Shivani Singhal's second fiction 'The Lover in My Dreams' based on concept of reincarnation

Naina is a dreamer and wants to make the most of life. A chance meeting with Raghav gives her hopes for a better tomorrow. But her parents chose Veerain to be her life partner.
For representational purposes
For representational purposes

Naina is a dreamer and wants to make the most of life. A chance meeting with Raghav gives her hopes for a better tomorrow. But her parents chose Veerain to be her life partner. Then, a family priest predicts that Naina will marry her lover from the previous birth. Such is the plot of Shivani Singhal’s second fiction-read, The Lover in My Dreams, launched this week by Srishti Publishers. 

About the concept of reincarnation in this romantic-thriller, the 27-year-old says, “Baba Vanga aka ‘Nostradamus of the Balkans’, who died in 1996, made a lot of future predictions which are coming true. Like the 44th US President being African American, the 9/11 attack, the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami. Science cannot explain these things.

Shivani Singhal
Shivani Singhal

I believe in reincarnation because it is all a part of science which we are not able to put together today, but perhaps tomorrow we will. All religious scriptures and holy books talk about the circles of life — taking birth until we fulfil the right criteria for the ultimate salvation.” Singhal, who is pursuing PhD in Law, wrote her first book in 2018. 

“It was a psychological thriller based in a law college, and what normally happens there. I drew heavily from my own background, and so it was a piece of cake to put my imagination on a paper. The protagonist of my previous book, Tamanna, is the opposite of Naina, a strong-willed independent girl who fights for what she wants,” adds Singhal. 

It was the appreciation she received for her story in the fifth year of college that influenced this foray into writing. “I made an Instagram page @LoveforProse, and started posting short stories, and quotes on love and motivation, daily. Gradually, I completed my first novel, while pursuing LLM,” adds Singhal, an aspiring full-time novelist. “I write about what I observe around me, my opinions, and how I perceive the society and its norms. As a relationship counsellor, I come across many unusual situations people face in their relationships. All of these things help me cook up a fantastic story,” says Singhal.

Singhal says she helped friends in college when their relationships would hit a rocky patch. “At law school, I had Techniques of Communication, Client Interviewing, and Counselling as subjects. The curriculum had the deep learning of human psychology and behaviour to assist us in understanding family laws better. This knowledge, along with my keen observation of people’s personalities, helps me to guide people, to understand his/her issue and give suggestions accordingly.

I realised I had that warmth and healing power to help a person feel calm and relaxed. So, I started my page inspired by the need to help more people with finding a solution to their relationship issues,” says Singhal. With Singhal demonstrating that when Naina is in a real mess, she doesn’t fall apart, but pulls herself together and rises again...the book works as a comment/motivational endeavour concerning our times, even if the wisdom comes from a place of fiction.

The Lover in my Dreams by Shivani Singhal 
Price: Rs 250, Pages: 216
Available: Srishti Publishers

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