Interview with Author Payal Kumar (Towards Literature)

Interview with Author Payal Kumar
"Sondai-The Dowager Bride"

1) When you interact with someone, what's the first thing you do?

I prefer listening with less or no intention to reply or react to the other person as I am a better listener than a speaker and also I believe that listening to anyone is one of the most sincere forms of respect that one can give to other. I am a writer and listening is the secret to discover great stories.

2) What inspired you to write your book, "Sondai-The Dowager Bride"? 

I may look like an ultra-urban woman, but I somehow believe that rural ways and interpretation of day to day life is strongly inspirational and very much spellbinding. In fictions of almost all genres, we have completely moved to cities now forgetting our villages. I am deeply connected to my roots and soil. Also I have not yet come across any Maithili driven book or stories in English language. Maithili is my mother tongue and I am a Maithil, which is the reason sufficiently compelling and alluring to write a Maithili story in a global language to reach out city dweller Maithils and also non maithils. Hence, SONDAI was born! 

3) Being a writer, Do you ever feel afraid of writing on a social issue? Justify your answer. 

Writing is a form of personal freedom. I feel free when I write, rather it is freedom of expression for me. Writing frees us from mass identity we see in the making around us. Perhaps, there is no accusations with writing, no judgement, no shame, but only freedom. My debut novel is a Social fiction and I have no hesitation at all on taking up social issues to write upon.

4) Society or Writing, Which you will choose if you find any controversy between both? 

Society and writing is rather interconnected very strongly. People believe the things they read. Since childhood we are being read or told the moral stories by our grandparents, parents and teachers at school. Writing is a tool to shape and influence the society and bring in positive or even negative changes in the society. How do we know about Ram & Sita or about Krishna & Radha or about Draupadi & Pandavas, about different Yugas and cultures, simply these incidents were documented or written by Kalidasa and others. I am a writer and hence I am contributing to the society and that’s my moral obligation.

5) Who is your favourite author? What makes him/her to be your favorite?

There is not one but many favourite authors and writers rather.

1) Ruskin Bond is my childhood writer crush and my writing style is highly influenced by his way of writing. I feel he writes very simple and yet intriguing.

2) William Dalrymple is another author and historian I love to pick up to read. You get to know British and Mughal India and her naked history in his research and writings very profoundly.

3) Saadat Hasan Manto, a Pakistani writer and author I am deeply impacted with. I find him an alluring ruthless writer who had picked up majorly women as his writing subject.

4) Among Maithili authors and writers I am dedicated reader of Maithili fictions, anthologies and short stories collection by Mahender Narayan Ram. What fascinates and charms me about his writing is that his subject of the fictions and short stories are the heroes from lower castes and underprivileged section of the society, which is indeed a strong social issue and the lower caste people have always been denied of being the makers of culture, tradition or society to be precise, irrespective being major contributors and keepers of the society, especially in my part of India, that is North Bihar as it was a Maithil Brahmin dominated region in old days. This genre of writing in Maithili literature is called Ballad.

5) I am also a big fan and a very regular reader of the mythological way of perceiving life, profession, business, creativity, politics, science and etc. in the books of Devdutt Pattnaik, The Hindu Mythology King.

There are many more authors and writers who come in my favourite list. But these are few to mention for now.

6) Any suggestion for the budding authors in the publishing process of book, like selection of publishers, story, genre & the other stuffs. 

For aspiring writers and authors – read as much as you can & write as much as you want. Write what you believe in and about the world  and places you are in as you are unconsciously connected with it. Writing about a place or something which you yourself are unaware of will lack connection.

For publishing fortunately we have many platforms digitally and in print available these days. If you are planning to get your writing work published by a publisher, do not blindly rely on publishers in terms of editing/proof reading of your manuscript and promotion of your book pre - launch and post – launch, ‘coz these dayscreeping publishing houses are majorly concerned about money making and they hardly care if your book is well spread in the market once they receive their charges of publishing and printing the book. Better option is of self - publishing in case your manuscript is not selected by the top 10 publishers of India. In both the cases, either you go for traditional method of publishing or self – publishing, plan your budget on printing, book launch and book promotion wisely since the publishing and writing industry in India is still very unorganised and uncertain.  

7) Literature is what authors need to generate, create, save and repeat. Do you believe this and why? 

I trust that all great authors are seers. They dwell in possibilities. Writing is amongst the most refined forms of art and literature. Even painting is writing, a painter paints a story. Music is writing, the notes and lyrics are written. And literature always adds to reality, it does not simply describes it and authors and writers are the creators of the literature which is the mirror of life.

8) Any message for readers to encourage them towards Literature.

Those who read have always a stance of charm in the crowd. Now a days having reading habit reflects a healthy lifestyle  as when one reads has the assurance of learning and discovering some or other new thing. We need Literature to keep our universe and the mankind going. Even during the stone age Literature was there along with the stone weapons. The homosapien used to carve geometrical pictures on the walls of the caves they used to reside in and those engravings are the proof today of their existence and that age precisely. One may choose to leave or stay away from literature but literature will always have presences and existence in our life in different forms, like, books, movies, music, paintings and etc.   

Thank you for visiting us, Stay connected to encourage us. 

"A Step Forward Towards Literature"