Writing is an Act of Indulgence – Vishak Shakti

India is mostly seen as the land of spirituality. And though most of the times, a reputation is just a reputation, in our case, it is true. While many people are enraged at being called the land of hermits and gurus, it needs to be made clear that we are that land, but we are not just that land. The India that the world generalizes is in fact a vibrant mix of the old and new ages, with both times playing a crucial role in how we run. In his book, Mango People in Banana Republic, author Vishak Shakti has highlighted just this.

Mango People in Banana Republic:

Mango People in Banana Republic is the cheeky, light-hearted story of an Indian’s quest to find his own personal identity while grappling against the societal descriptions of identities. It perfectly encapsulates modern India along with the spiritual India, though it must be known that it isn’t necessary for both to be different. Ravi Bhalerao, a well-placed business consultant is snubbed at an appraisal and ends up visiting his home village in Vidarbha. He seeks truth on his journey – about himself and about the world. Will he get all the answers he is looking for? Or will the wound in his posterior simmer and poke for the rest of his life? And then there is Anand. A physicist who is on a spiritual mission. What will he find on his journey? Will he get the answers to his questions about liberation?

Why Does Vishak Shakti Write?

All of us have different reasons for doing different things. Some write because it’s their job and some write because it’s their passion. Here’s a little something that Vishak Shakti tells us about why he writes. Something that resonates with all the writers out there, irrespective of the reason why they write. “Writing is essentially an act of indulgence. Good writing is indulgence that does not give itself away. Writing a novel is mostly blue collar work, but there are fleeting moments, when you surprise yourself with words, sentences, passages if you’re lucky, of a tangible quality that you can touch with your hands. It gives you a dopamine high of a certain texture that no other form of indulgence can mimic. And that is the joy of writing.”

The Author and The Process:

Writing is, for most, a passion to bring out the emotions, the stories that fester within one’s heart. So writing while holding a day job is a means of sustenance for many. Including Vishak Shakti. Being consistent is the key, but whatever one writes, one loves. “I have a fairly consuming day job, which makes writing on weekdays quite hard. I do almost all my writing on weekends and set myself a goal of 2500 words per weekend. Trying not to fret over getting it right in the first draft, and just focusing on hitting the word count, I chop and change quite a bit during the revisions. And I am never quite happy with the results. My publisher probably had a hard time with this and I suspect they had to finally rush it to the printers to prevent me from making further edits.”

About the Author:

Vishak Shakti is a Tech. Product Manager and a writer by compulsion. Writing helps him rant, vent, indulge, and purge. He loves cricket, television, writers with irreverent voices, literary thrillers, philosofiction, and compelling non-fiction. He has written for the likes of The Hindu and MSN India. In his opinion, entertainment, artistry, and relevance – in that exact order – are the essential ingredients of a good book. His latest book, Mango People in Banana Republic released in March 2018. Author(s): Vishak ShaktiPublisher: The Write PlaceRelease: March 2018Genre: Fiction/ContemporaryBuy from Amazon – Please use the affiliate link below & share the love!