Happy people are seeing potential in writing as career: PM YUVA author Yashvardhan

Noida: Writer Yashvardhan Shukla, among the 41 under-30 authors selected this year from across the country for the PM YUVA scheme, is happy that finally people are coming around the idea that writing has potential.

The 23-year-old Shukla, who lives in Greater Noida, has been selected among hundreds of applicants for this year's 'YUVA: Prime Minister's Scheme for Mentoring Young Authors', implemented by the National Book Trust, under the Ministry of Education.

Shukla, who has two published books to his credit, got selected for his proposal titled "Do Bigha Democracy: A Study of Democracy in Hindi Cinema", that meanders his interests in the history of Hindi Cinema and the evolution of Indian Society since the early 20th century.

The proposal would now be developed into a full-fledged book under the PM YUVA mentorship programme, the NBT said.

However, with his selection for the scheme, which carries a monetary reward, he is also relieved that the idea of becoming a professional writer is finding favour among people and good writing is being valued now.

"I was really pleased with my selection and think it's a nice opportunity. As a writer I've only dabbled with fiction as of yet. However, the entries this year had to be non-fiction, so that was a first for me. I'm really looking forward to delve deeper into my topic as I begin working on the first draft. It's challenging, but I feel prepared," he said.

"My mother (a school teacher) was really elated. She's finally coming around the idea that writing as a field has a lot of potential and good writing is valued. That makes me happy," Shukla told PTI.

As part of the mentorship programme, the select 41 authors from across the country were recently invited to Delhi where they also had an opportunity to interact with President Droupadi Murmu at the Rashtrapati Bhavan and attend the World Book Fair at Pragati Maidan during a three-day tour.

"On the second day of the tour, we had a brief interaction with President Droupadi Murmu at the Rastrapati Bhavan. She emphasized the role of writers in the country and encouraged us to keep at it. We even ended up getting a group picture afterwards," Shukla said.

On his experiences with other young authors, Shukla said all of them had come from incredibly diverse backgrounds from all parts of the country.

"Some of them turned out to be really good friends in a very short span of time, and I hope to keep in touch with them in the future. Apart from the wonderful experience, the accommodation and travel was also taken care of by the National Book Trust. I'm really grateful to them for this opportunity," he said.

Shukla, who is currently enrolled for cinema studies at FTII Pune, is now working on an idea related to Allahabad (Prayagraj), his ancestral hometown.

The idea is still nascent and under works to be discussed in detail, he added.