Wednesday, 4 July 2018

[Ask N Answer] Interview Session with Saumya Kaushik - Author of Daughter of a Drunkard Monk

Saumya Kaushik

Introduce yourself to our readers. 
Hola! Everyone. I am Saumya! I make up stuff for a living, I put up in Delhi and I enjoy long coffee-breaks with a view of nature.

Tell us something about your novel. 
DODM is the story of the protagonist which can be any ordinary girl in similar situation. What, however, appears extraordinary is the grit and courage and confidence with which the protagonist faces all verities of adversities, many of which are simply reflections of her gender and the societal / patriarchal attitude towards girls in such / similar situations.

You wrote your 1st novel at the age of 19. It is quite mature for your age to write on such sensitive topic. What made you write it? 
The thought of penning down Daughter of a Drunkard Monk popped in my head at the age of 18 and I strongly felt on gender-biased issues. I had this urge to tell this story to the world hence, I penned it down regardless of my age and the nature of topic.

Was it difficult to sketch the characters? How did you go about with it? 
Yes, some of the character’s sketching was a daunting task. There was once a point, during this course of writing where I felt like removing some characters from the book altogether.

Daughter of a Drunkard Monk - Book Cover

How did you go about writing your novel? And how long did it take you to write it? 
Writing a book is not an easy task. I suffered many a sleepless nights, there were days when I was on a constant mood-elevator. I am the worst person to meet when I write a full-fledged novel. I took me 4 months to pen down Daughter of a Drunkard Monk.

It is often said that the writer writes certain things about himself in the characters he builds. Do we get to see some of your traits in Naina? 
Naina and I are poles apart in nature. The only trait that she and I share is – being a hopeless romantic. God! We both carry our hearts on our sleeves. And, why shouldn’t we?

What was the most difficult part to write about Naina? 
Her fight with her fears and her courage to muster up and stand against the curve balls life threw at her.

Tell us about your work in Minds @Work 3.
Minds at Work 3 is an anthology written by women of modern times. It bears my story – The Lonely Widow. I wrote this story when I was 20, and got a publisher interested in printing it.

What inspires you to write? 
The constant urge to tell the stories to the world. This world that is so beautifully decorated with distinguished people on its platter inspire me to write.

Saumya Kaushik signing copies of her book

Are you working on your next? 
Yes, I am working on a non-fiction title. (The Many Men in my Life!)

Saumya Kaushik Book LaunchIf yes, tell us something about it. 
The Many Men in my Life is about the stories of 15 men that I have shared my life space with. These males are younger than me, the same age as mine, older to me, some of them are dead, and some are alive. I have shared interesting tales that I have lived with them and learnt through them in this book.

What is writing for you?
Salvation! 

Would you like to give a message to our readers?
Respect every individual, whomsoever you cross paths in life. Everyone has a story to tell, not everyone is a writer but yes, they can narrate brilliantly well. This might turn you into a listener first and later a writer. God Bless!

You can buy your copies of Daughter of a Drunkard Monk on Amazon.

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