Random Things Tours: Karma and the Art of Butter Chicken by Monica Bhide

Monica Bhide is an inspiring storyteller. Her food articles do say as many stories as her beautiful novels and poetry. And I can´t resist a beautiful story of life, love and being alive. Karma and the Art of Butter Chicken  is an emotional book with tasty recipes and an entincing cover created by the inspiring photographer Simi Jois. 

I am more than honored to be part of the online literary event organised by lady protector of good books, Anne Cater  dedicated to this book, sharing my latest interview with Monica, whose kind and generous presence is a gift and a blessing.

The interview was made in writing.

Monica Bhide, personal archive

“How can I make a difference? I am only one person!”

WildWritingLife: What was the inspiration for your book?

Monica Bhide: “How can I make a difference? I am only one person!” I would hear this refrain from so many people and specially from my own self! When things were hard or I would see someone in need, I tried to help but then always added – I am just one person, what can I do. 

 

Then, I met Chef Jose Andres. This book is dedicated to him – his selfless work in the creation of DC Central Kitchen and the World Central Kitchen inspired me to start looking at life in a different way. Here was one man making such a huge difference in the world  - he just did it. He didn’t ask for permission or look for the absolute and perfect solutions, he marched on every single day and managed to change the world. 

 

I began to wonder what it is about this man, an ordinary man, like the rest of us, what is it about him that he is succeeding where so many of us have failed. What is it that motivates him? What makes him not give up?

 

At the same time, I had becoming increasingly interested in the Buddhist way of life and their apparent appreciation and love of life, while at the same time having an amazing focus and peace.  Years ago, I fell really ill and needed major surgery. A dear friend, who was in Tibet at the time, sent me a scarf blessed by a monk and I am convinced, it was my faith in that blessing that helped me heal and guided my way. 

 

The two experiences have shaped so much of my thinking and gave birth to Eshaan –  the protagonist in my book, who wanted to change the world but struggled. He learned during his journey that to change the world, the drive needs to come from inside and not outside. 

 

Eshaan has many faults, many weaknesses and many misgivings, in other words, he is human. But, he does have one thing that makes him stand out and be different – he genuinely believes that he has been put on this earth to make a difference and the only question he needs to answer is how. There is nothing as powerful, they say, as a motivated and focused mind. 

 

A well researched book

 

WWL: How long did it take to write it?

MB: It took well over two years. I researched a lot for this book. I traveled to many places in Delhi, visited monasteries and followed the work of many philanthropists to create this little fictional world. 

 

Planning in the smallest details 

WWL: How does your writing process take place?

 

MB: I am not a very disciplined writer – though I try to be! I wrote the book in small blocks at a time. What helped me most was creating detailed profiles of the characters. I created a deep profile- their backstories, their voting preferences, their fears, bad habits, good deeds etc. This helped me understand how they would behave in different situations. I learned a lot from this process! I am now applying it to my new novel in progress. 

 

Just write... 

WWL: How do you fight writer's block?

 

MB: Great question! Whenever I get stuck, I forget about the book and just write – I journal, I write about a good memory, I write about a bad meal, I write about a sunrise or a dying flower. This usually helps me get back on track. When I can't think of what to write next in a scene, I generally find leaving it alone for a time works. I leave it for a week and then come back and work on it. One thing – I never NOT write. If I stop writing (which I have done in the past), it is very hard to get the momentum going again. So I find it is better to write any nonsense (it can be edited or deleted) than to not write at all! 

 

Powered by Hope, an inspiring Project 

WWL: What did the pandemics time meant for you as a writer? 

 

MB: I was afraid when it all started. Scared, worried, uncertain about what is coming. I certainly wasn’t prepared for the torrent of roller coaster of emotions that I felt, much less the messages I was getting from my friends, family, and readers. I was still nursing my wounds of my twenty-three-year-long marriage ending, a heartbreak that I had not been prepared for, and the resurgence of my chronic pain issues, financial problems, and, well you name it. 

 

I found myself on the other end of long phone calls, walking friends through some gentle guidance and meditation to accept what was happening so that we could calm our chaos and deal with the situation.

 

I knew I had to do something. So I created these short sound bites, Powered by Hope, to help my friends and readers deal with this surreal time in our lives. Their goal is to offer gentle stories, hope, and self-care for all of us. I offer listeners a different perspective, as our world faces a “new normal” and we learn what it means to be physically distant, yet connected as humans at our very core. At the end of each audio bite, I offer listeners the chance to put my reflections into practice, and lead them on a uniquely crafted and specialized guided exercise to calm and center the mind. The guided exercises allow people a moment of reflection, the opportunity to pause and think about their lives.

Here is the link - https://monicabhide.com/powered-by-hope/

 

New books in the making

 

WWL: What are your next writing plans?

 

MB: I am working on a children’s book and a love story! 

 

Finding out what you love

 

WWL: You have a very inspirational journey of following your writing dream against all odds? What would you say to someone who, like you, struggled being in a non-writing place but longing to become a writer? 

 

MB: I think the key is finding out what you love to do and then doing it consistently, with focus and purpose. It sounds so cliché, I know, but that has been my experience. I love to tell stories and I try to stay true to that – whether it is writing stories, recording audio bites, even on my Instagram posts I try to tell short tales. 

 

I had a vision to become a storyteller and I try my best every day to stay true to this. 

 

The three factors that have worked for me in making this vision a success - focus, passion and persistence. Notice that I don’t use talent as one of the factors. I believe that tenacity trumps talent every time.

 

It pays to be persistent.  If you are going to do this, whatever you decide “this” is, be persistent in pursuing your goal. Learn as much as you can about your field and then learn some more. Every business has its highs and lows and it takes persistence and sometimes sheer willpower to keep going on days when everything is going wrong. My father would often say, “It’s easy to be a good manager when everything is going right. The real managers are ones who shine in the face of adversity.”

 

Passion creates energy and people will sense this energy within you. Passion shows people you care about what you do. Passion for me is what my personal brand is all about, it’s what makes me who I am and is the distinction of my brand. This distinction that is “the difference that makes the difference” is driven in my opinion by passion. 

 

Finally, focus is critical. There are plenty of distractions around. I find that when I have to write a piece on deadline I will find seventy six reasons to clean my kitchen at that very moment and not write. There are plenty of distractions, self created and otherwise. The key is to keep your focus each day and take constructive steps towards your vision.