Review of What is Saved - Batori hui Khushiayn

 FIVE QUESTIONS 

Today in FIVE QUESTIONS we have with us a young, dynamic and highly prolific writer, a very sensitive human being, who, not only writes exquisite poetry, rich with stunning imagery, but one who has already penned three novels at the young age of twenty eight- Samrudhi Dash, whose latest novel  Letters from a Stranger is creating ripples in literary circles.   

Here we go!

 

Santosh Q 1 I have seen you writing with a passion which is nothing short of mindboggling. What is the source of that passion and that prolific output? 

                                                                                           

Samrudhi: Since childhood, I have been more of an introvert. So, I have always found solace in expressing myself through words, be it poetry, stories or any other form of writing. I believe writing can express so much more than just spoken words. My mind is always highly sensitive to the world around me and so is this wild heart I am perhaps born with. There's so much in everyday life - be it the vegetable seller right below my building, the little children selling balloons and trinkets at the traffic lights, flowers blooming to life in my tiny garden, a baby's innocent babble, a normal conversation, a photograph, the sunrise, birds flying in the horizon, nature with its hues and colours - everything has its own underlying beauty (and pathos). And these are things I feel deeply about, almost all the time. So, they find a vent through my scribbles. Also, human emotions, relationships, untold grief and pain, that I often encounter through conversations with friends and people I remotely know, especially the plight of the poor, underprivileged, women in our society who are unable to speak up for themselves, leaves a lasting impression on my mind. And these thoughts often find expression through my poems and stories.

 

On giving it a deeper thought, I realize, I write and write so much because of the inherent need to talk myself out, make sense of a world that otherwise makes little sense to me and put my turbulent flow of emotions at rest. And the note pad has always been a faithful listener, never questioning the weird way my thoughts meander. It's writing that's kept me alive and going through all the tough times in life. And now, over the years, it's become my sustenance and my ultimate catharsis, as I see it.

 

 

Santosh Q 2 Yes, writing can be quite cathartic and therapeutic too. Tell us something about yourself- some innermost fears, your pet peeves and any random action of yours which makes you squirm in unease. 

 

Samrudhi. Well, I am just a tiny, insignificant part of this vast world. I have been around only for some twenty-eight odd years and I have so much to learn about the ways of this world. I have always considered myself an untamed spirit, beautifully broken, wonderfully flawed and very much in love with life.

 

Coming to my innermost fears, contrary to what most people are afraid of - death - my fears are of a very different kind. Having literally had a tussle with death, a couple of years back, I know I'm definitely not afraid to die. What I am afraid of, to be honest, is to "die while I'm still living". Taking the quote from one of the most popular books of today, I am always afraid I'm running out of time. There's so much to learn, explore, write about, there are places to visit, things to do, books to devour... The list is endless. And whenever I think of how long I have left to go, the vastness of the journey that I'm trying to cover with that eternal curiosity of mine, I feel scared about what if someday I lose this spark of adventure and exploring, what if a day comes when I am starting at a black page, words refusing to ink themselves out on paper, what if I suddenly adjust to the monotony of routine and refrain from living in a day tight compartment, living every moment to the fullest, what if I'm no longer able to tide over the toughest of times with Minnie Me telling me better times await me, what if I too stop believing in my world of stars and unicorns? That very trail of "what ifs" gives me shivers.

 

Santosh: Well, I think all writers are afraid of this- what if I get up one morning and find that I have lost the ability to write, and that all ideas and stories have left me. This frightening possibility, often makes me shudder.  

 

 

Samrudhi: Indeed. Well, coming to my pet peeves, there are quite a few of them. But I would like to talk about a few particularly irking ones. I can tolerate any kind of stupidity, or mistakes for that matter, but people who lie habitually are the kinds I can never get along with. Then there are those who are perfectionists. Honestly, I believe perfection is a myth and there's a beauty in the broken, the cluttered, the messed up. It's not like I am not very organized, but a perfectionist attitude is just so irritating. While perfectionists look for the grey in the rainbows, I look for rainbows in the grey and bleak. Another thing that I really can't tolerate is whining about life's problems. I can have hour long conversations, empathizing with friends and loved ones because everyone has their own share of personal struggles but complaining about life and daily problems is something I can't see why people do it. And last but not the least, it's impossible to get along with so called delicate, pampered people who are too posh to understand the harsh realities of life and all they can talk about it shallow materialism. I just don't know how to carry forward a conversation with such pompous peeves. Honestly!

 

Haha, there's a lot about me that I'm uneasy about, especially in public, social gatherings and groups. First, it's my impossible urge to correct grammatical errors right in the middle of a conversation. (Then I'm biting my tongue thinking, "How many times do I need to remind myself that correcting grammatical errors is.a sign of immaturity!) Then, there's this instinctive thing to blurt out bland facts, in a quite straightforward way, that's often gotten me into trouble, especially back at home, after a party or event where I said something that shouldn't have been said. I remember that one time when one of Mom's colleagues asking me how I liked the dishes she had cooked at her housewarming party and I promptly replied that the curry wasn't too tasty but the dessert was good, though the ice-cream was melting too much. Ah, that was one embarrassing moment!  And the weirdest thing about it is, once I've blurted out something, the next moment I realize how awkward it gets. But by then the damage is already done. I guess I really need to know some more social norms.

 

Santosh Q 3: Ha Ha, such things happen. Don’t waste your precious time on them. Tell me something about your latest book. Letters from a Stranger is indeed a riveting read and a lot of research has gone into it. Let us hear something about it.

 

Samrudhi. "Letters from a Stranger - A Life Changing Map" is my third novel, written during the NaNoWriMo Month in November 2019 and later edited and fine-tuned. I am glad you found the novel exciting. It's a part Medical thriller with epistolary and philosophical underpinnings. Since the backdrop of the novel is based on ongoing research and clinical trials on cancer, it wouldn't be wrong to say that a lot of research has gone into the book. But the research isn't something I gathered over a month's time. 

Since my early childhood, medical science has always fascinated me and often I would sneak into Dad's library and take out the huge hard bound "A-Z Family Medical Advisor" placed on the top most shelf, climbing a stool and spend hours flipping through its colored pages and detailed illustrations. My escapades continued for quite a few years until I had read almost half the book which, even today, is still too heavy to lift. It was when I started hallucinating about having a brain tumor after repeated headaches, screaming in the darkness that I had probably lost my vision because of a retinal detachment and trying to convince Mom that we needed to go for extensive tests since I had all symptoms that pointed to a possible lymphoma, that my escapades were discovered and Mom promptly locked away all such books for a couple of years.

As destiny willed otherwise, I ended up pursuing literature, instead of opting for becoming a doctor. Nevertheless, my interest in pathology, particularly cancer, always remained strong and I got hold of Siddharth Mukherjee's "Emperor of Maladies" the very day it was available in stores. 

 

And since I have had my more than fair share of health issues, I have had a keen observation of doctors and their interactions with patients. And I have watched from a close distance how a doctor's behaviour affects his/her patient in a positive/ negative way. Also, I have lost some of my loved ones to cancer. So yeah, this book is a mixture of personal experiences and research.

 

Overall, it's more about the importance of empathy in today's world, the determination to persevere through life's crests and troughs and the power of faith, hope and self-belief. Since I mostly write in a philosophical vein, this novel too has its fair share of philosophy, ethics and morals, especially through the trysts of the protagonist and the letters from the stranger that guide her forward in her journey. And I believe, much of these attributes like empathy, compassion, and understanding are important to survive in this dystopian world.

 

 

Santosh Q 4: Well, you are right, if these attributes were not there, the world would have long hurtled down abysmal depths.
When the night descends, what are the thoughts uppermost in your mind? 

 

Samrudhi:  I am a die-hard insomniac. So, it's literally at night that all thoughts come pouring into my mind, almost like a tsunami. Some not so happy memories from the past, some of my strongest emotions and a lot of unanswered questions about the workings of this dystopian world lull me into an uneasy sleep. And I am always up by 3 A.M., no matter how late I sleep. It's in the quiet solitude of the night that I have my musings with the moon and stars, trying to count those twinkling lights in the velvety sky, searching for a glimpse of Venus on full moon nights. It's while the world sleeps that the gyre of thoughts in my ever curious, ever thinking, questioning mind awaken the writer within me and it's in those hours when under the soothing glow of the yellow bedside lamp that I pour my thoughts, emotions, dreams and fears into my notepad. And no matter how tired and sleep deprived I am, this hour, when I can actually deconstruct my thoughts, is literally my lifeline to face another new day with all its challenges and uncertainties. Knowing that my thoughts would be little understood, I find a strange comfort in this solitude, the scintillating glow of the moon drifting in through the windows, keeping me sane, still hoping, living, and believing.

 

Santosh Q 5: Yes, one last question before we draw the curtains on this highly interesting tete- e- tete. Please tell us something about the projects that you are working on at present.

Samrudhi:  Currently I am writing a series of inspirational and motivational poems titled "Tiny Teachings", which I am likely to compile into a book, soon. Next in line is another motivational series of short articles "Because You Are worth It" that I hope to begin in another couple of days. Plans are also underway to pen down a collection of illustrated short stories for children, titled "Boo tales", which would be about the adventures of a tiny tot named Boo Baby and her life in the forest where she lives in a small castle and plays with baby animals, talks with birds and butterflies and has the blue fairy bring pixie dust for her and her animal friends. It's going to be my first foray into the world of children's literature and I hope to get started on it in a few months. And of course there's the NaNoWriMo in November this year, in which I am hoping to participate, though I still haven't thought of any particular plot for another novel. 

 

Well, there's actually a lot going on in my mind all at once, but then things take their own time to come out, manifest themselves. So, I don't know exactly how much I will be able to do actually, but then there's always poetry to turn to, if nothing else and that's what matters the most.
Santosh: It was wonderful interacting with you, and getting a peep into a hyperactive mind and a sensitive heart. Kudos for all that you have achieved at such a young age and all the best for all your future endeavours.

                                                                    

Samrudhi Dash Bio: Samrudhi Dash who writes under the pseudonym Inara, is a young poet, author, editor and motivational speaker. Having completed her Masters in English Literature from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, she has to her credit five poetry collections The Newborn, The New Leaf, Dreamer’s Web, Communion and When the Nebula Sings and has authored three novels – Beyond the Horizon, Reminiscences by the Girl Who Lived and recently, a part medical thriller with philosophical underpinnings, titled, Letters From A Stranger – A Life Changing Map. Her poems, stories and articles have been published in several national and international anthologies, journals e-zines and magazines, including the prestigious Reader’s Digest. She has also edited and co-edited five prose and poetry anthologies, including a medical awareness self-help book.

She has been honoured with the International Nissim Prize for the Best Upcoming Poet of the Year 2019. A strong feminist at heart, she believes in women empowerment and gender equality, writing for web columns. Optimistic, positive and vibrant, with a mission to spread smiles and celebrate life, she runs a YouTube channel InaraSpeaks. Painting, gardening and photography are her other hobbies that constantly keep her busy.

Her signature words are “Hope, Live, Believe”.

She can be reached at dash.samrudhi@gmail.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/samrudhi.dash