By Muslim Mirror Desk,
Guwahati: Reshma NC Shah’s debut book “What If” was released at a neat and dignified function organised at the office of the North East Writers Forum (NEWF) at the Nehru Stadium Complex in Guwahati on Thursday. Book lovers and literature enthusiasts were present in great numbers on the occasion.
Born into a family of engineers, academics, and doctors, Reshma grew up listening to engaging dinner table conversations about world history, social issues, and almost everything under the sun. She inherited her love of reading from her parents. She also inherited her thirst for knowledge and adventure from them. Interacting with the audience, Reshma let it be known that her debut collection of short stories was written over the last decade, and in no particular order, portrays “life as is.”
Earlier, at the outset of the programme, a panel discussion on “Is the Writer as Activist Dead Today?” was held in which Swapnil Bharali, Editor Gplus; and Srutimala Duara, author and teacher participated. While Swapnil highlighted the contribution of those writers who are not authors of books but have served the society through their writings in the media, Srutimala insisted that “influencer” would be a better word than activist, to describe the breed of authors whose work leads to positive changes in the society. The discussion was moderated by Nurul Laskar, PR Consultant.
Dhruba Hazarika, President, NEWF, congratulated Reshma for her debut work and hoped that now onwards she would be churning out books at regular intervals. He said, “Books are like children for the writer, and Reshma being a mother herself would know this better than many other writers.”
Reshma’s book “What If” has been published by WordSmith Publishers, a leading publishing house of the North East. In a message about the book, Rupanjali Baruah of WP conveyed, “This is a limited edition and preserved in print on demand (POD) format for future edition. The book is designed keeping in mind the need to provide aesthetic feel and texture to its readers.”
On the sidelines of the event, Swapnil Bharali announced that NEWF will host the release of the novel “The Bag” by Arup Kumar Dutta at the same venue on Nov 11, 2018.
The vote of thanks at the end of the event was offered by SM Farid, a development entrepreneur and one of the sources of support for Reshma.