WRITING ABOUT THE INSPIRATIONAL LIFE OF DR. A.P.J. ABDUL KALAM

Author Interview : Eshan Sharma

Eshan Sharma is one of the youngest Indian authors. He is currently pursuing his under graduation in History from Delhi University. He has written, at the age of 16, a motivational book “The Teacher I Never Met”, based on Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam’s life and also about Mission INDIA 2030, a dream of Dr. Kalam. He has received many accolades for this book, and he also writes on issues relating to the Indian youth. In a candid chat with Chirdeep Malhotra, he talks about his book, his writing journey, and why the aspirational Indian youth is becoming influential, both on the Indian political scene and the world stage.


Please tell us more about Eshan Sharma as a person.
I am a fun-loving guy. I think I am an avid reader, I discuss politics with friends, and I often chat with random school going kids on the street about their dreams. I am also a foodie, explorer and history buff. I started my journey as a writer at the age of eleven.

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?
I believe writing has been a part of my life. I used to write Hindi poetry and then I started writing articles. It was in my genes, my grandfather was a writer. I never intended to be a student of literature; neither did I aspire to be a writer when I was growing up. But I never disliked writing. I completed the manuscript of “The Teacher I Never Met” as a diary entry.

Can you tell us more about your book “The Teacher I Never Met”?
The book is the story of a school going kid of 11 years who believes that Abdul Kalam is his mentor. The journey of the boy in the book is all about exploring about the missile man. Later at the age of 16, he tends to start an adventure travel into the lifeline of Kalam since a kid till his last days. The book is a non-fiction inspiration book with lots of emotions shown towards a person whom the boy in the story considers as his mentor. This is not a mere book with a story but the journey of a successful human through whose teachings young children can have an idea of laying down the path to their golden future. Being a youth we keep interacting with each other always, be it through social media, debates, classrooms; which help us gain experiences and exchange our thoughts and feelings. This book is a result of such thoughts, experiences, and lessons learned during this journey with a teacher I have never met. Weird? But it is not, give it a try.

How has the response of readers been to your book?
It is fantastic. I get emails, phone calls and letters appreciating my work. I never expected such a response while I was writing this particular book. People often write to me that my book is ‘Life changing’ and inspirational and that gives me real happiness. So, I receive wonderful feedbacks and for that I am thankful to all my readers and family.

What do you consider to be your best accomplishment?
For me, my best accomplishment is getting an email stating that my book has changed one life. What could be more satisfying than changing someone’s life or making an impact in a positive direction?

What do you think is the literary scenario in contemporary Indian English non-fiction?
I believe, I am not so thorough with Indian writings but yes I have read quite a few writers. The standard is really wonderful, I am not a person who criticizes anyone, I respect each and every author I read and I like everyone’s style, because at the end of the day, we all are unique. So, I would like to appreciate each and every author I have read by now.

What inspired you to write ‘The Teacher I Never Met’?
Expressing yourself, is writing. I started with poetry, then for expressing I started writing blogs. So age doesn’t matter much in literature. We have the largest youth population in the world, motivating them is my main motive, I am a keynote speaker also. So for me writing is self-introspection. I was inspired by the young population of our nation and the dream of INDIA 2020 by Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. The youth, young bloods of my nation motivated me to write ‘The Teacher I Never Met’.

What are your views on the Indian youth?
The Indian youth is revolutionary. We are the youngest nation with the oldest civilization; youth are the leaders of today and not tomorrow. Whenever I talk to them, I find that we are not just almost 600 million faces but we are 600 million aspirations. The power of youth is one of the most influential, powerful and useful weapons we have today. Today, when we are facing many challenges in terms of economy, politics, environment or whatever it may be, the youth population might prove to be a saviour. Their scope of thinking is vast enough to tackle many challenges for the nation. In school, whenever two friends sit together and talk about politics or a challenge that India might be facing, they come up with many ideas that may be illogical, sometimes, but most of the time, they are unique and reflect a higher level of wisdom, even at an early stage of life.

There are many new writers and poets who are aspiring to get their work published. What would you say to them?
I Quote Dr. Kalam that END is not the End, in fact E. N. D. means Efforts never Dies. Never quit easily, Keep on reading as William Feather once said- ‘Books open your mind, broaden your mind, and strengthen you as nothing else can’. Never give up while writing and be you, Unique. Self-introspect, as we all are full of unexplored potentials and the need of the hour is to know our ‘Self’. So that’s my piece of advice to my young friends and aspiring authors.

Can you share with our readers a motivational quote that keeps you going?
You don’t need a motivational quote if you are motivated from within. I always keep in mind that ‘Success is not final; failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts.’