Interview with Nishant Kaushik

Watch out we are  MBA and are now ready to Romance with Chaos. Let us introduce you to the ‘hero’ of our story. His friends know him as an entertainer who expresses himself through myriad mediums such as literature, music, public speaking and much more. He is a blogger and the author of two very successful books.

Curtains up! Welcome Nishant Kaushik, who calls himself a Procrastinator,  Dreamer & Believer. Nishant is also a foodie and loves cheese and chocolate. Thank you for taking the time and giving us this interview. Here is the first question.

Q: When and why did you start blogging?

A: I’ve been blogging since I was a little kid. Only then the same stuff was termed as a diary entry. Writing in any form gives me the route to break free from the mundane rigmarole of my daily schedules, and so I lunge at every possible opportunity to blog.

Q: What topics do you generally blog about?

A: My blogs are usually around socially sensitive issues such as civic sense, terrorism, compassion. Sometimes I also use some abstract themes, as seen in my poem ‘Avaricia‘.

Q: Do you ever get stuck when writing an entry? What do you do then?

A: I get stuck very often. The best solution according to me is to not whack my brains over it, and instead just take a light coffee break and give myself time to think.

Q: ‘Watch out! We are MBA’ was your first book, followed by ‘A Romance with Chaos’. You have been writing for mainstream media earlier. When did the moment of realization dawn upon, that you can write a book? Did any particular incident inspire you?

A: There was no particular incident that really inspired me. Writing a book had been on my mind since as early as 2001, when I was in my first year of college. I wanted to write a story of a school kid’s rendezvous with adolescence. By the time I kicked the laziness, I was already in B-school, so the theme shifted to that of an MBA.

Q: We are sure our readers would love to know from Nishant Kaushik on what his books are all about and why they should buy it this weekend. Do share details about your books.

A: Both my books are very real, very relatable to, and funny at the same time. They are simple stories of simple people who lead very complex lives. What readers will get from these books is an ability to laugh at their own regular problems. The books are hardly preachy and are laden with humour something that all of us really need in our lives.

Q: Your first book talks about the life of a MBA student and the pressures faced by them. Recently, a few Indian authors have written books about life in IIT, IIM and discussing about college life. Why is this sudden urge to write about the graduation experiences in the form of a book?

A: Our days from school and college are probably the best days of our lives, which give us a lot to cherish about. This was precisely the reason I wanted to write a book when the idea first struck me. I’m sure other writers in this genre would have had similar reasons.

Q: Do you feel doing a MBA is more worthwhile with about 5 years of work experience? If given an option, what would you have done?

A: An MBA after a certain bit of work experience certainly adds a lot of value, as students are then able to correlate the classroom teachings with what they have learnt on the field. In my case, however, I am glad I did an MBA right after graduation. Once having landed a comfortable job, I would have probably felt too smug to give it up and then pick up course books again!

Q: We are seeing a lot of new authors experimenting with different styles of writing and publishers are glad to support them. What do you have to say about this trend? Is it much easier now to find a publisher? What were your experiences in trying to find a publisher?

A: I don’t think it has become any easier to find a publisher. In fact, the competition has just toughened further with the increasing number of authors in the arena. I had to wait rather long before my books were accepted by publishers, as most publishers have very stringent guidelines and criteria for approving manuscripts. Moreover, the turnaround time of evaluation of the manuscripts is also pretty large.

Q: Music has been an integral part of your life. Who are your favorite music directors? Which is the song which you enjoy singing at any given point of time? If you have to propose to a girl, which song would you sing? Have you ever thought of taking part in music based reality shows?

A: While proposing to a girl with a song sounds like fun, I can’t exercise that privilege as I am already married. But some of my favourite romantic numbers include ‘Careless Whispers’, ‘Nothing’s Gonna Change’, ‘Jet Plane’, ‘Linger’, and ‘Annie’s Song’. My favourite musicians are A.R Rahman, Coldplay, The Cranberries and Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy. I’d love to participate in music reality shows, and I might do so in the future. But I ultimately want to sing for films, and I hope to see that come true some day.

Q: Nishant, you do a lot of Mimicry as well. Everyone has a distinct style and so does Mithunda. Was he your inspiration? Whom do you enjoy mimicking? Which is your all time favorite dialogue which you enjoy mimicking and your take on the laughter series doing the rounds on various channel these days?

A: I almost idolized Mithunda when I was a kid. I don’t just mimic celebrities, I tend to mimic my friends and relatives as well. Thankfully they all take it in the right spirit. When in college, I had done a stage mimicry of Hrithik’s character “Rohit Mehra” from ‘Koi mil Gaya’. Apparently, some of my colleagues met him a few weeks later and told him about me. I am told he was keen to meet me. Unfortunately, I could not make it in time then. I will probably humour him some day!

Q: Friends play a very important role in one’s life and it showed in your book as well. Can you share with us three examples where your friends were instrumental in getting things done for you?

A: Oh, they have played an important role in my lives alright. The biggest support I got from them was during the placement week in college. That phase can be quite a nerve-cracker, but thanks to their support it was easy to scrape through. Then of course, I exploited their unconditional help whenever I wanted them to fill in my attendance when I had to bunk classes. But their best gesture was when they all packed their bags at the last moment, without reservations, to come all the way to Ahmedabad to attend my sister’s wedding. I really thought that was wonderful.

Q: If you were given a chance to change one thing from your personal, college and professional life, what would it be and why?

A: I’d love to shed my laziness. I think that’s my biggest weakness. I can do much better in life if I can overcome this single problem.

Q: Author, Singer, Mimicry artist, Speaker and much more which effectively means you were made to make a mark in the creative world. Have you ever thought of earning your bread and butter from the creative industry and leave the IT industry?

A: I had not really thought of that until you brought it up. Now that you have asked me, it sounds like a really plausible idea. I might consider it some time in the future. Right now, I will stick to both the industries though.

Q: How important is it for the blogger to interact with their readers? Do you respond to all the comments that you receive?

A: It is very important to get feedback from one’s readers. That’s the best way for a writer to mature with time. I do try and respond to all readers. Even if I don’t, I usually do remember most comments that I receive on various blog entries.

Q: What do you find to be the most gratifying aspect of blogging?

A: Blogging helps me express much more than what I can express vocally. When we talk to people, we are pulled back by social inhibitions, awkwardness and the likes. But when we blog, we are confined to our own little world. We express the way we feel like, and we can say what we feel like with complete authority. In the true sense, my blog zone is the single place where I can completely be myself.

Q: How, in general, would you rate the quality of Indian blogs? Share your favourite five blogs.

A: To be honest, I don’t follow too many blogs. So it would be unfair if I rate them. However, I do follow a particular blog called http://gaurav-parab.blogspot.com. It belongs to a friend, and I think he is one of the most brilliant writers of recent times.

Q: What is your advice to someone who wants to start a blog?

A: Sign up, and create your blog zone today! Do not dilly-dally simply because you haven’t got your best idea yet. Good ideas don’t come by immediately, but a regular writing habit is sure to take you there soon.

Q: Let’s conclude off with a few favorites.

Color: Blue

Movie: Too many, but I’d rate The sound of Music in English, and Lagaan in Hindi.

TV Show: How I met Your Mother, Friends, Everybody Loves Raymond

Book: A Thousand Splendid Suns, The Kite Runner

Time of Day: Early in the morning

Your Zodiac Sign:
Cancer

Thank you Nishant Kaushik for taking out time for this wonderful interview. Friends, we have something for you this week. We will give out two copies of Nishant’s book autographed by him to the commenter who comments with interesting questions/feedback/conversations over here. What are you waiting for? Ask him questions about his book if you’ve read it and engage in conversations. Nishant Kaushik will answer your queries about his books, if any.

Connect with Nishant KaushikBlog, Facebook

30 Replies to “Interview with Nishant Kaushik”

  1. Hey! I’ll look forward to the interview! Also I’m sure you’ll want to check out this new book review blog here

    Do let us know what you think!

  2. awesome…!!!
    loved the interview..
    i havent yet read Nishant’s first book.. but romance with chaos yes indeed and loved it too.. glad you guys could come up with this..
    Rock On..!!

  3. Very interesting q&a with the author.he seems to be a person who has maximised his time management skills ;)how does he find time for all these awesome things he is involved in??not fair :)Now after reading this am tempted to go buy his book!
    Very interesting tete a tete with the author.Nishant seems to be a person who wears many hats

    ..author,singer,mimicry artist and a blogger!phew that’s quite a lot indeed!!

  4. Hi, i haven’t read any of your books till now but i’m definitely looking forward to read it soon. . And i’ve a question – How was the name Romance with Chaos decided?

  5. Thanks Megz, Priyanka.
    Savvy – the title is analogous to, say, ‘a tryst with destiny’, or even a ‘rendezvous with simi garewal’ (kidding). the title symbolizes the protagonist’s state of mind when he is miffed with the chaotic state of affairs that threaten to wreck his future. And how he comes to embrace his problems and turn them into opportunities.

  6. Romance with Chaos….the title sounds interesting…does this have to do something with the famous chaos theory…everything reconnects later on?…and what are your fav. writers ..i m sure someone must have influenced your way of writing

  7. No Kartik, not to do with the chaos theory. it’s just a funny take on the challenges we face in our lives as lesser mortals. my favourite writer is Khaled Hosseini. But hey no, I’m not influenced by his writing, can’t be. He is too good. In any case, one must write in order to influence, and not the other way round 🙂

  8. Wow!! This sounds really interesting. Would love to read it…Also, I would like to know how you go about getting a book published? How long did it take to write this one? Any other books in the writing stage?? Also, In one word, describe your book please.

  9. निशांत जी का साक्षात्कार बहुत पसंद आया . जिस तरह से सवाल और जवाब के माध्यम से उन्होंने अपने बारे में बताया उससे उनके व्यक्तित्व और लेखन के बारे में पता चलता है . यद्यपि अभी तक मैंने उनकी कोई किताब नहीं पढ़ी है लेकिन भविष्य में अवश्य पढने का इरादा रखता हूँ .

    मुझे भी लेखन से बेहद लगाव है और भविष्य में कुछ लिखने की योजना है . इस तरह के साक्षात्कार से निश्चित तौर पर कुछ नया सीखने को मिलता है .

  10. Thanks Rohini. One word for the book’d be ‘FUNNY’, though er, I wish you’d given me a few more words 😉 Took me abt 6 months to write the 1st draft and almost a year later to do the edits. Every publisher has a different protocol to be followed for submission and publication of the manuscript, usually available on their websites. That’s a long process though.
    I’m writing my 3rd now. Target to bring it out no later than ’10 end.

  11. Anil, bahut shukriya. Mujhe bahut khushi hui ye padhke. Ummeed rakhta hoon aapko meri kitaabein pasand aayein, aur lekhan ke kshetra mein aapki safalta ki dua maangta hoon.

  12. How about a few more words then, Nishant? Wow! Blogging since you were a kid..thats fancy!!I wish I’d started earlier.Would’ve hopefully been better off by now! Ahhh..ok. seems like a long and tedious publisher. What if one wants to publish their poems and not a full book? What chances are there for us?
    3rd! oh nice..Should get the other one too… 🙂
    I will..Will look you up soon..
    Keep it up.
    And do take more words and elaborate.

  13. Nice to know about you Nishant! Well, I congratulate you for all the success you have so far on your back and wish many more such greater highs come through your life. Well, I have one question based on this interview – when you know that ‘Laziness’ is the killer, why is it still bothering you? You are truly inspirational and wish you do something on that tell us all on how to overcome it. Knowing the problem is the biggest issue, but finding a solution for that shouldn’t be so tough… Is that too much of an ask?

  14. Rohini – not sure abt the process of getting poems published, but I reckon you’ll need to look up publishers’ rules on their websites. I’d classify the book as slice-o’-life, satirical, self-reflective and comical all at once. leave you to figure that one out 🙂

  15. Mohan that’s a nice point you made there. Here’s the thing: there’s a fine line that divides fondness and passion. Fondness is incidental. Passion is something you live for, solely. Laziness can creep into something done out of fondness, because that something is often interspersed with other priorities that tend to take seed. When you live for a passion, it becomes Hobson’s choice, and there’s no room for laziness. If I consider a scenario where my writing were the only thing that would earn my bread, all that I’d live for, the laziness may not hold.

  16. That was a very interesting interview. I haven’t read the books yet, but am very tempted to pick up a copy soon 🙂

    I especially liked this answer.. ‘Our days from school and college are probably the best days of our lives, which give us a lot to cherish about…’

    Now my question to Nishant is:

    (IMHO) Blogging is very different from Writing. One can blog about anything, without worrying about language skills, etc. For eg., a short post on my child saying something awfully cute, could get me a lot of traffic, visibility and comments. On the other hand, a well-crafted post on say, deep conflicts in life, may not generate that much interest or limelight.

    So, if someone aims to be a published writer some day, what must he/she focus on? Blogging or Writing?

  17. Hi Pal. While blogging may not necessarily comprise a formal construction, it still remains ‘writing’ of a certain form. I might very well say that blogging could be the first step to becoming a writer. The difference between blogging and writing is no more than that between a T20 and a test match. The protocol and methods may vary, but the game is still the same. The ultimate idea is that what you write must appeal to the reader. I agree with the fact that blogging can tend to be a little more colloquial, but that in the end is the writer’s choice. I have read some deeply motivating blogs which have been more enthralling than a certain book! In the end, to answer your last question – whether you want to blog, or you want to write a book, the thumb rule is but one: YOU must be convinced abt what you’re writing. The readership will be an obvious corrolary.

  18. Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii
    I especially liked this answer.. ‘Our days from school and college are probably the best days of our lives, which give us a lot to cherish about.

    joseph

  19. That was a cool interview and I am yet to read Nishant’s book.Will grab it soon…

    @Nishant a ques to ya…

    I have read few books written by IIT or IIM alumni and it mostly revolves about the story of life at IIT or IIM.How about your book?Will it gonna contain the same college flavour?

    All the best!

  20. Thanks Joseph.
    Annapoorni – no, A Romance With Chaos dwells on the struggles of an entry-level corporate executive in a giant MNC. My first book, Watch Out! We Are MBA did have a B-school flavour to it, though. However, the focus of that book was also on relationships rather than on academics.

  21. Thank you so much! I was informed that I’m getting a copy of the book, autographed by you! 😀 Can’t wait to read it

  22. hi nishant.. a good interview.. how did you managed to get so much time along with your regular job?

  23. hiiiiiiiiii
    well i read your 2nd book i.e.romance wth chaos
    aftr readng i got to knw that smehw in many ways its really related to us in any or other way
    i really want to say thx that as even m a new joinee 4 my job as a fresher so may be it can be a part of my upcmg life coz within a small period i faced lilt things…………….thx

  24. Its give alot of pleasure by gong through “romance wid choas”&its seem a real story ….i would like 2 be read 1st novel me just tryng 2 get dat..now onward dere is alot space 4 our beloved writer

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