We are back
with another author interview. Today, with us, we have Dr. Sarika Jain– the
author of ‘SHE’. In this interview, she talks about her writing aspirations and
the route to getting her books published. Stay on...while we chat with her.
How did you choose the title?
I always
wanted to write something on girls and women, as I get to read every day in the
newspaper that in India and across the world females are raped and are killed
before birth. They are tortured and are burnt for dowry. Many girl children are
forcefully married and are compelled to sacrifice their dreams at an early age.
They become the victims of honour killings and domestic violence everywhere.
Girls and women are always discriminated, broken, ill-treated, hurt, belittled,
and abused in their daily lives, so I chose the title for my debut book as –
SHE; where SHE is described as ‘Stop Hurting Me Every Day’. I chose the same
because whenever I wondered about the pains and sufferings of girls and women,
I thought that this title would be apt for my book.
What inspired you to write this book? Any tales to tell…
Thank you for
this interesting question. I don’t have any such tales to tell. But yes, I
would like to mention that I was inspired to write this book after I read about
the Nirbhaya and Kathua rape case in newspaper. I hold the belief that writing
is the easiest way to change the world. So, I am glad that I have taken up this
job to write about all those problems that females face in our country and
beyond. I want to make people aware about many problems that girls and women
face in their day-to-day life along with few examples and inspirational stories
of women and girls achievers, including my own ideas and opinions as solutions
to those problems. I thought that writing about the topic is the only way to
change people’s thinking towards girls and women and create some difference in society. Devoted to better ideas for a better world, I have authored my
debut work SHE: A Message for those who Belittle Girls!
What message would you like to convey through this book?
The main
message I would like to convey through this book is that Girls are not less
than Boys! Girls and women can do anything. They can climb the mountains, can
become a business leader, can reach the space, can play any sport, can become a
soldier and sacrifice their life for their country, can win many medals for
their country, and so on and so forth... because females are powerful, strong,
and brave just like Goddess Durga, Kali, Sarawati, and Lakshmi. Through this
book, I want to convey that feminism is
not about competing with men or complaining that we are not males... so we
can’t achieve this or we can’t achieve that... rather feminism is all about
being proud of born a female and despite being a female achieving anything and
everything. Thanks for giving me an opportunity to answer such a wonderful
question.
What else drives you other than writing fiction?
The best
answer that drives me will be “what I want out of my life.” No one except
myself is stopping me from doing anything. I want to take new risks to explore
my life and don’t want to die one day without knowing whether I gave my best
shot at life. I always keep an idea that whatever happens... I am going to do
what I wish for and I don’t want to be like others... I want to be different. I
want to have my own signature of life. I want to embrace pain and cherish
happiness because finally nothing is permanent. The other thing that drives me
other than writing fiction is that I want to help others. I want to see changes
in people’s lives and want to make the world a better place to live in.
How did you find your writing chord, or were you a born writer?
No, I was not
a born writer. I believe writers are not born, they are made. The first time I
found my writing chord was at a “Pen Drive” writing skills competition
conducted by my college. The jury members appreciated my work, and I was
awarded a merit prize of rupees 500 (the first earning of my life) and a
certificate of competence. Then, I started writing small poems and short
stories and shared the same with my family and friends.
How do you handle the response of this book, especially from your friends and relatives?
I handle all
the responses for my book with positivity and with an open mind. I don’t let praise
or criticisms get into my head or heart, because it’s a weakness to get caught
up in either one. I always welcome criticisms and use those criticisms to
motivate myself to be better, do better, or do more, and write better.
What are some of your favourite novels and authors?
Robin Sharma’s
The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari and Who Will Cry When You Die, Paulo Coelho’s
Alchemist, Sherlock Holme’s Mystery Novels, Jhumpa Lahiri’s Namesake, Arundhati
Roy’s The God of Small Things, Shiv Khera’s You Can Win, Stephen R. Covey’s The
7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Rashmi Bansal’s Connect The Dots, Chetan
Bhagat’s One Indian Girl, and Ravinder Singh’s I Too Had a Love Story are few
of my all time favourite books that I would love to read again and again and
again.
What was your biggest learning experience throughout the publishing process?
My biggest
learning experience throughout the publishing process is that I never ever
bowed down to the rejections and fought hard and found my path to publish my
book and realized my dream to become a writer.
Looking back, what did you do right that helped you break in as a writer?
I always
aspired to become an author and had a dream that my first book would be based
on females and feminism... but taking that first step to begin my journey as a
writer was very crucial. So, I think this is one of the right things that I
have done which helped me to break in as a writer. As it has been rightly said,
“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
Any best piece of writing advice from your side that we haven’t discussed?
My advice to
every aspiring author would be to not give up and keep trying until you
succeed. Rejections are a part and parcel of the journey; just believe in
yourself and your abilities.
Where do you write from? Do you go to some specific place, like beachside or into the hills?
No, I don’t go
to some specific place, like beachside or into the hills. I prefer writing
early in the morning as it’s an ideal and peaceful time of the day and nature, when no one disturbs me and I can continue calmly with my writing.
Something personal about you people may be surprised to know?
The one fact
that surprises people that even know me well is that I am an introvert. I am
usually perceived as shy, silent, and mind her own business kind of woman
everywhere I go. And, I am surprisingly sentimental, though it doesn’t show
often.
Any future books that you would like to discuss now?
It’s not
perfectly planned... but yes, I would continue with my writing in future and
perhaps, my future book could be a novel with women at the centre.
Connect with Sarika Jain:
Twitter: @Sarikajaindr1
Website: drsarikajain.com
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