Transition of Thoughts

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In conversation with Rishi Vohra – Author of Once Upon the Tracks of Mumbai

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On April 22, 2013

In Interviews, Uncategorized

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Source: http://media2.intoday.in/indiatoday/images/stories/rishi-350_100712090152.jpg

Rishi Vohra recently relocated back to Mumbai after completing a Green MBA from San Francisco State University and a Masters Diploma in Environmental Law, prior to which he has had a successful career in the Indian entertainment industry. Having been a guest columnist for various newspapers in India, he currently writes for delWine and is a Certified Specialist of Wine. ‘Once Upon the Tracks of Mumbai’ is his first novel.

urlSource: http://www.jaicobooks.com/j/Book%20Rev/Once%20upon%20the%20Tracks%20of%20Mumbai%20Hi!%20BLITZ%20Nov%2012.jpg

He is here with us for a short tete-a-tete.

Aseem: Take us through your journey from the entertainment industry to releasing a novel.
Rishi: Well Aseem, it was a long journey. After my B.S. in Corporate Finance / Film making from the U.S., I moved back to Mumbai. I started of in ad films and then moved on to feature films as an assistant director. Side by side, I was also independently directing music videos, TV shows, stage shows, live events, and promos. During this time, I realized that writing is where my passion lay. So I kept writing as I proceeded to San Francisco to study an MBA in Sustainability. During that time, I wrote a novel and pushed it for publication while working / studying. Though it was rejected in the U.S. and other foreign markets, several Indian publishers showed an interest in it.

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Book Review – Once Upon The Tracks of Mumbai

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On April 13, 2013

In Book Review, Uncategorized

book

“Once Upon The Tracks of Mumbai” is Rishi Vohra’s first novel. From the entertainment industry to pursuing a green MBA and finally to publishing a book, Rishi has done it all. He has also been a guest columnist for various newspapers and a regular writer of wine. So does his novel work? Let’s check it out.

The blurb goes like this –

“Autistic. Schizophrenic. Psychotic…”

‘They’ use these words to describe Babloo – the doctors, his family, his teachers..everyone..except Vandana. She treats him the way he wants the world to see him.

Mumbai..the city that defines his ultimate desires. Will it allow him the love and ‘normalcy’ he so craves?

Vandana..yearns for a soulmate to rescue her from the confines of the Railway Colony they all live in. Is she looking in the right place?

Rail Man..a fearless, real – life hero who succeeds in doing all that Babloo secretly wishes to do..is Babloo his inspiration or..is it the other way around?

A random twist of fate on Mumbai’s endless, serpent – like, jangling local train tracks ties all these characters together in a complex weave of love, heartbreak and courage.

Babloo draws the reader into his fascinating, heart – rending journey through the twisted, choked lanes of Mumbai, into an open space where he can finally be born again.

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Book Review – Messiah of the Scarlet Silence

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On March 5, 2012

In Book Review, Uncategorized

“Messiah of the Scarlet Silence” is Arun Chaturvedi’s first writing attempt. Interestingly this book is available only in very select bookstores across the country. Maybe the author decided that he wanted to see the crowd reaction before printing more copies. Nonetheless, I bought it because crime thrillers are something which greatly interest me. Does it work?

The blurb goes like this –

There has always been a conflict between justice as a temporary phenomenon meted through a procedure, and the eternal conscience embedded deep within every subconscious state. Justice delayed, or even denied has had reverberating repercussions prompting individuals to mete out justice in a manner they deem as justified.

Molestation and rapes are rampant, and very few woman get their true justice. Many shy away from the courts fearing the stigma as well as the caustic remarks from the society. The trauma is intensified in court when the accused defense attorney attempt at character assassination to belittle the victim or make the incident look like a consensual act. The outdated legalities and the legal process itself are too slow, while the punitive punishments hardly serve as deterrents.

In this fictional incident based at Mumbai, a young girl is raped and murdered. And extraordinary situation demands a different remedial, and down the line, a bereaved sympathizer is created, who takes on the role as the messiah of the silent death, the scarlet silence.

While the story remains focused primarily on the police, the plot weaves into place the role of the judiciary, media, politician, underworld, and the public. It questions the role of these external elements that transform an honest person into a hardened killer. It raises hard questions on a crime that is rampant and continues unabated. It speaks of the core of the system that needs to be transformed. By including factual incidents, readers can co – relate those with this story that links the facts and fiction, to give it a realistic dimension.

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