Presented by
Starmark, at South City Mall, Kolkata, the book launch of The Secret Wish List
by Preeti Shenoy was a great success. Meeting the Author in person, anchored by
Arupa Lahiry and the honourable guest invitee, renowned fashionista Agnimitra
Paul, was like leading to a land of mesmerism with all the discussions on the
novel, thoughts provoking to it, prolonged with a question-answer session.
Preeti Shenoy had written already three novels and this one was the fourth one.
I had read Preeti Shenoy’s third novel Tea for Two and a Piece of Cake
and literally liked it, reviewed it.
Meeting an Author in person is
always a gainsaying job when prior attachment and an elusive relationship grow
in between his/ her works and the reader. We, readers always portray a naïve calibre about the Author through the reads come to our
way. So when we meet an Author in person it becomes quite challenging to
confront him/her to match with the fictitious portrayal that we already created
in our mind. But when I met Preeti Shenoy, I was too happy and inspired by her
humble and down to earth characteristics. Preeti was a lady who could easily
inspire anybody, too resonating and energetic when she spoke and above all too
friendly who talked individually with her fans and gave her autographs to us.
The Famous Books and stationary
retailers and one of the biggest uprising chain of book stores in Kolkata, Starmarks
organised the launch of the Book The Secret Wish List on 26th April'13 at
6.30pm at their South City Mall book store. With a minimum of 20 audience,
Author Preeti Shenoy, Fashion Designer Agnimitra Paul and anchor Arupa Lahiry,
the launch event had become a booming success. I reached to the session a
little late so I missed the exact moment when the book got launched. But other
way lucky enough to be a part of the discussion that sprung up slowly through a
question-answer dissertation. I enjoyed and
loved the part when the discussion bloomed on about the Search of Identity of
women and how could they achieve it. Preeti referred to homemaker's frustration
and how can they too earn their Identity.
In India she referred women were mostly designated as someone's daughter
or someone's wife or someone's mother.
That was one of the points that inspired Preeti to write something about
the Indian woman and their daily frustration and how to cope up with it. Every
woman has a dream imbedded inside her to secure a respected place for her and
prove her Identity. That was what Preeti said, she wanted to portray in her
latest novel The Secret Wish list, where the protagonist Diksha became from
Nothing to Something. Angimitra Paul also added strong vibes how her women
artisans were able to acquire their own Identity and became the proud earning
members of their families. Literally got
motivated when Agnimitra Paul referred that her show stoppers for the Fashion
shows were sometimes the common workers of her leading organization.
Arupa, when
asked about the inspirations behind the book, Preeti shared some short
anecdotes with us. One I am sharing
here:
"One
lady was abandoned by her husband she was expecting that time. After some years
she moved to USA with her daughter and on a snowy evening she sat with her
daughter and playfully wrote 11 wishes listed down on a plain book. Before
start writing the fiction Preeti talked to the lady and she informed that 9 out
of those 11 wishes came true."
Talking
about Diksha the Protagonist of the book did something of her own from zero to
success. So Preety said that she did believe in the law of attraction what we did
believe that really sometimes had come true.
Therefore at the end of her book she added an empty page which was quite
a novel idea what I felt, titled it:
"What
is your wish list? Go on write it down. You never know how it can change your
life."
Preeti aded:
"Unless and until you are writing down your wishes you are not giving a
concrete shape to it".
Preeti is
here launching her fourth fiction but she is already on to her fifth one. And
she was characterised as a Voracious writer by Arupa. Preeti pointed out
all the characters in her novel were borrowed from her own life and she had a
real life experience with it.
Preeti
confidently declares this book was different from her other novels and she
ensured that everybody would like the book. And Arupa vouched for it when she
shared her story while starting reading this book she denied visiting an
invitation only because she could not leave the book in between. For her this
book was absolutely a page turner and unputdownable. Arupa also wished for The
Secret Wish List that may be in future it might be got screened as it has the
perfect Cinematographic elements in it and Preeti wished too with her fingers
crossed.
A glimpse of the Question & Answer
session in between Preeti and the audience:
1. How long you used to write?
Ans: I used to work for 8 to 10 hours a day.
It took almost 8 months.
2. It is seen in the different
part of the book you challenged the stereotypes. Did you?
Ans: Yes I did challenge somewhere the
stereotypes what I tried to illustrate in the book.
The overall
experience of the event was wonderful. Preeti Shenoy herself looked very
young, vibrating and enthusiastic and through her conversation she compelled us
to listen to her that much confident and attitude she carried with her. Love
the way Agnimitra Paul carried herself. With the minimum make up and not a
single accessory on her, she is a true beauty and soft speaker too. Quite moved by the magnificent anchoring by Arupa
Lahiry who is a professional dancer and studied English literature. She was
well versed and swung the event giving totally a relaxed feeling creating a
homely atmosphere.
All is well
when it ends well. I returned home almost flying high with pride with the
exquisite joy of talking to the author in person and having her own signature
in my copy of The Secret Wish List as a lifelong asset.
To know more about Preeti Shenoy visit her website and she is an avid blogger too: http://www.preetishenoy.com/
Review on The Secret Wish list will be coming shortly..
4 comments:
Really nice to read this post. I love book launches especially of the books by humble people. :)!
Thank you. Awaiting the review!
Hi Divenita thanks a lot for the inspiring comment....:) ..loved your name....
Nice to know this. I too will make a list of my wishes now on :)
Do participate in a giveaway on my blog:
http://rakshaskitchen.blogspot.com/2013/04/nunaturals-stevia-giveaway-worth-57-usd.html
Very happy to read this post.
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