Wordscape of romance

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He is one of the best-selling authors in India, became a publisher at the age of 26, and loves writing romantic novels with catchy titles. His latest book, Hold My Hand, too walks the love lane.

Durjoy Datta says writing was never planned. “I never planned to be a published writer, who would write for a living. But I always wanted to write. And I had always done so — be it long answers in English exams or texts or blogs. The first opportunity that I saw to take this further from just being a hobby, I took it!” he shares.
His latest book, Hold My Hand, is a romantic love story between a boy and a blind girl. “It’s about a young boy obsessed with books and libraries who goes to Hong Kong and meets a girl who’s not only stunningly beautiful but also blind. They strike up a warm relationship and experience the city of Hong Kong in all its glory. It’s a fun, quirky novel about young people and romance. The book is fictional but it draws from my experiences in Hong Kong from the time I spent there,” he shares.
Originally a mechanical engineer from Delhi College of Engineering and an MBA from Management Development Institute, Gurgaon, Durjoy donned several hats simultaneously when he took to writing. He worked at multinationals, co-authored several books until he co-founded Grapevine India Publishers in June 2011.
Despite winning several awards, the young writer remains modest about his achievements. “I just thank the stars and move on and try not to get affected by success. I might have been lucky or been at the right place at the right time. My parents have always stood by me, treating me like a kid who is in a candy shop trying out different things,” he says.
One of the most notable things about Durjoy’s work is his flair for romance and telling real life ‘inspired’ stories with some fiction added to it. He admits that the genre remains his favourite. “I write about things that are close to me or things that I think a lot of people can relate to, or incidents that make a difference to people. At the end of the day I just concentrate on stringing together a story that people like and it stays with them for a really long time to come. Often fiction is a representation of what people go through in real life, told in a different format. Apart from delving into romance, I have dabbled in other genres as well. I have finished a novel which is a psychological thriller and am also working on a couple of other projects,” says Durjoy.
By the look of it, writing interests Durjoy more than anything else. Within five years, he has already penned ten books — an average of two books per year. “I read a lot of books so I’m constantly inspired to write something that would entertain the readers and make a lasting impression. I am always working on a couple of books at a time. I write the first draft quickly and then the second, third and the fourth generally take a lot of time. So while it looks like I take less time to write a book, it is not so. It is only because I am working on two or three projects simultaneously,” he points out.
Catchy titles are a distinctive feature of Durjoy’s work. Of Course I Love You!, Now That You’re Rich!, She Broke Up, I Didn’t!, Ohh Yes, I Am Single!, If It’s Not Forever! are some of his titles. However, he admits he himself was not sure about them. “I would not say I am totally comfortable with them. Sometimes I think they are fun and quirky, sometimes I think otherwise. But the titles have worked in my favour, so I do not regret it. A writer’s career is usually a long one and you get many chances to establish what people think about you,” he explains.
Besides writing solo, Durjoy has co-authored many books for the simple reason that working with friends excites him. “A few of my favourite authors have worked in collaborations and the whole idea of co-authoring a book fascinates me. A book where a critic has a stake in it, and contributes equally to the book, comes out a lot better than it would otherwise have. I have already written quite a few solo books now, but I am still open to collaborations, if the idea excites me,” he shares.
Talking about his future plans, the young author declares there is more to come. “My next book will be a fantasy fiction and I think it is too early to share other details. The book will hopefully be released by the end of next year. In next five years? Probably a lot of new books and screenplay and scripts. Also, I have to catch up on my reading,” signs off Durjoy.