Home Authors Interviews “Catching the fun and the absurd in the daily happenings from a distance – that’s the idea that permeates through the book.” says Biswajit in a recent Interview

“Catching the fun and the absurd in the daily happenings from a distance – that’s the idea that permeates through the book.” says Biswajit in a recent Interview

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“Catching the fun and the absurd in the daily happenings from a distance – that’s the idea that permeates through the book.” says Biswajit in a recent Interview

About the Author: Biswajit is a prolific humorist and author of hundreds of bestsellers – all in his dreams. In reality, Happimess is his debut book.
His satirical ramblings, poetry and travel – writing have been published accidentally in several literary journals, periodicals and websites. For a living, he serves in a senior position in a leading public sector steel unit.


Interview

Congratulations for your book “Happimess” and for all the lovely reviews! How are you feeling?
Thanks a lot. I am really happy to see my book receiving such good feedbacks. Hunger for recognition is still looked down upon in our culture, but my god! I can’t tell you how nice it feels when your efforts are acknowledged and you are praised.

Kindly acquaint our readers with the contents of the book.
I believe there’s plenty of humour in situations that we face everyday. It is only that it passes by unnoticed.

My book has stories that centre around daily happenings where the characters get caught-up in messy situations. The real fun and enjoyment starts when efforts are made to get out and things turn still more messy – that’s why the name HAPPIMESS! In the stories, the most ordinary of situations unfold into something extraordinary with absolutely comical twists and turns.

The book operates at two distinct levels. At the basic humorous level, it makes the readers chuckle, giggle and laugh out loud. While as a subtle satire, the book pokes fun at individual and social peculiarities and delivers hidden messages. So this is not a usual joke book.

The stories cover subjects that are entirely relatable – faulty home-appliances, office colleagues afflicted with unique diseases, prying insurance agents, a manual on haggling, case of dented self-respect, troublesome neighbours, a farewell speech gone wrong and the like. The stories stand out because the characters and the situations have been handled in a unique way.

I have purposefully used a tone in the book that is mostly straight-faced humour, say like someone telling a funny incident in a dead-pan manner. This helps the reader sympathise with the characters despite their weaknesses.

It must be really difficult and tiring to take out some time for writing. How do you manage writing along with your profession?
Yes, it’s certainly tough to juggle the demands of my profession in the steel industry and writing humour. When time does not permit writing, I feel frustrated like someone who is trying to climb a greased pole. So there is no fixed writing routine that I follow. I believe early mornings and late nights are the best bets for writing – people tend to be less stupid at these times and can cobble up a few meaningful sentences if they wish (Ha! Ha!). Yes, the ideas, storylines and plots keep on bubbling at the back of my mind throughout the day. I keep my scrapbook handy to jot down random thoughts to have a look later.

Happimess is a collection of naughty stories revolving around our day-to-day lives. The book indeed carries a unique plot. How did you arrive at the core of the idea?
There is a famous Charlie Chaplin quote “Life is a tragedy when seen in close-up, but a comedy in long-shot”. If you look at the way people behave in a given everyday situation from a distance, you are in a better position to catch the comic elements and the absurdity. It’s like using a long-range telescope to watch things rather than moving close and trying to observe through a magnifying-glass. Since most of the stories in my book are narrated in the first person, the self-distancing element becomes important – stepping back from an experience to examine it as distinct from the self. Catching the fun and the absurd in the daily happenings from a distance – that’s the idea that permeates through the book.

What is the next book that you have planned?
Right now, I haven’t anything quite concrete on my mind except that my next one will be in the nature of more HAPPIMESS.