AN EPITOME OF GRACE AND INSPIRATION

Author Interview: Savita Singh

Savita Singh was born in New Delhi and did her schooling from DPS Mathura Road and St. Joseph’s Convent, Patna. She has done her BA Hons. in Psychology from IP College and her Masters in Aviation Psychology and M.Phil. in Social Psychology from Delhi University. She has been writing professionally since 1979 and has more than 300 published short stories, articles, poems, dramas, etc. to her credit. This includes more than a dozen books. She writes both in English and Hindi, and has also done a lot of translation work from Hindi to English. She has recently come up with the book “Of Love, Life & Laughter”. In a candid chat with Chirdeep Malhotra, she talks about her latest book, her writing journey, her favourite books, and much more.


You have been writing professionally since 1979. Your writing journey has been exceptional. Can you tell us more about it?
My journey in writing began at the age of eight, when my first short story for children was published in Hindi in Saptahik Hindustan, a Hindi weekly. I got five rupees for it, and that Kuber ka khazana and the pleasure I got from those five rupees has never been equalled ever. I wrote for my school magazine and for my college magazine and also for the NCC journal. Professionally, I started writing in 1979.

Can you give a brief overview of your book “Of Love, Life and Laughter”?
The stories in Love, Life & Laughter have been written keeping in mind the human side of life. The heroes and heroines are people like you and me or someone next door to us. They are simple, deal with human emotions and give us hope for a better world.


What kind of research went into writing this book?

Most of these stories have been written and published over more than two decades in various magazines and have been inspired by some incident or the other in real life.


You have graduated in Psychology and have further studied its various branches, which include Aviation psychology and Social psychology. Do elements of psychology reflect in your books? How does this help you to connect more with the reader?
These stories reflect the psychology of the common man. Every person always wants to portray himself as the ideal person. Maybe he is not. But he yearns to be so. So, most of us can identify with the heroes and heroines of the stories in this book.


You also write articles for various magazines. Can you tell us more about it and also the themes that you write about?

I have written articles on all kinds of topics, right from agony aunt types to those dealing with social problems and even those dealing with bloopers in life. I have written a lot of stories showcasing life in the armed forces, looking at the problems faced by the men in uniform and their families from a human angle. These have been brought out in a collection by Olympia Publishers under the title of The Other Side of Olive Green. I have written over fifteen books, including my autobiography. I have written right from children’s literature to M&B type of romances to professional ones, like ones on old-age problems and on terrorism. They have been brought out by Delhi Press, Rupa, Strategic Book Group, Authorspress, Olympia Publishers (United Kingdom), India Book House, Ratan Printing Press, Kalamos Literary Services, etc. The magazines I have been published in are also quite a few. Over the years, I have been published in Flair, Sainik Samachar, Woman’s Era, Caravan, Femina, Eve’s Weekly, Champak, Suman Saurabh, Tinkle, Children’s Book Trust, etc. I have also worked for ten years as a script writer for Colonel Raj Kapoor, the man who made Fauji and introduced Shahrukh Khan. I also did a stint as Agony Aunt for Woman’s Era for some time and as a local reporter for Noida Times of the Times of India. For a change, I also did some translation work from Hindi to English a while back.

What are your favourite books? Can you share with our esteemed readers about the genres that you like and your favourite authors?
My favourite books at present are autobiographies, books on the Second World War, and books which showcase human nature. But my all-time favourite book is Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell, and Jhansi Ki Rani by Vrindavan Lal Verma. As a child, I loved reading Enid Blyton adventure stories and Biggles, by W. E. Johns. Actually, Enid Blyton was my inspiration. I wanted to be like her. I love reading all human-interest stories, both in Hindi and English.

What are your other interests apart from writing?
Besides writing, I love reading, cooking and embroidery. I suppose I am a mother and a housewife first. I keep fit by doing meditation, self-hypnosis, reiki and yoga.

Are there any new literary projects that you’re currently working on?
Rupa should be bringing out a book of mine next year, and I am at present busy consolidating a cookery book with recipe’s written by my mother. I hope to get it published in her name in her memory. I am a second-generation writer. My mother was also a writer in Hindi. I am also looking around for a publisher for a romance based on reincarnation and a book which discuses corruption, its origins, its consequences and how to mitigate it.

There are many new writers there who are aspiring to get their work published. What would you say to them?
To young writers, I can say only one thing. Do not fear the rejection slip. Believe in yourself. Take a step at a time. Slow and steady always wins the race. Believe me, many of my stories have been rejected from ten places and have got published by the eleventh.