The Steadfast Tin Soldier

Why did I write Plagued

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Today, we crossed 1 MILLION confirmed cases and 50 THOUSAND deaths globally due to the Novel Coronavirus.


 Sometime in February, when the COVID-19 disease was less known and shrouded in mystery, I wondered - like many others - what might happen if it spread massively across the globe and affected us all. Unfortunately, this has come true, and we are today living a strange quarantined life in fear.

 I began writing Plagued in early March, after vociferously consuming information about the disease and its impact on public health, human behaviour, commerce, logistics, politics and science. I tried to imagine what it would be like to live in a post-Corona world.

 By the time I wrote the first few chapters - it was mostly overnight, when I wasn't doing Zoom calls or doing my full-time job - a lot of things had changed. Italy and Spain were overrun by the virus, Europe was in shambles, and the US had begun to recognize the virus as a serious threat. Closer home, India had a few hundred cases and we were terrified.

 Then came the lockdown, and the hope that this may go away soon. I wrote this book thinking this would go away soon, but in my book, I imagine a virus much worse that decimates millions. Through this thought exercise, I only hoped to plan for the absolute worst case scenario and how we can help the poor and the worst-affected in the apocalypse.

 Today, I'm pained to see the visuals of hundreds of thousands of doctors, nurses, and workers offering essential services toiling away in high-risk environments. While I continue to do my duty of staying home to contain the spread, donating to (hopefully) effective emergency funds, and supporting as many people in my local ecosystem as possible.

 The gentleman who cleans my car in the morning has a full-time job at the hospital; he's a cook there. Their job is still on. These guys are still out there, everyday, helping us fight this virus. The new month is here, and he came to collect his monthly pay. Someone rang the doorbell after nearly a week!


I spent the past few nights working hard to complete my novel. I just finished. I am in a hurry, because I don't plan to sell the book for money. I am putting it on Amazon Kindle, and sending all the proceeds to healthcare workers. I feel it's the least I can do in this situation.

Why not simply donate? Why go through the trouble of writing?


 Good question. My answer is in three parts. 

Firstly, I love writing and I think we must all try to utilize our strengths for the betterment of society in these difficult times. 

Next, I know that people are working from home, living in fear, more alone than ever, and figuring out what to do with all that extra time. Is is easy to fall back on that lazy option of Netflix; it is better to read a book (I've managed to read two books this month). And I imagined you'd like to know what happens to the world and how we will change when all this ends. I hope this situation ends soon, and we - and our loved ones - are safe when it does.

And lastly, this is an easy way for you to do something you love - read a book - and, in the process, help those who really need your support right now. If 'Plagued' isn't your cup of tea, that is okay; but make sure you visit one of these links and contribute to those in need:

Is this only an e-book? Or is there a Print Version?


 There's no time for a print version right now, although I'd love to have released both together. In the current situation where everything is under lock-down, Publishers aren't going to start printing for at least a few weeks. But the funds for donation are required now. So I've decided to release on Kindle only for now.

If there is an opportunity for a print version soon (and I hope there is, because that would mean things are getting better), then 100% of all earnings from the paperback will also go to COVID-19 Relief.

Why did you publish on Amazon? Don't they take a commission?


 Yes, Amazon takes a commission. Which means I will get only a part of what you donate. It's about 70% in India. Less from Amazon.com / Amazon.co.uk etc. I would ideally want everything you donate to go to those in need. Amazon was the simplest and easiest way to host an e-book online. I'm also hoping more people discover the book through the site!

What is this book about? Should I think of this as a Donation or a Book Purchase?


 I'd love for you to think of it as both. This is the fourth book I've written, and the second I've published. My first book is this one, here. I'm sure I'll publish the other two works as well, but this one is urgent; so it jumped ahead in the line!


It offers a fascinating commentary on human courage and frailty and a compelling portrait of friends who are separated by borders but united in their suffering.

As the disease begins to spread, Ved flies back home from San Francisco to attend his father's retirement party. His girlfriend, Jinny, is attending to her sick grandmother in China. Everything changes for them and their families in the next few weeks, as millions are infected and the world goes into a lock-down.
The pandemic sets the backdrop for a strange new world, where people work from their homes, are constantly online, and filled simultaneously with fear, revulsion and hope.


You can buy the book here on Amazon Kindle starting 5th April 2020. I will send proof of every donation I make on your behalf.

Thanks,
Anirudh

Picture Courtesy: Angelina Bambina [ShutterStock]

Engineer, Okay. Author, Why?

Okay, we have one more IITian author in this world. How fabulous! How fantastic! How absolutely uninteresting. Here's another fellow who worked his way into, and out of, one of India's premier institutions only to render his education a pointless waste of time.

If these are the thoughts running through your head right now,  I don't blame you. If this isn't what you're thinking, then you're being irrational. I don't see any reason why boys who grew up saying they love the sciences should end up becoming men who want nothing to do with them.

This is the point when I should start cribbing about the 'system' and how it failed me. But I've done enough of that already, so I'll talk about how I failed the system instead. Much like everyone else. I shall unabashedly admit that I believe I can live a far more fulfilling life by letting my hobby define me, rather than what I chose for a career. It's probably because you can choose your hobby; not so much your career.

But I'd be deemed a heinous liar if I said "I'm over engineering." That's the thing with relationships - you never really get over them. So, at least some part of me will remain an engineer forever. There were reasons why I chose to become a Chemical Engineer, and I still believe in them. Firmly.

So why writing? Why try straddling two professions, one of which makes it difficult to comprehend Randall Monroe's jokes? I can tell you the same thing I tell everyone - that writing is the only thing that I truly love - but I feel like telling you the truth. It's about opinions. It's about saying things that matter in memorable ways. Can I do that? I don't know. But I'll try. You can judge.

The point of this endeavour isn't to make some "quick bucks on the side" selling entertaining fiction, but to say stuff worth saying. It doesn't matter if you hate me, because that would mean I still have a point. But the moment you feel indifferent about the things I say - that's the day I'll stop writing.

And in order to decide, here is where you go. "The Steadfast Tin Soldier?", out in stores in July 2013, will be listed on the website soon. I will keep you posted here and on Facebook.