Idealism is becoming increasingly rare but someone has to be its torch bearer says writer Ameya Prabhu at Kalinga Literary Festival
New Delhi: Conferring about his book business entrepreneur and author of ‘The Rock Babas And Other Stories’ Ameya Prabhu said, “It is about making the best of what life throws at you.” In a session with Rishabh Kothari in KLF Bhava Samvad, he said, “We are the sum total of the values inculcated by our parents and people who influence us. I believe we are the Sum total of experiences and values thay come to us and the book speaks about that as well.”
He has penned all the fictional stories in the book. “There is zero link to any actual person in the book. But yes I always think how someone reacts to something,” he says.
Speaking further, he mentions, “I have always wondered what if someone wants it (fortune given away in charity) and what if they need it. While you’re this hero for the reason you gave the fortune away, now you suddenly and all of a sudden you realize maybe you didn’t wanna give it away. So that is the hypothesis of The Accidental Philanthropist.
The world is becoming increasingly divisive. I think it is important to bring back the sense of oneness again. I think Odiolism is becoming increasingly rare but someone has to be its torch bearer.”
Experiment is what makes a man to test his skills. Ameya narrates, “I like to put myself in situations. What I wanted to convey through the book is imagine various scenarios or situations.
I think life is not about black and white unfortunately. People like to put things in black and white. Best people have some worse characteristics, worst people have some good characteristics. I think one needs to explore those things.”
Talking about environment conservation, he said, “What we usually forget is we ourselves are a part of this environment and ecosystem. What we do, how we do, how we consume, how we emit is such an important element which is interlinked. It’s very important for us to work in a way to preserve the environment, not from a very altruistic nature , but for a very selfish reason.
Unfortunately externalities aren’t priced in your cost of production.
One has to focus on sustainable development, but at the same time one has to be aware that we need to protect our ecosystem.”
When asked about his idea of spiritualism and growth of nation, he opines, “I feel spirituality goes far beyond religion. I feel religion is ultimately limited in terms of what it’s breadth gets to. But the beauty of spirituality is it’s actually like air. You can breath it and everyone can benefit from it.
Even if growth centres are in Mumbai. You’ll see growth in Imphal , Ranchi,Deogarh in Jharkhand, Bolangir, Rourkela in Odisha, Asansol in West Bengal. It’s not just about the success in Mumbai or in Delhi. The confidence and success comes up from these places.”
Speaking about it, Mr Rashmi Ranjan Parida, founder and director of KLF said, “KLF Bhava Samvad was initiated to keep the literary spirit intact during lockdown because of pandemic. The rapid growth of platform and after receiving immense love from the audience, KLF Bhava Samvad has reached its 150th session with legendary literary figures, artistes across the globe and will continue to live as a permanent platform.”