Divyasha Girish, the ’20-something’ author of the book A 20-something Cool Dude, has all the reasons to be excited.
Her book, a passionate love story that hit the bestseller charts after its release at the Delhi Book Fair last year, has been picked up by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to be included in its library.
The ministry has added the book to the list of 200 titles that best paint a vivid picture of India, and it will go to the MEA library as a part of its 200 missions abroad collection as well.
“When I got the call, I was ecstatic, of course. When they told me the book would be accessible in 200 countries, I was like, “200? I have barely covered one!” All in all, I am glad. Nothing makes me happier than the idea of someone far away, in a country I am not even aware of, flipping through the pages and connecting with Ayesha. Connecting with me,” Divyasha told Jaipur Women Blog.
The book was conceived during the three-month break after Divyasha’s class 12 exams. Entirely unsure about how it was going to turn out, she started writing and kept at it, until finally, she had a 250-page manuscript of her first novel.
The journey from writing the book to getting it published wasn’t easy. The 18-year-old approached different publications who didn’t take her seriously. However, patience helped her sail through the difficult times and finally she had her book published by Delhi-based LiFi Publications.
“I tried to reach out to editors of major publications, persuading them to at least read the work. But it was hard for me to convince them to take me seriously. Thanks to my age,” says Divyasha.
A B.Tech graduate specialising in computer science from the Indira Gandhi Delhi Technical University for Women, Divyasha’s original dream was to join NASA. While she is not set on becoming a professional writer yet, having published a book has certainly brought a few changes to her original plan. She is now pursuing her Masters in Management in Paris.
Writing, for her, is a ‘stress-buster’. For her next book, Divyasha has already started working on the draft of a story about a Delhi girl who turns into a serial killer.
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