Tete-e-tete With Author Saptarshi Basu

A Gold Medalist in Mechanical Engineering, Saptarshi Basu has worked with the top 3 IT MNCs in India. Currently he is working with Wipro Technologies as Project Manager. He had subsequently lived in London, Toronto, Dubai and San Francisco before moving back to his ‘home’ in Kolkata. Along with writing Saptarshi has a keen interest in blogging and traveling. His poems and stories have been published in different magazines. ‘Autumn In My Heart’ is his second novel. His first novel ‘Love {Logic} & The God’s Algorithm’ was well received by critics and book lovers.

We at Spectralhues got in touch with the author. In a candid interview with Susmita Bose, he tells about his interests and journey from being an IT professional to an author.

Congratulations on the release of your second book “Autumn In My Heart”. Tell us what Kind of response you are receiving from readers?

Just one word ‘Awesome’- being a new and ‘by chance’ author and having the first re-print in only 2 weeks has been great. Also the book got completely sold out at the recent Kolkata Book fair showing a good acceptance among readers.

How do you come upon with this title? Any interesting story behind it?

The novel  has a ‘history’ to it. During my Engineering college days, A lot of painful events caused due to lost love disturbed me thoroughly. Even today, when I flip through the new papers or even surf the internet, gruesome suicides and murders on the event of broken love really baffles me. So, I urgently felt that I should pen down my feelings and…

And even if a single broken- heart gets the zeal to love again after reading my book, I will feel that my true goal has been achieved.

What was the inspiration behind this book?

The genre I had chosen to write deals with the problems and lifestyle of today’s generation. The book although being a fiction depicts the different hues of our own life. Autumn in my Heart is composed of many narratives of individuals seen wrestling with their thoughts to attain the true meaning of ‘love’.

The compelling factor had always been to pass- on a strong social message for which I took up writing.

Recently Times had organized ‘Meet the Author’ at Kolkata Book Fair to promote your book. How was the experience?

First, big thanks to TIMES for helping me and supporting me all the way. Really feels great. The response was truly great in terms of meeting new people and exchange of ideas. There were people who had travelled all the way from Orissa just to meet me made the occasion all the more special.

What kind of support you are getting?

Being a new writer, it’s tough to get support but I must say I had been lucky. I had been interviewed by most leading newspapers like The Hindu, Times of India, HT, The Statesman, asking me in details about my book. TOI have published a detailed review in their online paper as well as featuring my book in the Kolkata edition.

Your first book released in e-book format, it is also listed in Amazon kindle version. How do you feel about it?

E-Book gives the author a wider audience and Amazon being the leading site, it really feels good to be listed there.

Coming back to your second book, I have noticed that Dev’s character is portrayed more clearly than others. Why is this so? Is ‘Deb’ your favourite character from this book?

I had tried to pass on a strong message to today’s youth under the veil of entertainment. In this process, I felt that all characters should be given equal space and importance. Deb, I will say is typically the leading role around whom the plot is sewed. But each and every character is given due justice and I will say the novel is more female-oriented than being male-oriented.

The book has a little ‘gay’ angle, is it intentional? Do you thing Vinod’s character was necessary?

I must say that I had to do a lot of research to put the ‘Little gay angle’ in the book and it took me almost 2 years (I started writing the novel in 2009). Coming back to the homosexuality factor, I had tried to bring forth a social evil –In the way that, we generally comment about people’s behavior without even knowing the truth behind it. Also, the ‘Gay angle’ is an integral part of the novel so that readers don’t feel that it’s just put into the story.

How do you manage time for writing with a full time challenging job?

It’s really a tough question & I feel that my wife would have been the best person to answer it. 🙂

Less partying, less movies, less timeouts & more reading, more writing and more sleepless nights perhaps had helped me!

It is said that exploring new places inspires writings. As you travel a lot, is that happen to you also?

I must agree to it. Travelling helps you meet new places and people. I really want to pen down the beautiful and extremely interesting travel experiences in a travelogue one day.

Tell us something about your future plans? Have you already started planning for your next book?

Yes, I am currently working on my next plot. I am afraid ,I can’t say much as am bided by the contract, but to give the readers a hint about the story- It’s like if Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore, with all my respect to him, would have started the first English rock band in Kolkata during British regime.

Any particular author or book which has inspired you?

Not one but many. Authors like Ayn Rand, Charles Dickens, Victor Hugo, Khaled Hossaini, Amitav Ghosh, Murakami  and books like Great expectations, The fountainhead, Les Miserables, Hungry tide, The wind-up bird chronicle – the list goes on and on- and above all and the person who had inspired me the most is Grudev Rabindranath Tagore.

Any message for readers who would buy your books…

The sole reason of mine for taking up writing was to portray our day-to-day life with the happiness, sorrows and problems in it and trying my level best to provide a possible solution. I would like to thank all my readers for accepting me and encouraging me to move forward…

That was Saptarshi Basu in a candid chat with Spectralhues. The young author is happy and delighted that his second book ‘Autumn In My Heart’ is also  loved and accepted by the book lovers of India. Spectralhues is wishing him all the success for his future endeavors.

• 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!