Anupama Ravindran Menon, or Anu, is a doctor in the Malaysian Armed Forces who is also passionate about art. She has excelled in writing, winning several national essay writing competitions and being shortlisted for the prestigious Dublin Literature Writing competition. Anu also won first prize in the International Notion Press Short Stories competition and was published as a joint author in an anthology of short stories. As a painter, she held her first solo exhibition in 2018. Anu has served under the United Nations in a peacekeeping operation in Lebanon and represented Malaysia in international virtual symposiums on the COVID-19 crisis. She has received several awards and is a nominee for upcoming literary awards.
She shares her inspiring journey and about her latest book, Dear Manusha: Yours Truly, Now and Forever with us in her recent interview. Here are a few excerpts:
1. Tell us something about yourself. What are your likes and dislikes?
Anupama: Hi, I’m Anupama Ravindran Menon, otherwise known as Anu to near & dear ones. A simple girl next door, I was born & brought up in humble old Seremban town, Malaysia. Being a scholar & having graduated with a MBBS degree from prestigious Manipal University, I began my career as a doctor in the Malaysian Armed Forces upon completion of my internship. I’m an avid believer of live, love & laugh. I wear my heart on my sleeve & my head usually lingers between my cranium & my mouth. I love my dad, my family, love, kids, books, food, nature & travel. I love the notion of being able to carve a smile on someone’s face, be it loved ones or complete strangers. Life feels like a complete cycle everytime I do it. However, I despise gossip, backstories, pretensions & selfishness.
2. Take us through your work in the professional sphere. What do you do and has it ever inspired your writing?
Anupama: Well, I’m a doctor by profession & I love my job. Being a scholar under the Defense Ministry, I serve in the Armed Forces. Working in the army is an experience of its own. One of the best adventures I’ve had was to work with the United Nations (UN) under the flagship of UNIFIL in Lebanon. I was privileged to be a part of the Malaysian Batallion (MALBATT 850-7) from Oct 2019 – Dec 2020. It was an incredible journey working with people from all walks of life & multiple nations. It was an international arena that pivoted as an eye opener to me in many facets of life. Serving in a war torn nation & watching the struggles, it was a wake up call that reaffirmed life , gratitude & love. Living in the millennial world with the axis revolving around materialism & modernity, it’s regrettable to watch the widening schism between human & humanity. Life is so short that you never know what awaits you in the next moment. I was always a scribbler from before but the journey & people around definitely inspired me to scribble further.
3. Tell us about your latest book Dear Manusha? What can the readers expect from it and who would the book most appeal to?
Anupama: “Dear Manusha” is my first book baby. It is an ode to love & the enigma of memories. It is a homage to love & off love, a bird’s eye view through the lens of someone who lost & yet carries the memoirs of love poignantly. It will spiral you down your very own favourite memory lane, only to reignite the joy of forgotten memories & buried emotions, both healing & inspiring. The genre is undeniably love, but not the regular boy meets girl romance. But it is love that can be appreciated by every person of all walks of life. It caters to both the cool millennial teenager and a wise, old school thinker. It’ll touch you as long as you know what it feels like to love & be loved.
4. The name of your book is quite unique and attractive. What is the scheme of ideas that you have behind the naming of your book?
Anupama: Hahaha.. Thank you.. “Dear Manusha” was a title that came at the moment. It just means person, and in this context I try to encapsulate the essence of a beloved person or even my person. I’m sure everyone of us has that one person that we all love & this book is a homage to all beloveds.
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5. Are you a spontaneous writer or a disciplined one? Do you often write daily?
Anupama: Honestly, I just write based on what I feel at the moment. It’s usually out of impetuosity & pretty spontaneous. I see something & I have something to say about it & I pull out a notebook or a paper. My scribbles usually revolve around love & many human emotions that are buried deep down these days. My emotions are strung out into chords of words & it gives me a better perspective to doing things. I usually call it scribbling in the mood. I try to do it as often as possible but still not entirely disciplined. Working around it though.
6. What are your other interests apart from writing?
Anupama: Apart from writing, I enjoy painting, nature’s photography & blogging. Thanks to a very encouraging art gallery, SensoArt Gallery & Cafe, I managed to do my first solo arts exhibition in 2019 entitled “Hridhaya- The language of heartbeats” based on love being the theme solely. The cover of the book “Dear Manusha” is also one of my paintings. So yup, I scribble on papers & splash quite a bit of colours & blots on the canvas. I also enjoy nature’s photography whilst travelling & blogging.
7. Any future projects that you are currently working on?
Anupama: Yup, I’m currently working on my next project. Fingers crossed, I hope that it’ll be completed by the end of the year. I’ll keep it a secret for now, and will save the surprise for later.
8. Your basic advice to budding writers.
Anupama: Being the new child in the block myself, I don’t think I’m qualified enough to advise. But as another comrade in this world of writing, I’d like to say never give up & keep going at it. There is nothing as pure as genuine effort & your own voice being strung into words that may change the world one day.
Genuineness & authenticity makes you stand unique in any field you venture in. Writing goes without a saying.
