Adventures of a Writer

By Jaideep Sen The minute I was reminded by my wife Anjali yesterday morning that today is GURU POORNIMA the thought to do an ode to my Ultimate Guru, Salim Khan Saab, popped in my head. I have been wanting to do this piece on the Doomed Characters, Vijay from Deewar perhaps Salim Saab-Javed Saab’s greatest script ever - I say perhaps because Sholay is my personal favorite even in terms of writing - and Vicky from Naam which is unarguably Salim Saab’s greatest script as a solo writer . Today, it found a fresh burst of oxygen. Through the lockdown I have watched both Deewar and Naam a few times and that lurking sense of losing both Vijay and Vicky forever looms large on the films especially through the second half like a predator shark which is on the fringe waiting to attack. It is this feeling which makes both films emotionally so palpable. Both the characters are scarred by life: Vijay by the extreme humiliation his father has gone through, the abject p...

In what seems like another life I used to be a journalist. The 1990s were the heydays of economic journalism in India. New broadsheets were being launched and niche publications were coming up at a frenetic pace. The first among the "A&M" (advertising and marketing) supplements - Brand Equity -  was brought out by The Economic Times. I had recently transitioned from a general magazine to this new niche publication and was learning the ropes of the sector as I became part of a small team of writers/reporters/editors that was tasked with bringing out the weekly supplement. One of the many people I interacted with from the A&M world was Mr. D.K. Bose. He was heading Thompson Social, a division of the top ad agency in the country, HTA. Mr. Bose's insights helped me learn more about the ins and outs of the industry. Sometimes during our conversations he would talk about his boyhood years and his early career. When he told me that during his stint at the Met ...

BLURB Single mom and bridal makeup artiste Shikha Verma is finally in a good place – both professionally and on the personal front. A chance encounter with a charming musician, who is much younger than her, has her throwing caution to the winds and breaking vows she’s made to herself. Walking away is the right thing to do. After all, she can't risk another heartbreak when she has only just recovered from one. Yash Kulsreshtha has never been more attracted to a woman and the lady is definitely into him. Why then is Shikha hell bent on pushing him away? Surely, their age difference is not such a big deal! But before he can convince her she storms out of his life. Are Yash and Shikha destined to stay apart or will life hand them a chance at happily ever after? This novella is a feel-good, emotional romance and the first book of the Soulmates Series. EXCERPT As soon as she stepped out, she heard the strains of the guitar. He had pulled on a white s...