Q. Tell us something about yourself.
Ans. I am Tushar Aman Shrivastava. I am in my final year of English Hons. I am originally from the town of Jamshedpur, which is in Jharkhand. I received my education there. After that, I shifted to Delhi. The major takeaway from my life has been that commercial writing has been my plus point. At a very early age, I started writing essays and poems. And I did well at the school level. Later on, I started to send my entries to the national-level competitions and started winning them as well. It was only because of these winnings that I decided to pursue English honours. Apart from that, I got the opportunity to work with the Harvard Business Review and Australian National University. Currently, I am planning to do an MBA.
Q. You have been a member of Junoon for three consecutive years as an actor, instrumentalist, and writer. Also, you are the head of public relations there. Why did you join the society and how has this helped you in your journey so far?
Ans. When I joined Delhi University, I had one thing in mind: I wanted to pursue an MBA in the long run. And I was good at writing, but the major problem with me was that I wasn't good at communication. I was an introvert. So I decided to join this society. I didn't have any previous experience in drama. My school didn't have a dramatics society, but I decided to give it a try. In dramatics, we do street plays, we go to various colleges, we perform, and we interact with people. That gives me confidence. So that was a major takeaway. Apart from that, by participating in the various competitions within Delhi University, you gain a lot of exposure. That is another thing that I wanted to target that has actually improved my writing skills as well as instrument reflection. At an earlier age, I used to play the synthesizer. I had been trained in that for six or seven years. When I joined the dramatics society, we didn't have a synthesizer as it requires a plug point and batteries, which is not too feasible when we are traveling for performances, so that's why we had harmoniums. So I learned that from my seniors. Apart from that, I play the Xenophon, which I also learned from my seniors.
Q. You are a trained synthesizer player. We live in a society where half of the people think that playing or learning music is not for men. So what was your parents' reaction when you told them that you wanted to learn to play synthesizer?
Ans. My parents actually wanted me to learn to play the synthesizer. I was always inclined towards the drum. But my father said the synthesizer is a nice instrument. You should try to play that. Earlier I was not able to play at that time. My father was the one who motivated me and said that yeah you should go forward, you are playing well. My parents were never among those who just want their kids to study, they encouraged me to try something different. But at the same time, they made sure that the learning process didn't hamper my studies.
Q. How did writing make you who you are today?
Ans. As I have earlier mentioned, I was an introvert, so writing is something through which I can express my feelings. When I was in school, in class third or fourth, we were given homework to write on a particular topic. The teacher, after reading the essay, used to praise me in front of the class. So it was one thing that encouraged me. Because at that age, no one knows what is considered good writing and what is considered normal writing. So they encouraged me to go forward with that. Also, there were competitions for which the school selected a few students. My teacher selected me, and I went to the competition, where, for the first time, I won third prize. After that, the big break came in standard nine, in which I participated in an essay competition that was organized by the Swami Vivekananda Foundation along with UNESCO and UNICEF (combined). These two foundations joined together to organize an all-India essay competition. I was selected for the finals as well in that competition. After gaining international recognition, I was praised by my school principal in front of the entire school. That is something that motivates a lot of people. As I grew older, I got the opportunity to work with the Harvard publication because I had participated in a competition and won. Therefore, I got to go to a workshop with them. After I attended the workshop, they selected me for Harvard Publication as a kid-story reviewer. After that, when I moved to Delhi, they said, as your future goal is to pursue an MBA, it would be great if you could join the Harvard Business Review Team. So, in the Harvard Business Review team, we mostly focus on business writing, or how managers should interact with their employers, and so on, which has helped me gain knowledge about society while also improving my writing. As I joined the Dramatics Society, I used to write on environmental topics, or growth or business matters. Junoon gave me a platform to write on various topics that I have never explored before. That gave me several new horizons to look forward to. That's how writing helped me transform from a completely introverted person to a person who can now easily communicate and express his feelings.
Q. Right now, all humanitarians are facing such a hard time due to COVID and its variants. What is the thing that inspires you to keep going?
Ans. During these times when people are pessimists, it is the time to be optimistic about the things that are a bright spot in their aura of darkness. The desire to find the bright spot, that one shining light in the dark sky, motivates me. During this pandemic, a lot of people are talking about the negative aspects and because of that, they are sad. Yeah, negative things are happening, but they should try to overcome sadness and try to achieve happiness.
Q. As the recipient of a bronze medal in the Queen's Commonwealth Essay competition and working as a professional writer, what advice would you give to the writers out there who think writing would not be a successful career choice?
Ans. The thing is, you have to find the right opportunity and apply to the right places. Many people write blogs, but they don't market them. Marketing doesn't mean doing an ad. kind of thing. You simply share your write-up with your friends. At an earlier age, people told me that writing was not going to take me anywhere. I have seen this within Delhi University. I have sent my entries to various college competitions but have never won a single competition here. When I send the same entries to international competitions, they give recognition. So it also depends on the thought process. People from India have different thought processes. They don't give too much importance to reading. We see people buying books just to fill their shelves, not for reading. Buying books has become just another way to show that I am intellectual, I like to read, but nobody actually reads. So that appreciation needs to be there; it is missing in the Indian circle. Things have changed. No doubt, there have been winners from the Indian vicinity as well, so I guess with appreciation being given if a person chooses the right opportunities and the right thing. Surely that will lead to the right path.
Q. You want to pursue an MBA. Is that the only future goal, or is there any other goal on your list you want to go with?
Ans. I started my journey as a science student. I wanted to pursue engineering. But after the 12th, I realized that this is not something I really wanted to do. My parents would actually tell me that you aren't made for engineering, but the thing was, I had good marks, so I thought I would be able to do that. Now for graduation, I realized that maybe I was made for English. Maybe I could do that better. So, after switching from science, I decided to pursue English. After graduation, I'd like to pursue an MBA to see how these three things interact. My goal is not to get a good job or get settled out of an MBA, but to learn. It's about learning in the long run. My final goal is to write a book, and my book would be about my experiences and how different things like engineering, studying English honors, studying music, and doing an MBA interact together. And how they work together to build a beautiful society.
Q. Tell us about your journey. From where did you come across those national and international competitions?
Ans. In certain schools, there are literary societies that tell students that there is an essay competition. At an early age, you mostly have essay competitions and poetry competitions to some extent where you can showcase your skills. So, one such is the Queen's Commonwealth Essay competitions. It's there on the royal society site that is known to most of the students. Apart from that, one can just go there and search for essay competitions or international essay competitions. He will get a list of competitions. Also, after the pandemic, the opportunities have increased because various colleges have started accepting entries from around the world. Earlier, they used to conduct these essay competitions only in their city. So simply by checking those sites and typing simple keywords like "essay competitions" or "poetry competitions", you can get a list of competitions. Apart from that, by following social media platforms like LinkedIn and Instagram, you can find a lot of competitions.
Q. Is there anything you would like to share with the readers of your story?
Ans. Just look for the positives in life. If you get the opportunity to appreciate someone, appreciate them. If they appreciate you, take that appreciation because people mostly try to pull the other person down. So, stay positive and happy!
Highlights of the achiever's journey:
Tushar is the recipient of the Bronze Medal in the Queen's Commonwealth Essay Competition.
He started writing from a very young age. Commercial writing has been his plus point.
He was a former international writer at the Australian National University.
He was also the former business writer for the Harvard Business Review.
He is not only a writer but also a trained synthesizer (Casio) player.
His parents have been a constant source of motivation.
The desire to find the bright spot, that one shining light in the dark sky, is something that motivates him.
As far as his future plans are concerned, he wants to pursue an MBA.
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