‘If you have an idea, stick with it, just keep going’

Chennai

How did you come up with the idea for the book?

I was interested in people pursuing different things. When I was growing up, people studied engineering or medicine and stuck with it. Today youngsters have more options. The people who feature in the book belong to my generation. One aspect that impressed me was how these people were willing to experiment and change careers. What motivated me was how they let go of ideas they grew up with and pursued their new careers, and stayed with it.

So, this is a socio-historic documentation of our times?

I looked at it as change brewing amidst us. Although I had an original list of 100 people, I have talked to about 15 innovators because they are unusual people. For example, two brothers gave up lucrative jobs in US to get into bespoke clothing, and set up a unit in Tada, Chennai. I tried to focus on career switches, which required individuals to relearn skills.

What were the challenges in authoring such a book? How cooperative were the people you profiled?

Juggling my office work—which entails writing, editing and rewriting—and progressing with my book was tough since I was constantly writing and editing, be it at work or for my book. But I enjoyed it. All of my subjects were very cooperative. I spent hours talking to them and then tried to capture that spark that motivated them to switch careers.

What is your advice to emerging authors?

If you have an idea, stick with it, just keep going. Don’t give up. There is a lot of hard work involved in writing. But it is a satisfying experience.