A TEDx speaker and marketing consultant settled in Mumbai, Anuj Tiwari was brought up on the bustling streets of Bareilly, where chaos is the order of the day.
There, he learnt to circumvent the streets first, and then his convoluted life. Instead of getting a ‘modern education’, Tiwari studied in a Sanskrit-medium school where there were no English books.
Seeing his neighborhood kids reading from colorful storybooks, he started building dreams of being able to read in English; however, he kept those dreams to himself in the fear of being mocked at.
Tiwari, who has seen his family go through a tough time and being humiliated in his childhood, was thus encouraged to push the limits.
Despite going through six months of depression and trying to give up on his life in college, Tiwari is now the bestselling author of three books.
He sold his books on the streets of Mumbai, and has been listed as one of the top ten most influential authors in India in 2016.
Interviews
INTERVIEW WITH ANUJ TIWARI - BESTSELLING INDIAN WRITER
6/5/2018
Anuj Tiwari is one of India's bestselling writer. Despite studying in a sanskrit medium school with no english book around, he went on to publish his debut novel - Journey of Two Hearts.
A speaker in many colleges and reputed platforms such as IIMs, TEDx, his stories are only based on real-life incidents that he has recorded over the years.
He was awarded the ‘Best Upcoming Author’ by Newspapers Association of India in 2014.
The Interview
Why did you choose writing as a career?
If your neighbour is an engineer or a doctor, anyhow you have to be. Unfortunately, I had both. So my mom decided that I should go for engineering. It happened that way. I was always an introvert. Therefore, just to share my feelings, I made pen my friend and started writing.
When you start working on your novel, do you have an outline?
I always know what I have to say. And I always have the tagline in my mind that I am going to follow across the chapters. Like in 'I Tagged Her in My Heart' it was, "You are yours before you are someone else's."
Who inspired you as you moved ahead to become a published writer?
25 publishers had rejected to publish my work. So my failures did enough to inspire me. That was an encouragement to me at that time.
A lot of writers choose self-publishing to get their book published quickly. Do you think it's a good choice?
Self-publishing is a good idea to publish your book but for the long run, you have to come to traditional publishing. Your job should be writing not printing or selling.
How do you balance your work life and your writing?
That's the question, I am unable to answer, but it's manageable so far.
Why do you think your books are a bestsellers?
People need a good story to read. There are so many books and many authors in the market. But very few offer good stories. I only write true stories. I think people have loved it so far.
Can you tells us how you became a part of the TEDx CGC at Mohali?
TEDx is one of the greatest platforms. When I was invited to speak, I just couldn't believe it. I was then told to share my story for inspiring others.
Are you planning to try a new genre?
If I am inspired, and if I can make my readers encourage, then definitely :)
