Saturday, August 09, 2014

THE WOMEN IN KAMADEVA's LIFE!

The general assumption about Kamadeva, the God of Desire would be that given his extraordinary good looks and remarkable powers he would be an Eastern Lothario or Casonova with the well - deserved reputation for going through women like they were potato chips. Kama was far too sensitive to be a heart breaker though. The women in his life, barring one noteworthy exception were truly fortunate for he really was the perfect man, who was the best of lovers and friends.

Rati was the great love of his life and beloved consort.The two of them had what most people can only fantasize about or experience vicariously through the overwrought prose of romance novels. He did not bind her to his will and she did not try to keep him chained to her affection. They knew how to give each other space even if they were never in each other’s face. In short they were the perfect couple and while they had each other neither wanted for anything. In fact, though I find most so - called cute couples nauseating, I adore these two and they are my favourites by far. 

However, a strange combination of events led to his marrying the Princess Karnotpala who found a way to do the impossible and regain her lost youth in order to be worthy of him! Isn't that interesting ladies? For those out there who don't fancy plastic surgery, a brutal diet and workout regime, the twin evils of botox and liposuction, or spending their life's saving in overpriced salons who would give an arm and leg to know her secret, all I can say is you need to pre - order the book pronto. Although be warned, Karnotpala's journey to regain her looks was quite the ordeal, requiring oodles of hard work, patience, fortitude, discipline and even more hard work, hardly suited to those of us who want everything instantly if not sooner. 


Wondrous though the tale of Karnotpala and Kama, the factors that led to him coveting Purnakala, the wife of a curmudgeonly sage, were even more bizarre. It sparked off a tragedy of such epic proportions that even his wives were too sad to be mad at him for his philandering. 

There is more of course, but you'll have to wait for Kamadeva: The God of Desire out in stores this month. I can hardly wait. In the meantime, do check out the awesome new book trailer for Kama right here.







Tuesday, August 05, 2014

A GIFT FROM MY FAIRY GODMOTHER!

Ok get this... It all started with Ashwin Sanghi whom I admire something fierce. Not only is he super smart and talented but he is a wonderful human being with a big heart. How can you not adore someone who has this to say about your book?

I am digressing, so as his follower on twitter, I came to know about the kickass trailers he puts up on Youtube for all his books. Now for publishers, Sanghi is the holy grail because his genius for writing is matched by an equivalent brilliance in marketing. Compare this with yours truly. I am what you call a hopeless introvert of the wallflower variety. My biggest regret is that I am not half - chameleon with the superhuman ability to merge into my surroundings. In fact, one of the reasons this profession endeared itself to me, was the fact that it allows me to work in the privacy of my room with my oldest and most comfy pjs, without having to interact with the rest of the homo sapien species. 


However, as a writer, I want to be read. Desperately so. In fact you won't hear me complain about the screaming fans who mob me when I step out of the house to do something normal like scarf down a samosa mix or an ice cream, to get my autograph on their copy of Kama or Arjuna or both, when that daydream becomes a reality (Cross my heart!) But this need to be the rock star of the literary world seems to be at odds with the aforementioned introverted personality I wrote about. I become afflicted with a case of acute embarrassment when called upon to aggressively promote my book by inundating friends and followers on Twitter, FB and my blog with whom I barely interact otherwise, barring the times I raise my overused index finger to like their latest photos. Now Dhanush did not knock on doors begging people to listen to Kolaveri Di, but that did not stop the track from going viral right? That is exactly what I want for my Kama. Where is a fairy Godmother when you need her to come up with a spiffy promo campaign for your book?
These are the things, I keep harping about with the lovely folks who constitute my inner circle, till I suspect they want to gag me. Anyway, one among them who wishes to remain unnamed not only listened patiently while I bitched endlessly about how unreasonably expensive it is to put up a book trailer like Ashwin Sanghi but came up with this awesome book preview for my Kama which you can watch here and share with your friends to help my book shatter records! Enjoy!
As for my fairy Godmother and guardian angel (who might prefer knight in shining armour), a million thanks for the incredible labour of love. Steven Spielberg and James Cameron could not have done better :)