Pranav Rao is a curious soul who is not afraid to question the traditional ways in order to find better ones. He often finds himself oscillating between free will and determinism. He studies people and situations and has an uncanny knack of finding stories around him or better still, within him. And he can often be found reading a book, usually non-fiction, while he is stuck in traffic. Just like cooking, which he enjoys, he uses ingredients of experience, observation, imagination & inspiration to weave his stories. You can find him unwinding with his friends at a local joint over the weekends. A Tale of Arranged Marriage is his second novel.
TBE: Can you share with us something about your latest book, “A Tale of Arranged Marriage”, that isn’t in the blurb?
Pranav Rao: A Tale of Arranged Marriage is a funny and satirical take on the process of arranged marriage in urban India. The book focuses on how marriage is perceived across two generations, the difference of opinions and certain toxic traits of society. It showcases a typical authoritative, overprotective Indian mother, Rukmini, who wants to get her son, Ayaan, married because he is ‘of the age’ being in his late twenties and Ayaan’s thoughts on marriage and his constant inner battle. What ensues is a fun drama as Ayaan dodges the rishtas set up by his mother.
TBE: What inspired to tell this story? Was there one thing that caused you to say, “I’m going to write this”?
Pranav Rao: Circumstance, I guess. There was a phase in my life as well as my friends’ lives where all we could hear about was marriage, arranged or otherwise. I had been listening to stories about my friends and their experiences with the process of arranged marriage for a while. The one thing that made me say, “I’m going to write about this!” was when it started happening to me as well!
TBEL What is the one of the main ways that most people sabotage joy in marriage?
Pranav Rao: Over expectation. I believe that is one of the main culprits. Most people have a sense of idealism, or a fantasy created in their minds about a perfect life partner or a perfect marriage. One should realise that that image only exists in their mind. When one fails to understand that, the fantasy gets shattered by reality and well, shit hits the roof. In marriage or in life, over expectation or theoretical idealism is a joy killer.
TBE: What do you hope readers will get out of your book? How would you like readers to approach your book and their own worlds after reading it?
Pranav Rao: I hope readers will get a laugh or two out of it for sure. I also hope that readers get the many upfront or hidden messages placed all over the book. And I have tried to approach various pressing issues of society with a lighthearted, sarcastic touch in this book.
I would like readers to approach my book the same way I approach life – take it as it comes with an open mind and enjoy it.
TBE: How long does it take you to bring a book to life, from concept to final edit?
Pranav Rao: There isn’t a fixed period as such. It depends on my mood and my state of flow. There are days when I can write about fifteen thousand words at a stretch and there are days when I struggle to form a sentence. My first novel took me about 7 months whereas my second novel took me a little more than a year since I just couldn’t write for months after starting it.
TBE: Tell us about your journey of publication with Leadstart.
Pranav Rao: It has been a wonderful journey with Leadstart thus far. I am grateful to Leadstart to have given a new writer like me the chance to get published and acknowledged. The entire process of publishing both my novels with them has been seamless. They have a fantastic team. So much so that I feel a sense of loyalty towards them in a way that I would only publish with Leadstart as long as they would have me.
TBE: Is there anything you are currently working on that may intrigue the interest of your readers?
Pranav Rao: I recently finished writing a short story which is my first attempt at writing one. Ever wondered what a dog’s perspective towards life might be? What they might be thinking or feeling? Steve is one such short story which is based on the life of a dog named Steve who is adopted by a wealthy suburban family. It is a gripping, funny and emotional story about his various experiences around humans through his journey from being a little pup to a full grown dog to falling in love! It is available on Amazon now.
