Sheeraz Shah refers himself to as a “Delhi boy” and his close friends refer to him as an “intense storyteller”, schooled in DPS , graduated from University of Delhi and a Masters degree from Hult International Business School, he has worked in the sprawling Tea gardens in the mesmerizing Munnar in Kerala followed by two decades in the Middle East. He puts his successful life-threatening Iraq business trip at the height of terrorism as a satisfying and heartfelt achievement.
He refers to Delhi as the “food capital of India” and believes every story should have a dash of spice, salt, oil, and history just as the food spread in Delhi. This (Papa’s Coffee Machine) is his maiden attempt to write a fictional book, and he intends to write many more. It was recently chosen as Book Of The Year 2023 – Fiction at the Indian Star Award by Cherry Book Awards.
Here are a few excerpts from Sheeraz Shah’s exclusive interview with us:
Your literary journey as an author has reached remarkable heights in a short span of time. Could you share a pivotal moment or experience that ignited your passion for writing and set you on this path?
Sheeraz Shah – The urge to write has always been there since childhood, I have penned short stories and published articles on socio-political issues in leading Arab newspapers like Times Of Oman, Saudi Gazette etc for the last two decades. I did dangle with the idea of writing a novel before but there wasn’t much inspiration around to take it to its logical end, the real difference this time around is my wife Zeba who not only encouraged me but also set a timeline for me more so like a challenge to start and finish which ignited the passion in me.
As an award winning author, your work often resonates deeply with readers. How do you approach the creation of characters that captivate audiences and stay with them long after they’ve finished your book?
Sheeraz Shah – All my characters mostly comprise of people who I have either met or heard about from close quarters, I think I’m a close observer of micro human behaviour, conversations and mannerisms of different people get itched in my mind long after I have met them and some of these behaviours manifest themselves into characters in my mind, some characters are situational and circumstantial thereby originally manufactured as well from a story point of view, even after finishing the book I do sometimes find many of my characters in everyday life with behaviours exactly how I conceived them.
Your debut novel Papa’s Coffee Machine has been hailed as “Book of the Year – Fiction” and received glowing reviews. What inspired the storyline and themes of this particular work, and how do you navigate the creative process while aiming for such high acclaim?
Sheeraz Shah – The inspiration came from a true incident which happened last year during winters in Delhi involving my father and my two sons, I narrated this incident to my wife which led me to develop a context around it and slowly that grew in my mind into a full scale story, to be fair, besides the actual incident which forms the bedrock of the story, the rest of the writing is purely fictional, navigating the creative process can be painful simply because as a writer one falls in love with every creative thought that comes to mind but a lot of these thoughts need to be killed and eliminated for the sake of story to stay true to its original idea.
Check out Papa’s Coffee Machine by Sheeraz Shah on Amazon here!
Critics often praise your writing style as unique and compelling. How do you balance staying true to your voice while also evolving as a writer, especially when facing critique or differing opinions?
Sheeraz Shah – As long as your work stays in your thought and even when written remains unshared or away from the public domain till then its your personal property but once its in public domain then praise and criticism are the trade offs every creative person should be prepared to embrace with open arms, this aspect is very important for the overall developmental process of a writer, its part of ones learning curve which when received with the right intention always end up making you a better version of yourself today when compared to yesterday.
Many aspiring writers will now look up to you as a mentor. What advice would you give to those trying to find their voice or breakthrough in the literary world, especially when faced with obstacles or self-doubt?
Sheeraz Shah – If one looks around on so many social media platforms then there are millions of anonymous profiles. In my experience such people have either had traumatic experiences or grew up around controlling parents, found it hard to step outside their comfort zones or simply are victims of social anxiety. I would advise them to start with baby steps, talk to a close family member or a supportive friend which can have a calming influence and will build confidence, set small goals that bring out your strengths and reduce your self-doubt, expressing yourself a little in a social gathering and understanding more about oneself by being honest which will help remove obstacles and bring in self-confidence.
It would be great if you can share your collection of literary achievements up to now that you cherish.
Sheeraz Shah – Its embarrassing to talk about one’s own achievements and I have none to talk about, This is my first novel and frankly I’m overwhelmed by the response I have received, some recognition though by way of awards namely the Cherry Book Awards, Exceller award, Kolkata Literary Carnival (Ukiyoto) award, Golden book of the year award in the space of my first book – book of the year, emerging author of the year in the category of fiction, awards inspire you and make you feel good about your efforts and definitely help you to write better than before.
Being recognized as the ‘Best Book’ carries immense weight in contemporary literature. How do you navigate the pressure that comes with surpassing the expectations set by your successful work?
Sheeraz Shah – It adds a perspective to your thought process, it’s a benchmark that every author thrives for and once its achieved then it’s about sustaining it, while growing up I always maintained that the biggest job of the Australian cricket coach is to make sure that Australia wins the world cup which they anyways have won several times so it’s about reaching that summit that has already been breached before. I grew up admiring Ruskin Bond a lot, I once wrote a letter to him and posted it simply writing on the envelope – Ruskin Bond, Mussoorie, India, I don’t know whether it reached him but I have received an award today that he received last year and I’m overwhelmed and humbled to be in the same league as him.
Could you shed light on the key elements you believe contribute to the success and longevity of your career in a competitive writing landscape?
Sheeraz Shah – I think originality of thinking and simplicity of writing, one should write in a way that one and all can read without having to open a word dictionary, I was very fortunate to have met Khushwant Singh once during my teens and his words have stood with me “it’s easy to write difficult English but difficult to write simple English”. I try to follow his advice as much as I can.
Receiving criticism is part and parcel of being an author. How do you utilize feedback, whether positive or negative, to grow and refine your craft?
Sheeraz Shah – Critics are a writer’s best friend, only God can be perfect so we all need honest people around to tell us our pitfalls, shortcomings. One of the most pertinent feedback I got is from my brother in law Sandeep Seth who said that” all the characters in your book were very good hearted honest souls which was expected of your style of writing because you are yourself like that”, instead of taking this as a compliment I realized that my own self can be roadblock for my future writing because my next book has selfish, blood thirsty, conniving characters.
Your agenda as an author seems to encompass themes related to bridging the gap between generations. Can you share any upcoming projects or aspirations that will continue to diversify and expand your literary repertoire?
Sheeraz Shah – My next book is a complete departure in terms of subject matter from my first book, its set in a well-developed village district near Lucknow where a distinguished landlord dies in mysterious circumstances and he leaves behind a strange will of inheritance for his family, it captures the food culture of Lucknow, Awadh zamindari ethos and practices, the nuances of a village life in Northern India, it should be out by the end of first quarter of 2024.
