Dehradun, Recently, in the first of its kind, ‘Neeli,’ a Hindi long story won the coveted Amazon Kindle’s Pen to Publish award 2018, in New Delhi. An accomplishment that has brought to the forefront that more and more people are reading Hindi now, giving an impetus to a new breed of Hindi writers, growing in India who call themselves writers of ‘Nayi Wali Hindi.’
Joining the list of authors, is Doonite Nandini Kumar, who shares her journey as an author, “I received a little diary on my ninth birthday along with a beautifully illustrated storybook. I jotted down my thoughts in my diary the very same night, and since then I haven’t stopped.”
Her consistent entries into her faithful companion, her diary, overflowed with detailed descriptions of her family, tales of partition her grandmother shared along with snippets of conversation which went on to help her write her stories.
By the time Nandini turned 15, she knew she wanted to write for the rest of her life. Her articles were published in different print magazines and viola! A month later, she received her first cheque along with a letter starting with ‘Editor’s Compliments,’ words of encouragement for the budding writer.
Putting articles together for various magazines, Nandini completed her post-graduation in Psychology and started working as a Psychologist in an NGO. She went on to clear the National Eligibility Test, with the intention of doing her Doctorate, when life happened!
Nandini gave up her job, and moved to Mumbai to nurse her sister who was diagnosed with cancer. Strolling down Colaba, Nandini would skim through bookstalls along the road where she chanced upon Saadat Hasan Manto’s short stories about Bombay. Nandini reminiscence, “Manto’s stories made me question my own writing. Was I ready to tell the truth and not please an editor of a high-end magazine? And most importantly, was I actually ready to take the leap and begin my career all over again, this time in Hindi?”
And in 2017, Nandini penned down her first Hindi book, ‘Baaki ki Baat’ (HindYugm). Following year, when she moved to Mussoorie, Nandini authored her second book, “Neeli”, named after its protagonist, the story is set in Mussoorie and Dehradun, two places close to the author’s heart.
Nandini expresses her self both in English and Hindi, but believes, “If I can play a part in ushering a new era where Hindi books are popular and read across borders, nothing would make me happier,” having said that, she returns to her desk to pen her thoughts, working on her next untitled book.
