Today I’ll be interviewing retired marketing executive cum short story writer Shivkumar Mangalam whom I met on Goodreads. I read and reviewed and loved his book of social issue fiction short stories titled ‘Centurion’ and then knew that I had to interview him for my blog insaneowl.com. He is a dynamic 81-year-old short story writer from Bengaluru, India, a compulsive reader of thrillers like me and a very wonderful human being to communicate with. He is an author to watch out for as he can really captivate his readers with his fiction. I welcome Shivkumar Mangalam to insaneowl.com, it is such a pleasure to have him here.
Biography
Author Mangalam Shiva is a retired Marketing Executive. After his retirement, he started writing short stories. He is a prolific reader of English novels. He has published two books of short stories, “EMPTY FISTS” AND “CENTURION.” He lives in Bengaluru, India. He is a keen observer of people and situations around him. He writes stories on social injustices and day to day happenings in the lives of people.
Interview
Fiza: We connected with each other on Goodreads, and I decided to read your collection of short stories called ‘Centurion’ in the month of September-October. Even though I was at my hectic best back then, I was so taken up by your excellent social issue fiction that I was engrossed completely in the book – what an amazing achievement Mangalam sir! Tell us how at the age of 81 you still manage to write such excellent short stories?
Mangalam: My age is not at all a factor. I am mentally agile having a motivating thought process. I am having a positive attitude in my life to recognize the wonderful aspects in life around me which motivates me in thinking about the good and not so good happenings around me.
Fiza: What prompted you to become a writer of short stories, and why did you choose social issues as your main theme?
Mangalam: While I was working in the marketing field, at the age of 40 years, I used to travel all over India for my job. I happened to meet many people including my customers. I learnt many things from all of them. These lessons created a fertile ground for ideas to write. But I was not satisfied with what I wrote. I kept the ideas at the back of my mind for future endeavour.
One learnt many good and bad things happening in the Indian society through observation, from newspapers and social media. Various unhealthy, adverse happenings, and injustices in India gave me a strong background to write stories.
Fiza: Tell my readers more about yourself and your career as Marketing Executive.
Mangalam: I graduated in Bachelor of Science from Bombay University in 1962. I started my working career at the age of 19. I worked in the technical line for the first 15 years. At the age of 35, I changed my career course from the technical to Marketing field by enriching myself with a Diploma in Marketing Management to enhance my career growth. Joined as Sales Executive in Hindustan Ferodo Ltd, initially, in the Eastern Region based in Calcutta. After 7 years I became a Sales Manager and subsequently worked as Vice-President (sales) for about 6 years in a different company and retired at the age of 60. Wherever I had worked in the Marketing field and in whichever capacity, I had introduced various systems for administration and for increasing the sales for the Companies. Motivated a large group of Distributors and Company’s sales staff to focus on the business growth.
Fiza: Who are your favorite authors and why do you love their literature?
Mangalam: I started reading English books at the age of 20 years. I became a voracious reader of fiction starting with Perry Mason, James Hadley Chase, Alistair Maclean, Leon Uris, etc., in the earlier years. Graduated to reading fiction by Harold Robins, Robert Ludlum, Robin Cook, Sidney Sheldon, Dan Brown, David Baldacci, James Patterson, Tom Clancy, John Grisham, American Western novels, Jeffrey Archer and many more authors whom I came across in the book shops and libraries in U.S.A.
All the above mentioned authors are legends in story writing. Their story lines, characters, easy flowing depictions, interesting story situations captivate me in reading.
Fiza: What influence has your mother had on the writing of your book ‘Centurion’? Tell us more about your mother.
Mangalam: My mother is 99 years young. She was a strong motivating factor in my writing stories. When I started writing initially, she understood that I have the ability to write stories. When I published my first book “Empty Fists”, she was very happy that I am the first person in my entire family to have written a book. Even now whenever I take a break from writing, she would remind me about this! When my second book “Centurion” was published, I used her photo in the book. She read this book slowly and appreciated me.
I wrote the story ‘Centurion’, when my mother was 95 years. It was about an old lady and her life experiences in her long spell of 100 years in this world. Some readers identified this story with my mother, which is not true.
Fiza: In the collection titled ‘Centurion’ which I just adored, there are a number of social issue short stories focused upon and all of them are based in Mumbai. Do you live in Mumbai Mangalam sir? What impact has this urban metropolis had on your short story writing?
Mangalam: I graduated from Bombay and lived a total span of about 40 years in Bombay, which is half of my living years. Bombay is a Dynamic and Pulsating Indian City. The millions who live there are cosmopolitan from different parts of the country. The people are industrious and hard working to earn their livings. There are many strata of cultures and social standards in this Mega city. You will find billionaires, middle class and poor segments of economic groups, each with their happiness levels and miseries. The people face all calamities bravely and bounce back within a day or two to carry on with their routines.
If one has a keen mind, he/she can experience varied social behaviours and struggles in these segments in Bombay. If one is inclined to write stories, there are many issues which provide a trigger point.
Newspapers, News channels and other media report many ugly aspects happening in the real life which can be a valid platform for writing. There is no other city in India like Bombay.
Fiza: At what age did you start your writing career and how did you go about it?
Mangalam: When I was around 45 years, I started writing short stories on stray thoughts, on plain paper. If these were not interesting, I would tear them off. I got busy and shelved my writing for a few years.
When I retired, I had ample free time on my hands. Slowly the story writing developed though not yet fit to be published. I would show such stories to my wife and a close friend. They would encourage me to improve my writings. I got a desktop and went on writing and editing the writings to get a nice shape. When I reached 70 years, I started writing seriously on social matters observed by me in India. Some serious issues bothered my mind like corruption in the political field, injustices to many people in various manners, atrocities on women and children, poverty, family issues, which became the basis for my stories.
Fiza: Choose one author from the following and tell my readers why you chose this author as your favorite:
Robin Cook, Tom Clancy, Robert Ludlum or David Baldacci.
Mangalam: Though all the 4 authors mentioned by you and many more are my favourites, who are legends in the publishing field, it is rather difficult for me to just narrow them down to one author.
Yet I have great admiration for Robin Cook and his novels.
Robin Cook is an American physician and novelist who writes largely about medicine and topics affecting public health. He is known best for combining medical writing with the thriller genre.
Cook’s novels combine medical fact with fantasy. His medical thrillers are designed, in part, to keep the public aware of both the technological possibilities of modern medicine and the socio-ethical problems associated with it. I have read many of his fictions and each one them captivated me. In all his fictions he highlights the anomalies, greed of the American Pharma Industry, the callousness of some of the medical staff, high cost of medical treatments in the hospitals in USA and cruel experiments which are carried out on the gullible patients by the research wing and by some Doctors.
Fiza: Do you prefer international fiction or Indian fiction better? Why so?
Mangalam: In the 61 years of my book reading history, I have mostly confined myself to reading books by the western authors. Though I have read a few books by Indian Authors like Vikram Sampath, R.K. Narayan, Chetan Bhagat, but mostly stuck to Western authors. Maybe I have missed reading many gems from the Indian authors.
I like the style, situations, stories, characters, and the easy flow of stories by the western authors. It is very easy for me to read and grasp the English language by them compared to those by Indian authors.
(If all the Indian readers think like me, who will read my books? God alone knows!!)
Fiza: I need a lot of silence these days to write my books, so I wrote most of my major bestsellers in my office cum writing hut in Bandra West and now write in my study at my own apartment in Badlapur. Where do you write your books Mangalam sir and what kind of atmosphere do you require to create your short stories?
Mangalam: While thinking on the base line for the stories and while writing, I prefer to have a peaceful environment. I have a study room exclusively for my desktop, library and my notes. Sometimes, I will wake up in the middle of the night when I get ideas and start hammering on the keyboard when there is no outside noise. I start getting inspiration suddenly and to develop them I need a silent environment. While writing I love to listen to soft music and Ghazals by Ghulam Ali, Talat Mahmood, Pankaj Udhas, Jagjit Singh and a few others.
Fiza: Would you rather live in India for the remaining days of your life or are you planning on shifting abroad to maybe the USA soon?
Mangalam: I would prefer to live in India. I love my country in spite of various unsolvable problems: corruption, deficiencies in the society, animosity among sections of the society and lack of facilities in many infrastructures.
Our sons are settled in the USA and they have been urging us to apply for Green card for the past 15 years, so that we can live with them there. But I did not accept this idea because of the extreme weather conditions in many parts of USA, very high cost for medical treatments and lack of social interactions with friends of the same age group.
In India we can travel easily and meet the relatives and friends at short notice. We have excellent medical facilities in India at much lower costs. Apart from that we can breathe and move freely in India unlike various social restrictions in the western countries like USA.
Yes we have visited our sons and their families a number of times in the last 22 years or so. They come to visit us frequently. USA is a wonderful country with many excellent tourist places. But they are only good for visits and not for staying for a long time.
Fiza: Tell my readers about your first book, ‘Empty Fists’.
Mangalam: When I started writing short stories, I went on finishing each story and saved them in a computer folder after self-editing for a few times. I did not have the confidence and daring to publish the book.
After I filed about 15 stories, I was confident that these should come out to the readers instead of lying idle in the computer. I was living in Pondicherry at that time with my wife. I contacted the publisher “Notion Press” in Chennai. I met and told them about my desire to publish the book of short stories. After several interactions with them, I gave the title of the book as “Empty Fists” based on a story in the book. I edited the stories several times myself and the publisher also fine-tuned to ensure that there are no mistakes in the draft. I gave the manuscript of my stories to the publisher. They took about a month to check on piracy and to start editing from their side. Once the draft was approved, they took it up for printing.
The first 9 stories of this book are as narrated by a stray dog “Raju” about his bitter experiences with the people around him. This idea was liked by many readers who gave their reviews. There are other stories about stigma on a rape victim, about greed of people, about a person accumulating lots of wealth, properties, etc., but when he dies, he leaves them all here only and departs with empty fists.
Each of the 17 stories has some social message in them. It took me about 6 months from the commencement and to the publishing of “Empty Fists”. When it came to an end I felt greatly relieved and proud that I too have published a book without paying much attention to the results.
Fiza: How is my favorite ‘Centurion’ different from ‘Empty Fists’? Which is your favorite of the two and why?
Mangalam: These 2 books are like my two Eyes. Each book has different story lines, different characters, different situations and social messages. I cannot choose one eye as my favourite over the other eye!
I like Dirty Dozen, in ‘Centurion’ because the story is about rampant corruption among the politicians, civil administrators, some defence staff and local level officials. This story took me nearly 3 months to finalise the characters and to reach the end. It needed much of my time in imagining the various characters, the turmoil in their careers, and the critical planning of the Good Samaritans.
Another story in ‘Centurion’ is about the Twin Urchins, which describes the miserable living in the Bombay slums. The story depicts the hard work by the urchins, about their success in their lives and their contribution to their own society.
Third story is about cruel justices prevailing in Indian courts which are meted out to different criminals for the similar crime.
In ‘Empty Fists’, I liked writing the story STIGMA, and 9 stories about the Hero Raju.
Fiza: Which thrillers have influenced your writing the most? Where do you buy most of your thriller reads?
Mangalam: My stories are entirely based on the happenings in India and I never got influenced by the Western stories and thrillers in fashioning my stories.
When I was working, I used to buy new fictions from the various Indian airports. When I started going to USA, I would get 6 books at a time from the Libraries there and go on reading them which I had not read earlier. On an average I would read about 35 to 40 novels during my stay of 6 months in USA. In addition, before leaving for India, I would visit the stores in the libraries which sells used books for $1 or $2 and buy 6 or 7 books and start reading them at my home after I returned.
Fiza: I personally, as a person, can read anywhere and everywhere, but I love to read while in my grandmother’s house in Bandra West on my bed, or while at my apartment in Badlapur in my study on my recliner. Which is your reading nook or favorite place to read Mangalam sir and why do you love to read your favorite books there?
Mangalam: During my earlier years, I read books while travelling in buses, trains and flights. Now I read the books at home after lunch and dinner. It is my regular habit to read 20 to 30 pages in a day before going to sleep. Reading at home ensures concentration in reading.
Fiza: Who are the other readers in your family? Do your grandchildren read voraciously like you?
Mangalam: In my family, the next generation members are casual readers, and they do not have much time for reading as they are busy with their careers and household chores done by the ladies. My elder grandson and elder granddaughter have the habit of regular reading of books of their liking in addition to their school and other activities.
Fiza: You were travelling through North India recently when I approached you for an interview. Which books did you pack for your journey? Did you read during the course of your journey? Which books do you have to take compulsorily on all your journeys?
Mangalam: During our recent trip to North India for 11 days, I had taken a book by John Grisham (The Whistler). I read it while in flight and at the hotels where we had stayed in the nights before sleeping. Whenever I go on a long tour, I always carry an English fiction by any of my favourite authors.
Fiza: Your wife prefers which collection of your short stories: ‘Centurion’ or ‘Empty Fists’?
Mangalam: My wife liked some stories in ‘Empty Fists’ and many stories in ‘Centurion’.
Fiza: What are the current short story projects you are working on?
Mangalam: Since publishing my book ‘Centurion’, I have already written about 12 short stories. The basic idea in these stories is about the idiosyncrasies in many people who are afflicted with various types of psychological disorders, maybe without their own knowledge. In each story the character is ailing from some disorder which affect the lives of people who come into contact with the character. Finally he/she gets treated by a Famous and Renowned Psychiatrist.
I was shocked to learn that there are about 200 types of mental and psychological disorders among humans; some are overlapping, and some are interlinked. No wonder we can never predict the behaviours of men and women which can alter from one moment to another.
Fiza: What is your writing schedule like? How do you get your ideas for your brilliant short stories?
Mangalam: The ideas for my stories appear in my mind suddenly. Once I get the seed for a story, I start thinking how to expand this idea with situations, characters, dialogues, locations and end with some moral. I note down the basic idea, imagine the characters and go on writing more and more to build the story.
Some days at a stretch I do not get any basic idea at all. But I don’t strain myself. I keep my mind blank and do other jobs. Without any warning some event or character would trigger my mind. I would think if this idea were worthwhile to build a story around it.
My motto is OBSERVATION, THINKING AND IMAGINATION.
Fiza: Where can readers easily reach you or contact you?
Mangalam: The readers can reach me via my email id mythshiv@hotmail.com and Goodreads forum.
Fiza: Differentiate the books of the 20th century to the books of today in five sentences.
Mangalam: My humble opinion.
20th century books were mostly historical in nature and related to world wars.
21st century books are centred on social, family situations and espionage thrillers.
Fiza: What are you planning on reading next and where will you be reading this book?
Mangalam: Presently I am reading a book “Collateral Damage” by J.A. JANCE.
After this I plan to read “No Plan B” by Lee Child and “Cross Down” by James Patterson. I will be reading these books at my home.
Fiza: Do you write your stories first in long hand with a pen and then type the manuscript? I used to do the same till my early thirties then I just typed on my laptop directly to save time. Now I feel like returning to writing in long hand with a pen. Share with my readers your thoughts on this.
Mangalam: In the initial foray of my story writings, I used to write on paper with pencil and correct the errors with an eraser because I did not have a PC or a laptop in those years. When I started my writing spell seriously, I started typing them on my PC and correcting them easily as desired.
I do not have any intention of going back to my handwriting!
Fiza: How are you planning on fulfilling your writing goals?
Mangalam: I have not set any specific goals for my writing. As and when ideas come to my mind, I write the stories and store them in the folders in the PC. When I am fully convinced about my stories and their relevance, I will get the urge to publish the new book. Till then I will go on enjoying my writings.
Conclusion
Fiza: I really enjoyed interviewing Mangalam Shiva Sir on my blog insaneowl.com today. You can find all of Mangalam Shiva Sir’s books easily on Amazon. Please feel free to reach out to him on Goodreads and do check out his amazing books. I hope to interview Mangalam Shiva Sir once again soon in the near future on this blog which contains quality bookish content always.
Copyright © 2024, Fiza Pathan
Leave a Reply