Exclusive interview with Kiran Vijayan

Baroda based, Kiran Vijayan is a young and talented author who made his debut with ‘Offside’. He has completed his BA (Honours) in Economics and Masters in Human Resource Management from Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda. He works as a HR with a renowned company. Besides reading and writing he enjoys sports and music. He is a member of Baroda United Football Club (BUFC) and plays football regularly.  

We, at Spectralhues got in touch with the author. Here are some excerpts from an interview Kiran Vijayan gave to Susmita Bose.

Congratulations on your debut novel ‘Offside’. Tell us briefly about your journey from being a management professional to become an author…

Thank you Susmita. When I was a kid, I used to read The Hardy Boys, The Three Investigators, Famous Five and since then my interest in reading only grew. I used to get appreciation for the articles I used to write at Company level as an HR Professional.  However I never considered writing a book because in order to do that you should not just have the skills to tell a story artfully; knowledge about the subject and the passion for what you are going to write about is also a must. Then, one day it clicked for me.

I believe in living life to its fullest. I would never have been satisfied being a management professional alone; that’s not me.

What kind of initial response you have been receiving?

These are still early days, but the response so far has been very positive and encouraging. I am glad that people have liked it.

What motivates you to write this particular story?

Like I said, passion is a must. One of the few things which I can associate with when anyone says passion, at the top would be football. I have been playing and following the game since I was a kid. You find very few novels with sports as a theme in the Indian Fiction scenario, and one with football, it is very rare, if there is any such book at all. This is my small attempt to give something back to the game. Apart from football, during college I have seen and encountered things, which I consider out of the ordinary. A close friend told me that I must write a book on it. I have tried to cover as much of those incidents as I could.

Is this book a pure fiction or a diary of an author?

It is part fiction and partly based on real incidents. I can’t go into the exact details without revealing the plot.

How much Gaurav Kale is Kiran Vijayan?

Gaurav Kale the footballer, that is very close to the real me. Apart from that, there is no resemblance.

Are the central characters like Golu, John, Nair uncle, Shreya and Bali based on real persons known to you?

Yes but with changes. Example: Bali the character is very much like Bali in real life, but with a change in appearance.

Being a debutant author what kind of difficulties you have faced while publishing the book?

Being a debutant, I faced a number of challenges because I had a story to tell and I was not sure about the way ahead. There was no guiding hand to tell me whom to approach and how to do it. However the biggest challenge undoubtedly was taking failure in my stride. I faced rejections. The most important thing is not to lose heart, but believe in your story. JK Rowling, Amish Tripathi are some who were rejected by publishers. Look where they are now.

How easy or difficult is writing according to you?

For writing to become easy one must enjoy it. Good command over the language is essential. If you fulfill that, it should prove easy.

What kind of support you are getting?

The support has been terrific. My friends have been promoting the book through Facebook and other means. In addition, even people I have met the first time have gone out of their way to help me. I am grateful to everyone.

How long did you take to complete this book?

It took me six months to complete the story – the touch up and the small changes also took up time. Many days, words used to flow and there were days when I had a “writer’s block” when nothing came to mind.

Being a football lover in cricket crazy nation, what is your suggestion to improve this sport in the country?

Football is today bigger than ever before in India but it is still a long way behind Cricket. Nothing works like success and you can’t make the sport popular if your national team is languishing somewhere in the mid 100s in the FIFA World Ranking. We must have our own icon figures in football, our own Rooney or Ronaldo, a real talent whom we can see playing in the English Premier League and admire. That is a distant dream may be. Another issue is improving the quality of grounds. Most of them are maintained poorly and there is hardly a patch of green.

Would you like to tell us your future plans? Have you started planning for your next book?

I would be writing a book only if I have a story to tell and if it is something which has not been shared before. I don’t see that happening anytime soon, but who knows. I am planning to join a dance class though, I have been ridiculed on that so am going to work on setting that right.

Any message for the Spectralhues readers …

Apart from buying a copy of my book, my message to Spectralhues readers would be don’t be one dimensional in life. Being a master in one is great, but it doesn’t hurt being a jack of many as well.

Thanks for your time, will meet again. Wish you good luck for your future.

• About the Author

About Sprightly Spirit

“I dare do all that may become a man. Who dares more is none”. And all, may be. It may be the vigor. Or the spirit. Or the courage to avoid being “politically correct” or bent. And, ban all averse with immaculate overture of graciously fathomable words firm in views. Subtle. Justifying the undying conscience. Values. Knowledge. And, dares to stay true. True to own. True to the world. And, to the words. With a dream in eyes it exists. In you. In me. In all. The sprite that never shies away. The spirit that never dies!