Using slices of human experiences to tell captivating & motivational stories
Stories emanating from the pen of Vinita Dhondiyal Bhatnagar, an erudite academician who spent years teaching literature, culture, and communications, form an extremely useful guide to modern, current-day life as they contain slices of human experiences across fields that one can learn from.
Over three decades of teaching, and years spent in continuing research, make Prof Bhatnagar a distinguished story-teller who delves into the depths of human experiences to come up with a templated guide to an ever-progressing personal and professional growth for youngsters starting their lives. And even to those in their mid-career journey as well, as she takes the readers of her many books through examples of growth opportunities through creativity and contributions.
Prof Bhatnagar’s strong belief that every stage of life presents an opportunity for growth and creativity is at the core of her every book, as is her latest offering Zaira, a story of a small-town girl with big dreams of making it big in the film industry. Perhaps the main protagonist, a small-town girl but one who is strong, ambitious, and committed to reaching her goals, and is a person with artistic temperament reflects all that the author Dr Bhatnagar herself is.
The story of Zaira unfolds against the backdrop of Bollywood and takes us on a journey where we closely witness her transformation from a naive youngster to a courageous and brilliant investigator who cleverly takes on a drug lord and solves crimes. Zaira meets several characters on her path to self-discovery who trudge along with her until their fates intersect in a final gripping moment of revelation and redemption.
The skillful-storyteller in Dr Bhatnagar has injected potential for several sequels to Zaira as she comes into her own by the end of the crime thriller. Most arguably, Zaira could very well be the first serious piece of literary fiction in Indian English, set in Bhopal and one that documents the stories of the Sindhis who migrated to and settled in Madhya Pradesh after the partition of the country.
