With his first book, debutant Ameya strikes gold

By S A H RIZVI
The Times, Kuwait,
Bureau Chief  – New Delhi

Debutant and young author Ameya Prabhu whose first book “Rock Babas and Other Stories” became an instant bestseller was pleasantly surprised when he received an inspirational letter from UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs Mansour bin Zayed al Nahyan.

In his letter, Excellency Mansour said it was “inspiring to learn from people who were able to find in the global lockdown an unprecedented opportunity to try new skills or to fulfill long-held dreams”.  While wishing him success the Minister said he hopes that this book will not be his last and Ameya will be able to find inspiration ‘without another lockdown’

Although Ameya belongs to the financial world and runs financial services and asset management businesses, time was always a scarce commodity. The lockdown brought the author in him.  

“I found myself stuck all alone in my apartment in Mumbai and hence decided to make optimum use of the ample amount of time that I suddenly had at disposal.”

The result was in the shape of a book” The Rock Babas and Other Stories”  a map of human fragilities and resilience that is as true in the Himalayas as it is in the state of Georgia. An aging tycoon, Takahashi Watanabe, donates his fortune to charity when faced with a terminal illness.

 In an attempt to reconnect with his estranged daughter, special agent Jackson Holder, an African-American agent of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation overcomes racial biases to crack a homicide with domestic hate crimes undertones. Swiss hotelier Helmut Kauffman’s transforms under the tutelage of the eponymous ‘rock babas’, a group of monks playing rock and roll and living high up in the Himalayas. A deposed dictator in prison reflects on his life and times. 

Thought-provoking and mystic, profound and light of touch, caustic and comic, Ameya Prabhu’s sparkling debut is an ode to the challenges life throws up and to the people who rise up to meet them.

 Jubilant Ameya told The Times  “I have been a writer from my days at school having written/directed plays, written articles and been an avid poet”  This he inherited from his mother Uma who has been a wonderful and a reputed journalist all her life and his grandmother who was a poet.

Ameya’s father Suresh Prabhu former Union Minister and six-time Parliamentarian is a Chartered Accountant by profession.  This explains his foray into the financial world 

He said he would often jot down ideas for stories on his phone as and when they came to me and for this book, “I used the ones that related to the theme of the book.” 

I had decided to choose ‘short stories as a medium as I believed that the modern reader has a limited attention span and hence a short story that can be read over 2 odd hours would appeal more to her/him than a lengthy novel.

“ One sees the same trend with the advent of high-quality miniseries/shows on the OTT platforms such as Netflix/Prime/HBO etc.

 About the message, the book conveys. Ameya said 2020 has been a difficult year for all, emotionally, financially and many have lost loved ones, their jobs and seen their lives fundamentally altered  “The book is a story of hope, it showcases that all of us are in this together and are going through the same difficulties. 

Ameya is categorical that we do not need to look externally to find the grit and determination that it takes to overcome these challenges but can find that strength within us. “We just need to look inwards and hone that skill. It is a story of hope, of belief and of the ultimate triumph of human willpower. It is a message of positivity and strength.”

 On another note, it is also a book that echoes my personal belief that we are all one as humans, irrespective of religion, gender, caste, creed, nationality, financial ability, and sexual orientation. We go through the same cycle of birth, life, and death and we have the same challenges and successes.

That is the biggest positivity and the takeaway in the world that this young author lives in.