Its my pleasure to introduce Mr Sujit Dutta author of debut work “Vignettes of Life” collection of 14 unique prose fiction works.
Lets hear from Mr Sujit what he has to say to his book readers about his book and his personal and professional life.
Q: How did you come up with the title “Vignettes of Life” ?
Ans: Having spent almost six decades on Mother Earth, I realized that ‘Life’ blesses you with so many hues and colors associated to it. This, one can realize and experience, especially when we have the “ Empty Nest Syndrome” at home. “Vignette” can be interpreted as ‘ A brief evocative description, account, or episode’. And my personal experiences, having traveled extensively( owing to the nature of my job) and witnessing life at close quarters, this book was a humble attempt to stitch together my experiences and present to our readers and fans, compelling stories, that their hearts will relate to.
Q: What kind of research do you do, and how long do you spend researching before beginning a book?
Ans: Now, this is a great question. It is mostly true that book writing is 60% research and material collation/indexing, etc. To get the nuances in each story right, it is important to get the local fragrance right….it is only then, it strikes an emotional chord with t
he reader. Roughly, it takes a month of background work to write each story. Hence, this book( being the debut book) took almost two years to publish, since the plot and character settings are all different to each other.
Q: Is there any particular author or book that influenced you and your work ?
Ans: Certainly. As far as short story fiction genre is concerned, Sudha Murty has been an enormous influence, no two ways about it. The other author I hugely admire is Rashmi Bansal, whose writings are hugely inspiring and energizing. Although it is also true that I read exhaustively, particularly insightful books backed up with solid research, which could be on human behavior, technology or business.
Q: Authors often describe going through writer pangs when writing. How was your journey while writing this book ?
Ans: Yes, I guess all authors do at some point in their writing journey. One does get mentally fatigued or have mental blocks, unable to weave the story lucidly to a desirable conclusion. Sometimes it takes days( if not weeks), when one attempts to find a pathway for the main protagonist or character of the story to build the concept. Herein I would like to describe an incident. When I completed writing the first story( And Time Stood Still), it had taken almost two months. I gave it to a senior office colleague to read it and offer her comments. The next day, when asked as to offer her views, tears were streaming down her cheeks (She had also lost her mother a few years ago). That moment has been my biggest reward and success. I knew my writing was on the right path.
Q: Are you working on anything at the present you would like to share with your readers about?
Ans: Due to the ongoing pandemic, the wide distribution of the my book has yet to happen. And the true test of an author is the reviews and readership that he/she gathers. But I am sanguine of multiple reprints in next few months/years.
As regards, future projects….Yes, I have commenced work on the second book( unnamed as of now). It will too be a fiction genre in the short story format. But the major differentiator would be , that it will be highly socially relevant to the society’s context. Each story will address one such issue embedded in an extremely touching and emotional story and sensitize readers to be galvanized to solve it as best as they can. It will be inspirational and full of positivism. The issues could encompass about blind people, about old age, about infanticide, etc.
Q: Is there anything that you would like to say to your readers and fans?
Ans: I respect and bow my head to my readers and fans, for it is because of them, we, authors get inspired and keep putting pen to paper again and again. Since time immemorial, reading and writing have been the defining features of humanity and I urge all readers to please continue reading( No matter the genre or your choices) for the pleasure derived from reading is immeasurable.
Lastly I express my sincere gratitude and thanks to Literoma Publishing Home team for considering me to interview the author whose book was published from their prestigious publishing firm.
Regards
Kiran K Adharapuram
My first interaction with Col Dutta was at tenga ..a little known valley amongst pristine north east hills and riversides . My first impression within heart was ..Good to meet a visitor who has a vision to contribute to the world of education . A voracious reader, a veciforous motivator of human skills ..Was a pleasure to have met him ..the author in person . I am sanguine that we would continue to get insights of what it feels to be “as felt” by a veteran . I wish all the luck both to the “Author” and the publishers . Was a pleasure meeting u Sir
warm regards