Sunday 8 December 2019

EXCHANGING WORDS WITH PRAGYA BHATT

NEWS OF BOOKS


AUTHOR’S BIO:

Pragya Bhatt was born in New Delhi and grew up around the world with her parents who were in the Indian Foreign Service.  After completing her schooling from various international schools, she went on to pursue a B.Tech in Computer Engineering. Upon the completion of her degree Pragya worked as with Infosys Technologies Ltd (as a Software Engineer) and later on with Accenture Pvt. Ltd (as a Team Lead for their Mobilization Team).  She worked for eight years before finally hanging up her business suit.
After receiving her Yoga Instructors’ Certification from SVYASA (Swamy Vivekananda Yoga Anusudhana Samsthana), she continues to deepen her practice under the guidance of noted teachers.  She conducts group and private classes, international trainings and retreats. Her teachings are also available online.  
Pragya is the author of ‘Beyond Asanas: The Myths and Legends Behind Yogic Postures’.  The book is published by Penguin and was released in June 2019.
Pragya Bhatt lives in Bangalore, India.  A quintessential Third Culture Kid, she has a keen interest in art, culture, literature and travel.   

1. Who and what inspired you to write?

I've wanted to write ever since I learned how to write!  I grew up all over the world because my father was in the Indian Foreign Service. Against a changing landscape, we lived in places as varied as Yemen, Brazil and the US, books were a constant.  I displayed a natural flair for writing at an early age and knew that this is what I wanted to do in life. I remember when Arundhati Roy won the Booker, I felt like Indian writers had finally come into their own and knew that this was my path.  But Life happened and I ended up getting a B.Tech and was an engineer with Infy and Accenture for a while.  

Meanwhile yoga which had always been in the background (when you're Indian and living abroad, you invariably get asked a lot of questions about yoga, spirituality etc.) came to the forefront as I had put on weight and was struggling to lose it.  Now it's been about 11 years practicing yoga regularly and teaching for 7 and I thought I needed to share my perspective of this art in my own words.

2. What challenges did you face while writing and getting published?  

Finding the time to write while working full time as a yoga instructor.  I retired from the corporate strata in 2011 and since then teaching is my main bread and butter.  So I had to find balance. Once I worked out a routine of writing-practicing-teaching things were fairly simple.  I had started working on the book 6 years ago but it was only in the last two years that I found a publisher. I think the publishing industry here is still in it's nascent stages and it's hard for first time writers to navigate it.  That's where a good literary agency comes in.

 3.  How did you come to know about the literary agency THE BOOK BAKERS? 

I had done several rounds of submissions already and was at a place where i was looking for any and all publishers I still hadn't reached out to.  A blog post listed The Book Bakers and on Jan 1,2017 I emailed them.

4. How did THE BOOK BAKERS help you and what would you like to say about them ? 

They drastically simplified the entire submission process for me.  Before their guidance I spent most of my energies on everything besides writing.  With their help I was able to focus on my craft (writing the book) and my job (yoga teaching) and write a book which had some mettle.

5. How do you see literary success for yourself?

I've written a book about asanas from my unique perspective.  When I was delving deeper into this subject I didn't have a book which would help me in understanding the why of the asanas.  I have bridged that gap. I see the success of this book as success for myself – that it enables everyone (even non practitioners) to gain more insight into an art and practice that is very close to me.  Starting a dialogue about this ancient subject, piquing the curiosity of people at large and generating an interest in asanas at a deeper level would be literary success for me. And of course, continuing this topic in another book.

 6. When can we expect your next book?

I've just registered for a Master's program in Yogic Studies.  I'm looking forward to new ideas and learnings during the course of study.  My next book will be out in about two years.

7. Any message or tips for aspiring authors?  

You've just got to stay at it.  Work with a literary agency that belives in you, find your own authentic voice and constantly remind yourself of the message you are trying to send out into the world.

BOOK NAME : BEYOND ASANAS : THE MYTHS AND LEGENDS BEHIND YOGIC POSTURES 
PUBLISHER :  PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE 


BOOK SYNOPSIS/BLURB:

Downward Dog, Tree Pose, Marichyasana

Have you ever wondered how these names for yoga poses came about, inspired from animals, nature and even sages?

Using 30 carefully researched asanas, yoga teacher Pragya Bhatt has drawn upon her own yoga practice and research to draw a connection between ancient Indian mythology and modern yoga practice. With variations for every asana, depicted through the lens of ace photographer Joel Koechlin, this book intends to add meaning and value for practitioners and non-practitioners alike, shedding new light on a familiar subject.


Powered by Blogger.