Author’s Background: Author Anupama Ravindran Menon, is known for the romantic biographical title, ‘Dear Manusha: Yours Truly, Now And Forever’ that got published & released worldwide by Notion Press. The book is available in both paperback as well as in e-book format & the readers can find this remarkable title on any of the online marketplaces.
Questionnaires:
Criticspace: Firstly, Congratulations on your book, “Dear Manusha: Yours Truly, Now And Forever!” Well, can you please share your experience about making your work come into the form of book!
Anupama Ravindran Menon: Thank you so much for your kind words. I am an avid believer of live, love & laugh.I also realised that I enjoyed writing from a very young age, but I had never taken myself seriously as a writer. As time flew by,I was preoccupied with work & noticed that I too had been taken into the depths of modernism & materialism. I was looking for an outlet of fresh breath of air to revoke my inner passion & love towards life again. That was how I ended up scribbling again. Scribbles as I call my work, are solely themed around various shades of love in daily living.
Utilising every stroke of pen and blot of ink optimally, I try to depict human emotions through a maestro of well-orchestrated words. Blank sheets of papers are mediums used to string different chords of emotional surges, where beloved moments and memories are scribbled through a wide array of words. With a pinch of poetry, a tonne of emotions and a drizzle of dreams, my stories capture simple, daily moments that lay down the basic essence of love to awaken our most primal living essence, to be humane & human. It was an entire rollercoaster journey with its fair shares of ups and downs, but one I’d do it again if I were given the opportunity.
What really caught me by surprise & admiration, was the constant requirement of persistence & resilience to finish what you start. Hats off to all the writers & authors who do it every single time. The favourite part for me was watching it all come together; however, the least favourite part was the tedious process of bringing them all together. As a matter of fact, a good publisher is a crucial reason in the birth of many fabulous writers. In my case, NotionPress for having a great publishing team who worked the process of producing the book so meticulously. Being an amateur writer in this magnanimous world of books & writing, I was also away in Lebanon for UN mission at that time period. Working in a war-torn nation, with electricity solely dependent on the functionality of meagre generators, stable network & connection caused problems in prompt delivery of information & responding to emails & questions. Yet NotionPress managed to assist me very well & got this project completed. I’d give them a huge kudos for that. I’d also like to thank my beloved family & loved ones for standing by me, a special dedicate this to my dad, Mr Ravindran Menon & all loved ones, it is a homage to love & off love.
Criticspace: What inspired you to write this memoir? What was the impetus behind this work of yours?
Anupama Ravindran Menon: “Dear Manusha” was an impetus of impetuosity & spontaneity. I would say that it was inspired by each & every one of us out there. The millennial generation is running a cat & dog race focusing its entirety upon modernism & materialism. Reflecting upon your own mirror, how many times do you actually ask yourself if you are happy? Are you at peace? Do you smile when you end your day after working so hard? Many people consider this menial.
I tried asking this to myself & I realised that our mundane robotic routine has swept most of the humane part out of us. Being able to carve a smile on loved ones & total strangers & going to bed with a full heart & clear conscience.Being able to touch a person on a deeper level is something we tend to forget. Hence, Dear Manusha was born as a reminder to me & many of us that love is the most primal instinct, we have all been wired internally to be human. It will spiral you down your favourite memory lane, bringing you back to the joy of love and memories, both healing and inspiring.
Criticspace: Your book title, ‘Dear Manusha: Yours Truly, Now And Forever’ is definitely a catchy one! So, can you please explain the reasons for going with this book title!
Anupama Ravindran Menon: Hahahaha… It was again another impetuous decision that came in by the moment. In Sanskrit & Malayalam, Manusha defines as human/person… So, the title was meant to personify my homage to love & beloved one. I humbly hoped that the title will ignite curiousity & at the same time simply tell you the essence of translating love into words…
Criticspace: Well, can you please explain that how is this book different from the other books of the same genre?
Anupama Ravindran Menon: “Dear Manusha” is indeed another literary scripture basing on the genre of love. However, it isn’t a stereotypical romantic story depicting the classics of Romeo Juliet or even Laila Majnu. Instead, it’s a take on love with a lot more tweaks & twists. It is a memoir, dedicated in honour of love and beloved. Daily episodes highlighting bird’s eye through the lens of someone who has lost & homes on the strength of memories. Although it is etched beautifully on the groves of our individual memory lanes, losing a loved one is something we can all relate to. It provides us a glimpse of what love means to many who stay and love in silence, despite diverging destinies. Dear Manusha is a homage to each & every one of you to reignite many hidden emotions & memoirs.
Criticspace: Apart from this biographical-writing category, in which other genres would you like to make your contributions?
Anupama Ravindran Menon: I’d love to write more on Love & memoir-based stories.
Being a part of the prided millennial generation, I find that our lives have become a little too mundane curbed by daily routines & robotic lifestyle. Our world currently spins on the axis of modernism & materialism…I’d say that a hefty price we are all paying unknowingly in time & space, having it brushed off & covered under the veil of trying to fit into social norms of success & acceptance. How many times do we ask each other if we are alright genuinely? Have you asked the person next to you if they are happy wholeheartedly? When do you do a rain check on yourself if you are at peace when you look up at the mirror?
I think I’ll answer for the general population and say it’s a big NO.
My writing is simply a way to remind me & many others out there, that human emotions & love is what makes us truly stand out from all other creations of our Creator. It revolves around forgotten memoirs of your very own memory lane..Love is the true laurel that we should all be seeking out amongst one another. Rather than seeking acknowledgment via priding wealth & achievements, what you actually take with you 6 feet under the ground is the love & memories you leave behind. That is the forgotten legacy that I’d love to imbue & imbibe through my scribbles & writing.
Criticspace: Reading the plot of this book, I’m greatly impressed & I want you to explain us, in your version, that how this book will appeal the readers of the present day!
Anupama Ravindran Menon: As I had mentioned earlier, this book touches many of the subtle yet important aspects we all live in our daily lives. It beautifully illustrates the tremendous strength & power memories conjures, allowing us to carry every lost loved one in every act we do. Despite being lost in many ways but love still enigmatically has its own way to root into our lives. Hence, it breathes in a fresh air enabling us to see the beauty of such moments & memories. Something I strongly believe caters to both the modern millennial & my dear Amumma’s golden era & everyone else living between these two spectrums. It will surely teleport you to some of your most beloved moments in life.
Criticspace: Next, I want you to tell us about some of those writers, who had inspired you!
Anupama Ravindran Menon: I know many calls her a diarist, but I humbly differ & one of my all-time favourite would be Anne Frank. The resonation of her young thoughts through those humbling jots in her diary, has spoken volumes about her strength & courage amidst life endangering adversities faced daily. Her words had the power to bring us back to the era & give us the experience of living the life 6 decades ago through the lens of an innocent 16 years old. If that is not magic, I don’t know what is…
Neel Preet: Is there any message that you would like to convey to your readers? Or any piece of advice, which you would like to give to the readers out there!
Anupama Ravindran Menon: Live, love & laugh!!!! Don’t stop it ever as life is as beautiful as the last smile & love you have given out. “Dear Manusha” will be a short novel that tells you so.
Criticspace: Are there any other books being worked by you? Please let us know about your future projects.
Anupama Ravindran Menon: I’m working on my next project currently, hopefully it’ll be done by the end of the year. The other details I shall keep them a surprise for now.
Criticspace: Thank you so much for answering all my questions. All the very best to you for future and your book too!
Anupama Ravindran Menon: Thank you for being such a wonderful person interviewing me & thank you for being such kind audience supporting many of us aspiring writers out here.