Melancholy does transform a person and sometimes to an extent out of one’s own self-realisation. An unfortunate incident became a boon in disguise for Ravinder Singh, a software engineer turned author. With two books to his credit, the author has already seized a place for himself in the Top 100 Indian celebrities of Forbes magazine this year.
Recalling how it all started, the author gets started about his story. “It was in 2007 that the girl I loved passed away. I was extremely frustrated and depressed. I had no idea what to do. There were so many things going on in my mind and there were so many things I wanted to tell her. So, I thought why don’t I pen down everything that was untold,” he says.
Ravinder further added, “Somehow, as time progressed all that I had written started shaping well and I wanted to publish it into a book, as a tribute to her. After that unfortunate incident, it became my sole reason to live. I wrote my own love story and made it immortal.” Titled, I Too Had a Love Story, he narrates about how he met the love of his life and how death parted the two of them.
Though not an avid reader, the author is deeply influenced by author Erich Segal and his book “Love Story”, which is also why he chose to name his book after the legendary novel. “His story and my story are similar. I connect with the author. There is something about the way he writes, that never fails to strike a chord with the reader,” he expresses.
In his writing style, Ravinder blends intense romance with sensitive emotions of a heartbreak, that has struck a chord with his readers. Although he is just two books old, he has already garnered over thousands of fans across the country, quite evident from the response he received at a recent Literary Festival.
Belonging to a Sikh family, Ravinder was born and brought up in Orissa. Though he is now based in Delhi, his parents live in Chandigarh.
He pursued his his engineering course from Guru Nanak College of Engineering in Bidar and during this four year term, he got introduced to the Nawabi city, as it was the nearest city. “I fell in love with Hyderabad, because unlike in the north, people here are down-to-earth, friendly and very matured.”
He then went back to Bhubaneshwar to work with the Infosys for seven years. The author then moved to Hyderabad, to pursue MBA at the Indian School of Business and started penning down his second novel. “Something drove me to write a sequel to my first book and hence after a gap of four years, I released the sequel,” he mentioned. Can Love Happen Twice?, the sequel to I Too Had a Love Story talks about how he lost control over his mind while trying to recover from yet another heartbreak.
Apart from writing, he has also edited another book Love Stories That Touched My Heart which is a compilation of short love stories from readers short-listed from over 2000 entries that were submitted in a competition conducted by Penguin India. His book has already been considered for movie adaptation by a few directors. “I have got a few proposals, but I am waiting for the right banner to approach me,” he says.
Having grabbed a spot in the Top 100 Indian celebrities of Forbes magazine this year, Ravinder says he is happy with the change. “If one goes through this year’s list, there is a strong presence of authors in the list and also the country. In a country like India, where people who come on television only become popular, this is definitely a happy change,” he opines.