A COMMON MAN’S EXTRAORDINARY LIFE STORY

Author Interview: Sanjay Chandra

Sanjay Chandra lives with his wife and two daughters in Gurgaon. He completed his professional degree in electrical engineering and joined the railway services. He first quit his railway job to join a government company, and then quit working for the government altogether to join the private sector. Eventually, he quit the private sector also and became an entrepreneur. Now, in the early years of his seventh decade, he is enjoying yet another passion– writing. He has recently come out with his debut book, “The Life and Times of a Common Man”. He also writes articles of social relevance. In a candid chat with Chirdeep Malhotra, he talks about his book, his writing journey, and his other literary projects. Read on!



Please tell us more about Sanjay Chandra as a person.

Sanjay Chandra, today, is a sum total of all of life’s experiences so far. Born as the eldest child in the family in the late 1950s (a period which was much more patriarchal in nature than today), it instilled in me a set of values and responsibilities which were true to that time. Whether it was following a course which was charted out for me or feeling responsible for the wellbeing of my younger siblings, I followed a ‘typical’ journey. However, the various incidents in my life have created a different mould for my character– an ever evolving one.
I still feel a sense of responsibility towards those who are closest to me– my family, my friends, my colleagues. However, life has now taught me to be independent in my approach, to chart my own destiny. With that, I have also learnt the importance of discipline and of a dedicated effort required to follow your own path. The birth and journey of my daughters have, over a period of decades, given me a perspective so different from the patriarchy which I was exposed to during my early years. It has made me realise the importance of different perspectives. I now listen to all viewpoints before forming an opinion. I have learnt over time that nothing is permanent in life, so we must live a life without any regrets. I have always been a dreamer who has dreamt with open eyes. I now follow those dreams passionately, and do everything I can to make them true.



Has writing always been a part of your life? Or did you chance upon it later on and then instantly fell in love with it?

One is always writing in life something or the other. As a student, I had to take notes in classes. As a railway engineer, I had to write notes in files. But jokes apart, I never wrote literature in my earlier life except probably a few poems when I was in college or one letter a day that I wrote to my then wife-to-be during our long-distance courting days of about five months. A few years back, I started writing my memoirs on social media. I stopped writing after probably three of these rather long posts. Then I started receiving queries from my friends that they were eagerly waiting for my next posts. This set me on a journey to pen down my memoirs, which eventually became the book “The Life and Times of a Common Man”. As I started reading back what I had written, I started loving it. And yes, I fell in love with writing.



Can you tell us more about your book “The Life and Times of a Common Man”?

This book is about my memories of incidents that have shaped my life right from birth till the present. The book is all about the fact that no child is born common. But his or her life can be common or special as he or she chooses. I chose not to remain a common man. And I firmly believe that it is in all of us to pursue our dreams passionately and make our lives extraordinary.



How has the response of readers been to your book?

I have been amazed and touched by the response that I have received to my book. All the reviews posted by the readers speak about the resonance that they felt when reading the book. I received a message from one young man in Bengal, who had been gifted this book by his uncle on his birthday and who felt inspired by the book to excel in life. The best part is that the book has been liked by people of different age groups and by both men and women.



How did the idea of writing this book emerge?

The reactions I received to my posts on social media and also my experiences in communicating with people made me realise that people from middle-class India still face the dilemmas that I had faced in the journey of my life. Parents still consider engineering or medicine to be safe career choices for their children despite numerous other career options being available. Parents still consider government jobs as safe options, making their children join at levels lower than their academic qualifications or capabilities, whereas better job options or even entrepreneurship options are available now. This encouraged me to write my book “The Life and Times of a Common Man” with the expectation that it will inspire people to live a more meaningful life pursuing their dreams passionately.



On your website, you also write blogs and articles in the segment “Musings of a Pioneer”. Could you tell us more about this?

All my blogs and articles are inspired by our daily experiences. There is so much that we need to do as humans to ensure a better future for the generations to come. These blogs and articles are my own little initiatives in making people more aware.



What are the books that you are currently reading?

I am a voracious reader. I started reading very early in my life. I remember having read “The Three Musketeers” by Alexandre Dumas when I was only around 8 or 9 years old. The habit continued and there is always a book by my bedside. I am mostly fond of reading fiction; but I have also read a lot of non-fiction and enjoyed it. I am currently reading “Quichotte” by Salman Rushdie, having completed “The Winter of the Witch” by Katherine Arden a few days back.



What are your other interests apart from writing?

I love reading, travelling and photography. We have a family ritual to travel at least twice a year and I will always have a book and my camera during these travels.



Are there any other literary projects that you’re currently working on?

I have already completed the draft of my second book titled “The Street Performers”. This is a novel spanning from 1955 to 2028 about the lives of three children, coming from a fairly well to do family, but forced by circumstances to live in a shanty in their childhood and perform by the roadside to earn a little money to support the efforts of their parents. There are so many plots that I am working on for my next book and I hope to start soon on my third book.



Can you share with our readers a motivational quote that keeps you going?

It is from the famous poem “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” by Robert Frost- ‘I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep’.