A novel, a book of poems, a collection of short stories, another short e-book of stories and any number of columns…this what AshaIyer Kumar, a journalist-turned-author from Kerala based in Dubai has collected under her belt in the past 10 years.
Asha’s latest book, ‘After The Rain Stories that bind us’ was released in September 2019, and the book has been receiving a huge response after it notched the 1 best seller slot on Amazon.ae. The book is being discussed for its literary merit and the deep resonance it makes with the readers.
With her unique style of writing that is winning hearts, Asha is establishing herself as a literary brand. Her stories have a quality that make her readers relate to the characters very intimately. Asha taps into the deepest emotions of the characters and evokes sentiments in the reader, a feature that has made her a much loved author of our times.
Unlike other established writers, Asha has no traditional publisher backing her books. She published her books herself and has been her own brand ambassador. Her debut novel, ‘Sand Storms, Summer Rains’, published in 2009 portrayed two protagonists working the Gulf where Asha has spent the past 21 years. Life in the Gulf has been a recurring theme in Asha’s stories, bringing out different shades of expatriates living there.
As a weekly columnist for Khaleej Times, Asha wrote hundreds of articles that examined life and living, and her columns have often been regarded as poignant and insightful. It gave her a new identity as a writer who could touch people’s lives with her words. After dabbling in poetry for a while, the author in her recognised the power of stories to touch lives, and it inspired her to start her own blog and a whatsapp broadcast group called ‘Filter Kaapi with Asha’ where she posted small stories drawn from day to day life.
What sets Asha’s writing apart is its emotional quotient. She tends to look into the soul of her characters. Not being judgmental in the least, her stories and character strike a chord with her readers. Her writing is often described as soulful, poetic, deep and flowing.
‘After The Rain Stories that bind us’ brings moments from the lives of people who are looking for closures. They are people grappling with the ‘what ifs’ and ‘only ifs’ of life. An aging actress who re-examines her journey, a doting husband who obsesses over the perfect gift for his wife, two lovers who struggle to find privacy, a human statue who is looking for self-worth and respect and an old couple who find friendship by chance are the characters who endear us to the point of adopting their joys and sorrows into our lives.
In the absence of a publisher or big marketing budgets to support her, it is the intimate nature of Asha’s writing alone that has made ‘After The Rain Stories that bind us’ a successful self-published book in a sea of traditional literary fares. The huge response it received at the recently concluded Sharjah International Book Fair is testimony to the fact that to be successful what one needs is passion, persistence and pure talent.
An alumnus of The Department of Journalism at the University of Kerala, Kariavattom, her journey, which began as a journalist, has now found new literary shores. Her writing now includes active blogging for popular Indian sites, columns, poetry and stories.
Another novel anytime soon?Asha is quick to dismiss it. She finds short stories to be an excellent medium to connect with her readers, more because when people are busy and are hard-pressed for time, short stories give them literary gratification without having to invest too much time and effort into it. Also, as a writer Asha enjoys writing stories more than any other genre as it gives her an opportunity to look through the prism of life from various angles.
‘After The Rain Stories that bind us’ is now available on Amazon and Book Depository all over the world.
