TLI Staff
It’s remarkable how we often fail to see life around us because we are so caught up in our life, our minds and our thoughts. But only if we turn a little mindful, we will be amazed at how many shades of life are splashed all around us every moment of the day. That’s what author Amrita Sharma discovered when she switched to metro to commute to office. The metro travel gave her an opportunity to observe life from close quarters and inspired her to write Taken For a Metro Ride weaving these nuggets together and highlighting the importance of mental health. Her latest book published by Tree Shade Books is now available on Amazon. In a conversation with Top Lead India, she told us more about the book.
Q: Tell us something about your new book
A: My book Taken for a Metro Ride is about a girl’s journey of self-exploration, which she embarks upon when she starts taking the metro during a visit to Delhi. As she encounters strangers during her daily metro rides and sees snippets of their lives and their struggles, she comes face to face with her own demons, her own struggle with mental health and her own life which seems to be falling apart. Through her observations of people, her brush with the issues that they are grappling with, my protagonist manages to get a grip on her own life.
Q: What gave you the idea to write this book?
A: There were two reasons that went hand-in-hand actually. One was that when I started taking the metro to work, I encountered many different facets of life and people, which made a strong impression on me. The second reason was the issue of mental health, which many people are not comfortable talking about even today. Most of them still prefer keeping it under wraps, when they should actually be talking about it and seeking help. That’s what prompted me to weave this aspect into my book as well.
Q: How was the experience of writing for you?
A: To be honest, writing requires a lot of focus and discipline. You have to keep at it till you get it right. Very often I reached the point of giving up and discarding the idea. But once you persist and keep working, the feeling you get when you finally complete the work, is beyond words. How the readers respond is another issue. But you do feel like patting yourself in the back for at least having finished what you started.
Q: In the end, what would you like the readers to take away from your book?
A: When I wrote the book, I had three things which were at the back of my mind – (a) The book will inspire readers to be more mindful of their surroundings and their experiences, instead of going through their lives mechanically (b) it will help them to find the courage to seek help when you need it and know that there is no need to keep it all bottled up within you (3) life can seem out of control sometimes but with the right kind of support, attitude and will power, we can get our life back on track.