The benign and true spirited
His writings reflect his passion and deep admiration for what he believes. He’s one of the promising writers we have who wants to create a ripple effect through his work.
When did you discover that writing is your forte?
Ah, it just happened. But I remember this makes me go back to my school days when I first heard about blogging around 7-8 years back and I couldn’t stop myself from writing one. So yes, I started blogging on random topics, started writing, received mixed responses from people which fuelled me to write often, and hence, the journey began and I never looked back. I then wrote for some national newspapers, magazines, got a part of some great anthologies, and finally got ‘The Benign Hiss’ published with my name on the cover.
How do you evaluate your writing process when working on professional projects and personal projects?
This is a great question, honestly. Because I always talk regarding this to my people around. Writing is very close to me, it’s my heart’s way of expressing myself, so it has to be different from professionalism. Being in the media world surely plays like an added advantage. But one thing is common in both which takes the evaluation step close to me, which is, ‘do I really find it good?’ this is one question which I always ask myself after writing, if my soul says yes, then I will go ahead with it, if no, then yeah, I’ll definitely make it better.
What inspires you? What drives you to write?
Myself. Because I really love doing it. And secondly, the people who love reading my writing. And thirdly, I see stories everywhere around. I meet people, their stories get connected with mine and thus this flow goes on. And these connections of stories inspire me.
What kind of a mark do you want to put on your audience when they read your work?
This is highly subjective. But, at the end of the day, they should find some or things relatable. Like or dislike, it’s completely their choice, but I give my best that they evidently like in the first place, but more than that, it could be like ‘Oh I read this guy’s work, and it was so real, yet unreal.’
Do you keep tabs on your contemporaries and the topics they write about for getting diverse insights?
Yes, I do. If you wish to survive here, you have to keep yourself hooked to such tabs, grow yourself and learn what the world seeks, what my audience seeks, what the people who know me would seek. But in the end, everyone has a different style here, so the way of approach and communication would surely differ.
How has music contributed to your life?
Most of my life has been surrounded by music, still is, and forever will be. I have been arrested by music since childhood, coming from a family with a musical background, I have been enjoying it a lot. I breathe music. And whether it’s writing, or doing some professional work, or maybe trying to find myself amid any chaos, music is always there for the help.
Does the history of music appeal to you to incorporate in one of your stories?
It does. And I am thinking to do that in the sequel series of ‘The Benign Hiss’ which is currently in the making, something in a similar set will be there.
We heard that your father was a well know folk singer, can you put some light on this?
Govind Babulal Malviya. This is the name to which the whole city or even state would reckon while hearing about Garba or some great Gujarati songs or bhajans. He was, is, and forever would be an inspiration to me. He lived a life of a King, without any fears, the way he always wanted to like. He had his own style of singing, very different, a vibrant and dashing personality that added like a cherry on top of his singing. Classical or Bollywood, he nailed at everything.
And, Singing to Him is what Writing to Me. My mom Yogita is a great singer too, and so my sister is. My aunt, Sangita Dholakia is also a professional singer, has worked with the likes of Sonu Nigam and all. So yeah, my life has been flooded with the people for whom music is everything. And that has helped me majorly in terms of writing, penning scenes and stories which relate to some certain songs or music always gives me an advantage of making it real and filled with emotions.
Your upcoming book has been majorly motivated by history and the Yugas… how did you come up with the idea of unifying such compelling ideologies into a current-times story?
I had always been a fan of mythological stories or rather I’d say Indian Scriptures. Be it Mahabharata, Ramayana, the story of Prahlad, or anything. I have been intrigued by them because of the realistic essence they had. Most of the things which are mentioned there are still happening in today’s world, just the way of approach has changed, rest is the same. I would say I have not unified ideologies of those Yugas and this modern era, because majorly they are the same, I have just taken an approach to build a bridge that connects them. Architecture-wise, the world was different back then, clothing-wise it was different, but the people, their actions, their behavior, their mindset is still what is being carried today, just has been modified a bit. But yeah, ‘The Benign Hiss’ is all fictional, but surely have tried to share some messages or incidents which are still relevant today.
What is the takeaway from this book according to you?
People will come and go, but you, your story should keep breathing. The biggest takeaway I have in my book and applying it in my life as well.
Comment (1)
He really is an amazing author and has done an excellent work in this book