Shweta Mahendra, a renowned Indian writer writing in English has brought one of magnum opus work in literature with her latest book “Many Visions Many Worlds,” offering musings on the past and future of human civilization. She has gained currency as an established author, and columnist at Times of India. S Excerpts
Q. When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
A. I never thought or planned to be a writer, the destiny has played a part in it. People say that Egypt changes your life and same thing happened with me. I had visited Egypt and Turkey in corona time because it always attracted me and life was so uncertain in that period and I had a dream to visit Egypt. There was a huge resistance from family for travelling, still I managed. I could see that these places have so many things connected and there was were advance civilizations thousands of years ago. I wanted to share these thought to new generation with technical details. Initially I was thinking to start a YouTube channel, but for that I need to dedicate lot of time which could affect my other activities. I found writing is the best media to communicate based on own convenience.
Q. What are your favorite books to read?
A. My favourite books are The Symposium by Plato, Plato Republic, Apology of Socrates, Bhagavada Gita, Iliad and Odyssey by Homer , ‘Sociological Theory’ by Ritzer, On War by General Carl Von Clausewitz.
Q. What is your real-life work schedule like when writing?
A. My day starts as a normal corporate employee, rush to office in the morning and back by late evening. Once I am back from office my second life starts. I am a night person and my new world wakes up at twelve midnight.
I go to another world when I write, this world should be calm, detached, isolated without any interruption. The day time I am busy with my office work. I am most creative at that time, whatever stuff I have to write book or article it is only at those mid night hours.
Q.Where do you get your information or ideas for your books?
A. The idea of books come up with the nature and surroundings. I believe in afterlife and next birth. These two things drive me to do different things, may be its reminiscence which guides me. The genes carry the past life experiences in memory, if we focus on our inner self we can find who we are.
Q.What might your next book be about?
A.My next book will be based on Hinduism as a Philosophical book of rules and laws and its connections with western philosophy. I am highly influenced by Greek philosopher Socrates and I have a feeling that he had access to Hindu texts, whenever I read his thoughts, I find I am re-visiting Bhagvada Gita .
Q. What do you like to do when you’re not writing?
A. I generally keep myself busy in reading or listening to lectures of professors on various subjects expanding from quantum technology, philosophy, religion, sociology. When I am saturated with this, I go for travel to different destinations. This gives me a vision to see the world from a new lenses.
Q. Do you base your characters on real people?
A. There is a difference between real people and real alike people. How we look at a person is actually not real person, its real alike because we do not know how the actual personality of a person is. No one else can know the real you other than yourself. Everything is an illusion created by layers of masks. I try to see the real person behind the projected personality.
Q.What do you think makes a good story?
A.A story is always good which has a conclusive ending. Everything in everyone’s life happens for a purpose, these incidents collectively make a story. A good story has near real life like characters so that it is relatable for all readers , the events based on facts with the outcomes with the reasoning, the end of a story should have some life lessons for readers.
Dr. Shiv Sethi is a renowned author, thinker and reviewer.