Subham Chandra, a 21-year-old medical student and a writer, whose passion for writing and exploring new things knows no bounds. He loves to write fiction, including stories, novels, skits, and poems. He also writes on several current topics, which helps him stay up-to-date and prepare for the exams.
In this exclusive interview Spicy Scoops with Pooja S for The Update India, Shubham shares his journey, his writing process, and his latest book, “The Anglerfish- A collection of lives never lived,” a collection of poems that deal with social problems surrounding various characters.
Read more to explore life journey of Subham Chandra and his passion for writing.
- Tell us something about yourself. What are your likes and dislikes?
If it’s about hobbies, then I like to do stuff that excites me as well as makes me better.
Starting with writing. I write a lot . Usually it’s fiction like stories, novel, skits or poems. But as a ritual I write on several topics that are in news write now. It helps me stay up to date, boost my journalist skills as well as helps me prepare for the exam that I have as an aim in the long term, that is U.P.S.C. C.S.E. .
Next I love music and as a kid I was trained somewhat in music theory (skills have worn off though😅). I like playing the guitar and the synthesizer .
I like designing . I usually design all the posters and videos for my college. I’m into photography and usually take photos of animals (not interested in Homo Sapiens with their never ending “nakhre” though😅).
As sports , I love long distance running and marathons. I participate in marathons. I also love cycling. I have some interest in powerlifting and football but due to lack of time can’t dedicate much of my time.
- Take us through your professional sphere. And has it ever inspired your writing?
By profession, Well I’m 21 and well haven’t done much besides studying ( sad Indian lifestyle 😅).
As of now I’m a medical student in my 2nd year of MBBS and there hasn’t been much of a life of a doctor. However my poem “The Stethoscope ” published in my book “the Anglerfish” showed the problems a lot of medicos and doctors face.
I never wanted to be a Medico in the first place!
Initially it was Law and the humanities that I had prepared for while I was in 11th and 12th, while having Science . Sadly I decided to switch to Medical, despite having secured good ranks in various law exams including DU JAT IPMAT , TISS BAT, IITM HSEE and SET .
So during my preparation time for those exams I was in touch with current affairs as I would read the Indian express often and have published works in anthologies that are on those topics.
As a student, I was kind of sharp in my primary grades but then as I moved to another city (Bhubaneswar), I lost all of my friends and lost interest.
During that time my father ,being in the civil services, would stay away from home for quite some time and thus, I would miss his presence .
Alone, my mother would always appoint tutors for my studies but I abhorred studies and loathed their presence.
I badly wanted a friend in that time and missed playing sports.
I didn’t meet with a lot of people due to my inflated ego and arrogance at that time.
I lost discipline and focus.
Within 2 years ( 6th and 7th) , I became a complete loser.
Obese, arrogant, good at nothing but mugging up and getting somewhat acceptable marks, disrespectful and all those vices.
In 8th I finally found friends when I moved out of my comfort zone to participate in competitions. Among them was a girl. She became my best friend. She noticed I was always good with vocabulary and as I was a lot into Sci fi and video games, good in history. So, she encouraged me to write. To get her attention I would write for her regarding many topics , starting from romanticism to social topics.
Some like a poem on a cancer patient and tiger poaching have been published in reputed magazines at that time.
So, she kind of started this journey.
Apart from that part, I volunteer in People for Animals and so I describe the plight of animals through my work.
Having gone through a phase of clinical depression ( with which I still battle sometimes) due to bullying and traumatic events in my childhood and teenage, some of my works are regarding mental health as well.
- Are you a spontaneous writer or a disciplined one? Do you often write daily?
I was really disciplined in a phase that was from January 2017 to September 2020.
However I would take a couple of months break during the time of my 10th and 12th boards.
Not daily, but 3 times a week.
After I decided to switch to Medical , facing some disappointment with humanities and law, I quit writing and all my hobbies for a period from September 2020 to September 2021 , during which I was preparing for NEET UG 2021, along with B.Sc.
I started writing again from October 2021 to April 2022 , writing once every 2 days and participating in competitions, anthologies, open mic, and writing for magazines.
I took 2 months break from May 2022 to July 2022 as I had just moved to a medical college in another district . In July 2022 I wrote again and along with my old works decided to publish “The Anglerfish “, which was published on 10th August 2022.
Following that, I have not written much as I was busy with Studying MBBS and enjoying with newfound friends.
My Medical Boards got over in March 1st, 2023 and now I have plenty of time for myself.
As of now, I plan to focus on keeping this discipline alive.
So calling myself spontaneous would be better
- Tell us about your latest book, what can the readers expect from it?
“The Anglerfish- A collection of lives never lived” is a collection of poems , where a social problem that revolves around a character or a profession is said through the eyes of an object that gets associated with that profession.
If it’s a bit technical, then let me ask you one thing.
What’s the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of a garbage collector?
I live in Bhubaneswar and the first thing that flashes in my mind is a short, dark man with red eyes,
Wearing a green fluorescent vest that reads out B.M.C Jagruti and donning a pair latex gloves and boots. Usually he has a good N95 mask that protects from pollution.
However in several underdeveloped towns the gloves are replaced by polythene bags and the mask by a dirty handkerchief that covers his face.
But usually it’s a waste picker that comes into our image .
A dirty emaciated guy with almost no protection with a sac on his shoulders containing the waste he has picked.
What we often overlook the respiratory and infectious diseases those sanitary workers face sometimes while dealing with garbage.
Sometimes It’s the fault of the municipal corporation for not providing enough safety, sometimes It’s the problem of consumers who get so careless with waste disposal management .
Nobody would tell their story.
It’s through that Plastic Sac on their shoulders who takes on a voice to tell their pleas.
Why they came to this field, the problems they face .
His Happy part is shown.
Death becomes a part in my stories to highlight the other extreme.
Likewise a lot of perspectives are said
- What is the scheme of ideas you have while naming your book?
We overlook the ugliness that lies beyond something we are familiar with.
In the deep dark ocean, a fish only sees the light that is something rare.
It gets attracted towards it , hoping it’s a sun, the source of light.
It meets the Anglerfish, its death.
Like that, we feel a sense of security when we see a cop, or assume an old man is ok as long as he appears rich.
We don’t see their pain.
We see the farmers and we remind ourselves that food will be available on the table.
But we never see the pain the farmer faces.
And….
I’ve always been attracted to marine life so, thought of that!
- Can you share any insights or lessons that you have learned during your writing career that have helped you to become a better writer?
Well I still have a lot to learn but…
1) stay grounded and humble.
No matter how many books you’ve had read, no matter how much fluent you are, no matter how much passionate you are, stay a learner.
There will always be someone who has a better command and he or she is bound to make you feel inferior . There will be some work of literature that a much younger person can easily get command over and there will be some works which will always be challenging.
But after that , only strive to be better.
For example, the legendary writer Shri Manoj Das had faced problem in reading Sabitri by Shri Aurobindo.
He had accepted defeat.
A young talent, a professor with all his years of experience defeated by a single book, following which he bettered his writings.
There was a period when I had stopped reading International classics after one of my father’s friends, the HOD of department of English, Utkal university claimed that even he couldn’t complete Marquez’s works when he was in his masters and I was studying these works alongside Physics!
However I felt my ego shatter when I discovered one of my friends in College having knowledge over Odia Literature that I didn’t have.
His writing style in Odia surpassed mine and I felt jealous.
Slowly I understood that his background made him better in our mother tongue while I was busy learning foreign languages.
2) Always ask for opinions from experts, while staying true to your work.
3) Even though you are knowing a lot of things, know when to publish and what to.
Sometimes somethings never sell , and some writings become controversial.
- What themes or subjects do you find most interesting to explore in your writing, and why?
Mostly it is dystopian writing and personification
- Can you describe your writing process and any particular techniques or strategies that you use to stay motivated and productive?
I prepare some points on a piece of paper .
Next I go thro the outline as to how it should be .
Next I write within the limit i’ve given.
- Any future projects you are currently working on?
Currently working on a graphic novel for which I’m learning Designing.
And another novel “Embers” which is kind of a love story.
I’m taking some time now.
