Doctors turning novelists isn’t something new. In fact, the list of doctors who went on to become famous novelists, playwrights and poets is long and impressive. Among them are Anton Chekhov, William Carlos Williams, Walker Percy, W Somerset Maugham and Arthur Conan Doyle. Rahul Kanungo, a final year MBBS student, is treading the same path. He has already made a name for himself in the world of poetry and short stories.
“Being a doctor doesn’t mean you write only prescriptions. In fact, you can write on any subject. If you love fishing, write on fishing. If art inspires you, write on art,” says Rahul.
Born and brought up in Bhubaneswar, Rahul developed an interest in English literature while he was in high school. “I was inspired by one of my friends Upasana who had brilliant writing skills. When I was in Class X, my focus was only on securing good grades in my board examinations. Although writing was on my mind, I tried my hand at it only after I enrolled for MBBS in 2015,” says the young author.
Rahul completed Class XII in 2014 but couldn’t crack his medical entrance exams that year. Following that, he went into depression. The next year was tough for him, as he spent most of his time preparing for the entrance exams again. “I don’t know what would have happened to me had I failed in my second attempt. I took admission in the Institute of Medical Sciences and SUM Hospital. Gradually, I came out of depression and started putting my thoughts on paper. Those were random thoughts which didn’t rhyme. Inspired by the rhythm of rapper Eminem and the works of Napoleon Hill, Robin Sharma and Les Brown, I kept penning my thoughts. I got better at writing over time and finally I learned how to rhyme words,” he says.
In 2018, Rahul self-published his first book of poems Reconciliation: Rhythms from the Twenty First Century. “The poems are about various emotions and feelings that adolescents and young adults go through in life. The book depicts the various emotional states of mind. The poems tell a story and are not just a random collection of thoughts. They are a rhythmic reflection of the mental state and thinking patterns of an adolescent in this century of technological dominance,” he says.
Rahul’s poems are thought provoking. The poem Redemption of a Lost Cause talks about the mental state of a patient suffering from psychiatric illness. The poem won an award at a poetry competition organised by Manam Foundation on World Suicide Prevention Day in 2018. “There is also a mention of Hannah Baker, the character that committed suicide owing to depression in the famous Netflix series Thirteen Reasons Why. Another poem The Path to Your Salvation describes the plight of a man affected with leprosy. It won the first prize in a competition organised by the Indian Association of Dermatologists Venereologists and Leprologists (IADVL) on Anti Leprosy Day in January 2019,” says Rahul.
The young writer says that he isn’t much into reading. However, he loves Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes. “I also liked reading Amish Tripathi’s The Immortals of Meluha. I draw inspiration from the works of Napoleon Hill, Robin Sharma, Shiv Khera and Dale Carnegie. I wish someday my writings too inspire people the same way,” he says.
“When I write, I forget that I am an author. I present things in such a way that my writings seem real to readers. It seems to them that I am standing in the shoes of someone who is facing a situation and experiencing it the way he did,” he adds.
Rahul says that he has always been inspired by his parents, particularly his father Bipin Kumar Mohapatra, who encouraged him to write. He also points out that he has had his share of difficulties in publishing his first book. “With my semester exams approaching, I was doubtful if I would be able to find a publisher. I didn’t know how the business of publishing works and spent sleepless nights thinking about how to find a publisher. Finally, I decided to self-publish the book,” says Rahul, who has also co-authored Rising Echoes by the Poets Weed and Brewing Thoughts by the Quill House and Maples.
Rahul loves music and draws a lot of inspiration from the different genres of music. “My all-time favourites are Linkin Park, Eminem, Breaking Benjamin and Green Day. I am also an occasional rapper and a foodie,” he says.
RASHMI REKHA DAS, OP