About Shunila Prim
Shunila Prim, a retired high school teacher is a nature lover and also an artistic person. She spends her free time writing short stories and poems, reading, sketching, and drawing. Her writings are based on her observations and real-life experiences.
Her first book – The Trail, secured 2nd rank in LiFT Award 2022 in the Category: Literature and Fiction
She has written some short stories and poems for Anthologies as well. She also enjoys traveling as and when time permits.
LiFT: Tell us about your book, the journey of writing it and its content.
Shunila Prim: My second book, Road That Leads To – The Jungle, is based on the real-life experiences of my daughter and her friends. These young school-going children were fortunate to have lived in a colony located within a virtual jungle. As they cycled along the roads, narrow paths, and foliage, they explored and discovered many secrets of nature often missed or taken for granted by busy adults.
As nature revealed its many secrets, the young minds also learned to respect nature and the creatures that lived within the many unseen folds of the greenery. The children often shared their experiences with their parents and slowly the stories took shape.
LiFT: Why you chose this title?
Shunila Prim: The colony where the children lived with their parents was located quite far from the town of Dehradun. Beyond its huge gate along the main Rajpur road, just a road leading to the colony was visible. Once a colleague remarked, “Oh! The road that leads into the jungle, you live there?”
The casual remark filled with disbelief and awe remained with me and I found it quite suitable as the title for my second book.
LiFT: When did you realize that you want to be a writer and what’s your inspiration behind it?
Shunila Prim: While in college I used to sketch, paint, and write suitable captions and jingles for the posters. The practice continued when I started teaching in schools. Later my daughter coaxed me to pen down my thoughts as short stories and poems, and my two books took shape.
LiFT: Where do you see yourself ten years down the line in the world of literature?
Shunila Prim: I will continue to write my thoughts, experiences, and observations for as long as possible, that’s for sure!
LiFT: How much do you think marketing or quality of a book is necessary to promote a particular book and increase its readers?
Shunila Prim: Every author writes to be read and appreciated. It’s quite necessary to create awareness and create interest among the readers about the printed word. Proper marketing and promotion of books is important to reach out to the readers. The quality of the written word, interesting illustrations and a message understood easily by readers is also important.
LiFT: What is the message you want to spread among folks with your writings?
Shunila Prim: Find time from your busy schedules to observe and spend time in natural surroundings, it’s good for your general well-being. Learn to respect nature, and follow the Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle formula in your daily life.
Try not to harm plants and trees, they are natural homes for many seen and unseen creatures.
LiFT: What do you do apart from writing?
Shunila Prim: I like to read various topics and titles. Sketching, drawing and colouring relaxes me. Stitching is a hobby I cultivated in childhood watching my mother and grandmother.
LiFT: What are the activities you resort to when you face a writer’s block?
Shunila Prim: A relaxed talk with my daughter generally solves the problem, together we find a suitable solution. A brisk walk relaxes the mind and helps to think more clearly.
LiFT: What if your story will be adopted as a movie? Whom would you want to work as a director or actors in it?
Shunila Prim: The book, Road That Leads To – The Jungle, contains short stories based on real-life experiences and observations of young school-going children. A film director has to be very sensitive towards the feelings and experiences of the children to bring the stories alive on celluloid.
LiFT: Are you working on your next book? If yes, please tell us something about it.
Shunila Prim: Yes, I am working on some ideas, but it’s too early to talk about them.
LiFT: What are your suggestions to the budding writers/poets so that they could improve their writing skills?
Shunila Prim: Be very honest with your ideas and the content of your written word.
Avoid using slang language, and write in proper language as far as possible.
Mind your grammar.
Click here to order Shunila Prim’s Book – Road That Leads to the Jungle
