Why do I write?
|I wonder about that. Perhaps because I love to read so much and spent an entire childhood voraciously devouring books. Or perhaps because both my grandmothers were accomplished writers and had a passion for language and literature. My great-grandmother wrote her last poem at the age of 99 in Bengali. Or perhaps because I grew up encouraged to read anything I wanted, though I seldom saw my parents anything but The Deccan Chronicle newspaper.
I wrote poetry before I wrote prose. It seemed to come naturally early on. But then there were those rigid formative years of essay writing in high school. My English teacher Ms. Kamat was a strict educator and her rigor only served to further whet my appetite for excellent literature. So after going to engineering college for several years—my desire to study literature treated indulgently but never seriously—all the unrequited desire finally drove me to start attending a creative writing class in San Francisco at the Writing Salon, with Linda Watanabe McFerrin. After attending her class, something was unleashed in me. I grew fascinated with the technicalities of writing—dialog, plot, point of view, voice, story arc, pace, transitions. The art of balancing all of these and more in a choreographed and precise manner all contributed to the art of storytelling. A challenge I find irresistible. But my story telling has a purpose. To entertain, to educate, to move, to inspire and to captivate and above all, to make us, a unique animal species recognize that no matter what we look like and where we are from, we are all the same. We go through the same fears, pains, emotions and ultimately all just want to be loved.
I just finished reading My Magical Palace. There is so much to say but a Thank You for your story will suffice, I hope. It’s an endearing, universal tale to say the least –which echoes much of my own life. Born and brought up in Calcutta, I lived elsewhere in India and abroad for many years. A journalist by profession, I gave up a cushy job as managing editor for an international news provider to follow my heart and be a full time writer. Only just made Hyderabad my city and home although Calcutta will always be for me what Hyderabad was for Rahul. As for writing, I can’t think of doing anything more fulfilling. It is like I write therefore I am. It defines me. (My first newspaper article — a cover story for The Statesman Sunday Miscellany was written on a portable typewriter) Not a published book author but that status will soon change. Thank you for the enjoyable read.
Thank you for your kind comments and appreciation Ivan. It means a lot to me that this story resonates with you on so many levels. I wish you all the best in your career and look forward to seeing your book in print. Following one’s heart might be challenging but the rewards are rich beyond measure.
Kunal Mukherjee
Hello Kunal, we met at the San Francisco reception for Prince Manvendra Singh. I have just finished reading your mesmerizing book. It took me to a place I know nothing of and yet have always known. Rahul is all of us who ever had any self doubts about our true nature. Thank you for writing a book that encompassed the universal and the sublime.