Among the 21 Indian writers and speakers, who were in the country to participate in the Mountain Echoes, the most celebrated literature festival in the country, 48-year old writer and entrepreneur, Ashwin Sanghi, from Mumbai, Maharashtra, participated for the seventh time.

Ashwin Sanghi, the Indian fiction-thriller writer, spoke on the karma of writing and shared his journey of being a businessman to a writer in the last ten years.

As a business student and an entrepreneur for 35 years, he talked about his change in destiny from a businessman to a best-selling author.

Ashwin Sanghi said that he visualised his ability and passion at the age of 36.  “My passion and primary ability were not in business but in storytelling. I think that I have hundred of stories to tell in my lifetime,” he said. “My karma is to tell those stories.”

He described Bhutan as a hope to the world and an inspiration to writers. His 2016 book ‘Sialkot Saga’, he said, was inspired by Her Majesty the Queen Mother Dorji Wangmo Wangchuck. “I was here attending the literature festival in 2015. The Queen Mother shared an idea about writing a book on Bhutan.”

The author said that the geography and nature of Bhutan holds a great inspiration for writing. “Why shouldn’t we be inspired by the place? I look out of my car and I am inspired, breathe in the air, feel it from the flags. Everywhere there is an inspiration.”

Ashwin Sanghi spreads the message of connection and coming together through his stories. He said that the progress made in other parts of the world is different from Bhutan.

“Bhutan’s development focus is on happiness and Bhutan is a hope to the world. Time will come when the world will learn from Bhutan.”

He said that the primary step toward writing is to inculcate the habit of writing.  “Reading is necessary but it isn’t sufficient to write. It does not ensure you to be a writer. But it helps one become a better writer.”

To be a successful writer, he said that one should be inspiring, persistent, pragmatic and humble. “If you wish to write, you need to be inspired and the inspiration does not come to you unless we are open to it. Writing tests your passion all the time. Rejection is a part of the game.”

Ashwin Sanghi said that one should have a reason to write a story. “Different people write for different reasons. I write to convey a story. I think that’s a common factor. You need to find your own reasons to write.”

The three-day literature festival covered themes that explore globally relevant issues, environmental conservation, history, spirituality, design traditions and global evolutions of textile.

Nima

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