian culture. Most of his work remains quixotic and fictitious which appeals to most of the youth throughout the country. Mahajan hails from Udhampur, a small place in Jammu and Kashmir and had his schooling from APS, Udhampur. He has done his Physiotherapy from JCOP, Jammu and then pursued PG - Ortho in Physiotherapy from MMU, Ambala. Currently, he is working in NCD Scheme, as a physiotherapist for a government hospital.


Questionnaire with Nikhil

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

 

Everyone who wants to be a writer imagines the day they’ll hold their finished book in their hand. And for me, there was a literary aspiration buried deep inside me. But then I had a break-up which broke me for two years. A part of me then started believing that it will never happen. But then something good happened that the story of my life came as my first book.

 

2.      Is ‘White Smoke’ your first book?

 

No, I have already written four books and my first book titled My Love Never Faked was a bestseller. This book was based on my true life incidents and I am very close to it. It largely put me into mainstream writing, which I never thought I would do.

 

3.      Why did you name your book 'WHITE SMOKE'?

 

Ever since I began writing this book, I had a long title in my mind. But when I was about to complete it and got in touch with Arup Bose of Srishti Publishers, he suggested that I keep the title short and crisp.

White in the title signifies wholesome and smoke is for the mystery, being indiscernible yet being there. This refers to something beyond human imagination and once you start reading the book, you will come to know that the title works well with the story.



4.  What are the hardships you underwent during the publishing process before landing up with a suitable publisher??

 Getting oneself published is as tough as writing a manuscript. Once you’re done with it, then your gates to a new world are opened. Sometimes publishers don’t really see eye to eye with a          writer’s story and reject it; sometimes things settle in one go itself. Something like that happened with me too. The first phase of my journey was not very smooth. I was rejected a lot of times, by five or six publishers. And few of them said it wasn’t a novel, but rather my autobiography. But then, Jayanta Kumar Bose from Srishti Publishers trusted my work and my first book went on to become a bestseller soon after its release. And I still receive a lot of emails from readers on that book.

 

5.      Which genre, according to you, is it the most difficult to write?

 

Writing a biography perhaps. There are certain perspectives in it which remain untouched and no matter how much you put the effort into it, somehow it remains biased to the person or the story. Actually, it’s like finding a needle in a haystack.

 

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

I believe in simple living and want to shed all my burdens which I think I have come up with all these years. So in the next five years, I would like to be a calmer version of myself. But before doing anything like this, I would like to write something for society that will be more purposeful than writing commercial fiction. I want to write and make an impact on society against its evils.


11. Tell us something about your hobbies and any type of other activities that you love to do apart from writing?

 

        Apart from writing, I like listening to good music, I love to travel to different places and meet           different people; and I am very fond of cooking.

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

I am a physiotherapist by profession and I practice it when I am not writing. Moreover, I live a life like any other guy next door… as simple as it can be and you may not even recognise me if I pass by you. I have a very normal busy life, a regular job, a family to raise and friends to enjoy life with. After getting published, nothing changed for me, and yes, there are times when I am not writing I am experimenting or travelling. I do not write every day. I do not write with deadlines or compulsions. I only write when I feel like it.

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

Writing is a tough job, and it’s tougher to be published traditionally. There are three stages of writing getting your manuscript geared up for submission, editing it wisely and marketing it sensibly. So keep writing, no matter what. Just stay focused.


10  Share some notes on your upcoming project?

There is one finished book which I am holding right now which is about the journey of every woman who faces every type of decimation in the household to the offices, and overcomes it bravely. And my story is about three ambitious girls who face the evils which are faced by women every day in society. This story narrates how these three girls together overcome the pain and struggle, to make a mark for themselves, in the end emerging victorious. And I am also working on the sequel of WHITE SMOKE too.