Interview with Chandrapal Khasiya - By Akash Khonde

Chandrapal Khasiya is currently pursuing Bachelor of Civil Engineering at A.D.Patel Institute of Technology, New V.V.Nagar. He is a voracious reader of epic-fantasy and thrillers. In spare time, he used to flip open his laptop and start filling the blank document with his imaginations. For him, writing is fun. It succours his soul. Blogging, random photography, acting and filmmaking has been recently added to his interest-zone. In short, he is a dreamer and passionately following his path of the destiny.

Buy his book here - Homeshop18 (and don't forget to share your reviews) 


Let us know more about him:


1] An unforgettable compliment or critic you received till date?

Fortunately, I am blessed with two buddies – Tejas Kemkar and Amit Pandey – who tolerate and review my crazy writings. Many times their criticism is so brutal that my mind stuns for few moments. Because of these two, my writing skill is refining day by day. “Yeh tuney likha hai ? Mast hai!” is the best compliment I’ve ever received from them. And the critic that pinched me gravely is “Yaar, sab kuch thik hai, bas ‘flow’ nahi aa raha!” Encouraging comments from my pals – Sarthak, Akar, Gaurav and Vimal – always instigated me to write more.

2] How well the books can influence one’s persuasion of things? In which way do you think you have directed them?

Being a bibliophile, I can tell many things how books had, and still influencing me. First of all it cleared all my cluttered thoughts, turning me into an optimistic thinker. New words crosses my eyes, enriching my vocabulary. Well, I can now express my emotions smoothly. Many times I encountered some people who complains about my obsessive reading, saying I am not enjoying my life. But the truth is I am enjoying a life which they could not even fantasize about it. With each book, I learn few things which moulds my principles and perception, evolving me into a better person.

3] Would you like to give any advice for upcoming writers/authors and our readers, in choosing their publishers and preparing their manuscripts? 

That’s a difficult question. I think I am not a right person to provide any advices to aspiring authors. But, if you really want to be an author I’ll suggest these. Read a lot, post or tweet genuine thoughts, blog something worth reading and take part in literature competitions. Luckily, the publishing industry is prospering currently in our country, providing a plethora of opportunities. Choose publishers who suffices your needs. Be patient and passionate with your work and believe in yourself.  

4] Are you a voracious reader? What kind of books do you like to read? Any particular writers who inspired your writing.

Undoubtedly, I am a voracious reader of epic fantasy and thrillers, I can wager on that. Apart of these two genres; mythology, general fiction, philosophy, history and motivational books interests me. If books are thick, then you’ll find me skimming through its pages.

J.R.R. Tolkien, J.K.Rowling, Amish Tripathi, Paulo Coelho, Robin Sharma, Robert Jordan, Dan Brown and Brandon Sanderson’s works are my usual picks. But, the one whose books I’ve read more than three times is revered J.R.R.Tolkien, author of the masterpiece – The Lord of The Rings.

5] From Engineer to Author, Passion versus Profession. How difficult was the fight? 

Heart touching question! It doesn’t matter if you are studying engineering or working as a professional, an engineer’s life is never easy. Because of the hectic and monotonous schedule, the flame of creativity was about to snuff and I had almost left the dream of being an author. But, by Lord Shiva’s grace, I met the Cultural Team of my college and my suppressed passion reawakened. Taral, Niraj, Dhaval, Dhruv Bhai, Sunil, Samarth, Vishwas, Akash, Dhyey, Vishal and Nirdesh – thank you guys for making me a part of the script writing team for Short Movie, Documentary, Puppetry and Qawalli Mash Up. You are my catalysts of creativity. If these people had not put their faith in me, believe me, I would only be an engineer rather than an engineered author.

6] Many young people land up in engineering solely because of parental pressure. Do you have any advice for the parents?

To be honest, there are few incidents in my past where I denied my parents’ reasoning and I suffered the consequences of my ignorance. That day I learned an invaluable lesson. Never doubt your parents. Sometimes, I too feel that I should be somewhere else, doing something that defines me. Well, it’s natural to think like that. But when I emphasise their perception, I understood they wanted me to be happy and flourishing. Just one word to youth, try once to make your parents aware about your dreams, if they agrees then best wishes to you from my side, but if they remain rigid with their decision – Just follow what they say. The most challenging aspect of engineering is to keep your passion alive. A true winner is one who manages everything.

To parents, I’ll request them to be supportive with their children’s curiosity. Fortunately, I am blessed with the most supportive parents ever walked on the world.     

7] What can the fans of Chandrapal expect from you in the future? 

Again a tricky question. Truly speaking, I have only typed the initial chapters of my novel. Without revealing much, I can say that it’s all about a grand adventure set in Indian mythic age.

8] Tell us Something about your story in crumpled voices? 

The Newspaper Reader, my story in Crumpled Voices is all about a conversation between an innocent twelve year old girl and an elderly blind woman. The best part of this story is that I’ve used my friends’ names for the characters – Amit Pandey and Mihir Patel. I hope, through this story, I’ll be able to expose the ignored evil issues of the society.

9] what else you love to do, Apart from writing & reading?

Random Photography is a new habit I am getting obsessed with. Apart from it, I love to do travelling and exploring places. Ancient ruins and hill stations are the most frequent places I desire to go. And when I get tired of it, a long sleep comforts me. In short, I am a person who relishes his life.

10] What do you think about the present scenario of publishing industry? What was your experience with your publishers? 

As I already mentioned in one of the previous questions, Indian publishing industry is growing and its essential as it provides a platform to people like me. 

Gargi Publishers is more like a family than a firm. Mr. Pulkit Gupta and Miss Ila Garg are so supportive that they make sure no discomfort trouble us. And about the contributing authors of Crumpled Voices, I can define them as: Creative minds with beautiful hearts.

11] Would you like to give any message to your readers?

Sure. Don’t only read and enjoy Crumpled Voices. Ponder about the messages we all authors wanted to say and act on it. And if you like it, suggest others to read and spread this news. Hope you’ll like it.

THANKS CHANDRAPAL FOR SPARING YOUR PRECIOUS TIME. I WISH YOUR BOOK GOES TO THE “BEST SELLER” LIST SOON. :)

(This interview was taken by Akash Khonde under the internship program by Gargi Publishers)