A Storyful Life – Ahmedabad Mirror

By | Anurita Rathore Jadeja

From trend, girls, causes and careers to life-stories of wonderful and celebrated artistes. How would you say your writing journey has felt like?
I feel future steered me in direction of telling tales that encourage and empower. Whilst a rookie journalist my tales had been about those that wanted consideration and assist. This modified to writing about achievers, actual girls whose life may mild the way in which for others, and points that might assist readers discover options. Vogue, meals writing and writing on the performing arts, and pictures got here in as a part of increasing my canvas of choices to the altering Indian lady once I grew to become editor of Femina. I learnt trend, meals and pictures and much more alongside the way in which and shared my learnings. It constructed a bond between the journal and the readers. When the world of biographies opened up, fairly unintentionally, I selected to vary observe and write about movie greats within the music sphere, as a result of movie music has at all times been near my coronary heart and I like Hindi movie songs of the golden period. Once more, in these lives, I discovered each inspiration and pleasure. I wrote the tales with the components utilized in fiction writing to make the books dramatic, attention-grabbing and fascinating.

Your newest guide Breath of Gold: Hariprasad Chaurasia on this very beloved flautist’s life provides attention-grabbing insights – from him being a wrestler to secretly enjoying the flute. What concerning the man, in your understanding of him, has been his successful mantra?
Hariji’s dedication, his full love of music, his continued tapasya. Humility prompts him to say he’s nonetheless studying. And the truth that he has performed with virtually each nice musician on the earth, from Japan to America, reveals how open his thoughts and coronary heart are to the common name of music to human hearts. Although his music is classical within the fairly strict Indian, Hindustani custom, he embraces range and blends into any music effortlessly, whereas holding his personal area. Little surprise he has an enormous worldwide fan following and pupil base.

From the soothing Name of the Valley with Pandit Shivkumar Sharma to composing romantic songs of Silsila, Chandni, Lamhe, what concerning the musicians’ journey struck you as most intriguing and spectacular?
Each Hariji and Shivji had been pioneers in their very own fields, and the synergy between them made all the things they undertook collectively a pleasant journey with many lovely moments of discovery. That’s the reason the Name of the Valley stays the very best promoting Indian classical music album even at present. And why the movies they labored on had been decked with lovely songs. 

Should you needed to describe Pandit Chaurasia in solely three phrases, they might be…
Breath of Gold

Baat Niklegi Toh Phir: The Life and Music of Jagjit Singh journeys the reader via the ghazal stalwart’s soul-searching music, his triumphs and tragedies. What about him was troublesome to pen and in addition essentially the most touching?
The complete episode of him coming to know of his son’s accident, dying after which his battle earlier than coming to phrases with it. It was extraordinarily painful for Chitra to speak about it even so a few years later. Certainly, the poignancy of the ache permeates the chapters.

How simple or troublesome was it to modify from his private loss to his wonderful musical canvas?
He surmounted the ache by submerging it in music, and philanthropy. However as you might need learn, there have been situations when he would break down on stage throughout a session.

You even have written Being Ritu: The Extraordinary Lifetime of Ritu Nanda, actor Raj Kapoor’s elder daughter. What was particular about her life sufficient to attract your curiosity in her?
She was an actual Lady of Substance. Attending to know her from the many individuals I interviewed, together with her youngsters, made me really feel humble and crammed me with a remorse over not having identified her. Unhappy that I used to be assigned the guide after her dying. However glad I may share her wonderful story, so it might encourage readers because it did me. I’m not joking once I say, I learnt loads from Ritu. I had no thought…

Solar Mere Bandhu Re The Musical World of S D Burman and Ten Years with Guru Dutt Abrar Alvi’s Journey are each sure to move the reader to the golden period of Bollywood. Inform us one thing you learnt within the strategy of writing about these legends that you’d always remember. 
Each books are full of wonderful behind-the-scenes tales. Of how a track is made and conceived. In Ten Years with Guru Dutt, Abrar Alvi’s tales are sometimes mindblowing, and reveal how a genius like Guru Dutt thought and labored. SD Burman’s biography is stuffed with songs and sequences from movies, many readers hearken to the songs on YouTube as they learn the guide. They are saying it turns into a 360-degree expertise. That gladdens my coronary heart. These songs, just like the creations of different musical greats of the Nineteen Sixties and ’70s, will resound perpetually.

Quick tales or biographies: What may we count on from you subsequent?
Each. One in every of every is within the pipeline, awaiting enhancing to be accomplished. This will probably be my second guide of fiction. The Darkish Aspect, which is my first, was my first revealed work, although below a distinct title. I’m additionally engaged on a translation; my first try. I’m praying I deserve the religion reposed in me by the author, and rise to his expectations.

What was your largest excessive when writing women-centric tales throughout your position as editor of a lady’s journal for over a decade?
The sheer magnitude and depth of the connection the journal established was a excessive. I didn’t do it alone; we as a group had been devoted to speak, assist, befriend and encourage girls. Even at present, I run into strangers who’ve splendidly heat recollections of a number of tales and write-ups and consider it enriched their lives. 
That may be a uncommon blessing I’m very grateful for. 
 

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