SANTOSH KALWAR works as a poet, writer and young
researcher. He is author of several books, most notably Quote Me Everyday (Lulu
Press Inc., 2010). His poems and articles have appeared or are forthcoming in The
Himalayan Times, The Kathmandu Post, My Republica, Munyori Literary Journal,
Asphodel Madness, Carcinogenic Poetry, Mahmag, Mad Swirl, unFold, Rusty Truck,
New Polish Beat, Chiron Review, Hanging Moss Journal and many others.
His debut novel, “That’s My Love Story” is recently published by
Mahaveer Publishers, New Delhi.
Your real name and pen name?
Real name: Santosh Kumar Kalwar
Pen name: Santosh Kalwar
Please share some of the best memories of your childhood
Memories, like everything else, are
momentary. They don’t last forever. I have some good memories and some really
nasty ones. If you would like to know more than you will have to read some of
my books.
About your education
I learn, I earn.
Did my Bachelor’s of Computer
Science and Engineering from Acharya Institute of Technology is
affiliated to Visvesvaraya Technological University, Bangalore, India. My final
year project work was appreciated both by Teachers and Examiners. I graduated
with: First-class with Distinction; i.e. above 70% cumulative score
in all eight semesters.
Before graduating for Master’s
in Information Technology in 2008 from Lappeenranta University of
Technology (LUT), I was hired as trainee researcher at Nokia Oyj,
Helsinki. Now as a Young Professional, I hold the position of a Member for
various chapters (Bangalore, Nepal, Finland etc.) of the Internet
Society(ISOC). After graduation with Master’s, I was hired as an assistant
“Researcher” in Professor Jari Porras's lab at Communication
Software Laboratory at LUT where I studied Human-Computer Interaction (HCI).
Some colleagues say that I am a young inventor as I was granted a patent for
working on: “Method and apparatus for viewing documents in a database.”
I’m actively engaged in knowledge transfer to the public, including dozens of
columns and articles in newspapers and magazines aimed at the general
public.
And guess what? I’ve written
approximately twenty-five scholarly peer-reviewed publications for
international journals and conferences in highly competitive venues. I’m also
very active in mentoring and volunteering for major academic publishers. While
doing all this, I recently defended my doctoral thesis entitled “Conceptualizing
and measuring human anxiety on the Internet” from Lappeenranta University
of Technology for Doctor of Science in Technology degree.
The results of his doctoral
dissertation were in a local and national news, where the Finnish press wrote
about it a lot. Even the world eminent scientist, an international expert in
this field, Professor Larry Rosen, says that my thesis is “extremely
well executed and very interesting.” So some people even tell that I’m a
young researcher and scholar. Besides this identity, others tell that I’m an
artist, poet, and novelist.
What languages you can speak and
write?
I can speak seven different
languages, and I write usually in English.
. Nepali Native or bilingual
proficiency
. English Full professional
proficiency
. Hindi Native or bilingual
proficiency
. Finnish Elementary
proficiency
. Sanskrit Professional
working proficiency
. Maithili Professional
working proficiency
. Bihari languages Native or bilingual
proficiency
What is your
biggest source of inspiration in life
I am also inspired by something that
Steve Jobs said
“Here’s to the crazy ones. The
misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The
ones who see things differently. They're not fond of rules. And they have no
respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or
vilify them. About the only thing you can't do is ignore them. Because they
change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as
the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough
to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.”
I am inspired from harsh strong
rejection. I am inspired from failures. I am inspired when you get this type of
moments or feelings: “Well, I’ll show them!”
I am a voracious reader. I read the
world. I read everything that I see relevant. My biggest sources of information
and inspiration is the Nature itself. I am inspired when people quote my words
everyday and when they feel: joy, happy, bored, sadness, guilt, violent,
pleasure, erotic, ebullient etc.
What hurts you most in this world
Pain. Sorrow. Sadness. Violence.
Crime. Torture. Rape. War. Richness and Poorness. Inequality. Everything that
widens the gap between rich and poor. Those who are rich cannot see reasons for
poor becoming poorer and those who are poor cannot see reasons for rich getting
richer.
What is the biggest challenge you
have faced? How did you overcome it?
My biggest challenge was leaving my
nine months pregnant wife behind and travelling back to Nepal from Finland to
do my dad’s final death rituals. Can you imagine flying back from Europe to
Asia, crying all along, and see your father lying in the deathbed in front of
your house, which is also surrounded by hundreds of people and neighbors.
Just imagine the scene. It was during
festival season in Aswin, just before the start of Dussera (Dashain) festival.
All those who met in a flight showed some sympathy to my situation. I had to do
rituals for three or four weeks, and then I have to come back to see my
pregnant wife. One beautiful life lost, and another was getting very ebullient
to arrive.
If you had to live a day of your life
as one of the living or dead personality, who would it be and why?
Aren’t we living and dying everyday?
Metaphorically, we die during our sleep and we wake up in morning. I don’t want
to take over other VIP’s living or antiquated personality.
It would be amiable to be with my dad
(who had the similar mathematical genius capabilities of Albert Einstein), to
be with him for a day as he is long went in some far, far, wild, unreachable
place.
What is your favorite genre and why?
Literature & Fiction, Poetry, Computers & Internet
When did you start writing? What is the purpose of your writing?
I started writing when I was a child. I don’t remember the right
age. Maybe it was five years old or seven. I don’t know the exact age. Maybe it
was long before I came into existence into the ‘pale blue dot’.
What is the purpose of your writing? What is the purpose of our
living? What is the purpose of purpose? Through my write-ups, my purpose is to
inspire one person everyday. That is equivalent to three hundred and sixty-five
people in a year and then when you calculate that for seventy years it equals
approximately in thousands.
Which of your work has been published so far? Would you like to
share a synopsis of your work?
I’ve published several books on poetry, quotes, essay,
short-story and a novel. My recent book is entitled, “That’s My Love Story”
published by Mahaveer Publishers, New Delhi.
About the book
That’s My Love Story is a
thought-provoking novel about the blurred lines between love and lust,
adventure and personal journey. This story is for anyone who needs inspiration
and motivation that there is another side to pain.
After experiencing deep pain and
failure in relationships with several women, Prem, the young man has decided to
quit life by jumping from a mountain cliff. But, it takes twenty-four hours, on
foot, to reach the cliff. Heartbroken and suicidal, he is yet riding high on
the adventurous journey. On his way, Prem meets the old man who lives at the
top of it. This old man is wise, smart, and intelligent, and very similar to a
spiritual guru. Together they both set forth on a journey—a journey of
self-discovery, of immense discussion, and …about love. Why has he met the old
man? What will happen to the heartbroken young man? Why would he plan to commit
suicide by jumping from an inhabited spot? What lessons will Prem learn from
his journey? Will he live or die for love? Why is this lover’s journey with an
old man important?
All answers lie in the story.
Praises for the book
“Interesting this idea of when dreams
are shattered, then the mind rules over the soul.”
- Paulo Coelho (International
Best Selling Author of The Alchemist)
“I nurture a sincere empathy for you,
because being a science student you could venture to ride on a fiction, albeit
fiercely based on your personal life. Bravo!”
- Gurung, DB (author
of Breaking Twilight)
"That’s My Love Story by Santosh Kalwar is
a wonderful story full of very good object lessons and very sound advice. I am
intrigued by the story and its development. I think that the plot and the
characterization is well done. The publisher, Mahaveer, obviously recognized
the value of this story. There have recently been many excellent books from
writers out of India, which are top notch and show a great depth of feeling and
wisdom in their work. I love this story.”
- Bil Howard (author
of The Wolf of the Highlands), Readers' Favorite
Watch the trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UA71xncsTj8 (old
trailer, new updated version coming soon)
Review/purchase links
LibraryThing https://www.librarything.com/work/14591878
What four top most things you take care of while writing a book?
The four top most things would be:
- I
want peace and silent atmosphere.
- I
need to be myself first. While writing I am not so much worried about
whether my product will be commercially hit or not.
- I
will keep the diary and jot down ideas if they come to me.
- Go
with the flow. Whatever comes into the blank pages it has to go unedited
and untouched in my first drafts.
How much real life goes into a fiction writing?
It depends on the plot and what one
wants to write about. I prefer realistic fiction that is based on real life
events, object, scenes, and situations. Some bits and pieces do go into a
fiction when I am writing but not everything. Reality is not what readers care
so much about. If they want to read too much reality, they would choose
entirely another genre such as non-fiction.
Is high level of imagination
important to have for an Author?
As Einstein said, “Imagination is
more important than knowledge.” If we proceed what he said then yes. But, I
think with imagination; creativity, and intuition are equally important as
well.
Your dream destination on Earth?
“Home is where your heart is.” To cut
long story short, anywhere on Earth are good for me as long as I can feed those
who are attached with me. Anywhere outside Earth is also very good for me. I
don’t have any particular choice, do I?
Your origin of birth and other
countries you have visited/stayed. What best things you liked in these
countries around the globe?
Origin of birth: Chitwan District,
Nepal
I have visited places e.g., Paris,
Germany, Portugal, Finland, Florida, India, Malaysia etc. I do like places
where there is peace and no war. But, nowadays when you just read morning news,
you see that nowhere on Earth there is peace. People are fighting to become
momentary master and gain one land or the another.
Your favorite time of the day?
Morning
Your zodiac/ sunsign?
Leo
Your favorite color and why?
Blue.
What is the last book you finished
reading? What is the current book you are reading?
Recently, I finished reading a short
story by Albert Camus, “The Adulterous Women.” My current list includes:
“Untangling the Web” by Aleks Krotoski and “Adultery” by Paulo Coelho.
What comes to your mind when you
think of India?
Great multi-cultural, multi-ethnic,
and diverse nation. But, poor social structure and power divisions. I have
studied in South-India in Bangalore, and I have lived there for five years so
you may ascertain that I have fine memories and had wonderful experiences. I
still have many friends out there who I communicate with sometimes.
Some quickies: Sun or Moon, Laughter
or Smile, Morning or Evening, Coffee or Tea, Mountain or Sea, Long Drive or
Short Drive, Silence or Conversation, Water or Fire, Air or Earth, Mars or
Jupiter, Tulip or Rose, Red or Blue, Left or Right, Glance or Stare
Sun
Both
Evening
Coffee but also sometimes Tea
Both
Long Drive
Silence
I like to play with both.
Air and Earth
Mars
Rose
Blue
Right
Stare
What three words come to your mind
for each –Technology, Life, God, Humanity, Terrorism, Racism, Childhood Abuse, Love,
Parenting, Old age
Technology: a tool, behind
science and humanity
Life: precious,
struggle, what you make of it
God: difficult to answer, cannot say,
yes or no
Humanity: greater than
anything else
Terrorism: lack of money,
not tolerable, should be stopped
Racism: infertile
disease, measles, narrow mindlessness
Childhood Abuse: crime,
unacceptable, psychological issue
Love: painful, maybe
better than life, or science
Parenting: lovely
experience, sometimes easy, or difficult
Old age: hard, to resist,
no one listens
State your signature line/ tagline/
best quote
If you babble enneagram, I am a five.
If you boast myers-briggs, I am an introvert-intuition-thinking-perceiving.
Twitter handle: @SantoshKalwar
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Santosh-Kalwar/82462281742
Goodreads author page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2894169.Santosh_Kalwar
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