Love? I
think ‘Love’ is the most misconstrued and abused word of all time. Most people
don’t quite understand what love is all about. I don’t have any qualms in
admitting that I too have failed to decode the mystery that’s love. And yet, I
have managed to write a contemporary romantic novel titled ‘Once smitten, twice
shy, thrice lucky’. I proudly unveil the cover design.
Many thanks
to my current roomies Srinivas Drona and Siddharth Varshney for ideating and
coming up with the cover concept that’s before you. It’s pretty simple –
depicting the three emotions, the protagonist experiences. Heartbreak. Then, the
rebound when the protagonist is unsure what to make of his friendship with a
girl he likes. And then finally meeting his soul-mate.
Published by
Notion Press, OSTSTL will be soon available in Flipkart, Amazon, Bookadda and other
such leading portals. An e-book version will also be released along with the
paperback.
My tryst
with this book began about three years back. I started giving shape to the
protagonists after Diwali 2011. By then, I had written many short stories that
I kept to myself. Most of them were wildly imaginative and some were
outlandish. But with OSTSTL, I literally let my imagination run amok. There
were days when I would skip office and come back home early, for I knew what
the protagonists were about to do next. I feared that if I don’t pen down my
thoughts soon enough, I would lose them. And that wouldn’t be fair to the
protagonists and the story in general. OSTSTL has been my baby. And I have
nurtured it for so long that I sometimes find it hard to let go.
I have never
been a morning person, so to speak. So my nocturnal habits that I inculcated at
IIMA, came in handy. I would spend the evenings visualising how the
protagonists would think and hence act, taking the storyline forward. After
dinner, my fingers would start rolling on the keyboard. In between, I would
listen to music that would more often than not suit the mood the story would be
set in. I have come to realise that I can’t be a good writer if I let my
personal life tamper with the engine (my brain) pumping the creative juices.
So, in that sense, writing was therapeutic.
Meanwhile, I
had to endure a debilitating mental condition, known to afflict even the best
of writers called ‘Writer’s Block’. A well lubricated knee allows you to walk
normally. An inflammation of the knee joint is debilitating. A writer’s block
is the inflammation of your creative thought process. It’s debilitating for it
jams that part of the brain that churns out ideas. And yet, writer’s block is
an intrinsic process, a result of your own undoing. Why? I think part of it has
got to do with the process of writing itself. Writing is a confusing profession
to be in. While developing the story, most writers often keep to themselves and
seldom share what they write for fear of getting influenced. I was no
different. As a result, when I reach the so called ‘saturation point’, I am no
longer able to think rationally. I am not happy with what I try to write. Ask
my ‘backspace’ button on the keyboard and it will tell you the extent to which
I sometimes subjected it to insurmountable levels of cruelty. I will not mince
my words. I was depressed as hell, when I couldn’t figure out why I wasn’t able
to write. Of course back then, I wasn’t aware that I was experiencing writer’s
block. And that further made matters
worse. Luckily, I knew that I needed to take a break, which I did. But a writer
has to stay afresh and inspired for you never know when you experience a
brainwave. And you got to be ready for that moment to arrive, like a flash, like
a thunderbolt that jolts you into writing again. I guess I was ready. So, this
is how I ended up completing what I thought was OSTSTL.
But then by
the end of January 2013, I felt that my draft needed a little refining. The
vocabulary was far from impressive. The narrative lacked the depth, finesse and
dimension. And the grammar was horrible. That’s when destiny brought me and my
editor Divya Lavanya together for a collaboration that was to last for the next
9 months or so. I can’t thank her enough. Of course, this collaboration
wouldn’t have been fruitful without the unflinching support of her husband
Sarat. And how can I forget Divya and Sarat’s cute little daughter Baby
Satvika. I hope that she picks up my book when she starts reading fiction! Divya,
Sarat and I share the same alma mater – JNTU Hyderabad. So, it didn’t take us
much time to connect in a big way.
Anyway, so
what my editor brought to the table did wonders to the book. The draft
underwent further revisions. Dots that didn’t connect were done away with. Some
tracks were removed. Ruthless editing was done. In the process, Divya pushed me
to the limits. She was critical which a good editor should always be. And yet,
she sometimes sang paeans, telling me how dramatically I had improved under her
tutelage. Looking back, I think Divya was the best person to edit my book. Why?
She understands what it is to love and be loved. I am pretty sure that we have
many more such projects to work on together. The final draft was ready by
January 2014. Now, it’s time for some more acknowledgments.
Writing is a
lonely process. And yet requires that your support system be strong. My
unassuming little sister has always been a source of inspiration and rock solid
support for me. Thanks Sindu. You rock! Many thanks Dipika, Srinivas, Divya for
the constant stream of morale boosters that helped me clear all shreds of a
lack of confidence in my abilities.
Manoj
Motiani, Abhilash Gudla, Aditya Shekhar, Abhinav Pathi, Avinash Singh, Soumya
Poddar, Vikas Nigam, Prasad Dhake, Rachit Kumar, Charu Lata Sharma, Arulin
Jajorea and Anirban Samajpati – Special mention to all of you for sharing your
life experiences and insights on love, money and women. Thanks a ton for making
my living life at IIMA a memorable experience. Did I mention that a small part
of the story in OSTSTL is set in IIMA? Don’t worry. I have tried my best to
paint a very realistic imagery of IIMA!
Surya
Chandrika Bondada – Now you know why I constantly kept on bombarding you with
queries. Thanks a lot. Your
medical insights have contributed immensely in shaping an important protagonist
of this book. I am sure you will rock as a great surgeon some day.
Kiran
& Divya Gone – To be an integral part of your tryst with unbridled love has
been both an honour and something I take great pride in. I have taken the
liberty to sketch characters based on you both and I hope you connect to them.
Many thanks to you both. Keep rocking!
Lakshmi
Yadavalli and Sonali Korada – I have immensely enjoyed listening to your version
of how men fail to understand women. Or rather should I say your version of a
dummies guide to understanding women? Can’t thank you both enough though. For
making me a better person and labelling me with the proverbial ‘nice guy’ tag.
It sure does feel good, listening to you both.
Special
mention to PVR, Sandeep Yerra, Abhinav Agarwal, Shekhar Raj for bearing a
silent ‘me’. All of you have been very supportive of my creative endeavour. We
shall raise a toast some day!
And of
course mom and dad. I have inherited many traits. But the one thing I will
cherish the most is the power to remain silent for long periods of time. This
has sure helped me. Silence is golden? Naah. I say, Silence is Platinum! And of
course, all of life is a chance...
signing off,
Sandeep Kothapalli
