New Delhi (India), November 25: Neelam Saxena Chandra is a very well-known name in the field of literature. A bilingual writer, she writes in various genres such as poetry, short stories, novels, children’s literature etc. She has published seventy-two books, which in itself is highly praise-worthy.
Neelam’s forty-first poetry book, “Beneath the Dead Skin” was released in Sahitya Akademi in the presence of distinguished guests and several writers and poets in LWG Litfest organised by Literary Warriors Group, of which, Neelam is the President and Founder.
The event was graced by the stars in the field of literature such as Varsha Das, the Sahitya Akademi award winner writer and poet and also mother of actor Nandita Das, Shri Abhay K., Deputy General Director, ICCR who is also an eminent poet, Mridula Tandon, who is the President and Founder of NGO Sakshi and also organises literary fests such as Jashn-e-Hind, Professor Nandini Sahu, eminent poet and writer and Padmaja Iyengar-Paddy, another poet of international repute. Poets of repute such as Renu Mishra, Dr Aparna Pradhan, Bushra, Mandira Ghosh, Anoop Pandey, Dr Anshu Sharma, Meera Bhansali, Surekha Sahu, Juhi Gupte etc were also present during the meet. The photographs were captured by Sunil Chaudhry and PDP Productions.
At times, the skin looks dead! No glow, no vibrations and no aura! But hey! The cells of the skin are going to be dead after every little while, only to give place to the newer cells – cells that shine, cells that smile and cells that dance! You don’t ever have to give up in life. You have to be a lighted wick of a candle, that survives despite the winds and glows even more vividly than it ever did! The collection of poems by the Limca Book of Records holder, Neelam Saxena Chandra, will certainly give you that shine!
Neelam has been writing since she was in Grade sixth, and it is her passion that gives her an impetus to work. Her poems are also a source of motivation to many people. Most of the poems in the title “Beneath the Dead Skin” were written during the period of Corona in which people were losing hope. Neelam had written the poems to motivate and inspire everyone around. These poems are not really bound by time, they continue to inspire people. “Beneath the Dead Skin” was published by AKS Publishing House, New Delhi. Neelam observes, “Most of the literary works take shape during extreme situations such as wars and pandemics, because they are the periods of unrest and mind looks for some solace which only creativity can provide.” The book was a best-seller within fifteen to twenty days of its release and has remained under hundred in rankings ever since in its category on Amazon. Neelam’s several books have been best-sellers and a few children’s books have sold more than a lakh copies.
Neelam is an Engineer/Bureaucrat by profession and she loves her job. “My writings are for society. My themes include social issues, nature, patriotism, motivation, women-centric etc.” she says. She further adds, “I think that every person should have one hobby which acts as a stress-buster in moments you are tired, demotivated or stressed-out. I try with various hobbies such as anchoring, painting, acting, reading etc, but it is writing that has been a constant companion.”
When asked how much time she takes to write a poem or a story, Neelam replies, “Normally, the thoughts remain in the mind for days or months and come out as a piece of fiction or poetry. Since what I am brooding upon is already ripe by then, I take 5-10 minutes to write a poetry and an hour or two to write a story!”
It is worthwhile to mention that Neelam has been honored by Ministry or Railways, Maharashtra State Sahitya Akademi, American Embassy, Radio City etc for her writing and has won several National and International Awards to her credit. She was also listed by Forbes as one of the 78 most popular authors in the country.
She began to write professionally since 2008 for various international/national magazines/journals/newspapers/anthologies etc and her first book that was published was in the year 2010 and it was an illustrated book for children. The second book was also an illustrated book for children and it was published by Room to Read. Since then, she never looked back and began trying her hands in writing for different segments of society.
When asked what her further plans were, she replied, “Writing is a journey and I shall keep writing. This shall be another year of poetry books and I plan to publish at least three to four more poetry books in the coming year.”
