Sujoy Ghosh

What are your early inspirations which motivated you to write?

Pankaj Giri: Actually, I had never thought of becoming a published author. I used to write in my school days; a couple of articles were published in my school magazine. After that, I got busy with my studies in an engineering college in Bangalore and thereafter my career as a techie. It was around 2012 when inspired by my interest in cricket satire articles, I created a fictional cricket blog and published a few posts. One of my college friends read them and called me one day to tell me that he had an idea for a campus novel. I rejected the idea as I was in the software industry and had no time.

However, a year later, a tragedy occurred in my life; my father suddenly passed away. I had to relocate to Gangtok, my native place, and join a government job. As I was struggling to cope with the drastic change in my life, my college friend called me one day and reintroduced the campus novel idea yet again. This time, I decided to give it a shot. As I did so, I fell in love with writing. We hurriedly wrote the debut book and published it, but due to its rawness and other factors, it got a lukewarm response.

I then decided to work on my writing skills and read a lot of critically acclaimed books like The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini and Sister of My Heart by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, who became two of my favourite authors. Then, the idea of my solo fiction novel The Fragile Thread of Hope began to form in my mind. The rest is history.

What is your writing process? What was the journey to identify your process like?

Pankaj Giri: I try to form a skeletal structure of the plot before I start writing. Having a predefined framework helps me avoid writer’s block. And until I finish the draft, I like to keep writing. I have followed this simple process ever since I started writing my solo fiction novel The Fragile Thread of Hope. 

How do your personal experiences influence your writing?

Pankaj Giri: While I was writing my debut solo novel, The Fragile Thread of Hope, I found myself pouring out the pain of losing my father onto the pages. Doing so helped me heal, and thus writing became a therapeutic experience for me. Also, other experiences, people, and conversations from real life do influence my writing subconsciously.

Tell us about your books?  

Pankaj Giri: I have written two full-length fiction novels.

A. The Fragile Thread of Hope

Seasoned with the flavours of exotic Nepalese traditions and set in the picturesque Indian hill station, Gangtok, The Fragile Thread of Hope explores the themes of spirituality, faith, alcoholism, love, and guilt while navigating the complex maze of family relationships.

B. The Unforgettable Woman

Set in fictional towns in the beautiful state of Sikkim, The Unforgettable Woman is an inspirational, heart-touching story that explores the themes of regret, love, and forgiveness and shows how a single secret can influence several lives.

Tell us about your next project?

Pankaj Giri: The next project delves into another important social theme. It will be another contemporary fiction novel based in Sikkim about two women, their sacrifices, and their redemption. I cannot divulge more details at the moment.