We interviewed a highly intellectual and fit person. It was a privilege interviewing Mr.Tarun. He teaches Finance to CA/CS/International CFA students. He is also Practicing as a Chartered Accountant since 1999 (Last 16 years). He has a plethora of degrees which include B.Com., FCA (Known as fellow member of The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India). Apart from these he holds DISA (Diploma in Information systems audit) and CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst from CFAI, USA)
He had achieved 10th Rank in India in CA Foundation examination. He had secured First CFA Charter holder of Madhya Pradesh & Chhatisgarh. He was First Super Randonneur of Madhya Pradesh & Chhatisgarh. (Super Randonneur title is given by “Audax Club Parisien” to one who ride bicycle for 200kms, 300kms, 400kms and 600kms in 13. hours, 20 hours, 27 hours and 40 hours respectively within one year)
What inspired you to start writing?
Basically I am a teacher and besides teaching subject I always want to motivate my students.
But In classroom i have limited time. Hence I have been writing for them on social media since last few years.
What did you like to read when you were a boy?
I still look and live like a boy 🙂
At my early age I used to read comic books and religious story books of Jain religion.
What is the greatest challenge in writing a book?
I already have a very busy schedule hence the biggest challenge was to give time to writing.
Also I am very impatient about finishing a job, while book publication is a very slow process.
Hence keeping patience was another challenge.
How much research do you do before writing the book?
Actually this book is about my own experience hence I need not to do any research.
But for my running and cycling I read lot of article on internet, watched many youtube videos, and talked to many experienced runners and cyclist.
What motivated you to write the book “My Marathon”?
When I completed my full marathon in mumbai, my students were very enthusiastic to know about my journey to marathon. To Inspire them, Initially I planned to write a blog but length of my write up was heavy for a blog. Eventually It turned into a book.
Can you tell us more about your latest book “My Marathon”?
“My Marathon” is a story of a person who never participated in sports in his schooldays, he preferred to participate in essay writing or debate. He hardly played any games on ground, he preferred to play only indoor games like ludo, business, snakes and ladder etc. He would easily caught by cold, cough, flu etc. He suffered from double typhoid, jaundice, Malaria. He broke his arm bone twice. He would fall sick on every change of weath. He would eat antibiotics 6 times in a year. His friends would call him weak and coward but he tolerated all comments. All this continued till 36 years of his age.
Then one day he started running without any great plans or big dreams and practiced the same for 10 months. He is a focused man. Whatever he does he gives his best. he faced many ups and downs and finally one day he become a marathoners. Then he did cycling and became a randonneur and then Super randonneur. All this he did with his all professional, personal and social commitments.
For many people this may not be a big achievement but they he achieved this is inspiring. Language of this book is easy and even one who know basic english will not have to refer dictionary to read this book.
Also this is small book of twenty thousand odd words hence in this busy world one will not have to devote much time to read this book. and also the book in not very dramatic like movies hence a common man will be easily able to connect with the book.
How did you came up with the idea of writing Inspirational genre book with learnings from sports?
From childhood i have been into studies. Hence my academic achievements never excited me. Because it was usual. But at the age of 36 when i ran a full marathon in Mumbai, it excited me like anything. Because this was something which was next to impossible for me at that time. Even people appreciate me a lot for this offbeat achievement. In my journey to marathon many people inspired me directly or indirectly. Hence i thought that now it is my duty to inspire others and there can not be a better idea than a book to inspire people.
Who are your favourite authors?
Paulo coelho, I liked most.
How much time do you dedicate for writing on a daily basis?
I do not write daily. When my professional schedule is comparatively relaxed then i write even for a whole day. Also I mostly write when I travel, because at that time i feel mentally free and also in a different environment.
What words of wisdom would you like to give to aspiring writers?
One should write only when he/she is passionate about writing. Because if you are passionate about anything then you produce a masterpiece. If you are passionate then you do not feel at work rather you enjoy it. When you enjoy something then not only your brain but also your heart support that work.
Thank you for your time Mr.Tarun. You can buy his book: