Disha's unique style of bringing out flavors of real-life incidents, people and stories with the right blend of emotions has made all her books stand out, with corporate leaders and eminent personalities comparing her work with the finest Indian authors.
What stands out in Disha's writings is the flair to experiment. Disha writes across genres - from romance to motivational to humor. Her books "My Beloved's MBA Plans" & "Because Life Is a Gift" are non-fiction stories. Her latest book "Corporate Avatars" is a satirical take on the corporate world. "My Beloved's MBA Plans" is a collection of true stories of people who decided to take an unconventional route in their career and how their professional decisions impacted their personal lives; especially their spouses. "Because Life Is a Gift" is a collection of stories of 15 differently-abled people and how they live life each day treating it as a beautiful gift.
Disha has been chosen as a Young leader by the Economic Times and has been felicitated across the industry for her literary contributions.
She is an IIM Calcutta alumna and has spent over a decade with corporate giants like Paytm.com, Yatra.com and Mentor Graphics. She is currently a senior leader with Amazon India. Disha is also a philanthropist and wants to make the world a happier place. She works with different NGOs in the area of disability and education.
Interviews
Disha Chhabra Interview – Because Life is a Gift Book
Nikhil Narkhede Interviews
Disha completed B.E. from Delhi College of Engineering. Later she finished her MBA from IIM Calcutta. She achieved positions in Director’s Merit List in both graduation and post graduation. She is currently working with a leading e-commerce company as a product manager. Let us know more about the writer side of an intelligent author.
What inspired you to start writing?
As a child, I always felt my writing was my best friend. Whenever I subject touched me and I felt like pouring my thoughts onto something, writing would come to my rescue. Day to day things and people around me inspired me to write. If you see some of my earliest writings, you would notice the diversity. I would write about anything starting from maggi to teenage love and even patriotic poems.
What did you like to read when you were a girl?
Ayn Rand was the first writer who stayed with me for a long time after I read fountainhead. Stephen Covey and obin Sharma inspired me.
What is the greatest challenge in writing a book?
Discipline! A lot of people I know begin writing but leave it mid way for lack of discipline. Writing needs to be as much a daily habit as brushing or bathing ????
How much research do you do before writing the book?
So far both my books have been non-fictions and hence needed a lot of research at the primary level, talking to a lot many people before writing.
What motivated you to write the book “Because Life is a Gift”?
A chance encounter with Suresh, the first 100% visually impaired person to pass out of IIM-Calcutta sowed the first seeds of my book “Because Life is a Gift“. Before meeting Suresh, I would look at a differently-abled person with sympathy. Suresh taught me how the flaw was not in him but in the way I and the rest of the world looked at him. I thought he was an exception. But as I researched I found out how there was a world unknown to me, how differently-abled people were strong human beings who just needed the right environment to succeed.
Through my book, I want to open up this world for millions of other people who are oblivion to the abilities of a differently-abled person. In a country where close to 2% of our population is disabled, ”Because Life is a Gift” is an attempt to a new beginning.
Can you tell us more about your first book “My Beloved`s MBA Plans”?
My Beloved’s MBA Plans is a book about the dilemmas people face when they decide to break the typical stereotypes of society. A lot of us have professional aspirations which get compromised because of personal responsibilities or vice versa. However, what happens when some of us decide to take the road less traveled? How important is the support of our family when we decide to do something different?
MBMP is about 16 real men and women who decide to study at an age when they are ‘supposed’ to be marrying, bearing kids, taking home loans. From finances to a spouse’s jobs, from one’s parents’ health to the children’s school; everything tries to bog them down. MBMP is about how they succeed with the support of their loved ones. It’s for all those who dare to dream, all those who dare to fly. It’s about love in testing times. Its about the triumph of relationships.
How did you came up with the idea of writing non fiction inspirational genre book(Because Life is a Gift)?
Both my books are non-fiction. You can say that I write because these stories, these real people inspired me. Every time I face such courageous people in life, I feel like telling the world about them. It’s from another human being that perhaps we learn the best lessons of our lives. And both my books are testimony to this.
Who are your favourite authors?
I love Ayn Rand. I recently read Wonder and fell in love with Palacio’s style of writing.
How much time do you dedicate for writing on a daily basis?
Atleast 10 minutes a day if not more.
What words of wisdom would you like to give to aspiring writers?
Write not because you want to become a writer. Become a writer because you want to write.
