HYDERABAD: “My life is a series of joyous events,” begins banker-cum-author Ravi Subramanian, who was in the city to launch the last book in his trilogy of banking chronicles, The Incredible Banker, as he recollects the story behind the genesis of his first book. “My wife was away for one month for some training. So, I spent more time at home because our daughter was six years old then. That gave me the time to begin writing and I started off with 10 pages initially,” he recalls. After his first book, If God Was a Banker became a bestseller, Subramanian got more than an incentive to move on to his second book, Devil in Pinstripes and now, finally the third one is out as well.By completing his trilogy, Subramanian believes that he has given birth to a new genre of writing altogether — the genre of ‘corporate fiction’. “I was trying to create a genre that did not exist when I was writing my first book. This is why I knew I would have to atleast write three books to establish this genre,” confesses the author. Comparing himself with John Grisham, who is known for his books on law, Subramanian shares that he wants to become the John Grisham of banking. “When people talk about books related to law, they think of John Grisham. Similarly, I want people to think of me when they talk about books related to banking,” he adds.Having established a place in the world of fiction, and receiving ample appreciation for his stories set in the backdrop of a bank, Subramanian now plans to move to a different genre. His next book revolves around three generations of a South Indian family. “But the protagonist of that story is a banker,” he quickly clarifies. Banking touches the lives of everyone in some way or the other, believes Subramanian. He adds, “And since I work at a bank myself, I understand the dynamics of it much better.”But does he plan to shift his focus to writing from banking? Comes a prompt reply, “No. Writing is not a full-time career, it is a stress buster. Writing is my girlfriend, and corporate career is my wife. I enjoy writing, but will not leave my job for it.”Going by conventions, an author is said to be an avid reader himself. But Subramanian seems to be an exception. “I don’t read that much,” he confesses, adding, “But, my 11-year old daughter does. And, after I wrote my first book, she got inspired and started working on her series of four books. After jotting down a 40,000-word manuscript, she is currently working on the next one.”
Comments
0 comment