• Satish ji, how do you see the contribution of your social and family background in your success as a writer and columnist?

I had an interest in reading and poetry since childhood, the biggest reason for which was my elder brother being fond of reading and writing. During my school days itself, I had developed a liking for reading magazines like Saptahik Hindustan, Dharmyug, Nandan, Parag, Chandamama etc. along with novels by Ibne Safi and Krishna Chander. My mother was not educated, which I used to take full advantage of. I read countless novels by hiding them inside the bedsheet. I used to read comics also by hiding them inside course books, but due to the colourful pages of comics, such theft was often caught.

When telecast of Chandrakanta Santati started on TV, I was so impressed by its plot that I read Babu Devkinandan Khatri’s novel Chandrakanta Santati in the ninth grade. However, I did not understand much. I read it again in the twelfth grade. Along with this, I also read works written by other writers like Ramdhari Singh Dinkar, Sumitranandan Pant, Suryakant Tripathi Nirala, Harivansh Rai Bachchan, Maithilisharan Gupt, Kunwar Narayan, Yashpal, Rangeya Raghav, Nagarjun, Premchand, Shivani, Mamta Kalia etc. At the same time, I also read many works of many Bengali writers like Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, Rabindranath Tagore, Mahasweta Devi, Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyay etc. My childhood was spent in Chaibasa, Jharkhand, where the air is filled with the fragrance of Odia, Bengali, Bihari culture. Therefore, I was familiar with Bengali lifestyle, culture, etc. and it was easy for me to connect with the characters of Bengali writers.

After passing 12th standard, my interest in reading increased even more. I also got addicted to reading pulp literature. I used to read Gulshan Nanda, Ranu, Rajvansh, Ved Prakash Sharma, Surendra Mohan Pathak, Ved Prakash Kamboj, Omprakash Sharma, Anil Mohan, Manoj, etc. with great interest. Many times, I used to read novels in one sitting. I used to wait impatiently for the next part of novels. Because of my passion for reading, I came to know and learnt many new things. It is also said that to know and understand something, either you go and live there or read books.

My Hindi language started getting enriched by continuous reading. Along with language style, the scope of knowledge also expanded. Poems started getting refined. Innovation and freshness started appearing in the poems. I started getting published in magazines. My first poem was published in Kadambini in class VIII. Over time, I started writing short stories along with poems.

During my stay in Mumbai, which lasted from 2016 to 2022, I wrote in many new genres of Hindi literature such as stories, ghazals, songs, satire, etc.

Becoming a columnist is a different story. I started writing essays for Pratiyogita Darpan in the tenth standard itself. I also started writing letters to the editor in newspapers. I used to write features sometimes. In the nineties, the TV serial Reporter starring Shekhar Suman was very popular, which inspired me to become a journalist. In 1994, I took admission in Hindi journalism at the Indian Institute of Mass Communication, New Delhi. Thereafter, I worked in mainstream journalism for five years. Since, when I was studying in the junior college, my father passed away. Therefore, there was a need to provide financial support to the family, but in the nineties, the salary, allowances and other facilities in print media were less than a government job. Therefore, I joined a bank in the year 2000. It took more than 7 years to understand and master the banking operations. During this period, I stopped writing in other genres except poetry.

Banks require a minimum of 2 years of posting in rural areas. In July 2007, I was posted in a very backward rural area, where it was not possible to keep the family with me. Living alone, I had a lot of time. So, to make good use of my time, I enrolled for MBA (Finance) and simultaneously started writing for newspapers, which continues even today.

The bank is a part of the service sector, due to which I got the opportunity to meet and talk to thousands of customers. During the discharge of my responsibilities, I got the opportunity to live in rural, city and metropolis, which enriched my experience and during this time many poems and stories were born. In this way, home, family, society and bank have played an important role in nurturing my literary interests.

• Where do you consider your literary journey to have begun?

I started writing poetry in the eighth grade. Thus, the beginning of my literary journey can be considered from the year 1985. However, I started writing in other forms of literature in different years. For example, I started writing songs and ghazals in the year 2017, while I started writing stories in the year 2020 and started writing satire in the year 2023.

• Any unforgettable moment or incident as a writer that you would like to share?

An essay published in Pratiyogita Darpan in 1987 changed the direction of my life. I wrote an essay for the first time on the insistence of my friend’s brother, which won the first prize in the essay competition organized by Pratiyogita Darpan. This was an unforgettable moment in my life. This incident inspired me to become a writer.

• What is the difference between literature and journalism from yesterday to today and how do you see the current state in the context of both?

There are constant changes in the standards and parameters of literature. The generation of Gen Beta has arrived in 2025. People of my age are classified in the category of Gen X. My wife is classified in the category of Gen Y and my children are classified in the category of Gen Z. Whereas, Premchand, Nirmal Verma, Krishna Sobti, Mamta Kalia, Rajendra Yadav etc. are classified in the category of Greatest Gen, Silent Gen etc. With the difference in generation or with the passage of time, there is a change in thoughts, technology, lifestyle, system, social and religious fabric etc., which affects the standards and parameters of both literature and journalism. For example, the economic, social and religious conditions were different in the times of Shiv Pujan Sahay, Pandey Bechan Sharma Ugra etc. Therefore, the content, language-style etc, of the literature written in that period are completely different from the literary works of the twentieth and twenty-first century.

Today, digital and technological changes have completely changed the world of literature. Stories and poems are being written on new topics like banking, technology, science, break up, depression etc. Many works written in the past have become irrelevant today. Most of today’s children do not like the stories, poems or novels written earlier.

Currently, the market is deciding the fate of literary works. This is the market which either making the literary works popular or rejecting them. The biggest change is the blurring of the distinction between pulp literature and literature. In the changed environment, the importance of marketing has increased a lot. Planned marketing can make any book a bestseller. Now even the writers themselves are promoting their books through social media and other mediums and their books are also becoming bestsellers. In the last few years, people’s hunger for publishing has increased significantly. People are getting their books published by paying money. With the availability of online market, people are selling their books themselves. Big & renowned publishers are also publishing books by taking money. The concept of royalty is becoming a thing of the past.

Before independence and for a few years after independence, journalism of concerns was done. Journalists would even sacrifice their lives to expose the truth. News and articles published in newspapers would shake the chairs of leaders, even the government would fall. Children would learn language by reading newspapers.

Now the aim of the owners of newspapers and news channels has become to earn maximum profit. The frequency of yellow and paid journalism is increasing. During the Corona period, the newspaper completely moved to the digital platform. To reduce costs, the pages of newspapers have been reduced. Pages of art, culture and literature have disappeared from almost all Hindi newspapers. The trend of reading newspapers online is increasing. People are preferring to see the gist of important news in a week. As it is not possible for news channels to telecast news continuously for 24 hours due to lack of sufficient news available. Therefore, in the name of news, nonsensical programs like, Saas-Bahu Aur Saazish, Kaal-Kapal-Mahakal etc. are being telecasted on news channels.

It is natural for the form of literature or journalism to change with the passage of time. Change has its own importance, because it is in accordance with the needs of the current standards. It is also important for us to move forward in harmony with the changing times. It may be a little difficult for us, i.e. Gen X, and the generation immediately following us, i.e. Gen Y, to digest this change, but it is important to accept it. If flaws/inconsistencies are being reflected somewhere, then there is a need to improve the positions. This is the process of change. In this regard, the future of Hindi literature is bright. Journalism is going through a phase of transition, but the circumstances can be improved.

• You are known as an economic expert, what would you say?

This also has an interesting story. Economics used to be a very difficult subject for me in school and college. I always tried to avoid it. Even after contributing to the bank, for a few years I did not understand the nuances of economics and banking. When I again started writing, I felt that I should write articles on banking and economic topics in accordance with my profession. To sharpen it, I also did a MBA in Finance. During my posting at Corporate Centre, Mumbai, i.e. from 2017 to May 2023, I got the opportunity to work with the country’s renowned economist Mr. Soumya Kanti Ghosh. During that time, I was the editor of the house magazine “Arthik Darpan” based on banking and economic topics and a part of the editorial board of the bilingual house magazine “Colleague”. In this way, gradually I became familiar with different shades of economics and banking staples and my identity was established as an expert in economic affairs.

• How do you balance your banking responsibilities and writing?

Of course, the workload in a bank is more than in other institutions. However, if you work in any institution or have your own business, it is not easy to find time to pursue your hobbies. For this, you have to steal time. You have to live in discipline. You have to manage your time. For example, during my tenure in Mumbai, I wrote more than 150 ghazals, songs, poems and 30 stories in the local train. I lived in Malad West, Mumbai and my office was in Nariman Point. I used to go from Malad to Borivali for a seat, then from there I used to go to Churchgate and in the evening I used to return from Churchgate to Malad in a slow train. It used to take about 4 hours. The point is that if you have the willpower, you can do whatever you want. Since childhood, sleeping early and waking up early has been my life philosophy. This habit also helped me to fulfil my dreams. Neither the family is disturbed by writing work in the morning nor does it have any adverse effect on office work.

• Who are your favourite writers?

Premchand is my favourite writer. Since Premchand grew up in a village, the basis of his creative world is rural background. He analyses various dimensions of social, economic and religious aspects of the village with great simplicity and ease and his characters easily bring the story or novel alive, due to which readers from rural background feel that it is their own story. Perhaps, that is why many of Premchand’s stories are relevant even today. Since my background is also from a village, I find myself close to Premchand’s characters. However, most of the youth do not like the works of writers and poets of generations like Greatest Gen, Silent Gen, Gen X etc.

• Whose contribution has been the most important to your achievements?

Whatever achievements I have achieved so far, my wife has contributed the most to them. I have received her support without any conditions. If we look at it holistically, I have been receiving the support of the entire family since childhood.

• How do you see the future of Hindi literature? Do you think any change in its current form is necessary? If yes, then how can it be brought about?

Apart from being simple and natural, the Hindi language is flexible and liberal as well. 30-35 years ago, pulp literature was considered untouchable. Its writers and readers were not considered intellectuals. Today there is no difference between the two. The digital and technological revolution has also enriched Hindi literature. Now diaspora literature has also been added to Hindi literature. Indians living abroad are constantly writing poetry, stories and novels to maintain their identity, which is enriching Hindi literature. It is slowly turning into audio books, which is constantly expanding its scope.

The cost of book publishing has reduced significantly due to digital printing. In recent years, the thirst for publishing has increased among people. This has led to a flood of poetry collections. So-called editors are taking money from so-called poets and poetesses and publishing shared poetry collections.

Story collections are also being written on the same lines. However, most of these books are superficial. I feel that such changes are not going to make much difference to the health of Hindi literature. The popularity of Hindi literature is constantly increasing due to the flexibility, simplicity and ease in expressing and the power of the market. It would be appropriate to say here that the future of Hindi literature is bright. Therefore, Hindi literature should be allowed to flow like a river. There is no need to block its flow.

• Last question, what message do you want to give to the youth in the context of literature and journalism?

Even today, it is not easy to fill one’s stomach by literary pursuits. Here I would like to mention the essay “Gheehun Aur Gulab” by eminent Hindi writer Shri Ramvriksh Benipuri. According to this essay, one needs a rose only after the stomach is full. Therefore, before indulging in literary pursuits, the youth should plan for their livelihood and to write better, reading a lot and maintaining continuity of reading is the first and last condition.

Today, journalism is going through a phase of credibility crisis. Yellow and paid journalism has tarnished its image. Journalism of concern has become a thing of the past. The truth often hides somewhere. Despite this, the need for journalism and journalists cannot be dismissed. The world is running only because of good people. Therefore, the youth can make a great career in journalism, but for this, it is very important for them to have qualities like command over Hindi and English language, fearlessness, proficiency in mass communication etc.