In 2013, my entire life turned upside down when suddenly my father passed away. I had to leave my job in Bangalore and relocate to my hometown, Gangtok. It was pretty tough, adjusting to a life without him. Hoping to divert my mind from the sorrow, my mother advised me to start writing. I took her advice and well, it worked like magic. I gradually fell in love with writing and there has been no looking back since then.
My first book, which I co-authored with one of my college friends got published by a small publisher – making several mistakes pre-and-post publication. But I feel that it was a good way to get my foot on the door of this new, and fascinating world of literature. I worked meticulously on improving myself based on the feedback I received, put in more work to perfect my writing style, and when I felt that my skills had improved, I began working on my next book.
After finalizing the plot, I started working on the manuscript, perfecting it for over 2 years. Then began the ordeal of getting my book “The Fragile Thread of Hope” published. My letters to literary agents were rejected. Even the proposals I submitted to the Traditional Publishers were not getting positive responses. Finally, I decided to self-publish it via Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing. In 2017, the first edition of the Amazon ‘Pen to Publish’ contest was being held, and I decided to participate in it. I ended up being one of the Finalists in the contest. Overjoyed by my success, I re-submitted my proposal to traditional publishers. And soon, my book was accepted by one of the top traditional publishers in the country – Fingerprint Publishing
One of my most cherished moments was when I was felicitated by the Sikkim Manipal University for my contribution to the literature of Sikkim.
In the journey so far, I have learned that the essence of life is that it goes on and on. As human beings, all we can do is accept the situation, find ways to keep our sorrows aside and keep battling for our dreams and aspirations.
Total Work Experience : 5 Years (Dell Perot Systems, Sonata Software , EMC Consulting .
Amazon Link for Pankaj’s Book : The Fragile Thread of Hope