“This reminds me of the story of the grieving person who comes to the Buddha to ask for relief. Buddha tells them to go to all the houses in the village and ask for a seed from every household that has never experienced death. The person does so and finds that every single home has experienced what they are experiencing, even if the details are different.”
We writers are searching for that elusive soul who will see us. Truly see us. And no one can understand an author quite like another author. I have a chat with Sanchari Das about how her journey as a book reviewer has shaped her as an author.
Jupiter is a character that displays silent strength. We often think of strength as bravado and toughness. Yet, I believe real strength does not thump its chest to intimidate others. It is born out of compassion for all living beings. Believe me – it is far harder to exercise compassion than it is to gain power through intimidation.
This world has two types of people, one who rule it and the one who serves. It’s not necessary that the one who rules are CEOs, and the one who serves are employees, but the difference lies in the way they see life. The trap lies in never-ending desire, goal, and ambition. These are the things that are responsible for unhappiness among most of us.
The princess of Panchal has a very unique story of birth. King Draupad wanted a son to defeat Dronacharya and hence was trying, by all means, to get one. No one knew that along with a son, a daughter will also be born. As Draupadi emerged from the sacrificial fire, a heavenly voice announced that this girl will change the course of Bharat (modern-day India) in the future.
The genesis of fairy tales can be traced back to tradition of oral stories told by wandering storytellers. Such stories, which were passed on from mouth to mouth for long years without being written down ever, fascinated the children for centuries and kept their imagination alive. These stories remain in their memory along with their deep underlying moral streak, even when kids grow up. Such is the power of folklore and fairytales.
“Trying something new is always exciting. When I got the proposal to do character sketching, I was quite excited and a bit anxious. For me, giving life to imagination is a huge task as I mostly draw using references. But once I started the work, I felt good. It was a pleasure to work with the author. She always had a clear view about the work and how to develop it.”
