Interview with Veer Santhosh an Author

“…...... not all love stories are meant to have a perfect ending. Some stay incomplete. Yet they are beautiful just the way they are...... ” are you READY TO FALL IN LOVE ?   

Friends! Once again I am with  a final year engineering student, Veer Santhosh a film maker in making, and an AUTHOURPRENEUR . He says  LOVE its something which bring back hope in life. His passion for writing made him author of his first debut book “ Ready To Fall In Love?” .

AT : Akatma Times                VS : Veer Santhosh.

AT:  Can you share with us a few words about yourself, you childhood, schooling, you being other than an author?

VS:  Well, I was born to a middle class family in the year 1990. I was brought up in Mysore, Karnataka. I did my higher primary education from Mahaveer School. Later I joined Marimallappa’s high school. I did PU from Maharaja’s government PU College, & presently I’m doing final year engineering at MIT Mysore in Electronics & Communication!!! I have also directed a short film titled, “What’s your dream..?”

AT:  When did this writing instinct stuck u? What is your inspiration for writing? Where do you get the thoughts from?

VS:  I wrote my first story when I was in 8th standard. It was a short story of 2 pages. It was my friend Rohan who encouraged me to become a writer. I used to read novels of Chethan Bhagat, Ravinder Singh etc. They inspired me to take up writing!!!

AT:  “Ready to Fall in Love?” Title itself says it is something about love. Tell us more about the book?

VS: It’s the title of the one story in my book. The book has 5 short stories. Three of which are sad ending, & other two ends happily. The main thing I have tried to convey is that HOPE is what is important in life no matter how much you are screwed up!! And for me, every love story is a legend in its own way.

AT:  What made you write this book? Choose this subject? Any message you want to give?

VS:  As I said, Hope is the most essential thing on the Earth. Never lose hope. I always dreamed of being writer. I wanted my voice to be heard. That made take up this task of writing a book. Why I chose love? Its simple, love stories never die!!!

AT:  You yourself have taken the job of publishing, marketing, distributing..etc 

From the basic step

o of writing to reaching out to audience. May be we should say AUTHOURPRENEUR .How is this

journey?

VS:  Hahaha!!! I saved my time running to doors of publishers for that matter!! It gives lot of satisfaction that I, myself has done everything for my book!! I’m satisfied!! I loved the way things went for me. May be I had, Beginners luck as Paul Coelho says in his book THE ALCHEMIST

AT:  Are you nervous on your first book release and your expectations on it?

VS:  Yes of course!!! It’s my first child. I’m excited as well as bit anxious, But I know, I should enjoy this moment!! I am not here to make money for sure!! I just need my work to be recognized.

AT:  What is your next project? Where you want to see yourself in coming 5 years?

VS:  I have just emptied my mind. Need time to think about the next project. But there is one thing that’s haunting me right now. I wanna start a NGO to help academically backward students in Government schools. And I’m also thinking about my next book about how I became a writer!!! Will let you all know about it soon!! I want to see myself as a more satisfied person in next 5 years. I understand that name, fame & money are important in life. But these can never be equal to one thing called, Satisfaction!!!

AT: Can you share with us about your film  "Whats your dream? " Any thing more about you and films?

VS: The concept of this movie is very simple. Suicide among engineering students has become a trend & is increasing day by day. We have not tried to look what is wrong, instead we have tried to send message to all the engineering students that these results & all are just guest

appearances in the cinema called, "LIFE". Don't take your life just for that!!

If you're so depressed, reach out for someone. Remember, Suicide is a permanent solution for your temporary problems!!. Just remember your parents who struggle to bring you up when you get such idiotic thoughts!!

AT:  Who is your role model? Being an Engineering student what made you choose to be in writing and filming?

VS: Don't have role model as such!!! But few in cinema industry like Maniratnam, Shankar impressed me!!!

AT: One last question! What is your message for students and upcoming authors?

VS:  Its never too late to follow your dreams!! Just do what you love & love what you do!!

Thank You very much Santhosh  for spending your time in being part of my blog.

Wishing you all the very best and may this beginners luck be with you all the time. Wishing to see many more books and films in future.

  Friends you can find book Ready to Fall in love?  here...

Infibeam(ebook)-

www.infibeam.com/eBooks/ready-fall-love-veer-santhosh-pdf-ebook-download/9789350671122-BEPDF.html

Amazon kindle-- http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007D4S8KU

Order from www.readytofallinlove.com

His blog: veersanthosh.wordpress.com

Lesson 1

Many of us here, most of the times we might have felt bad at watching unrealistic, un reasonable advertisements on television sets. At the same time there were adds which made us happy in watching once more. If all these adds, involving celebrities into the marketing of the brand or a product is to increase the sales... do these adds really need to bring those celebrities into these adds.  

Recently, we have been watching Birla sun life insurance add with their brand ambassador Yuvi.

This add had been disturbing most of the people around as this add struck the television sets after the Yuvi was diagnosed with cancer and undergoing treatment (well, may be people started to recognize the depth after they got to know about his health issues).

How cruel it was making money or marketing their brand on a youth icon while the whole country irrespective of cast and creed were praying for his health??

 How could Yuvi accept it? May be he even is good enough in trying to making money? Oh MY GOD  where is the world going to end upto?

These were the thoughts running in my mind when ever i see the add. All these controversies were tried to clarify by Ajay Kakkar CMO of Aditya Birla Group. HERE

Even then,

though the sole purpose of marketing and advertising is making themselves prominent,

though they might try to convince by showing the example of lance Armstrong

its still not convincing in reaching people. may be its also important in taking their brand in the right way into the people.

But I appreciate their takeaway saying ”As long as our intention is good and conscience is clean, criticisms don't matter, especially when they are not based on facts, but perception”

For Reference here are two adds of YUVI

Older One Latest One

Interview -- Nature In a Bottle

I am happy to say I took a step forward and publishing small talks rather I wish to say an interview.

yeah u read it right. A new session is coming up-- Interviews  

Here is my first one.

I am happy to introduce Mrs.Hema Mahesh , a women entrepreneur.

         

   AT- Akatma Times    HM- Hema Mahesh.

AT: Hello Hema, Welcome to Akatma Times.Can you speak about yourself.When did your passion for cooking start? How the word Organic is related in your jams?

HM: Hi Akatma, I am happy to be a part of your blog. I am a cook, wife and mother - and that summarizes the essence of me. As far as my passion for food and cooking goes, one memory that stands out is when I was in 8th class and commuted daily from a small village to the school next town. The journey was long and tiring, but the best part was the scenery - green paddy fields, ground nut fields, road side vegetable markets and the colors of the earth. These are etched in my mind, and to me me, the food is always connected to the source - Mother Earth. When I grew up, got married and moved to the US for a few years, it opened the doors of the world cuisine to me. I was fascinated with the sight of all the new cusines I got introduced to in California. I shopped in a variety of local farmer’s markets for fresh produce, experimented a lot in the kitchen trying out Thai, Italian, Chinese, American,... dishes. My husband, a good sport, was my test subject, and the end result was that I emerged as a good cook. Moving back to India - Bangalore especially, and becoming a mom made cooking the centre stage. Jayanagar market with all the glowing vegetable and fruits raised my adrenaline levels .The colors were too tempting . To this day, Colors and fragrances were my turn-on’s in every dish. I tried applying my passion for color in painting with some success, but my heart is in the kitchen.

AT: Flavors

! They are just unique and tempting. How the name Nature in a bottle came to u? Is NIB your first venture?

HM:

I was in a mad rush preparing for my first exhibit with “A Hundred Hands”, and a week before the show, I still did not have a name nor a logo. My neighbor Anu Gummaraju, founder of Second to None, suggested asking for suggestions in their Facebook page. So I put up a small contest with s set of Jams as the prize, and a number of suggestions poured in. The name Nature In A Bottle is an adaptation of the winning entry for this contest.

Yes, this is my first venture  into the food industry.

AT:

What was your inspiration for moving into market? (like any other entrepreneur  or  story which provoked you to start a sale/entrepreneurial instinct in you)?

HM: :

Last year, I read a book called ‘Food Rules” by Michael Pollan, which became a turning point for my cooking. With too many choices and confusion regarding how to eat and what to eat, this book was a savior. One rule from the book is: “Don’t eat anything your great-great-grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food”. As a result, I started looking at the ingredients of every packaged item we purchased, and in most cases, could not recognize several of the ingredients. So I started cutting down on buying packaged foods and making most of them at home. That is when I realized a shortage of preservative free products in the market. When the idea of Jams was in bubbling in my head, my husband and I decided that we have to make it exclusive in not just the flavors but also the ingredients. My offerings of my jams are based on these two constraints. So when you buy by products you know exactly what you are eating

AT:

How have you done your market research?

HM:

Rather than running after customers, my philosophy has been to envision a good product that people would like and then try to perfect it. Another key aspect is prototyping. I enlist the help of a small circle of friends to test and refine my jams before I sell. I am indebted to these friends for their constant feedback and support

AT:

When things come to action there will be a lot of things to plan and put in order. Can you please explain this phase?

HM:

Experience is the best teacher. It has been a learning process ever since I started my venture, but I am enjoying every moment of it.

AT:

Can you narrate your first sale experience?

HM:

My first customer was a small 7 year old girl. She very hesitantly tasted my Banana Orange Jam and the reaction was a wonderful smile. She then looked up at her daddy and my first sale was made!

AT:

customer feedback’s---  May be this is the point where the whole thing revolves. There may be many doubts raised by customers about colors/ preservatives/longevity and storage..Can you share with us your first feedback’s?

HM: :

Most of us in India have grown up on Kissan jams. The concept of preservative free jam which has a very short shelf life is new.  After tasting the jams, and I mention that these are preservative free with just natural products, they are delighted to take home a bottle or two.

AT:

Where would you like to see NIB in future?Any plans in adding other products?Any plans in penetrating large scale into the market?

HM: am hoping that NIB will be known for the purity of its product and their unique flavors. I am working on a line of such products.

AT:

Any lessons learnt in these few steps?Any message to convey aspiring women entrepreneurs.

HM: :

I am not sure I can advise any one but I do admire a lot of women entrepreneurs.I very strongly believe in the strength  of a women any point in her life.

AT:

How did you made a balance between family, profession and passion?

HM:

I am blessed with a very supportive husband and a darling son which makes it very easy for me to strike a balance in every thing I do.

AT: Thank You Hema for spending your time in being a part of my blog. Wishing you all the very best for your venture and expecting more variety of food products.
you can visit her facebook page Nature in a bottle
people from bangalore you can order from the facebook page and enjoy!