Tete-e-Tete With Rajiv Seth, Author Of Never Say Goodbye

Meet Rajiv Seth! A former Engineer Officer with the Indian Air Force, Rajiv is currently associated with TERI University in Delhi where he teaches finance and looks after the administration! Rajiv’s first fiction novel “Never Say Goodbye” has been published and well received by the readers.  In a candid interview with Susmita Bose the author talks on various aspects of his life and books.  

Spectralhues wishes him glorious success and hopes he would come up with many more remarkable books.

Here’s an excerpt from that interaction:

Congratulations on the release of your first fiction novel “Never Say Goodbye”. What kind of response are you receiving so far?

It’s probably too early to say – it’s been just a couple of weeks since the book has been available in the market. But I am quite excited with the response I have got from those who have read it. They found the story very interesting, pacy, simple to read, and easy to associate with.

An Engineer with Indian Air Force and an Author – how did this happen?

Actually it shouldn’t be too surprising. As an officer in the armed forces, one gets to see so much in life – different cultures, different people, different attitudes. So, many of us would have lots of stories to tell. It is just a question of putting it down into a readable book!

What inspires you to write this particular story?

The inspiration came when I read about the Human Genome Project. This was many years ago. The project was basically to determine the sequence of the chemical base pairs which make up DNA – the bonds which make up DNA. Although the aim is to find solutions to many diseases, it also throws up many ethical issues of whether man is actually trying to play God. I found this very interesting, and I wove my story around this.

Can we tag it as a story based on extra-marital affair?

Only to some extent.It is actually a story of human relationships. It is a story of how relationships are affected by the environment and the society we live in – of how norms of society can alter the thinking of even very strong individuals. And it is a story of ethical issues in some aspects of scientific development.

Are the central characters in the novel based on real persons?

They are definitely influenced by real persons. And they are real life. If you look around you, you will find these characters in people around you. That, I would say, is the strength of the story.

Both the protagonists of the book were well established and highly educated, then why did Anjali choose not to leave Sunil and stay with Aakash? Why did they compromise like any other helpless ‘lovers’?

Life throws up many choices. It makes us take many decisions – some of them are what we want, while some are taken by us so that we can co-exist with the environment around us. You have hit the nail on the head with this question. It was because they were well educated that Anjali and Aakash took the decisions that they did.  Easy decisions can be taken by anyone. It is the difficult and complicated decisions, where ‘being well established and highly educated’ plays a role in taking decisions which are best not only for oneself, but for the immediate group of people who would also be affected by the decision.

Aakash’s character was portrayed as very weak in a sense. Aakash supports Anjali unconditionally but he is a ‘loser’ in every sense. He can’t even say Tanvi was his daughter. It’s a kind of punishment Anjali gave Aakash. Why did you portray Aakash so weak?

On the other hand, I would say that Aakash’s character is very strong. From the beginning, as he guides and mentors Anjali, there was no selfish motive.  When he does realize that he is in love with Anjali, he is already in a maze. Let me pick-up a paragraph from the book:

“Have I fallen in love?” he asked himself. He knew the answer. And he knew that he was walking into a maze. It wasn’t as if she was unattached. She was married – and she was ‘committed’, as she had said. The maze would be endless, and the logical thing was to get out. But when you get into a maze, how do you get out? Which path takes you out and which path takes you deeper in?

So, Aakash was hardly a ‘loser’ – he responds very maturely to a situation, keeping in mind societal pressures. Neither is it a punishment meted out to him by Anjali. Till the end, if there is a relationship which Anjali has, it is with Aakash.

Was it intentional to give Aakash an untimely death?

Yes, the entire story is in a flashback. When I started writing the book, I started with the prologue, where Aakash has died, and there were many questions to be answered.  His death was what would make Anjali change her mind to her objections to reproductive cloning.

Rajiv Seth

Aakash’s tragic death led Anjali to move on very quickly and focus on her research project? Why was her reaction so fragile?

The project was very large in nature. The major task was to do with therapeutic cloning – creating genetically identical cells for tissues and organs for transplantation, so that there would be little or no immune response. This was meant for helping in the field of medicine. Anjali was very comfortable with this, in fact she was excited by it and had put all her weight behind it. It was only when she realized that they were simultaneously moving towards reproductive cloning, that ethical issues made her hesitate.

So while she was working whole-heartedly on the project in Shillong,  Aakash’s death made her overcome the hesitation in working towards reproductive cloning –  with the thought that she could have another bond – in a very unconventional manner !

 ‘Bonds are forever’ in what sense? Sunil and Anjali’s marital bond or Anjali and Aakash’s love bond…which was more powerful?

Oh definitely Anjali and Aakash’s bond. That is the bond which she in her mind felt was ‘forever’ and that is the bond she tries in the end to recreate in another form !

Do you think that Anjali should have gone with Aakash to live happily for the rest of her life than being stuck in a compromise relationship with Sunil?

Not at all. It was a well thought out decision from her point of view, keeping her family in mind. What has been brought out is the dilemma Anjali was in. Keeping societal and family pressures in mind, just going off with Aakash might not have let her live happily for the rest of her life. As I mentioned before, this was a fork in her life, with choices to take a call on, and what she chose was a decision which she felt was the best to co-exist with the environment around her.

What is ‘love’ and ‘bond’ according to you?

Love is not made – it happens. Bonds are made – they don’t happen.  When they co-exist, it is euphoria.

Did you have a target readership in mind?

This is a story for everyone.  The soft, romantic part is for the young. Aakash’s father’s charm and his romance is for those young at heart. And I think the genetics part and the discussions on ethics in the procedures, gives us an introduction to a very interesting area of science

How was your experience with your publisher?

Very enriching. I did get some valuable comments, which were incorporated into the story. Above all I did get a lot of encouragement at every stage of the editing and finishing process.

What interests you other than writing?

I guess I am a very typical Gemini – so lots of things. I have a ‘mechanical’ bent of mind and love to tinker with gadgets. New gadgets and new technology fascinates me. I love travelling and seeing new places, especially those which have a history associated with them. I’ve recently started learning golf – and that’s a lot of fun.

What kind of books do you like to read?

A variety. But if you ask me about my favourite authors, I would say Ayn Rand and Arthur Hailey. By the way, Arthur Hailey was in the Air Force before he penned his first novel – Runway Zero Eight.

What kind of support are you getting?

Lots of it. People have been calling me up to share their thoughts on the book, and encouraging me to continue writing. It is a very nice feeling.

Have you started planning for your next book? What would be the subject?

Actually I have. This story isn’t finished. When you read ‘Never Say Goodbye’, you will be left with a few question marks. It is those question marks which I plan to address in my next story.

Any message for Spectralhues readers…

In today’s world of intense technological development, there is a noticeable movement away from reading books. I would still want to encourage Spectralhues readers to continue the reading habit. It is extremely enriching. While other forms of gaining knowledge have their own advantages, the feel of a book will never get substituted. Just holding a good book in your hand gives a euphoric sensation, which is difficult to substitute.

Thank you Rajiv for your time. Wish you all the best for your future works.

Thank you. It’s been a pleasure discussing with you.

• About the Author

About Sprightly Spirit

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