By Chief Copy Editor Abhijit C Chandra
‘If you can believe, then you can achieve’ seems to be the overriding sentiment conveyed through the countenance of 40-year-old Binod Mairta – a humble Bihari ryot’s boy who is employed as a translator in the Rajya Sabha Secretariat and whose first book – a 264-page romantic thriller – was released on August 30, 2016.
So, is ‘A Rose on the Platform’ based on real-life experiences?
“I’ve endeavoured to mix some real stories with a few imaginary ones. For the past eight years, I’ve been commuting to office by metro and it was during one such journey that this idea germinated. The habit of being a keen observer helped me in developing the plot,” Binod told ‘Developing India Mirror’.
Though the plan occurred to him in 2010, he penned the novel in 2014 in a period of six months.
“I gave it to two well-read friends for opinions and feedback, which helped me realise the manuscript's drawbacks. Then I reworked on it for almost a year and got it edited by a renowned literary agency. I think overconfidence became the most humongous hurdle. The other mistake was that I attempted to experiment by mixing popular / commercial fiction with literary fiction. So while redrafting it, I made it complete commercial / pop fiction,” he avers.
“Nothing inspires me more than a good book or a good film. I’ve spent my life reading literary and romance novels but desired to commence my writing career with a thriller, hence failed abominably in my maiden attempt,” Binod adds. His academic milestones include a master’s degree in English and a P.G. diploma in journalism. His better half is a high-school teacher and the couple is blessed with two daughters.
‘A Rose on the Platform’ is divided into three acts, as it begins like a play, and there are 26 chapters.