To celebrate the release of the new charity anthology, Children of War (review), I am doing a series of author interviews and guest posts, featuring several of the authors who wrote a short story for this anthology. This multigenre anthology supports the children of Ukraine. All proceeds of this anthology will be donated in perpetuity to the Voices of Children Foundation in Ukraine or another similar charity. This foundation is “a Ukrainian charity providing counselling and other forms of psychological support to war-trauma victims. The charity was established in 2015 and has been working with volunteer psychologists to bring art therapy and mobile psychologists to the most vulnerable in Ukrainian society, victims now of yet another armed conflict.”
The seventh author I’ve interviewed is Nandita Pant Joshi! Her story in Children of War is The War Legacy. This short story is her first published work and what a great debut it is! As of the beginning, I was pulled into the story that emphasizes the struggles of those who stay behind. Check out my review of the anthology for more info!
Nandita Pant Joshi is a fiction author and poet. She writes strong female characters and messages of hope amidst the most adverse circumstances. She dreams of a world where people are known for their individuality rather than their race, color, caste, religion, gender and sexual orientation.
Author Interview
About the author
Hobbies: Reading, writing, listening to music, singing
What was your favourite book as a kid?
I didn’t read much as a child, it wasn’t really encouraged at my house, which is why I didn’t have any favourites. But I heard stories of Cinderella, Snow White, The Little Riding Hood etc. and was fascinated by them.
What kind of a book would you love to write one day?
I would love to write a book about found family and how they become our pillars of support.
What is your motto as a writer?
My only motto is to write what I feel and to feel what I write. That really helps me in conveying my thoughts and feelings.
About the anthology
Why did you decide to write a story for this anthology?
I decided to contribute to the Children of War anthology because it benefits those who hardly anyone ever thinks about and who most often are beyond our reach as individuals to help. People grieve for the martyrs but what about their families, who don’t just have to continue their lives but also struggle with finances and mental health? What about the people who weren’t even a part of the war in any manner, people who didn’t have any relations to soldiers or governments, yet had to witness the atrocities – the general public, the very citizens of a country? My story is for everyone who is left behind, to raise their voices and to make them seen. It is also to let them know that we’ve got their backs, in whatever way possible. Because the best thing we can do for those who are gone is to protect those who they were fighting for.
If there was one message linked to this that you could pass on to the world, what would it be?
My message would be to “be kind”. All of us have our battles and some are still fighting for the generations before them. If you read the foreword of our anthology, you will notice how several authors come from families that have witnessed wars, including World War II. The trauma gets transferred through generations which might lead to a certain kind of behaviour of an individual. Not everyone will hold a placard for everyone to know that they were a war victim and that influences their attitude towards things. So be kind when you meet someone irrespective of whether you are aware of their background or not.
Quick Round
Tropical Island or Antarctica? Definitely tropical island. Team winter hater :-p
Night or day? Both, but I would prefer day.
Ice-cream or pizza? Ice-cream. This was a no-brainer, because it’s my favourite food.
Coffee or chocolate? Both, please.
Culture or nature? Tough question. Nature.