A graduate in computers, Swapan Karmakar, a prominent businessman from the airline & travel industry, and an academic coach in the iconic islands of Andaman & Nicobar, hails from a middle-class family that deeply excels in academics & sports. His father Mr. NG Karmakar is a renowned teacher (retired) & his seven-year-old son, Shrihaan Karmakar, is one of the youngest national-level Chess players. He likes to tell stories that leave a heart-touching impression in the lives of many. The idea for this book came while going through the real-life stories from the devastating 2004 tsunami, from the belief that love finally overcomes every disaster. He plans to invest the rest of his life teaching chemistry and uplifting the level of Chess in the islands.
Akhila Saroha: I would like to begin by congratulating you on the publication of “Forever Mine: Love Through Disasters.” How has the response to the book been so far?
Swapan Karmakar: Thank you so much Akhila! Response? It’s amazing for upcoming writers like myself. Many readers, my friends, book bloggers have appreciated my work as well as the story to which I am highly thankful.
Akhila Saroha: What led to the idea of writing “Forever Mine: Love Through Disasters”? Although seems to be based on real events, what inspired you to put them in the format of a book?
Swapan Karmakar:Stories are always there around us those we cannot see through naked eyes. Though this one is not completely based on real events, it may look like one. But yes, the idea as surely come from Tsunami- the mega disaster. I thought of creating a moving story out the it.
Akhila Saroha: How easy or difficult was it for you to set the narrative in the local streets and build characters who had the impressions of the present time in “Forever Mine: Love Through Disasters”?
Swapan Karmakar: Simply put, lot of imaginations & creativity was required and it took almost two years for me to plot the storyline and characters and fit them into right places and sequence in the story.
Akhila Saroha: What are your views about present-day writing? Do you think it does complete justice in depicting human nature in the light of “Forever Mine: Love Through Disasters”?
Swapan Karmakar: In my view, there are lot of young writers who through fictions actually depict the human nature in many sense.
Akhila Saroha: “Forever Mine: Love Through Disasters” shows the uniqueness of your style of writing. Are there any authors that you enjoy reading or any books which are your favorites?
Swapan Karmakar: I like the writing style of Savi Sharma. Her way of telling story through writing is never complex. ‘EHAS (Everyone Has A Story) by Savi Sharma was the one, I was very much touched, actually driven to the world of Fictional Romance which looked absolutely real.
Akhila Saroha: How would you categorize “Forever Mine: Love Through Disasters” as its appeal seems to be to a broad audience?
Swapan Karmakar: Let me put it this way rather than categorization; there is Neel & Kaira in many of us and then there is Aryan & Siya in many of us.
Akhila Saroha: “Forever Mine: Love Through Disasters” has given a powerful introduction to your potential as a writer. Can the readers expect more from you in the future? Also, would you please share about your future projects?
Swapan Karmakar: If you ask me about future projects, I must tell that I am not a writer who would stick to writing only Fictional/Contemporary Romance rather I love to tell stories of all kind that depicts human nature. My next project is based on on a Thriller-Murder Mystery and the story is drawn on a very sensitive subject still prevailing in modern era. I leave it for the readers to guess and wait few months more so that I can put forward a thoughtfull story.
Akhila Saroha: “Forever Mine: Love Through Disasters” seems to be in agreement with the plot yet confusing in the first reading. How did you choose it? What is the story behind the title of your work, “Forever Mine: Love Through Disasters”?
Swapan Karmakar: As said, the story is basically asking few questions out of every human being on earth, from you, from me, from the rest; if you have to choose between staying in a rich career with all luxuries and staying with flaws of a person whom you love or who loves you in true sense-What will you choose? For some, the answer may be simple, straight forward, but for many it is complicated. Secondly, does love single handedly hold that power to overcome every disaster? Third, many times we hear people telling about soulmates. Does that concept really exist? Is Love, simply being loved or giving back love or is it a matrix? And finnaly, ‘is there a concept called perfect love or perfect soulmate? I felt the word perfect is just an illusion. So I needed to create this story which gives a glimpse of so many clashes in love. when can you start liking or loving a person with hundreds of flaws unselfishly and unconditionally without thinking of perfectionism? Can you ?
Akhila Saroha:How easy or difficult was it for you to create the characters and show the story from their eyes and also the eyes of a third-person narrator without hampering the readers’ perception in “Forever Mine: Love Through Disasters”?
Swapan Karmakar: Not easy for me to do so. When I look back, it’s what the a flow of the story demanded. Every character has his/her point to tell and what the narrator felt about them was also important and hence this style was adapted.
Akhila Saroha: In the present time, stories featuring people like your characters in “Forever Mine: Love Through Disasters” do not find much mention. What, according to you, could be the possible reason for that?
Swapan Karmakar: Truth us sometimes bitter. That’s how I feel. I mean if you see, and listen to the characters in the story, they take decesions that leave them in a web of lonliness, they tend to fall for compromises in life. Everybody is so consumed within themselves you know, that they might just runaway from the truth or the human nature these characters actually depict. Still they make it to the final destination called Love.
Akhila Saroha: If you were to describe your book “Forever Mine: Love Through Disasters” in a few words without giving any spoilers, what would those words be?
Swapan Karmakar: Can you stay in Love with a person you claim to have a life with, having flaws, Forever?
Akhila Saroha: What advice would you give to budding writers who may be planning to write in the same genre as “Forever Mine: Love Through Disasters”?
Swapan Karmakar: to the young writers, just write what you feel from your heart. Tell the world stories that move their thoughts, that bring out the real-one from within them. Storytelling is the best way to bring the audiences meet reality.
Akhila Saroha: Thank you very much for sparing your time. I look forward to reading more books from you in the future. All the best.
Swapan Karmakar: Thanks Akhila! Thanks The Literature Times for appreciating my work and the subject and having me on-board for this briefing.
