An advent of adventures

CHENNAI: One glance at her, and you couldn’t help but notice the tattoo of books and birds taking flight across their utopian world, all etched beautifully on Aashisha Chakraborty’s neck. Seated in a cosy corner at Imen Connexions, surrounded by her admirers, she was ready to celebrate one year of her debut novel, Mis(s) Adventures of a Sales Girl. With a smile, she geared up for the panel discussion with the author, Hari Ram Narayan, where they spoke about her book.

Stepping into the literary world 

From being an intern at Bharti Airtel to a published author, Aashisha’s journey of becoming an author is an interesting one. As a Delhi native navigating the unfamiliar terrain of Chennai, Aashisha had encountered her fair share of trials and triumphs. Working as a marketing professional, she found that the field, often dominated by men, presented its own unique set of challenges. Her debut novel serves as a chronicle of her experiences for five eventful years.

From young school kids to seasoned veterans, the discussion boasted a diverse audience, each eagerly anticipating the next topic of conversation. As Hari set the evening’s tone with a question about the inception of her writing career, Aashisha found herself transported to a bygone era, reminiscing about her internship days and how the simple act of recording daily events in her diary had sustained her. A PM Yuva author and a Write India laureate, Aashisha recalled, “I used to jot down points in my phone or a book when certain stories refused to let go and they kept lingering in my mind.”

A year to the debut

The book ended up becoming one of the best sellers of Travel Writing in 2022 in Amazon. Aashisha admits that she never knew if it would sell well, but as an author, that was never her primary concern. What truly mattered to her was imparting life lessons she had learned during her own youth to young girls today, and this is the essence of her book.

Being an ardent panellist and speaker at Auroville Literature Fest, Women Writers Fest, the British Council, and many more under her wings, she believes that writing is invigorating, and with each word she pens, she feels the warmth and love of the people around her. The discussion delved deep into exploring the inner workings of the publishing industry.

Aashisha shared her firsthand experiences and described how she navigated the publishing process with the assistance of a literary agent. As the discussion neared its conclusion, an intriguing question arose, inquiring about the real-life reactions of the individuals portrayed in her book and how they had responded.

With a playful chuckle, Aashisha recounted how they had been incredibly supportive of her authorial career and had reacted with open hearts upon discovering themselves within the pages of her book. “I wouldn’t still be working there if I had messed it up, right?” shared the author who also works as a full-time programme manager at Bharti Airtel. As the event came to a close, we bid goodbye and left Aashisha to bask in the glory of her success. Well, as I left, something was very sure: It was just the beginning of unveiling poised stories into the literary world, one at a time.