A face to face Interview on my most recent book

Interview with Dr. Partho Dhang

Author of 'Fervor To Be Free'

Partho Dhang is the author of the book 'Fervor To Be Free' A tale of tussle between mind, body and us.

Tell us something about your title 'Fervor To Be Free'

Partho: I will put this book in the category of motivational, self-guiding and philosophical. The book would help the reader to go deep into himself to find his core make-up. “Who he truly is?”, “What limits him from getting out of his continuous energy draining thoughts and feeling of being miserable?” or “Find his purpose in life”. Answers to these are provided in the book. I used myself as a human example to find my answers. The reader too will find his in the end.

How do you think is your book different from others?

Partho: Certainly, this book is very different as it relates the real-life events of a person. It brings philosophy, science, religion, news events and real life together in one narrative. The book, though a complete story, is written in a very unique fashion. Readers can start reading from any chapter. The greatest aspect of this book is its power to insight thoughts in oneself. In other words, the reader starts relating his life with the narrative. This is active participation and it is something special.

How do you conceptualize the ideas in this book?

Partho: It was easy as I picked up life events, thoughts, and actions that were already set in human culture and put them together in perspective. These were all relevant items in every one’s life. From birth we go past similar life events and actions irrespective of our country, ethnicity and religion. We humans have similar needs, goals and expectations. So, a universal story is there. However, the greatest challenge was to put all of these into a single attractive narrative. I solved this by putting myself as an example. The rest just fell into place.

Your book falls under the Self-Help genre. What do you think is the scope of Self-Help in Indian readership in general ?

Partho: India has given the most numbers of world class philosophers, gurus and teachers. We have inclination towards ‘knowing ourselves’ as our goal in life. We were the first to ask “Who am I?” and “What is my purpose?” as part of our existence. This book answers them all in a way; a much simpler way.

What drew you to writing?

Partho: I wanted to write from the start, I had an urge in me and I felt it right at school. The challenge was what to write and when to start to write. Writing to me is a way to meditate, focus, bring calmness, burn calories and the most important pass time which happen to be my biggest source of misery. Through writing I fixed myself, it was my single motivation.

How do you access the writing of your debut contemporaries?

Partho: I have access to various methods. But the best is through a network of friends who have similar interests as mine. Book fairs are another place where I find new releases and authors.

So, what is your day like when you're writing a book?

Partho: The best time I get fresh thoughts and write most is at early mornings. This can stretch to cover the whole day at times. It also depends upon the thoughts and subject on hand. Most writing requires a lot of reading and contemplation. In short writing is a full day affair for me.

What do you think makes a good story line?

Partho: Fresh themes, current relevance, practical or practicable, but out of all, connection or connecting to a reader is most important. Stories which are based on real life, have relevance to actual facts can find this connection easily.

Which novelist/writer do you admire the most? Does he/she in any way affect your writing?

Partho: Many writers have influenced me. But I will pick up Khushwant Singh, Desmond Morris, Eckhart Tolle, Pankaj Mishra, and Yuval Noah Harari among the top influencers for me.

Share your journey of getting your first book published.

Partho: : Writing is one thing but getting it to be accepted and later published is another. Writing part was easier I would say. The next was to make people read the manuscript and like it. I have always chosen people from various works of life to read the script. Their wholesome impression gave me insights and more of a know-how of what they are thinking. Though I rarely change my scripts from what I have initially written, but their feedback helps me greatly to write out the preface, introduction and the excerpts. Lastly, impressing a publisher is the hardest part. This is the time business creeps into the whole exercise, and like any business there is no winning formula. So, the best is to take a plunge and wait without expectation.

How did you zero in on Invincible Publishers? How was your experience with team Invincible?

Partho: It was a chance meeting with the Invincible publishing team, in particular the Director Mr. Ajay Setia. I was immediately impressed by the energy in him and his team’s combined youthful exuberance. They have an out of the box thinking, publishing and marketing concept which was new to me. They also provided creative designing options. The ideas discussed by team Invincible helped me zero-in on them with ease. My overall experience with them has been the smoothest and very reassuring.

What is your future plan? How soon can your readers expect your next book?

Partho: I am eager to see the reaction of the public when they read this book. This will help me plan my next step. I plan to write a few articles too on the book. The next book is around the corner I can promise that…