India Global Forum Brings Together Bestselling Authors Amish Tripathi and Jeffrey Archer
Drawing parallels between leadership and storytelling, Tripathi cited Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s example as someone inspiring others to believe in a shared vision. “A good leader in many ways has to be a good storyteller,” he explained. “He actually has to see that dream, believe that dream, convince others that it’s worth it walking the path towards a dream.”
“I genuinely worship the Gods I write about. I don’t do what could be called creative liberties. What I do is a respectful reinterpretation.” Tripathi said, explaining his approach to Indian mythology.
Tripathi emphasised the instinctual nature of storytelling. “Storytelling is essentially the art of grabbing attention,” he remarked. “It just comes instinctively, you just have to be able to read the room, read the person you’re talking to and just come to instinctively what you must say.”
Archer, renowned for several bestsellers including ‘Kane and Abel’ and ‘The Clifton Chronicles,’ also underscored the importance of simplicity in storytelling. “Storytelling mustn’t become convoluted, it mustn’t become complicated,” he insisted.
“We are storytellers and that is a God–given gift. Too many people think that writing is something they can just do one weekend. I’ve been doing it for 40 years and it is hard work… I do 14 drafts of every book and even after 40 years and 30 books, it isn’t getting any easier. If anything, it’s more demanding because of fans out there, particularly in India. So, you can’t let the standard down,” Archer said.
Quoting noted Indian author RK Narayan, Archer highlighted the significance of authenticity. “I can’t write an Indian novel. That can be done by Amish since he has the feel for it, the history of it. I am an Englishman. I can write about politics, theatre, business, and even engineering. RK Narayan taught us, ‘You can only write about a small village in India if you have lived in a small village in India.'”
Click here to watch the sessions and access photos from the day here.
