Author Nanda Pavaday!
Nanda Pavaday believes in stories, memories, and writing. He writes from the island country Mauritius. He prefers both English and French to write in. Shy of taking part in competition, shy of branding for his writing: his writings are a treasure of family life, school life, and small things which happen. Is there any magic in these small things, yes because small things being freedom, the ability to waste time into boredom bring quietude. His first book " TALES OF SIMPLER TIMES" did well among Mauritian readers. For a public protest in France, a woman took his book TALES OF SIMPLER TIMES" and used it as a symbol of hope. Perhaps, hopes lies in his stories of times gone by. He also has twenty-five years of experience in branding. A quiet rebel, we do a chat with the maverick author.
Q1) What draws you to the world of writing? We mean, is it a philosophical quest, satisfaction, or sheer love?
Nanda Pavaday: I write to connect with people. I think there is a world out there that we can point to because we can all see, touch, hear, and there is another world inside of us, a world made of our feelings. When we write, we are able to give others a glimpse of what is happening in here, and in this way, there is a connection that happens between you and the reader.
Q2) Do you feel you are writing from the periphery of the world? A country unique, an island. With strong cultural winds from India. What does it feel to write in 2020?
Nanda Pavaday: In a certain way, it is true that writing from an island far away feels like writing from the periphery of the world. Mauritius is not often in world news, so people do not really know us, who we are, what interests us, how we live our lives. But the truth is that my first book was for the Mauritian people. It was more about sharing with an audience that can relate. Mauritius has strong cultural ties with India in the food we eat, the clothes we wear, the movies we watch, and the music we listen to. But the particularity of Mauritius is our multiculturality. The intermixing of habits and customs, religious beliefs, and practices make us truly rich. Over and above how the pandemic has impacted all our lives, writing in 2020 involves trying to connect to a young audience with diverse and ever-changing interests and habits.
Image Source: Author Nanda Pavaday Facebook
Q3) Could you tell RAD TIMES something about the theme of your second book KONFIZRI?
Nanda Pavaday: My second book called Konfizri is a local word that comes from French 'confiserie'; meaning candy or candy store. The book is a sweet and witty collection of my daily thoughts about my experience of the lockdown in Mauritius. It was a unique experience because none of us has been through this. It was also an event that young and old lived together at a local and international level. I tried to bring together some of the feelings, so we remember them down the years when, hopefully, Covid will be just a vague memory.
Image Source: Author Nanda Pavaday Facebook
Q4) Does the novel as a literary form interest you? Do you love writing short stories? Will we see you switch to another genre?
Nanda Pavaday: As of now, I think I can write a novel because I do have a good grasp of some of the elements like narration and character development. However, writing a novel will require dedicated time that I don't have just yet. Moreover, since it is not something that I will be able to do regularly, I will need to be convinced that this is the novel I want to write because I take the jump. For now, I feel short stories suit me, and there are other themes I want to try as we go. I hope to get the chance to write other books because it is about sharing and contributing value.
Q5) What values can short-stories build in a child. Why should we read short stories?
Nanda Pavaday: I believe short stories are the most effective tools to convey values to children. For one thing, when we tell them a short story, we are not talking down to them, like adults often do. It is a moment of sharing that appeals to their emotions and their imagination, making it a pleasant interaction. Reading stories with kids builds togetherness. I read that Homo Sapiens outlived the other human species even though they were not physically stronger or more skilled because they develop the capacity to imagine things. This attribute enabled them to plan forward, have goals, organize themselves, collaborate, and motivate one another. These are, I think, the very same reasons we need to keep reading and sharing stories.
Thanks so much for taking the time out and chatting with us.
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