Question 1: Kindly brief us about yourself.
Answer: Hello, I am Prakriti Kapoor, pursuing B.com (Hons.) from Maitreyi College and I am in my third year now. I feel a little overwhelmed as I express the feeling of being in the last year now, every memory, the vibes and even the silence here gushes in a lot of lessons. I feel truly grateful to be a part of the Maitreyi family.
Question 2: You are the author of a publication. What inspired you to publish your book titled ‘Catharsis: A Concoction of Psychology and Mythology’; what ventured you into this?
Answer: 'Mahabharata' has always piqued my interest. I used to read about it and follow it religiously, but I avoided mentioning it publicly because it was an 'esoteric' notion. With time, as my confidence grew, and when the reality of life hit me hard during the epidemic, I knew that I wanted to make a difference in the world. I looked back to see what I was passionate about at the time, and it came down to mythology and psychology. So Catharsis is a combination of my two interests.
Question 3: That’s quite interesting! What exactly was your thought process when you decided to blend these two concepts and how did you go ahead with it?
Answer: Mythology and psychology, in my opinion, are not that dissimilar. When humans are placed in any scenario, they are compelled to discuss psychology. Each of them carries a piece of the world within them, and each individual has so much potential to explore or create that they are simply oblivious of. When it comes to mythology, analyzing each character reveals that they, too, have felt the same emotions that we do in our daily lives. For example, Dhuryodhan in the Mahabharata was envious of his cousins, and that envy component is felt by everyone in this generation. So, by connecting with our ancient mythology and soaking in the wisdom, we will feel less lost and more confident about how to go about our interpersonal relationships.
Question 4: Were there any challenges faced by you while researching this topic?
Answer : The biggest hurdle I think was my lack of confidence at that time regarding my book. Like every other beginner I too had my doubts like whether I will be able to reach the right audience or would people be interested in reading a book written by a commoner. But, I took a leap of faith and left everything else to the almighty. There wasn’t any resilience from my parents side and no one had really expected that the book would make it out of the drafts. However, I was sure that I was worthy of all the resources provided to me and this gave me the confidence to handle the entire publishing process on my own.
Question 5: What lessons would you like your readers to learn from your book? Are there any specific portions you would like your readers to give special attention to?
Answer: Through this book, I want the readers to be more retrospective as well as introspective about themselves, and become aware about themselves in a new light. Everything lies within yourself and your journey begins with you, so if you are disrupted from within you would project that out as well and create ruckus in your outside world. Mental Health or the emotions of sadness are portrayed in a very despondent manner and are considered as a sign of weakness. But, I believe if you factor out your trigger points, understand your patterns, and heal then it is the biggest sign of strength. The world out here needs love and kindness, our mother Earth needs to break free from the claws of ‘consumerism’ and my book carries the same essence.
Question 6: What writing style or tone did you follow to effectively communicate the intertwining concepts of mythology and psychology to the audience?
Answer: I was merely eighteen when I wrote this book and was not really versed with all the writing styles. I overlooked several errors while drafting this book but the reason I left it untouched was to promote authenticity, to embrace your truest self. In our daily lives, we seek perfection to such an extent that it leaves all of us feeling imperfect; leaving us hollow. So, I want my audience to delve into the thoughts of just an eighteen year old girl trying to bring a change in the world.
Question 7: Did your background in psychology or your passion for mythology inspire the way you went ahead with the specifics of your publishing?
Answer: Gurcharan Das' book 'The Difficulty of Being Good' sparked something in me.I was inspired by it at times. I also took a psychology course to better grasp the material I was writing. Even today, someone would not hesitate to take, for instance, hypertension medication, but may feel uneasy while taking anxiety medication. So, with this book, I hope to provide a platform for others to accept their mental health and heal from inside.
Question 8: How did the positive feedback received from the audience alter your life; did they impact your writing journey as well?
Answer: The most beautiful thing that happened after ‘Catharsis’ was that I had created my presence. I wrote the book at an age where I had the motivation and the fuel to burn for it. I have this simple rule- when you have the required resources with you then go for it rather than aimlessly doing things just to keep yourself busy. Your hard work combined with intention and research is better than taking multiple things at once.
Question 9: Do you see yourself making a full time career out of writing?
Answer: Arundhati Roy, author of 'God of Small Things,' is also an activist and a performer. After a twenty year hiatus, she published her second novel and embraced the truth of writer's block. In a similar vein, I have no plans to write another book at the moment. I have other matters to attend to, and I want to obtain more information and conduct more research on literature before returning to this adventure.
Question 10: Any advice for aspiring writers.
Answer: First and foremost, I would like to encourage everyone to pay attention to what is going on around them. All of this architectural design must have begun in someone's thinking. So, think about it. I'd also like to use Priyanka Chopra as an example. At the age of 32, she changed her life with Quantico. So, to all of my college classmates, you still have plenty of time to succeed if you stay true to yourself. If you ever feel lonely, realise that God is always with you.
HIGHLIGHTS-
●Author of the book ‘Catharsis: A Concoction of Psychology and Mythology’, a blend of her two passions, psychology and mythology.
●Published the book at a mere age of 18 while handling the publication process on her own.
●Believes that if we relate ourselves with our ancient mythology, and soak in the wisdom our ancestors or mythological texts have to offer, we can create a better reality.
●Through this book she wants to create a medium for people to embrace their mental health and heal from within.
●Advices everyone to be their authentic selves, as this is what matters most at the end of the road.
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