Helping me wrap up the week is novelist Rishi Vohra to chat with me about Diary of an Angry Young Man, a new adult coming-of-age crime drama.
Bio:
A Green MBA and Wine Specialist, Rishi Vohra has authored four novels, ‘Diary of an Angry Young Man,’ ‘I am M-M-Mumbai,’ ‘HiFi in Bollywood’ and ‘Once Upon the Tracks of Mumbai.’ His short story, The Mysterious Couple, was featured in Sudha Murty’s anthology – Something Happened on the Way to Heaven, and another short story, Kaala Baba, in Neil D’Silva’s urban horror anthology – City of Screams.
His other short stories include The Saas-Bahu Conflict which was published in the HBB Horror Microfiction Anthology 2020, The Mysterious Kitchen in the HBB Horror Microfiction Anthology 2021 and In Your Eyes in Tell me Your Story’s LGBTQ anthology Pride, Not Prejudice : Decriminalising Love.
For more information about Rishi or his books, please visit www.rishivohra.com.
Welcome, Rishi. Please tell us about your current release.
Diary of an Angry Young Man is inspired by true events and the protagonist is based on a real person. The book is set in Bombay in 1992 and Mumbai in 2012, the latter around the time of the Nirbhaya rape case, an incident which had shaken the nation and moved it to anger. Among these angry people is one ordinary angry young man whose anger and actions bring him under the radar of both the police and the beggar mafia. In addition, he has unemployment and a volatile home environment to contend with. Through his journey, we see how a disturbed childhood can lead to an unfocused and unstable adulthood. And how hope and clarity can come from the most unexpected of people and places.
What inspired you to write this book?
When I was a kid, there was one particular young man in the area close to where I lived, who had become a figure of childhood folklore of sorts and we knew him only by his nickname. He had achieved a high level of recognition, given the issues he stood up for and the scraps he got embroiled in. He seemed destined to go nowhere in life.
I visited the area years later as an adult, and was surprised to learn about how life had completely turned around for him and his current vocation. His unique journey revealed him to be an unreasonable and fearless man, and I admired his resilience and goodness of heart despite the cards that life had dealt him. I felt compelled to tell the surreal story of this angry young man.
What exciting story are you working on next?
My next book is a romantic thriller that is set in the underbelly of Bollywood, and revolves around human trafficking. The book should hit bookstores in India and Amazon globally, in 2022.
When did you first consider yourself a writer?
I first considered myself a writer when a piece of mine was published in a supplement of Times of India, India’s leading English daily.
Do you write full-time? If so, what’s your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?
I am currently focused completely on writing because of the pandemic.
What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
I like to write in noisy environments, rather than complete silence.
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be a doctor.
Links:
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Amazon
Thanks for being here today, Rishi.