Kulpreet Yadav
KERALA FLOODS: A TRAGEDY IN GOD'S OWN COUNTRY
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AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
A multi-faceted personality, IIM Indore and IIM Lucknow Alumni, Ex-Naval Officer (served 2 decades) and author of seven books, Kulpreet Yadav
talks with Pria to share his journey. You have written 7 books to date, which one is closest to you and why? The Andy Karan series and the Vicks Menon thriller. That’s the honest answer. Because by the time I wrote them, my skills as a writer had considerably evolved. As you would agree, writing is a journey and like in any journey, the traveler gets smarter with experience. To put things in a clearer perspective, I would like to say that these are better written as compared to the ones I had written earlier. My initial books, I now know, were rough and immature in parts. Notwithstanding that, I will always be proud of my first book, The Bet (Frog books, 2006).
On a cold December morning, a white woman is found murdered in a cheap hotel in Paharganj, New Delhi. Vicks Menon, an out-of-work journalist, is tipped off by the hotel’s receptionist and is the first to arrive at the crime scene, where he discovers a lead. It’s the bus ticket used by the dead woman two days earlier. But Vicks is battling personal trouble. He has no money, an alcohol problem, and a nearly broken relationship with Tonya, his estranged live-in partner, a clinical psychologist who specializes in profiling hardened criminals.
Praise for Kulpreet Yadav’s thrillers: ‘The fast-paced narrative and suspensefilled plot are components that make the book read like a movie script.’
-The Times of India
‘A brilliant thriller’
- Hindustan Times
‘High-octane thriller’
-The Asian Age
It was a raw effort, edited poorly, and there were flaws in the writing which I can see now, and yet this was the book that laid a foundation for my journey. Without The Bet, I wouldn’t have come this far. Ten years into the future, I might be saying the same things about the Andy Karan series, or the Vicks Menon thriller for that matter... to cut the long story short, I think we fall in love with our work, then fall out of it, before falling in love all over again as soon as we realize that they were the reasons that gave momentum to our journey. What motivates you to write the books in thriller/suspense genre? Any life experiences, observations, etc? As a person, I prefer speed, color, and excitement and when I try to capture stories with these flavors, it not just intensifies my own experiences but also gives birth to a book that’s high on action and thrill. As an officer, and while in control of the three ships that I had the honor of commanding, I lead my crew in some very thrilling anti-smuggling, anti-piracy, and anti-poaching operations at sea. Guns, speed, high-adrenalin chases were all ingredients of my everyday life and I think some of it invariably spills into the books I write. Besides that, I have grown up reading thrillers. By the time I had finished my college, I had read more than a hundred thrillers of all kinds.
I have grown up reading thrillers. By the time I had finished my
college, I had read more than hundred thrillers of all kinds.
Yes, I have had my own share of ups and downs. But I refuse to get intimidated with failure. For me, failure just makes the taste of success that much sweeter.
"Fight all that you can, but remember, not all fights are meant to be won." Very wisely said! Can you elaborate this viewpoint in your own words? Any past or present struggles you went through and want to share with us?
Yeah that’s my quote and I stand by it. What I mean is, prepare hard, don’t fall, and give in your best. But due to any reason, if you end up on the losing side, don’t just give up. Prepare again, train harder, and fight better. Winning should be our aim, but accepting defeat and learning from it, is what makes us a real winner.
Yes, I have had my own share of ups and downs. But I refuse to get intimidated with failure. For me, failure just makes the taste of success that much sweeter.