RANDOM THOUGHTS AND INSIGHTFUL OPINIONS ARRANGED IN AN EXQUISITE BOUQUET!

Chirdeep Malhotra . Updated: 12/21/2019 4:08:46 PM Books and Authors

Author Interview: Bill K Koul

Indian-Australian Bill K Koul is an engineering consultant by profession and a writer by passion. He lives in Perth, Australia. He is an APEC accredited engineer, and has also written for various newspapers and magazines in India and delivered lectures on Kashmir in Perth. He has recently come out with the book “A Bouquet of Random Thoughts”, which also features illustrations by Iranian-Australian architect Shadi Shahgaldi. In a candid chat with Chirdeep Malhotra, he talks about his latest book, his writing journey, his favourite books and authors, and much more.



Please tell us more about Bill K Koul as a person.

I am an engineering consultant by profession, a humanist and philosopher by nature, and a writer by passion. I am a Fellow and Chartered Professional Engineer of Engineers Australia, Fellow of Australian Institute of Management and an APEC accredited engineer. I live in Perth, Australia. I have worked on engineering projects globally in more than 35 countries.
This is my fifth book in the past four years. The other four books authored by me are “22 Years – A Kashmir Story”, “My life does not have to be unhappy”, “Issues white-anting India”, and “Does India need a dictator – to rescue a sinking nation”.
On a regular basis, I write articles on my website (https://billkkoul.com), as well as my thoughts on social media, on various topics – education, politics, philosophy of life, gender inequality, life and liveability, etc.



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?

As an engineering student, I loved writing poems. But due to the struggles in life, especially after my sudden exodus from Kashmir in Dec 1989, my passion for poetry and philosophical writing did not blossom for the next quarter of a century despite a strong desire to start my non-technical writing career since early 2000. One day, in April 2016, I broke the jinx and the flood gates opened.
Writing has always been a part of my life, in one form or other. I spent nearly a decade of my professional career in academics. Thereafter, as a fulltime engineering consultant – in India, Malaysia and Australia – I must have written close to a thousand technical reports. Each technical report has been a story- What and why we did what we did? What were the issues? What were the possible solutions?
My technical writings have been issues and objectives based. My non-technical writing, in the non-fictional category, easily fitted the mould of my natural writing- Identifications of issues and problems, philosophical discussion of the issues, with a logical progression towards the identification of possible solutions and a commentary on those solutions. I don’t raise an issue unless I have a practical solution to address it.



Can you tell us more about your book “A Bouquet of Random Thoughts”?

This book “A Bouquet of Random Thoughts” provides my thoughts – about life, humanism, education, gender equality, politics, liveability and sustainability of the world – as an assortment of articles, passages, one-liners and poems, wrapped with a number of thoughtful and beautiful illustrations. The readers can open any page and pick a few thought-provoking thoughts. It should be of interest to all readers, young and old, as it has universal themes.



How did the idea of writing this book emerge?

This book captures my thoughts – random thoughts – some big, some short – just like a bouquet that contains an assortment of everything – from leaves and ferns to beautiful flowers – big and small – of varied colours and shades – some with barbs. It is a bouquet one of its kind – imperfect to an extent – some natural and some deliberate – to mirror humans. I never stop thinking, wondering and philosophising about this world, our global human issues and how I can help to address those issues. This book is a work in progress, I may possible publish a sequel to this one at some point of time.



This book also features captivating illustrations. How did the idea of including illustrations in the book emerge? What role do you think illustrations play in taking the message of the author’s writings to the readers?

Illustrations provide a pictorial message to a reader. They trigger a reader’s imagination. An illustration can convey an important message almost instantly, sometimes which even a thousand words may not be able to convey easily.
Even before a child learns to read and write, the child becomes familiar with shapes and forms of objects, their colours, etc. Caricatures and cartoons are a very intelligent way of education, so are the illustrations, whether in a class room on a black / white board; or in children’s story book; or in a book like this for adults, intertwined with philosophy for adults.



What are the books that are occupying your non-working hours these days?

From time to time, I read the books “I Think, Therefore I am” by Lesley Levene and “Socrates – a guide for the perplexed” by Sara Ahbel- Rappe.



Can you recommend five books from any genre, for our readers to add to their reading lists, that you particularly cherish?

These are “Prophet” by Kahlil Gibran, “Khushwant Singh – in Wisdom & in Jest” by Vijay Narain Shankar, “Jesus in the East” by Fida Hassnain, “The TRP Trick” by N Bhaskara Rao, and “Science of Being & Art of Living” by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.



What are your other interests apart from writing?

I love running along the river early morning before sunrise. I love watching and playing cricket. I love watching movies, especially real-life dramas and action thrillers, including World War I and II movies. I also love listening to music – mostly classic western, jazz and Urdu ghazals.



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

My sixth book, “The Exiled Pandits of Kashmir – will they return home?” is currently under publication and due for release in the next few weeks. It discusses Kashmiri Pandits – who and where are they, with a commentary on their social and political issues. It also discusses why all Kashmiris must come together for helping themselves and their homeland, whilst quickly summing up the past 3,000 years of history of the valley and the recent Pakistan factor related to its instability.
I am currently working on my seventh book, “Religion, Science & Spirituality – the Charmed Triangle of Life”, which I am co-authoring with a noted poet and author, Vijay Narain Shankar. This book should hopefully be realised sometime in mid-2020. I am also active in a think tank that will need writing a proposal in the form of a book. God willing and life permitting, I have at least three more writing projects in view at the moment for the next couple of years.



There are many new writers and poets who are aspiring to get their work published. What would you say to them?

Ask yourself why you want to write- Is it for making money? Is it for purely literary reasons? Is it for making this world a better place? Whatever motivates you to write, just be honest. Write for yourself, write from your heart. Be purposeful. Be yourself. Don’t let anything inhibit your thoughts. Be bold. Be fearless. Nothing is perfect in Nature. No one is perfect; we are all a work in progress.



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

‘People of accomplishment rarely sit back and let things happen to them. They go out and happen to things.’- by Elinor Smith.
Updated On 12/23/2019 5:53:17 PM


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