1.What according to you is the secret to success?
‘Self-discipline’ and ‘Time -Management’ are keys to finding Success. According to me, I am still half way through to find Success.But, what fast tracked my progress was changing my Daily Habits. I always dreamed of being successful, but one point of time I was failing even in small tasks that were assigned to me. I wondered what kept me stuck. One fine day, I observed the habits of the people who are successful and found that my lifestyle was so erratic and did not match theirs. So, I started developing healthy and strong daily routine, that included simple tasks like ,having my meals on time, sleeping on time, drinking enough water, reading newspapers, exercising. The more I aligned into a healthy lifestyle, I could get more goals accomplished and raise my bar to set higher goals.
2. The plot of the book deals with Unconditional Love , in real life what is your take on Unconditional love ?
‘Unconditional Love’ is a beautiful feeling, but one should not be fooled in the name ‘Unconditional Love’. Here, I am addressing Unconditional Love as not just the one that is shared by two romantic partners, but also between any two individuals, be it Family members or Friends. One should understand that true love is Give and Take. Any love that is all about the take is ‘Unrequited Love’ and can be extremely toxic to the person who is the ‘Giver’. I learnt this the hard way. If anyone at any point of time face such toxic situation of ‘Unrequited Love’, it is advisable to walk away from that situation as soon as possible, as it is extremely detrimental to the mental health of the ‘Giver’.
3. One of your quote from your book is “Why does betrayal always comes from the ones we least expect”? This quote is too deep ? Any incident that inspired you to write this quote?
Yes, I was placed in a job, even before my graduation, I started my Corporate life when I was barely 20 ,that too in Corporate Sales career. Therefore, I did not go without a lot of Backstabs and Backbiting since then in both my professional and as well as personal life. Since, I have struggled a lot in my initial days, I always try my best to help anyone in trouble. But sadly, in my experience, the people who I help with all my heart, be it professionally or personally, will be the first ones to betray me. I was struck with my first brutal back stab when I was in my first job at the age of 21. While, I was still struggling to pay my education loan , One of my professional acquaintancecalled me and asked me for a huge sum of money for his daughter’s school fee. He called me at Wee hours in night and requested me for a huge sum of money in a pleading manner. He told me his daughter will discontinue education, if he can’t pay her fee next day.
I hesitated, as that point of time it meant my entire savings and more. But, when it was a girl child’s education at stake, I gave the money to him the very next morning. He promised me to pay back in a week. But when I called him back for the money, He asked me what I was talking about? Until date he has not repaid me.It used to hurt a lot, in the beginning, because I trusted and he backstabbed. Then eventually I got over the incident after years passed, what I did for him was based on my good nature and brought up, what he did back to me in return reflects on his character. Though the incident affected me ,it did not stop me from helping other people. But , then repeatedly I did face some back stabs, from people I trusted a lot. Then one fine day , I realized that being helpful is one thing , being taken for a ride is totally another. I started trusting less and kept my inner circle tight with very less people. Couple of these incidents were the reason behind this quote.
4.Your book deals with ‘Revenge’ , what is your take on Revenge in your real life?
The book has an interesting plot of locking of the horn between the Hero & The Villain and yes there is a Revenge sub-plot. In real life, however I have a completely different take. I feel any act big or small needs time &energy. Especially , an act of ‘Revenge’ requires immense energy and a lot of time, and I personally feel that ‘Revenge’ is a total waste of both energy& time. Whenever, I face a situation when people do me wrong, Instead of taking out my frustration on ‘Revenge’ I channelize the energy in a positive manner and on my own self-development. I focus on my own Growth, and I level up in a way ,that neither the person nor the incident matter to me anymore.
5.You are a Debut Author, but when you were asked question on who should act in the story if it is made into a movie, you had mentioned the name of Super stars, Why? Also, do you think movies can Inspire People?
The key aim for me to Pen down ‘The Highway Mafia’ is for awareness. Though, with book I could reach to a certain amount of people. Reaching masses, was always a dream far – fetched. So, when I was asked the question, I named the Heroes who are Big names in their respective industry, who I felt would suit the role of the protagonist Arjun Krishan. The actors I have mentioned have endorsed social causes in their personal life too, and I felt that they will be willing to support a ‘Social Cause’ such as ‘Animal Welfare’. Coming back to the next part of the question, it is an undeniable fact that movies can impact the society in a big way and inspire people. ‘In Pursuit of Happiness’ inspired me to pick a career in Sales, when most of my B-School peers chose HR& Finance as their Career domain. I did have a lot of Challenging times in my Sales career, but I love everything about my Sales job. My Job made me independent, confident , persistent and persuasive and this is because of a Movie that inspired me.
6.You had mentioned in your video Interviews that Actor Mahesh Babu and Actor Vijay looks younger than their age and could fit into your role, Do u think young looks is one of the key factor for a‘Hero’?
It is a great question. Thank you for asking. No, I do not think that youthful looks are a pre-requisite, for an actor. As a writer, I observe everyone and I feel all kinds of looks and bodies must be celebrated equally. If, someone does not have the time to maintain their fitness or youthful looks, it simply means that they are focusing on other things in life and that is absolutely fine. But , the reason for me complimenting these actors for their Fitness and Youth is because it is not an easy task to maintain Fitness and Youthful looks as you age. Anyone, who has tried to lose a pound, post the age of 30 would agree with me. It takes immense sacrifice, especially of Diet and requires a lot of hard work at the Gym. The least I could do is appreciate the person’s effort. I feel there is nothing wrong in complimenting Hard work and Dedication.
7. On a lighter note, what is your favourite Holiday destinations in India and International and Any Holiday spot that is in your bucket list?
My favourite International Holiday Destination is Neuchatel, Switzerland and in India it is Allepey. The holiday spot that is right now in my bucket list is Banff Canada, Paris & Tibet.
8. Lastly, your Instagram ID is Suchi_Unofficial ,Out of inquisitiveness why so?
Haha! Yes, what is so official about an Instagram anyways?