In Conversation with Tiju Mundakappalli

About Tiju Mundakappalli

Hailing from Kerala, India, Tiju Mundakapalli currently resides in Kuwait with his family. Since childhood, he has had a passion for reading and writing which he continued to pursue during his college years. Having travelled extensively through villages, he draws inspiration for his stories from the experiences of people’s lives. Infused with his observations and imagination, his stories come to life on paper.

LiFT: Tell us about your book, the journey of writing it and its content?

Tiju Mundakappalli: ‘A Short Vacation of a Donkey’ is a heartwarming tale about an unlikely friendship between a donkey and a human, born out of a chance encounter. This unexpected bond takes them on a delightful journey filled with joy, adventures and meaningful moments. Over time, their connection deepens into a relationship that surpasses anything they could have imagines. This story is inspired by my own experiences with accidental friendships that have been a saving grace in my life. I wanted to write something to celebrate the power of serendipitous connections and their transformative impact on our journey.

LiFT: Why you chose this title?

Tiju Mundakappalli: Title was chosen based on the fact that is a children’s book and I wanted to make it relatable to kids, by mentioning a fun element ‘vacation’. Ideally my Maniyan donkey went through a transformative journey which is a vacation in a Childs world.

LiFT: When did you realize that you want to be a writer and what’s your inspiration behind it?

Tiju Mundakappalli: For me, I realized it pretty young, from my childhood itself. It is because I grew up in a household where my father is a writer, and the environment itself was creating a writer within me. I was passionate to listen to the writing discussions of my father and his friends, and organically it grew inside me that I want to be a writer.

LiFT: Where do you see yourself ten years down the line in the world of literature?

Tiju Mundakappalli: Within the next 10 years, I would definitely want to publish longer novels and stories, which has more content in terms of its volume. I want to give my readers a real immersive experience of reading, from my creativity, as I have enjoyed long format books. They take us to a world of its own and keep us there for days or months. I have many creative ideas, big and small which are yet to be materialized as books and would like to explore different areas like History, and thriller mysteries.

LiFT: How much do you think marketing or quality of a book is necessary to promote a particular book and increase its readers?

Tiju Mundakappalli: The quality of a book and its marketing is equally important to increase its reader. A good marketing can increase an initial readers flow to the book, and to keep the momentum of sales. At the same time the quality of the book itself decides the longevity of the author, readers expectations and authors reputation. All these together helps the forthcoming editions and new books.

LiFT: What is the message you want to spread among folks with your writings?

Tiju Mundakappalli: I want to transcend my experiences into chewable creative writings for all age groups. The wisdom I have gained through my life, needs to be passed to next generation. In that I would like to emphasize the importance of living the moments of life. Each and every part of life needs to be acknowledged, fully experienced and celebrated. The good and the bad. Acceptance towards everything is a skill to be developed, which i try to help through my writings.

LiFT: What do you do apart from writing?

Tiju Mundakappalli: Other than being a writer, I enjoy my time being spent in moves and hopping fine dine restaurants. I visit nostalgic places of my life like villages, enjoys small things like rain and walking long paths.

LiFT: What are the activities you resort to when you face a writer’s block?

Tiju Mundakappalli: When there is a writers block, the best way to deal with it for me is to take a small trip. Changing the environment, meeting new people and experiencing a new place helps to shake up my thought process and gives it a refresh. It normally works for me, and I comeback with fresh ideas.

LiFT: What if your story will be adopted as a movie? Whom would you want to work as a director or actors in it?

Tiju Mundakappalli: My preference is for animated film since the book is intended for children.

LiFT: Are you working on your next book? If yes, please tell us something about it.

Tiju Mundakappalli: Yes, I am writing another book right now, which is a narrative poem about my own village where i grew up and the changes it went through over the years. As nostalgic as, it may sound, the content is rich with so many details which historically represents the transformation of a small village and the people there.

LiFT: What are your suggestions to the budding writers/poets so that they could improve their writing skills?

Tiju Mundakappalli: Write more, is the only suggestion I have. A writers style and signature develops as he/she writes more and more. It does not matter what you write, whether its good or bad, whether its relevant or not, just write. Interest develops into a talent with practice.

Click here to order Tiju Mundakapalli’s Book – A Short Vacation of a Donkey