JOIN USIn Limca Book for 10 novels in 21 months
It has been rightly said that it’s never too late to follow one’s heart and indulge in one’s passion and it certainly did work out for the fastest crime novelist, Joygopal
Podder.
The man in his 50s has pulled out all stops literally and has a record in the Limca Book of Records for 2012 and is already registered as the fastest crime fiction novelist for 2013.
For 2012, he had a record of penning 5 books in 9 months. With his latest record of bringing out 10 crime fiction novels in just 21 months, Podder is now making his presence felt by managing to finish one book in just two months.
Former corporate executive at Brooke Bond and Godrej told Metrolife that he began writing crime fiction novels late at the age of 50 but churning out one book after the other at such a fast pace was not at all hard for him as writing was not new to him.
Since childhood, Podder’s parents had encouraged him to take up reading books and at the age of seven, he started writing short stories. His first story got published in a children’s magazine when he was just 12.
After the death of his father when he was in his 20s, unfavourable circumstances forced him to take up a job at a multinational company and his writing became dormant.
His passion for writing was left far behind as he got caught up in the daily grind, the writer said. In his 40s, he joined the social sector and is presently working with an international NGO ActionAid as the director of fund raising.
Podder’s family went through a tough time when his wife got septicaemia and lost both her kidneys. That was the turning point of his life.
“This tragedy made me realise how uncertain life is. I decided not to procrastinate my writing plans which I had put on hold for the future as part of my retirement plans,” said Podder.
Looking for story ideas was a piece of cake for the writer who had grown on books by Sidney Sheldon, Jeffrey Archer, John Grisham and Harold Robbins. Mostly, he draws his ideas from his surroundings. He believes a person should always write on familiar territory while writing for the first time.
“I also picked up and incorporated things in my books from newspapers which are a good source of information. I used to go through crime stories which helped me a lot,” the crime novelist said.
His first novel, “Deceivers” was a thriller written against the backdrop of an NGO, the sector in which Podder spent 12 years. So developing characters, storyline and plots was easy for him.
After his first book hit the market, there was no looking back for him.
For his second book ‘The Inheritance’, he made his story revolve around the corporate sector and put in his experiences. The next one ‘The Millenium City’ is set in Gurgaon, Podder’s home town.
In future, Podder wants to pen down a historical or human drama. He says he wants to slow down a bit later as historical drama requires extensive research and cannot be written in haste.