WriterStory Interviews of Writers
Sweta is working as a full time freelancer and a homemaker. She was a marketing professional with an advertising and PR agency based in Mumbai. She is a post graduate in Public Relations from Kolkata. She studied in Scottish Church College, Kolkata.
What inspired you to start writing?
I was working with a creative agency in Mumbai where my field of expertise was Public Relations and communication. After leaving job due to shifting my base abroad, I had pursued my passion of writing through blogs and free lance articles. My blog ‘swetawriter’ which is based on culinary, travel and restaurant review articles was a popular one; it was soon showcased in platforms of national and international dimensions.
Out of the various requests I used to receive, the one which involved me very much was easy lunch box recipes. These were requested by my readers who were 21st century ladies and moms. The crave to create tasty and nutritious food in a stipulated time with minimum or no preparation involved, was what led me to innovate recipes and I preserved my collection with the hope of publishing in the form of a book.
What did you like to read when you were a girl?
I used to be a voracious reader from my very early teens.
I was fond of fiction as well as nonfiction books. International cookery books attracted me from the beginning. I was a foodie and my mother used to be a good cook. So my interest towards new recipes used to be from my very childhood.
What is the greatest challenge in writing a book?
Ans: Writing a book is really not a very easy task. The thought has to come from the core of your heart. If you are convinced with your thought, words will be free flowing. If your objective is clear, I am sure expression will be thoughtful.
How much research do you do before writing the book?
Research before penning down my book was truly extensive. I was very meticulous in researching new recipes, combining ingredients and lastly trying at my own kitchen. All recipes written by me are tried and tested. It took me a whole year to try each and every recipe and then pen down for presenting to my food lover friends.
What motivated you to write the book “The Magical Tiffin Box”?
As I have said that I was a blogger and also a columnist in sify.com bawarchi section, I used to receive requests to write recipes meant for kids and especially for packed lunch. Now my research and hard work led me to a place where I could easily submit my collection to the publisher and the manuscript was accepted as it was meant for busy people who manages all the 360 degrees of life. The solution was to have tasty food amidst one’s hectic schedule.
Can you tell us more about your latest book “The Magical Tiffin Box”?
Magical tiffin book is a collection of 110 recipes, easy to cook. It needs no special preparation before or after and can be achieved with easily available ingredients. The recipes are categorized as- vegetarian, non vegetarian, kids favorite, diabetic and party recipes. I am sure that any homemaker will find it like a Bible as it has every solution under the same title.
Moreover, it contains nutritional notes which enable anybody to find out calories and nutritional content in the recipes. The diabetic recipes have been penned down after a lot of research and in consultation with a dietician. The book mentions a brief history of the foods especially how it came into being. The book has been liked in Kenya (where I am based presently) and now quite in demand.
The best part is that not only ladies but bachelors and forced bachelors also do find it easy to follow. So when the wife is on tour or holidaying no more hovering around costly restaurants, simply pick your favorite and get tasty home cooked food every day.
How did you come up with the idea of writing collection of recipes genre book?
Since I was a food blogger and my readers used to appreciate the idea of presenting new articles regularly, I thought of compiling a book meant for my food lover friends.
Cooking is a basic requisite of life. It’s like adding spice to your life.
Who are your favorite authors?
Well, I am a reader of both fiction and non-fiction. My favorite authors whom I have been inspired are- Nigella Lawson, Tarla Dala, Sanjeev Kapoor and Chitrita Banerji.
When I was a child I used to read books by Mahasweta Devi, Satyajit Ray. Today I am an ardent fan of Chetan Bhagat.
How much time do you dedicate for writing on a daily basis?
Ans: As I am a mother of two and a home maker, I dedicate 5-6 hours daily in writing. This includes research for new articles, exploring the social media, also reading and answering my mails.
What words of wisdom would you like to give to aspiring writers?
Writing is all about passion. If you have passion words will be free flowing. Whatever you write, it should come from the core of your heart. Do not think of a commercial gain /loss when you prepare yourself to pen down. Even if a single person appreciates your work, you are successful. Criticism should be taken in a positive way as it helps to improve in a certain field.
Write for yourself and be bold in your thoughts, the world will definitely follow you.
You can buy her book now:
