IT professional Tanmay Dubey who is an author by night, speaks about his debut novel Just Six Evenings which highlights the yuppie India – achievers at the cost of personal chaos.
One can state that it’s raining young
writers in India. Most are bringing in their experiences in writing and
creating stories, which probably touch you in some ways. Joining this set of
young writers is Tanmay Dubey, a first time author and IT professional based
out of Gurgaon.
His debut novel, Just Six Evenings, seems to have all the elements of the upbeat storytelling of an upbeat India. It is a tale of high flier Atul Shukla, who
wants to go beyond the small town. He dreams big and has the gift of the gab. A
train journey introduces him to Priya Arya, an MBA graduate with equally high
dreams for her family. Six days brings them together and throws them away just
a dramatically. Few years down the line, they meet again under different
circumstances. Individually successful but emotionally scarred, it’s again six
days which changes things for Atul and Priya. What happens ahead is the crux of
the rather interesting & young novel. Atul who is a part of the yuppie
generation himself, speaks about the book and his journey through it.
The
premise is quite interesting and entrenched in Indian corporate world & youth.
Was it intentional to begin with, something that might be popular or it just
came to you?
When I decided to write my book, I had a
couple of ideas in my mind. I was unable to decide which subject I should begin
my first book. Then I thought, “let me begin with a subject which I would be
most true to while writing, since I am working in the corporate world”. Nothing
much has been written about the aspirations of young Indians who are willing to
join the bandwagon of Indian IT industry, which is instrumental in changing the
landscape of Indian middle class, and has become the biggest job provider for
youth in our country in last 15 years. I decided to write on this subject and
be completely sure about the truthfulness of the soul of the story.
As a writer, not only do you want to write
substance but also the aim is to make your story enjoyable and subsequently
popular. Since the story was inspired by real events in my life and the corporate
world in general, I implanted some fictional twists in the storyline to make it
interesting for the readers.
As
an IT professional from Gurgaon, has that world influence you in any way?
 |
| Tanmay Dubey |
Living in Gurgaon has influenced me as a
writer, inspired me as fitness enthusiast and has helped me evolve as a human
being; For Gurgaon is a city which is mostly populated by ‘outsiders’ or
working class individuals who are not necessarily born and brought up here.
There is no legacy culture in this city, it is deeply influenced, and very
accepting of new ideas, whether it is Raahgiri, Cycling Groups, Breweries, and international
schools. Everything has a forward-looking, fresh, or a western
centric inclination to it. Gurgaon, to me, served as a perfect dreamland for an
aspiration filled eyes of a young man like Atul Shukla in Just Six Evenings.
The
setting is an obvious crowd-puller. However, there is a fear of getting lost,
due to other writers coming up with books with slightly same base.
As a first timer in any industry, you often
don’t have the courage to do things completely differently. While as a writer
no matter how different your story and setup is, you tend to follow a proven
path. Having said that, I believe competition is good for any industry and is
advantageous for the holistic growth of publishing industry as well. I am not
afraid of getting lost. The success of my book has made me more confident and I
am now ready to give readers a tangy taste of my writing style.
How
has the response been until now for the book?
The response is phenomenal. I have received
appreciation from the media, critics and readers. I am very excited, happy and
satisfied.
How
does the writer and reader in you perceive today’s Indian Literature aimed
at the youth?
Indian literature is divided into two parts
– Hindi and English. While the market & content for Hindi literature is big
& deep, the youth is not reading them. Similarly, for English Language, the
market is expanding for Indian English authors alongside western authors but content-wise,
there is lack of depth in what they write. I personally like to read western authors.
The Indian authors I admire are Amish Tripathi and Chetan Bhagat.
What
brings you to writing? Is it easy, tough, bit mind-boggling or something else?
I simply love to tell stories. Had I not
been a corporate Person and a part-time writer, I would have been directing
films. Who knows I might be some day. For me, writing is fun. It’s like taking
the reader to a journey into an imaginary world with the help of my words. For
me, it’s magical to be able to tell a story and make someone happy.
Are
you on your next book or are you planning to take things slowly?
