My journey of authoring a national bestseller
Holding a copy of your book with the tag of a ‘national bestseller’ is a dream for every author. Today, I hold one of my 3 books with that tag. And it is humbling.
I recollected the day the journey of writing this book started. On April 7th, 2013 I conceived this book; just as a mother conceives a baby.
I was graduating from IIM-Calcutta that day. Also graduating with me was Suresh, a 100% visually impaired person. I could not fathom how a blind person could cross so many hurdles to graduate out of one of the most prestigious institutes of the country. How did he manage to crack CAT? How did he handle the pie charts and the bar graphs?
I was so intrigued that I reached out to Suresh thinking of writing his auto-biography. Little did I know that Suresh was not alone. Little did I know that I had just started on a journey of inner transformation. Little did I know that I had stared on a path of producing a work I will forever be proud of.
‘Because Life Is A Gift’ took me 9 months to write and another 6 to get published. In the journey, I met so many people who changed my perception about life forever. I was humbled with each such introduction. I felt small. I felt accountable.
A 9 year old boy was India’s youngest patent holder. A bed-ridden man was running an NGO for disabled people from his bed. A lady without hands was India’s leading foot painter. A man without a leg was India’s leading blade runner. So many of them had seen death; up close and personal.
Writing this book was the most emotional journey of my life. I wish I could make everyone feel what I felt. I wish the society changes its perception towards disability. I truly hoped to make a small difference.
I write out of passion and have never paid anyone to review my book or market it. I do not want to sell. I want people to be drawn to my writing. And so, I did not do any promotion that needed money.
The book kept picking up sales by word-of-mouth. People felt moved by the stories. I started receiving emails from both able-bodied and differently-abled people; expressing their gratitude and appreciation. In my mind, this work was a masterpiece that I myself may never be able to create in this lifetime. In my mind, this work was already a best-seller. It was my legacy to the world, the purpose I was born for.
I feel blessed to have touched lives, inspired and motivated a small change in our mindsets. I recommend this book of mine to each and everyone. No because I have written it. As a matter of fact, I do not recommend my other two books as much as I recommend this one :) I am glad that it is this work of mine that sold so many copies.
It is a book you should gift to your friends who read. If you have someone feeling low on life, this is a dose of happiness. I have received emails from people who said the book brought them back from a verge of suicide. I recommend this because I know it has the power to touch every human soul.
As a parent, it is difficult to choose who is your most favorite child. But for me, ‘Because Life Is A Gift’ wins hands down. I felt a hand of God in getting this book out. I have been a mere vehicle and God himself has been my chariot. I truly believe the words in this book are him speaking through me.‘Because EVERY Life is a Gift’.
