“Do whatever makes you happy. If you are doing something which doesn’t give you happiness, then look for the work that will give you happiness and mental peace.”
Drashti Soni
Drashti Soni believed in these words of her thoroughly, and that’s what made her what she is today.
Her initial days
Drashti Soni, in her childhood days, was not much interested studying in school. She was more interested in art like painting. She was not so much into studies till class 7 or 8. When she was in standard 9, she started playing guitar and her interest grew into music. During that time, she learned to play multiple musical instruments other than guitar which includes harmonium, keyboard, and harmonica.
She was training herself in classical music from that time onwards. Slowly at that time, she understood that she needs to study as well to achieve big in life. This was the time when she focused more on her studies. When she cleared her board exam, she continued with Science with her growing interest in studies.
When she realised that studying is important, from that time she started reading books on different issues as well, which gave her the habit of reading. She was reading books on multiple things in English and Gujarati which has helped her to be what she is today. She is an avid reader, and she can read a book in a day at a stretch.
Her interest in writing
When she was 16 years old, she wrote her first poem in English. She wrote the poem after her grandfather left for his heavenly abode. She was feeling very lonely, and thus her emotions came out. But, she never shared it with anyone else. That poem was very special to her which was about her emotions. But, now she feels that it is not even a poem, it is basically her expressions that she wrote after her grandfather left them.
When she was in standard 11, she started writing in Gujarati. Again, those are not exactly poems but emotions. But, this time the emotions were not only about hers but also about other people with whom she interacted on a daily basis. Thus, she realised that she has an interest in writing as well. She used to write daily diaries from standard 12 till 2nd year in College. All these gave her more interest in writing. Since she is a very introverted kind of girl, so she speaks less and listens more. Thus, whatever she wanted to speak or had in her mind was coming through her writings. With time she has been more interested in writing ‘Achhandas Poetry’. All of those poems are published in Gujarati Magazines, which are mainly based on people’s observations, about mundane life.
All about her first novel
Her first novel ‘A- Manas’ was in Gujarati. It was mainly about the feelings of people and their state of mind. This is derived mainly from the observation of people’s minds. Her book was about a gay guy, who got married. But, after a few months of his wedding, his wife left him and came back to her home, for not being able to adjust to such a situation and not being able to have a physical life. This is a real-life incident, and she heard about it when she went to a family gathering at the age of 17. There she found someone to say about this guy and was referring him to be someone who is not human. She was not clear about it then, but when she asked a few people and listened to them, she understood that for the older generation being gay is like not being a human. Thus, she took the idea of her first novel, where she wrote about a gay and a prostitute. In some parts of our society, even today older people look down on prostitutes and gay people as someone who is not a human being, or even they need treatment.
In 2018, she started writing this novel. But she couldn’t write much, only 1-2 pages a day. In 2019 January she finished her book, and it was published after much post-writing work in March 2021.
She used to recite her writings and the chapters to her college friends, who listened to all of these carefully. But, since they are not exactly literature students, understanding a novel at the scratch level was not their cup of tea, hence there were no suggestions from them. But, her friends used to support her a lot, and even they asked her to make this a movie or web series.
Her first lecture on the first published book
Her first lecture on her book was in Maharaja Krishnakumar Sinhji Bhavnagar University with those students who are pursuing Masters and Ph.D. She was very young, only 21 years and her audiences are so senior to them, hence she was extremely nervous.
Awards and accolades
In 2021, her book has been selected in ‘Delhi Sahitya Academy’ for Yuva Purashkar. She is the youngest one to receive an award in Sahitya Academy from India. She was ecstatic to be chosen for this award, but she had no idea how the committee found her and how she has been selected. ‘Bulletin India’ gave her an award for this book as well. This was like a dream come true to her.
Parents and family’s support about the book
Her book deals with a very sensitive issue. So, when she was writing it, she didn’t let her parents read it. They first read it after it got published. Though her parents are extremely conservative, her father being a jeweller and mother being a housewife but, they have not said anything in a negative way about this book. They were very proud of her for writing so deeply at such an age. Her elder brother knew about this book since she started writing it, and he read the chapters while she was writing. He supported her a lot and inspired her to write more. It was from his brother that she got the habit of reading. His brother has always been a huge support and inspiration to her.
Her work helps her to write more
Drashti is an intern physiotherapist at Gujarat Cancer Hospital after she completed her studies N.R. Institute of Physiotherapy. She always wanted to become a musician, but she chose physiotherapy as her job. Her brother is also in the same field, and she enjoys this. She is not an occupational writer, she writes when she feels to write. But, in the future, she wants to take this seriously and wants to make it her profession as well. She wants to write screenplays as well for the movies and theatres. But, she feels she needs much more experience to start that. She has 11 pending short stories, that are with her, and not yet published anywhere.
She believes that being a physiotherapist helps her to write as well. Since she interacts with many people on a daily basis, she observes them, she connects with them emotionally- all these give her confidence and boost her up in writing. Her main genre still now is emotion and thus she reads the patients in a more emotional way, and this helps her to write. Her writing in another way also helps in treating the patients in a much subtler mental-emotional way as well. Out of her 11 short stories, 6 of the stories are based on her experiences in the hospital. She believes that physiotherapy gives her more exposure.
Drashti’s leisure time activities
Music for sure is her leisure time activity, which she wants to take in a professional way as well. When she is in a somber state of mind she will just make Maggi and coffee and will read a book. Though she knows to cook almost everything, she doesn’t feel like cooking, as she believes it to be very mundane.
Her struggles in life
Since she is very sensitive and very introverted, so it becomes very difficult for her to cope with emotional situations sometimes. The struggle part is when she listens to stories of others, she gets so involved in it and overthinks about it so much, that it becomes difficult for her to stay out of that and concentrate on other good parts of life.
Parting words for today’s youth
Today’s youth does not care about what is happening surrounding them- good or bad. They are sleeping, not caring much about what is happening. When a child is born, he was in the womb, when he came out he struggles to live and breathe in the first few minutes, he cries for that, he opens his eyes and shouts more. So, if you don’t shout and open your eyes you won’t feel the struggle. You need to open your eyes and you do not have to scream but change the bad things of the society and surroundings if it is required.
