Folktales of Faujpur is a collection of short stories. These eleven urban folktales have captured the hopes, dreams, and experiences of people of an imaginary town called Faujpur.
In an interaction with Gaurav Bajpai, director – India Operations at Nustar Technologies India Pvt Ltd, and author of Folktales of Faujpur, we get to know what inspired him:
How has your journey been from a technology field to that of a writer?
I love travelling, and thanks to my job have touched most of India and abroad. Travelling allowed me to meet new people, try a new cuisine, listen to new stories, and be a part of varied experiences. I believe everyone at some point in time should pack their bags and plunge into some unknown world. Travelling gives you a different perspective, something that is unexplored. We move out of our comfort zone and see beyond the obvious. The transition from a professional to a writer has also been filled with varied experiences, similar to my travelling experiences. There were phases of self doubt, hesitation and apprehensions. Then there were some great experiences of learning and motivation. This journey has also been eventful just like a traveller who sets out to experience the unexplored. I would not say that I have reached my destination when it comes to writing, but have touched one milestone with this book. There is still a lot to cover and unearth and learn in this process.
What inspired you to write?
Travelling and the desire to create my fictional world, to share my experiences inspired me to write. Every human being has an inherent trait to create something – be it a scientist, an artist, or a writer. The seeds of storytelling were sown quite early in my life. Starting from the daily ritual of listening to bedtime stories, germinating into a reading habit and then into writing a diary. When I started travelling, writing a diary or journaling became a part of my schedule. There were stories, there were experiences, there was that taste from around the world and the vibrant life.
What is your debut book about?
Folktales of Faujpur is a collection of short stories. These eleven urban folktales have captured the hopes, dreams, and experiences of people of an imaginary town called Faujpur. Faujpur will speak with you through these eleven folktales and ask you about the tales from your town. This collection will bring you close to your city and might give you a different perspective to look for more interesting stories.
People might ask – Where is Faujpur? I don’t know, but I am sure it is somewhere. It does not matter that a town is named Faujpur. The people, landmarks, experiences, and their relationships with each other would remain similar. This town is my imagination, my world and my colours.
Why did you choose to write a collection of folklores?
I would rather stick with Folktales – the stories of people, their adventure, drama, history, information or a memoir. This being my first effort, I thought it would be better to tell as many stories as possible rather than confine myself to one novel. There are quite a few that I have not included in this collection; still working on them hopefully they will be there in the next one.
How much time did it take you to write the book?
It took me close to seven months to get this manuscript out for print. It was the editing and revisiting of the stories that took time. As they say ‘write when drunk and edit when sober, it was indeed the editing that took most of the time. My first creation and I wanted it to get every single thing right. I used to share my stories within my family to get some outside perspective and the suggestions that came were really useful, but that did increase the time in completing the manuscript. Every day, reading the stories gave me some ideas, and then the rewriting process used to start. Eventually, I was able to curb my desire to rewrite and was able to get the manuscript out to the publisher.
Did you face any hurdles? Please elaborate
I always wanted to write, but apprehensions related to my writing style and self doubt often crippled me. I vividly remember that during my work stint in the US, I used to enroll in weekend writing workshops in New York and at times used to skip them with a fear that I cannot do it. One such workshop happened in the New York state library and that day I was also present there. There were people of every age group, there were first-time writers, some published ones, and some who like me wanted to explore the fictional world. During the introduction round, I heard a lady, aged 62, expressing her desire to learn how to write so that she can tell stories to her grandkids. That determination and resolve moved me, it also helped me overcome my apprehensions and get the words on paper.
I think most first-timers have these apprehensions and doubts, whether they can write, whether anyone would read them etc. and this is the biggest hurdle according to me. What we should just focus on is to write, every day, without break, because like all other art forms, you get better with practice. I started writing, without any fear, without any doubt and words and ideas started flowing in. Now I have a very organized way of writing, I cannot sit in front of the computer and just start writing. Before I start, there is some bit of planning that happens, like putting the names of the characters, some scenes, how the story will start etc. we all develop methods and with practice it becomes firm.
Also Read: Skymet launches skAlgeo to pave way for fintech revolution
Do you have more books in the pipeline?
Yes, I do. I have started working on my next book. I hope that the turnaround time for this one is not as much as the first one. Writing helps me relax, unwind and makes me happy. My longing to write has finally become my passion, and I would continue to churn out words, share my experiences, weave plots and make you meet interesting characters.
