Dr. Shakila (ma’am) met me on Linkedin last year with her inclination towards completing and publishing her debut novel.
She was hesitant to talk openly at first but we started conversing over Emails, Whatsapp and Linkedin and discussed options regarding the book she had planned to compile.
She wasn’t that tech savvy.
On discussing the dimensions of the story, I got to know her very inspiring life. She saw her parents fighting cancer at an age younger than many other people. She had quite a few personal problems which I am sure she would open up publicly someday really soon but her main source of energy was the smile of her daughter and her dreams of taking her story to the millennials in order to inspire them and connect with them.
One day, she informed she is on the verge of giving up. She is on the verge of quitting. The personal problems had taken a toll and she just wanted to escape the 21st Century.
I had to somehow go inside her brains and ask her to give publishing this book a chance through Nikhil Chandwani | Blogs .
In her forty six-year-old journeys on this planet, she has been scribbling verses for later half of her life but the insecurities and the fear of acceptance would never allow her to publish it; or take it to the next level.
We brainstormed and discussed the complete manuscript and I had given her the basics as well as the time, space and basic inspiration.
It was such a journey containing emotions in words.
The book got ready in September of 2017.
The rough synopsis of the book read:
“The thinking that led to this book has many roots, which were an integral part of my thought’s day- in and day -out. Every day throughout our monotonous life, we keep meeting any people from all walks, who makes us sit and introspect our thought process. We either assume or analyze easily, without understanding the real cause of their behavior and presentation. This book is a small step towards the practical analysis to prepare and accept the imperfections in their own ways and circumstances. The first step of life starts with the phase of dependence to gain balance and stability to make our feet firm on the ground to embark on a beautiful voyage of life with various trials and tribulations, and finally sets down with the same dependence to give a composed and graceful exit. The different transitions of growing up, our struggles for survival, passion for the things which define us, a contribution of the professional niche, providing us the status and standing in the society. The perils of the changing norms of the generations, and the acceptance of various perceptions to enable us for better brace up for the life strategies, which are encountered every day, demands a new version of us at every stage of life. This book is designed to put us in a positive retrospection, for dealing with various aspects of the journey of life with a touch of human essence and analytical approach, in conquering the hearts and minds.”
It took us couple of months to shape up the basic formalities. Editing, Proof Read, Cover Designing and the journey began.
The book hit the market and Shakila ma’am finally got what she deserved: a listening crowd. She started getting known and the media kept flourishing her with articles.
Her life turned all positive. We kept meeting and discussion different roles that she could master.
I got her in touch with few individuals that wanted editing and Ghost Writing support. The finances started to go green.
She also started as an inspiring public speaker with acceptance from young and old crowd. She has spoken at various school and colleges in Hyderabad. She judged literary competitions and the editing projects are showering her with countless opportunities. Her second and the third book is scheduled to release next month.
She also became the Global Goodwill Ambassador for linkedin and later the Indian chairman
for Global Goodwill Ambassador under Richard DiPilla. ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Go… )
She represents India and this has turned her profile on linkedin to one of the most followed one from India.
and she is also a permanent columnist now for Thrive Global.
Here is what she said about me recently that got me all happy on an English newspaper.
“While talking about the one who shaped up her creative career, ‘My heartfelt gratitude to Dr. Nikhil Chandwani, who made me realise that every human carries unlimited potential and is equally capable of both disseminating and gathering knowledge. His timely suggestions have been a great source of both inspiration and learning. His mentoring has inspired me to find my feet on the literary ground.’”
– Dr. Shakila (Author, Columnist, Editor, Public Speaker Chairman (India)- Global Goodwill Ambassador)
This inspired me to take up Rescuing Writers at large and currently we have over 204+ such stories coming from different forms of life.