Utakarsh Jayant Interview – Chasing Illusions Book

Utakarsh is a 24 year old budding writer. He is currently studying MBA at MDI Gurgaon and is alumnus of DCEI. Let us know more about his writing.

What inspired you to start writing?

Writing is my passion. I have been a closet writer since my childhood. Expressing my thoughts and feelings on a piece of paper gives me an ultimate satisfaction. When I was in college, I had made a promise to myself that I will publish a book before I reach 25 years of age. It was during office, having huge ample amount of free time, I started writing Chasing Illusions. Slowly and slowly, page by page, I went on writing, just to kill time. After a month of dedicated work, I realised that I have ended up writing 25,000 words. At that point, my dream became my inspiration and I went on writing, for about 2 years, to finish my book.

What did you like to read when you were a boy?

One of the first books, I picked up was Enid Blyton – Famous Five. In the summers, just after clearing class 2 exams, I finished reading almost all of the famous five books. From then on, I was hooked. I liked reading Frederick Forsyth, Jeffrey Archer, Michael Crichton, Sidney Sheldon, Illustrated Classics and short stories written by contemporary writers. The book which made a ever lasting impact on me in my childhood was Count of Monte Cristo.

What is the greatest challenge in writing a book?

The greatest challenge for me for writing the book was continuation of the plot. While writing, loads of idea used to come to my mind, some good others bad. To move the story forward, keeping true to the theme was a big challenge for me. I have rewritten the whole book twice, have made countless corrections to keep the plot engaging and entertaining.

How much research do you do before writing the book?

To add elements to my book, build background stories for my characters, I have done loads of background research. For example I spent one whole night reading about 1965 war with Pakistan so that the background story I was writing for one of the characters look authentic. Another day, I spent whole afternoon, going thorough DDA Website, searching for laws concerning SEZ. I used to read a lot of blogs and talk to lot of natives of Dwarka and Gurgaon region of Delhi to know the history of these places so that I could make my story as realistic as possible.

What motivated you to write the book “Chasing Illusions”?

As stated before, it was my college dream of writing and publishing a book before I turn 25 was the main inspiration and motivation to write my first book.

Can you tell us more about your latest book “Chasing Illusions”?

The back cover blurb of the book perfectly summarizes the story of my book. The book is the story of an honest, but befuddled young man’s growth in the hazy real-estate sector of Delhi. Set against the backdrop of the rapidly changing social and economic scenario in villages of the National Capital Region during the early 2000’s.It relates about his struggle under the omnipresent shadow of corruption, deceit, and swindling at various levels of politics and society in developing India. It speaks of his ultimate metamorphosis into an unscrupulous, cheating, and bullying goon, blind to right or wrong.

How did you came up with the idea of writing fiction genre book?

I have been reading fiction books since my childhood. In my head, a whole different world exists which is just visible to me. Forming a story in that world is not a difficult task for me.

Who are your favourite authors?

Currently I am reading Haruki Murakami, Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Franz Kafka.

How much time do you dedicate for writing on a daily basis?

During writing my book, I used to spend around 2 hours and the rest amount in imaging and thinking on what to write. These days, owing to the hectic life of MBA @ MDI, it is difficult for me to dedicate time to writing. I need to find time to start editing my second book.