She’s carved out quite a niche for herself in the myriad spheres of the Internet. Amateur blogger-turned-novelist, Ganga Bharani talks to us about her experience, inspiration and aspirations.
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
I’m a technical analyst by profession and a writer by passion. I write short stories, reviews, and general articles, and post a lot of short films and stop motion videos, mostly with a social message. My blog — GB Land — serves as a repository of these and more. A couple of my short films, Tiny Steps and Candles (about the physically challenged) won the Best Film Award and Special Mention Award at the We Care International Film Fest, Delhi.
Filmmaker. Novelist. Blogger. And a technical analyst to boot. How do you find the time?
I feel that when you are passionate about something, you never get tired of doing it. Apart from the time spent at my workplace and the time I get a little shut-eye, I try my best to work on something creative, be it my blog, a story or more recently, a book.
Sounds inspiring. Do you have a mentor/real life inspiration?
It might sound a little weird if a writer says that a Radio Jockey is her inspiration, but RJ inspires me. He made RJing a career option for many. Director Lakshmi Ramakrishnan is an inspiration for most girls like me.
Your latest project is out in stores now. How does it feel to be a published author?
There were days when I used to write every week to newspapers. The joy that came with seeing my name printed in the papers gave me something that I cannot express in words. Having my name grace the cover of a book is extremely satisfying. Also, I feel more responsible now. I was just a blogger when I wrote my first book. But I will be a writer when I bring out my next.
Just You, Me and a Secret. An intriguing title, to say the least. Can you elaborate?
It’s a romantic thriller at heart. Meera, the heroine, wakes up to find herself in a strange place with blank spots in her memory. Ashruth, her ‘caretaker’, tells her that she was in love with him and their marriage had been fixed. A diary provides a link between her cloudy past and uncertain future. As the timelines collide by means of the narrative in the diary, hearts are broken and shocking revelations are made. There’s a whole bunch of interesting and hopefully unexpected twists that I hope readers will enjoy.
Anything else in the pipeline?
Yes. I’ve finalised the plot and outline of my second book titled A Minute to Death, which will be a crime thriller. I am in the process of putting it down on paper and will hopefully get it published by the end of the year.
Do you see yourself somewhere specific, say 10 years in the future?
A mother of two kids, who giggle and tell their friends, “That’s our mom, the chief guest for our school programme today.”
