Author Interview: Siddharth Tripathi: Sleepless Nights Get Me Great New Ideas

His debut novel The Virgins was released early this year (2013). He was born in Prayag (Allahabad), a well-known place of confluences. He did his schooling from Banaras (Varanasi), a city that rests on the banks of the holy Ganges. He graduated in Engineering from Trichy (Tiruchirappalli), the fourth largest city of Tamil Nadu and was named after a daemon. And the final stream of his education in shape of MBA was from MDI, Gurgaon (Guru Gram), the millennium city. He is working as a consultant for a well-known business advisory firm. We have Siddharth Tripathi with us today who is busy these days in writing his second novel. Welcome Siddharth and thanks for sparing some moments for us out of your busy schedule. Your real name and pen name? They are the same - Siddharth Tripathi Please share some of the best memories of your childhood I remember running after dragonflies in my grandpa’s garden, tending to cows and reading a lot of Amar Chitra Katha, Tintin and abridged classics. I still remember reading Great Expectations in the abridged form. About your education
I’m a B.E from NIT Trichy and an MBA from MDI, Gurgaon. I currently live in Gurgaon and work as a consultant for a business advisory firm. What career did you plan during your education days I was too busy reading, listening to music and aimlessly roaming the streets of Banaras. I didn’t have the time to plan a career. In hindsight, that was a good thing. What is your biggest source of inspiration in life I have two big inspirations. One is my grandfather – he lived life on his own terms and inspired me to write and to do things that I like doing. The second are The Beatles – their music and their story has never ceased to inspire me. What hurts you most in this world That I don’t have enough time to write as often as I would like to. If you had to live a day of your life as one of the living or dead personality, who would it be and why? Ray Davies of the Kinks – I would like to know how he wrote the kind of songs he did! What is your favorite genre and why?
I don’t read books based on genre. I do like humor (especially dark humor) e.g., Philip Roth, Evelyn Waugh, Joseph Heller, J D Salinger, Bernard Malamud. What is the purpose of your writing? To tell a story that only I can tell. Which of your work published so far? The Virgins is my first novel. Here’s the Goodreads link. You can buy it from Flipkart. What are your forthcoming writings? Yes I am writing a new novel. It’s a funny, fast paced, unpredictable story about eccentric young people struggling to find their identity. What are your future plans? To write and to travel a lot more than I do today. What four top most things you take care of while writing a book? There are no rules really. I do have some advice for new writers that you can find here Your dream destination on Earth? To watch Paul McCartney perform ‘live’. That would be it no matter where that is. Your origin of birth and other countries you have visited/ stayed. India. I have been to several countries in the Middle East (mainly due to my work). I have vacationed in Europe, New Zealand, Indonesia and Thailand. What best things you liked in these countries around the globe?
Europe and New Zealand – their infrastructure and their traffic discipline – it’s just amazing to witness a completely different world after driving in India for so long. Middle East has amazing food – Arabic and Lebanese cuisine is interesting, in Dubai you would get better Indian good than what you get here in India. Your favorite time of the day? Nights when I’m sleepless and great new ideas occur to me out of nowhere. Your zodiac/ sunsign? Scorpio. Your favorite color and why? Red. No reason. I like red cars maybe. Your favorite book and why? Catch 22 by Joseph Heller. Its wild, funny, dark, eventful and enlightening – it has everything I expect from a book. Your favorite celebrity and why? Paul McCartney. He and Ringo Starr are the two Beatles still alive and I like him just a bit more than Ringo. Your favorite food?
Andhra meal with lots of ghee and gun powder.