Trishikh Dasgupta is a polymath – an adventurer, philosopher, writer, painter, photographer, craftsman, innovator and now a published author. His website “Weekend Stories By Trishikh” has a huge and dedicated readership.
A Graduate in Fine Arts and a Diploma holder in Computer Graphics and Multimedia, his wide range of hobbies include photography, videography, graphics, adventure motorcycling, carpentry and playing musical instruments.
However, he says it took him forty years to find his ‘ikigai’ i.e. story telling. Trishikh has written 149 short stories to date, published four books in just the last three months and now converting his written stories into audio formats.
Having recently read his book “Lives Between The Dates”, I was really excited to have a conversation with him over a steaming cup of coffee.
Here it is:
Me : How did storytelling through blogs happen?
T : I have always loved writing and reading. But short stories have attracted me the most. Reading the stalwarts I thought why not write like them.
In 2006, I was introduced to the world of blogging. In 2020 I wrote and shared my first story with the world.
Me: Do you think an essentially Indian content is suitable for a global audience?
T : The more rooted a story is the farther it travels. Human emotion does not carry a passport. The mistake is to dilute cultural specificity in a bid to be “global.”
Me: How do you propose to protect your timeline from AI Intrusion?
T : AI can replicate structure, even mimic tone. But it cannot live a life The more personal, observed, and lived my stories are the more irreplaceable they become.
Me: The perception that short story format is restrictive. Do you agree?
T: I disagree. Short story is not restrictive. It is exacting, demands precision and cuts sharper. The arc is not smaller but compressed which makes it more intense.
Me: Are your stories exempt from character development since they revolve around towering historical personalities?
T: No. My attempt is to step away from the monument and move closer to the moment to find the human beneath the history. Character development, in my stories, is often subtle and transformative
Me: Why the choice of an unconventional format that does not follow the beginning-middle-end order?
T : As life does not unfold in a neat chronology, sometimes a story begins at the end, finds its beginning later and sometimes it circles a moment allowing the reader to participate, assemble, interpret and feel the story rather than just consume it.
Me: Tell us a little more about your skillful alignment of the protagonist and his landscape?
T: For me landscape is a character. It breathes, reacts and remembers. The protagonists do not exist independently of the space they inhabit. The two shape each other constantly.
Me: Audio narration or written story telling? Which one do you enjoy the most?
T : They are two different rhythms of the same heartbeat. Written storytelling is intimate and intense. Audio, on the other hand, is immediate. It reaches those who are differently abled or those who may never sit down to read but will listen.
I enjoy writing more. But I deeply value audio because it gives the story another life, audience and dimension.
Me: Over 26 years in the field of communication has it facilitated you as a short story writer?
T: Immensely. Communication taught me discipline, audience awareness, clarity of thought and the power of structure. But more importantly, it exposed me to people, stories, and realities across sectors and geographies.
Me: As many bloggers aspire to be published authors a little about KDP.
T: KDP has democratized publishing. For bloggers, it offers a natural transition from scattered pieces to a curated body of work. The key is not just to compile but to craft as well. The responsibility of quality, editing, design and positioning is entirely on the author.
Me : How do you maintain work life balance in your busy schedule?
T : I don’t always succeed. But I have learned to integrate rather than separate. Balance, for me is the assurance that the things that matter are not neglected for too long.
Me: Do your various other passions enhance you as a short story writer?
T: Absolutely. Photography sharpens observation. Painting teaches composition and silence. Travel expands perspective.
Me: As we sip the last of our coffee the way forward as a blogger-writer?
T : More stories, perhaps novels. Expanding audio. Exploring translation. Reaching audiences beyond language and geography.
That’s looking at an enormous gamut of work but I am sure with your extraordinary skills, awe inspiring talent and positively driven energy you will not only achieve much more but also be a guiding star for others. All the best.
I’ve seen trishikh’s blog, and truly, he has a wide readership. All the best to all his published works. Beautiful interview with him, gc
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Thank you Hazel. Yes, Trishikh is a very talented author. The conversation was quite long and very interesting which I had to cut short for the post. Sadly.
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That’s a good choice. I’m a short-blog reader 🤩🤭 I mostly skip long posts.
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True. Mostly people like crisp posts.
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A pleasant conversation with a talented person.
Best wishes for his future.
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Yes, he is very talented undoubtedly
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Are the books available online
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Nusrat, Trishikh has mentioned the blog link in his comment. You can also click on the link given in the post on the caption Weekend Stories By Trishikh which will take you straight to his blog.
The published book is available on Amazon in Kindly form. The hard copy or paperback in India is very expensive. But I suggest you read his stories on his blog first to get an immediate glimpse of his writings. They are beautiful.
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Dear Geeta, It was a great pleasure to converse with you over a cup of coffee, and talk about my journey of story telling. Much appreciate this initiative in sharing my thoughts with a larger audience.
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It was a pleasure and privilege. All mine.
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Yes my books are available online. Follow this link to find out more: https://storynookonline.com/buy-my-books/
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A very good interview Geeta.
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Thanks a ton Sadje. I am really glad you like it.
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It’s very informative, especially for those who want to write short stories. 🫶🏼
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It is more or less the same for other genres as well. I mean publishing.
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Yes, but writing a short story requires especial talent.
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Everyone has his or her style of writing Sadje. Even you have a distinct style. You may not write short stories but you have your poems. Then you can think of flash fictions in micro genre too.
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I find writing stories difficult. They need a plot, characters and something interesting happening. I’m good with poetry. 😂
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You are good with poetry
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Thank you so much dear friend
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Hi Sadje, your poems are beautiful, and yes you can write Short Stories too. I would always suggest that a writer should try writing different things – short stories, novels, poems, haiku, flash fictions, etc.
However, there is always something which will be closest to your heart. In my case it is short stories. My suggestion to any writer would always be to pursue, relentlessly, the the thing closest to the heart. It is bound to bring a lot of joy, and ultimately success.
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Thank you so much for reading my comment and responding. Yes, you’re absolutely right that we all can do all sorts of writing, if not very good than perhaps okay. But as you said- poetry is closest to my heart. I can say things I love in a poem.
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Insightful questions well answered
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Thank you so much Derrrick 🙏
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Thank you so much Derrick. I have always treasured your appreciation for my stories. Glad that I could share a bit of my journey through Geeta’s interview.
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What a wonderful and insightful piece! This is particularly valuable for aspiring short story writers who are just finding their voice. Truly helpful
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Thank you very much
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Hi Ravindra, glad that you like my thoughts. By sharing our knowledge and experience we can only gain more than lose anything.
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An excellent review of an excellent blogger, Geeta.
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Thank you so much Mary
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