If you are one of those who loves to write but are worried about not getting a proper platform, then 24-year-old Nikhil Chandwani is here to help you. Nikhil runs the world’s first and only Writers’ Rescue Centre, where he transforms the failures of a writer into success.
Nikhil launched his own foundation in 2017 and set up a Writers’ Rescue Center in Nagpur with Telugu film producer Neelima Tirumalasetti as a partner. Born and brought up in Nagpur, he was always a bit of a loner, an introvert, who found it difficult to talk to people. So, he started writing poetry. Poetry was something where he could express his emotions freely and make a reader laugh, cry or think.
Nikhil says, “While growing up, I used to write poems for a local magazine in Nagpur. I was also interested in physics. I failed to clear my engineering course because I didn’t attend any of my classes. So, I moved away from engineering and started working as an assistant to a writer for an international TV channel. We did a lot of TV projects in the West as well as in Africa. During that time, a lot of writers used to approach me because in India there was no proper curriculum a writer could follow to learn and master the art of storytelling. After travelling to different parts of the world, I returned to India and bought a small house in Nagpur. A lot of writers came to meet me there.
“It all started very informally. People used to send me emails at 2 am with depressing thoughts about giving up life as they had nothing to lose and so on. I thought, so what if people have nothing to lose and are on the verge of giving up; they are also going through the same experience which I faced when I was 18. Then I thought why not push them towards the art of storytelling and let them write their books, edit them well and send them to publishers?”
Nikhil also confesses that he writes because writing is his preferred means of communication. He feels secure when he is surrounded by writers and he thought he could pass on that same emotional security to aspiring authors who come to him.
Nikhil’s foundation has helped more than 9,300 teens and adults through one-to-one mentorship, giving guidance in writing and helping them publish books, taking them to prominent stages like TEDx and so on. More than 50 of them are now TED(x) Speakers, around 30 are national award winners and another 30 plus are bestselling authors, their ages ranging from 16 to 72. At present, the Writers’ Rescue Centre has offices in Nagpur, Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam and Singapore.
Nikhil has authored six novels and four volumes of poetry published in India, United States and regionally published in China. His first novel ‘I Wrote Your Name in the Sky’ is a teen fiction revolving around present-day teenage and young adult issues. His book of poetry titled ‘Inked with Love’ went on to become an international bestseller. He was granted a national award by the Indian government for this book. Next, he wrote and published two books titled ‘Unsung Words’ and ‘Coded Conspiracy’. The latter got him an American literary award. These two books sold over a million copies worldwide.
A guest columnist for several magazines Nikhil was awarded the Global Indian of the Year honour for his contributions as a scriptwriter. He was also the youngest Indian professor while he worked at KL University, Vijayawada. He has been a Visiting Professor at the leading IIMs and the Harvard Business School and has also been a TED (X) Speaker eleven times.
Shabiha Nur Khatoon, OP