By Priyanka Rawat
DEHRADUN, 1 Dec: Renowned author Surender Mohan Pathak shared his candid thoughts during the 11th session of the Crime Literature Festival, moderated by Nitin Upadhyaya, Joint CEO of Uttarakhand Film Development Council, on Saturday.
During the session, Pathak remarked, “There are many talented individuals in the world, but not everyone succeeds. Merely having noble intentions doesn’t lead to good deeds.”
Discussing his acclaimed ‘Sunil Series’, comprising 123 books, he shared how he conceptualised the character. He emphasised that a book becomes successful when readers can relate to its characters.
Pathak took a strong stance against the discrimination between pulp fiction and mainstream literature. He stated, “Mainstream writers discriminate against pulp fiction authors, which is wrong. Anyone who writes is a writer. Mainstream authors shine only when they portray others in a negative light.”
Expressing concerns about the future of new writers, Pathak said, “Today, new writers should avoid writing in Hindi because the readership for Hindi has drastically declined. There are neither readers nor publishers for Hindi literature. Publishers demand money to print books. In such a scenario, writing in English is a more viable option for authors.”
He also lamented the state of the Hindi language, stating that people no longer speak or read Hindi, which is becoming a significant issue for literature.
The session concluded with readers and literature enthusiasts praising Pathak’s insights and resolving to raise awareness about Hindi literature.
(Priyanka Rawat is a 2nd year student of Masters in Journalism and Mass Communication, Graphic Era Hill University)
