Interview with Abhishek Atul- By Nainika Gautam

Abhishek Gupta, known by his pen name “Abhishek Atul” is a writer and poet. He has been part of various anthologies like “Moonlit Matinee” and “Crumpled Voices”. His short stories “Rasgulla” and “The Curious Case of Missing Brahmins” have received critical acclaim and lot of love from readers. His work spans across Genres with focus on various social issues. His writing is a mix of satire, humor and serious thought on social issues. His story on the current state of education system was appreciated by Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam for the unique treatment of this subject.

He has keen interest in theatre, has written some plays that were staged during his academic and professional life. His plays “Omvati Ka Swayamwar”, “Chanakya ki Khoj” and “Bhagat Singh Bhrashtachariyon Ke Changul Mein” were well received by audience in his college and office. He plans to publish some of these plays in the form of stories.

A Software Consultant by profession, a writer by passion, he also has keen interest in travelling and photography.

He can be reached at –

Email- abhishekgupta229@gmail.com

Twitter- @abhishekatul

Blog- Abhishekatul.blogspot.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/abhishek.atul.1

To read his story “Midas Touch” in “Its all about dogs and bitches”, order your copy here: Amazon

Here we get to know him closely:

Nainika: Hi Abhishek, first of all congratulations for another feather in your cap “It's all about dogs and bitches”. Coming to my first question:

We would be interested to know that how from software background, your interest diverted towards literature?

Abhishek: I wouldn’t call it a diversion. I became a writer first and a Software Consultant later.

During my college days, I used to write stories, poems and plays. Software came into my life much after literature had made a foray in my heart.

Nainika: What do you enjoy being most, “Software Consultant” or “Writer”?

Abhishek: To be honest, one complements the other. My story Rasgulla wouldn’t have been written with Chicago as the background if I hadn’t explored and loved the city. It was my job as Software Consultant that took me to Chicago and it was the writer in me that knitted a story around the city. In my play on corruption there are some dialogues between Yamraj and Yamdoot which are inspired from the life of a Software Engineer.

Nainika: Since you love writing on social issues, how did you incorporate your love for theme in your story in “It's all about dogs and bitches”

Abhishek: Our good old Bollywood movies always used to have a message that the viewers can take home at the end of the movie. It has been my endeavor to give a message to the readers in addition to their mandatory dose of entertainment. This story conveys message about love, relationships, family and other very important things in life. I have tried to raise various issues in this story that we face in our day to day life.

Nainika: Tell us something about your story, “The Midas Touch” in “It's all about dogs and bitches”.

Abhishek: It is the story of a couple who always fights but never thinks about separation. They have their set of problems but they are deep in love and can’t imagine life without each other. Their skirmishes create humorous situations that sometimes take serious turns. They have cultural clashes, ego clashes and face some really tricky situations but their love for each other makes them sail through all the storms that they encounter.

Nainika: Please throw some light on the lead characters.

Abhishek: Ankit is a Punjabi boy from Delhi, a perfect gentleman who cares about his friends and family. Sakshi is a Marwari girl from Jaipur who is free spirited, confident and ambitious. She has a heart of gold but is short tempered. They are different from each other but complement each other in strange ways.

Nainika: How close your story to real life?

Abhishek: This story is very close to real life. It has been my endeavor to write stories that readers can relate to. We can find numerous similar stories if we observe people closely. However, this story is unique in many aspects that one would notice if he reads it carefully.

Nainika: If I talk about your other creations, what extra does “The Midas Touch” has to offer to its readers?

Abhishek: “The Midas Touch” is different from everything else that I have written till now. For the first time I have tried to explore the complexities of a relationship. It was a challenge to combine love, friendship, relationship issues, humor, and social issues, all in one short story which spans over a lifetime.

Nainika: From where did you draw inspiration for the story?

Abhishek: If we look around, we will find a lot of couples who have a similar story. This story is based on my observation of such couples.

Nainika: Out of your published works, which one is your favorite?

Abhishek: It would be like asking which of your kids do you love the most. Each of my stories is completely different from each other and it would be unfair to judge them with the same yardstick.

Nainika: Why should we, the readers, buy "It's all about dogs and bitches"?

Abhishek: This book has some very interesting and entertaining stories that are bound to touch the readers’ hearts.

Nainika: What would be your message for readers?

Abhishek: The train of life needs two rails to run. Husband and wife are the two rails that ensure that this train runs smoothly. If they chose to drift apart, the train will get derailed.

Happy reading!