About Tushar Chatterji
Born and brewed in the steel city of Jamshedpur, Tushar Chatterji discovered his love for storytelling in the quiet corners of his thoughts—shaped by travels, treks, conversations, and an enduring love for cinema.
While balancing his professional career, he found his creative refuge in writing—exploring raw emotions, quiet reflections, and the understated depths of human (and sometimes canine) experiences that readers often find deeply relatable.
His debut book, Behind Those Eyes, received global recognition—winning the International Excellence Award in Contemporary Fiction and the Literary Honour Award for Best Animal Fiction Short Stories—a testament to his belief that powerful stories often emerge from the simplest observations.
For Tushar, every trail walked, every cup of coffee shared, and every fleeting conversation holds a story waiting to be told.
A self-confessed coffee philosopher and mountain wanderer, he’s always happy to exchange ideas over chai, coffee, or curiosity.
LiFT: Tell us about your book, the journey of writing it, and its content.
Tushar Chatterji: Becoming Her is an evocative mosaic of stories tracing the evolving landscape of womanhood—from daughter to lover, wife to mother, survivor to self.
Each chapter reflects a facet of feminine strength and fragility, capturing the layered realities of women navigating relationships, expectations, and selfhood in a world that often defines them before they define themselves.
The stories unravel with emotional honesty and introspection, showing how every woman carries inherited silences and learned resilience—yet continues to seek her own becoming.
LiFT: Why did you choose this title?
Tushar Chatterji: Becoming Her is a testament to endurance—not the stoic kind, but the tender, defiant kind that learns to fall, rise, and begin again. Through its women, it explores what it means to survive love, challenge silence, and rewrite one’s story in a world that rarely pauses to listen.
LiFT: When did you realize that you wanted to be a writer, and what was your inspiration behind it?
Tushar Chatterji: For several years, writing had been a quiet companion in my life, though I had never consciously imagined becoming a published author someday. It was only in the aftermath of the pandemic that I began earnestly shaping the themes and half-formed ideas that had long been lingering in my mind.
During that time, I grew more disciplined with my writing and gradually began to trust my own voice. As my characters started to take clearer shape, my belief in their stories strengthened—and that confidence eventually nudged me toward stepping into the world of publishing.
Now that the journey has begun, I’m simply embracing it with curiosity, learning and evolving along the way.
Much of my inspiration is drawn consciously from life itself. My own experiences, along with the many individuals who have crossed my path in one way or another, have quietly seeded thoughts, emotions, and themes that form the backbone of several of my narratives.
I believe that as long as life continues to unfold with its many encounters and observations, it will keep fueling my creativity—hopefully guiding me toward crafting even richer stories and journeys in the years to come.
LiFT: Where do you see yourself ten years down the line in the world of literature?
Tushar Chatterji: Hopefully, I can continue contributing to the literary world with stories that leave a lasting imprint—stories shaped by vivid, nuanced characters and experiences that readers can see fragments of themselves in.
Through these narratives, I hope to explore the deeper, sometimes darker emotional layers of relationships, the chaos that often surrounds us, and the quiet undertones that shape who we are.
At its core, it is this intricate tapestry—of emotions, conflicts, and fleeting moments—that offers us some of our greatest lessons. And perhaps, through storytelling, I can continue to reflect and explore that most profound teacher of all: life.
LiFT: How important do you think marketing and the quality of a book are in promoting it and increasing its readership?
Tushar Chatterji: Immensely important. When so much time, thought, and emotion have gone into crafting stories, it becomes essential that they travel far and wide, reaching readers who can connect with the voice behind them.
Writing may begin as a deeply personal act, but for stories to truly come alive, they must find their audience.
That’s where thoughtful marketing plays a crucial role. The right campaigns, combined with a relentless belief in one’s voice and vision, can help steer the journey in the right direction.
Over time, that persistence not only expands readership but also helps a writer carve out a space—and perhaps even a niche—that feels authentically their own.
LiFT: What message do you want to convey to people through your writing?
Tushar Chatterji: Through my narratives, I strive to portray emotions in their most real, relatable, and unfiltered form—crafting characters who echo the voices and silences many of us carry within. These are the feelings that often remain tucked away, struggling to surface amid life’s expectations, routines, and relentless pursuits.
In Becoming Her, these themes unfold through stories that acknowledge the undeniable presence of pain and loss, yet refuse to surrender to them.
Instead, they illuminate the quiet but persistent courage it takes to reclaim and redefine one’s life and identity.
Through these journeys, readers are not presented with perfection, but with the beauty of becoming—the continual act of rediscovering oneself, rewriting destiny, and rising again, each time a little stronger and a little fiercer.
LiFT: What do you do apart from writing?
Tushar Chatterji: I work with a global biotechnology company and come from a background in biomedical sciences. After spending over fourteen years navigating the rhythms and rigors of the corporate world, writing has become my refuge.
It offers a quiet escape from boardrooms and business metrics, allowing me to step into a space where imagination takes the lead.
Through storytelling, I curate narratives that let me momentarily drift away from corporate realities and wander into a magical realm—one that I can wholeheartedly call my own.
LiFT: What activities do you resort to when you face writer’s block?
Tushar Chatterji: I’ve always been an outdoor person at heart. Travelling, road trips, exploring offbeat destinations, trekking, running marathons, and playing cricket have long been my ways of stepping away from routine and reconnecting with a different rhythm of life.
These moments away from the everyday not only recharge me but also add layers and nuance to the stories I return to write.
In fact, some of my most vivid ideas and scenes have arrived unexpectedly—while walking a quiet trail, running through open roads, or simply spending time amidst nature.
LiFT: What if your story were to be adapted into a movie? Who would you want to work as the director or actors in it?
Tushar Chatterji: Considering this is a collection of short stories, I’m not entirely certain whether it would translate to the big screen.
That said, if any of these narratives were ever to find their way to the silver screen, it would be fascinating to watch actors like Vidya Balan, Kajol, or Konkona Sen Sharma bring the protagonists to life.
Their ability to portray layered, introspective characters with quiet intensity would beautifully capture the emotional depth and nuance these stories carry.
LiFT: Are you working on your next book? If so, could you tell us something about it?
Tushar Chatterji: With two books now published, my immediate focus is on expanding reader outreach and truly engaging with the responses, reflections, and suggestions that are coming in from readers across the world.
It has been incredibly rewarding to see these stories travel beyond the page and spark conversations with people from different places and perspectives.
I’m embracing the constructive feedback in the right spirit, allowing it to guide me as I continue to refine and evolve my writing style.
At the same time, a few new ideas are quietly taking shape—some still wandering in my thoughts, others slowly finding their way onto paper. With time and careful nurturing, I hope to shape them into stories worth sharing with the world someday.
LiFT: What are your suggestions for budding writers and poets to help them improve their writing skills?
Tushar Chatterji: It’s perfectly natural to doubt your writing or feel that it isn’t good enough at times. No matter how sincerely you write, your voice and style may not resonate with every reader across the world—and that’s part of the journey.
What I’ve come to understand over the years, especially while shaping my characters and narratives, is the importance of believing in the stories you choose to tell. When your intent is to evoke emotions and gently reach those quiet corners of the mind and heart that people often keep hidden, conviction becomes essential.
Stay true to your intent, honour the emotions that guide your storytelling, and shape those thoughts with a voice that is distinctly your own. Authenticity, after all, is what allows a story to find the readers it was truly meant for.
Click here to order Tushar Chatterji’s Book – Becoming Her
