Interview with Vibha Batra

After Vibha Batra’s grandfather passed away, she chanced upon his work Ishaavaasya Upanishad, which combined philosophy, mysticism and spirituality. Intrigued and fascinated by what this book had to offer, Vibha began translating it, and despite working as a full time copy writer she stayed at it. Though this task got too time consuming and hectic she feared, feared that she will never be able to complete the task.

So to ensure that this book saw the light of the day, she spread the word to everyone she knew so that when someone would check with her on the status of the translation, she would once again pick up the task if she had left it midway.

But after the book’s success, Vibha became a compulsive writer and was so engrossed with writing that she couldn’t stop. From short stories (A Twist of Lime) to poems (Tongue-In-Cheek) and now a novel, she explored all mediums and has been writing ever since. Full of quirky characters, humourous plots, and a super engaging writing style, Vibha’s works are entertaining and cannot be put down before completion.

We chat up with this lady to know about her collection of poems and short stories and how a career in copy writing disciplined her and made her a better writer 

Poems, short stories and a novel. What do you enjoy the most?

Okay, here's a confession: I am a compulsive writer! From prose to verse, novels to travelogues, short stories to satire, I have tried my hand at all. Here's what I discovered: I really enjoyed writing them all. There were just different forms of expression, that's all. Each came at a different point in time, each helped me grow as a writer. So it's hard to make a choice, really. Just that writing a novel requires a lot more time, oodles of discipline. You have to constantly motivate yourself and keep at it. On the other hand, shorter bursts of inspiration work just fine for poems and short stories. What I would really like to do is keep writing. Perhaps even write a novel in verse. Amen!  

Could you tell us a little about your career as a copy writer. A few companies you worked with and a few campaigns you were closely associated with.
It all started when Mohammed Khan took a shine to my copy test. Said it was the best copy test he had seen in 30 years. In fact, for all the time I worked at Enterprise Nexus, he referred to me as the copy test girl! After that, came a particularly enjoyable at Vyas Giannetti Creative where I handled Aditya Birla Group, Times Group and Lee. Then it was on to Chennai. JWT, Grey Worldwide, TBWA Anthem, Orchard, Fifth Estate. I don't think I spared any agency! If I didn't work for them full time, freelance it was. Ditto for the brands Cavin Kare Group (Nyle shampoo, Indica hair colour), Parry (EID Parry, Lacto King, Caramilk, Parry's Sugar, Coromandel Group), Henkel ( Neem toothpaste, Bref, Pril) Naidu Hall (Naihaa, Mermaids), Watanmal Group, FoodWorld, GRT Jewellery, Kirtilals, Shree Jewellery, VGN. And counting!

Describe your journey as a copywriter to a novelist. Was this a smooth journey all along? Any problems you faced?
Hmm. As they say, the path of true love never did run smooth. The writing process was way easier than finding a publisher! Though my novel is ready and I am a novelist in that sense, at the moment, my novel is awaiting publication. All I can do is keep adding the finishing touches and (fervently) hope and pray that it sees the light of the day. Sooner rather than later. Watch this space!

How do you think a background and experience in copy writing helped you write novels, poems and short stories.
Writing advertising copy helped a great deal. On several levels too:
It disciplined me. (Deadlines were not just things that made whooshing sounds above my head, much as I would have liked them to be!)
It taught me how to write for the target audience (Thou shalt always respect the reader).
It prepared me for criticism, constructive and otherwise. (Not much difference between account execs and editors!)
Lots of lessons, actually, and if they couldn't be learned, I have only myself to blame! 

How many stories does A Twist of Lime have? A little about them.
It has 11 stories. Each with a surprise ending. Lots of dark humour. Quirky characters. The situations are totally believable yet what's life without a dash of the unexpected. It's an easy read. Don't just take my word for it. Read it to believe it. There I go, sounding pretty much like those ads copywriters are notorious for. 

Most youngsters do not look at the vedas reverently. So when you got a chance to translate the Ishaavaasya Upanishad you lapped it up. Comment.
Thanks to my Grandpa, I have always been spiritually inclined. Of all his books, I specially love the ones he wrote on the Bhagwad Gita. He was phenomenal travel writer, essayist and poet as well. After Grandpa passed away, I decided to translate his work and began with my favourite: a book that combined philosophy, mysticism, spirituality. 

How much time did the translation take? Upanishads are full of timeless wisdom. Any learning that happened in the due course of translation?
Coming to the actual process of translating his book on the Ishaavaasya Upanishad, it took me over a year. I was working full time and I was scared I wouldn't be able to do it. It would be too tough, too time cosuming. Worse, I would abandon it mid-way. So I did what all those self-help books ask us to do. Announced my goal to the whole wide world. And it worked! Every time I fell off the bandwagon, I would have family, colleagues and friends come up and ask me, "So, what happened to that book you were supposed to translate?" That would really galvanize me into action!

As for the lessons I learned during the course of translating the book, there were too many to recount. I discovered I could finish what I started (thank you, God)! I learned that Charaiveti, Charaiveti (keep going, keep going) was the only way to be. And I realised I was lucky to have the family I have!