Mysore/Mysuru: A panel discussion with novelist Ashwin Sanghi, moderated by entrepreneur and author, Aroon Raman, kept the audience engaged, following the inauguration of eighth edition of Mysuru Literature Festival-2024, in the city. The topic of discussion was ‘Thoughts, Words and Deeds – Zoroastrian Goodness, Magical Migration.’

Ashwin Sanghi, who is known for his works, mostly thrillers, namely The Rozabal Line, Chanakya’s Chant, Krishna Key, Sialkot Key to name a few, shared the tips behind his literary trait, that is premised on three ‘E’s — Educate, Entertain and Enlighten.

A legatee of Marwari business family, Sanghi, with a mix of wit and humour, recalled how he discovered the correlation between ‘Lakshmi’, the Goddess of Wealth and Saraswathi, the Goddess of Knowledge.

Upping the curiosity of the audience, Sanghi recalled how his tryst with writing stemmed from his visit to Srinagar in Kashmir, in 2002 to attend a family wedding.

“Those were the days, militancy was at its peak in Srinagar, and my return flight to Mumbai had got cancelled. I asked my driver to take me to any place of interest and that was how I happened to visit Roza Bal Shrine, a mausoleum with the tomb of Islamic Saint Syed Nasir-U-Din (who is also believed to be a devotee of Jesus Christ) in the old city of Srinagar,” said Sanghi. 

Sanghi said, he delved deep into the history related to the shrine and wrote the same, before giving it to his wife for a read. However, she rather felt it like a better cure for insomnia, added Sanghi, but told that he had received a tip from his wife about telling a story to kindle readers interest.

After finishing writing the book, Sanghi, with a perpetual dose of humour, also shared how he had to face rejections from multiple publishers, but what kept him going was the similar phase, many celebrated authors had to encounter, before hitting the top.

In his tips to wannabe writers, Sanghi asked them to get into the discipline of writing irrespective of media, which can be a precursor to writing a book. But, one should bear in mind that, the world of creativity has a critic, the ‘inseparable bond’ that nobody can deny.

Quoting a phrase, ‘Write Drunk, Edit Sober,’ Sanghi’s addendum to the same was — Start Marketing Next Day,  That’s Hangover.

“Ideas hit all of us, but none of us capture. I still e-mail myself, whenever I receive an idea either in the form of weblinks, pictures etc., The number of e-mails alone may be around 11,000 so far, as reading, travelling and interviewing people, form the bedrock of my writing,” said Sanghi. He also shared his experience behind writing ‘Magicians of Mazda’ Bharat Series-7

The panel discussion was followed by an interaction with the audience.