Time to transfer the weight of wrongdoings onto the doers, says author Karan Puri

Express News Service

In 2017, the #MeToo movement stirred up a storm when women came out in huge numbers to narrate their ordeals of sexual misconduct. Delving deeper into these dark stories and deepest crevices of scars of women, men, rural and urban, celebrities and common people; across all age groups, is Karan Puri’s book titled #Me Too. Published by Invincible Publishers, the book tells six stories of resilience contributed by people as young as 16 to as old as 72. 

The Delhi-based author says, “I wanted to make my stories diverse by including people men, women and even transgenders — of different ages and varied backgrounds. Since I am a writer of fiction, I was clear in my mind that I would use the information creatively to dig into the root cause and that would enable me to create awareness. I met them and interviewed them privately at their convenience.”

A lot of research went into the book; hence it took time to publish it. “The survivors were apprehensive at first, but after we met a few times, they got comfortable in sharing their feelings and trauma. I call them ‘survivors’ as they dealt with their inner fears, came to the fore and revealed their stories which were very personal and close to their heart,” says the 40-year-old start-up investor and digital marketing consultant.

An alumnus of Modern School, Barakhamba Road, Puri did his Bachelors in Economics from the University of Rochester, and an MBA in Marketing & Human Resources from International Management Institute, Delhi. Post that, he worked in sales and marketing roles for Coca-Cola, Ernst & Young, and Zee Telefilms. About venturing into writing, Puri says, “I began writing during my college days in the US. That was when I set up my blog and started penning my thoughts. Slowly, after a few years, I developed a flair for reading novels, and hat’s how I got the idea to craft my own novel.”

His first book was a fiction novel, Shit Happens Desi Boy in America (2012). This time around, he chose #MeToo as he believes that the issue will stay relevant and there is a need to dig deeper into the reasons why such cases keep happening. “I have come up with these stories just to make people, who have ever gone through something of the kind, feel alive.

It is okay if it happened to you too, as it was not your fault and you are as deserving as others to lead a baggage-free life. It is time to transfer the weight of wrongdoings onto the doers,” adds Puri, who also wants an Hindi edition of the book to enable wider reach and awareness. Puri feels such books and movies help drive a social message and can bring about a change in society. “I would love to get feedback from the readers and I am available for any help or guidance that they may need,” adds Puri, who plans to write a coffee table book on his life as a lifestyle blogger.