AUTHOR'S BIO :
Namrata Gupta Khan was born and raised in the city of dreams, Mumbai. She is a commerce graduate from Mumbai University. She started working while still in college and over a period of twelve years, built a career in customer service and sales with one of the largest telecom companies of India. Namrata runs her own event management firm, NR Talent and Event Management Company which organizes events in India and overseas. She is passionate about health and fitness and believes that one can always work towards changing one's physical and mental well-being and personal growth Writing has always fascinated her, and feels fortunate that she has been able to finally accomplish it. This is her debut.
1. Who and what inspired you to write?
Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan is a renowned Hindustani classical music artiste and his story needed to be penned in an autobiography. When I became a part of this culturally rich family as a daughter in law, I found myself in the unique position of being a member of this family as well as someone who could give a fresh look with words in co-writing this autobiography with him.
2. What challenges did you face while writing and getting published?
Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan is a Hindustani classical music maestro, he is also my beloved father-in-law whom I call Papa. Despite being so talented, he is a man of few words. The biggest challenge was to get him to open up and share his life experiences, his achievements, his moments of pride and glory as well as his disappointments and struggles.
How does one compile the autobiography of a man who is so self-effacing, so modest and so untouched by glitz, glamour or by his formidable accomplishments, that he doesn’t feel the need to tell his story to the world, or sometimes even to his own family? How does one expect a man, who does not consider himself a celebrity, to talk about his achievements and the honours that have been bestowed upon him? In order to do justice to his huge life experiences and to make it fit in a book of limited words that would inspire generations to come, the research and endless attempts for him to open up to me without any inhibitions was challenging and equally rewarding for me.
3. How did you come to know about the literary agency THE BOOK BAKERS?
We had other publishers who approached us and wished to do an autobiography of Ustadji with me. My husband Rabbani Ghulam Mustafa Khan, Ustadji’s son, got in touch with Suhail Mathur for some other work and he happened to be from The Book Bakers. And that’s how ‘TBB’ became our literary agent.
4. How did THE BOOK BAKERS help you and what would you like to say about them?
The Book Bakers got us connected to one of the biggest publishers “PENGUIN”, and it has been a wonderful experience to be associated with The Books Bakers.
5. How do you see literary success for yourself?
Success can mean different things for different people. For some, it can be in buying a new house/car. For some it can be feeding your family and providing a roof over their heads, and for some when they have achieved immense fame or power which makes them untouchable. Success for me is making a difference to someone else’s life. At the end of the day, if I see that my work has helped someone get employed, or someone has been able to provide for their family because of my assistance, or if I have inspired someone to lead a better life, I feel that I have achieved success. After all, each day when I wake up, my prime goal is to strive my hardest to do my best in whatever way to enable others in reaching the next level in their lives, irrespective of how big or small that step is. At the end of the day it leads me to sleep peacefully and motivates me enough to wake up and try harder. After all, success also implies that you don’t give up. Right?
6. When can we expect your next book?
Maybe next year.
7. What are Ustad Ji views about the book?
My daughter in law Namrata brought out the candid side of my life.She has written about the man behind the music, the struggle of my life, experiences, and travels which have made me the man I am today. She has beautifully penned the insightful stories of my musical journey, my marriage and my family.
I am extremely humbled by the amount of love and prayers showered upon me and my work by my beloved fans. I hope this book inspires a sense of positivity, perseverance, and love among the readers. It is an uplifting and balancing act of words put together in soothing sentences by Namrata” he added.
8. Any message or tips for aspiring authors?
* Start small. Writing short stories is a great way to do that. Writing a good short story forces you to create and develop a character and take a plot from beginning to the end, in a limited number of pages. Each chapter is basically a short story.
* Write things down. It’s helpful to jot ideas down for stories, bits of conversation you overhear, observe the people and situations around you, interesting situations you learn of, and character names you create. Keep a little notebook for this purpose and put it on your bedside table at night. Don’t trust your memory. That great idea you thought of just before going to bed will probably be gone by the morning.
* Seek advice from other authors.
BOOK NAME: A DREAM I LIVED ALONE
PUBLISHER: PENGUIN
BOOK SYNOPSIS/BLURB :
Watch Out Music Lovers, a book for music connoisseurs and sangeet sadhaks. In this world of commercialisation comes an Inspirational Ustad, a legend, our very own Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan sahib. "The Artist and Guru par excellence " where he defines and justifies the true meaning of Indian Music, Culture, and Tradition.
The book speaks about his journey towards success with his experiences, and his struggle against politics. Padma Vibhushan awardee Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan narrates his life's story. From practicing music in a graveyard as a young boy, to teaching students, who became stalwarts of the music industry. His journey is as lyrical and spiritually enriching as his evergreen songs.
The octogenarian has nourished his family with love and care, even in his absence. Guru to A.R Rahman, Hariharan, Shaan, Sonu Nigam, and many others, yet he is humble and modest about his own achievements. Captured in its essence by his daughter-in-law Namrata Gupta Khan.
A Dream I Lived Alone is a heart-warming story of love, riyaz, dedication and life of the maestro of music, Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan.
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