Rajiv Kapoor, bestselling author of Conversations With My Love, reveals to Sputnik how he writes poetry and books about love in the most authentic way; it is not just about writing a love story, it is rather a process of connecting with your inner self.
Sputnik: What makes romantic novels such a great genre? Should these books always promise a sweet story with a happy ending or is there a greater thrill in stepping into someone else's more turbulent life and then returning to our relative, comfortable normality?
Rajiv Kapoor: For the right target of novel-readers, any genre can be great. In that sense, romantic novels are not unique. However, for those who love romance, whether in reality or fiction, their heart will always beat quicker when presented with a medium involving romance, be it film, book or friend’s story.
I do not think a romantic novel always has to have a sweet story with a happy ending. What matters is whether the book takes the reader to an emotional high or a loving depth.
For those who have love for a partner in their life, a novel is a magnifier that may reveal new perspectives. For those less fortunate, a novel may provide compensation for their loveless existence.
Sputnik: As an author, when writing love poems and books, how much of that emotion actually mirrors your personal feelings?
Rajiv Kapoor: When I write poetry, I am in tune with my inner self. I do not think meaningful poetry can happen unless the author has found relevance in it with his or her own emotions. Writing a book is different. In a book of fictional characters, the author is more absorbed in the characters' emotions, which may be very different from the author’s own. And that is where the writing skill is tested - to make it realistic the author will have had to be able to feel and articulate the emotions of the characters in the book.
Sputnik: Love happens and cannot be planned, or do you think love can be found on dating apps? How have love, romance and relationship equations changed over the generations?
Rajiv Kapoor: Dating apps provide contacts, not love. Love does not happen, it develops towards another person. With time, the red thickens, the blood simmers and the yearnings grow for one another.
I would like to think that love would be the same across generations. After all, it is one of the basic feelings, whose innateness should be independent of changing times and environments. But behaviour has changed - if not the basic feeling of love. In the technology-driven world, where virtual environments are created, love has become a more loosely used word in my opinion.
Sputnik: What is the secret of lasting love? Is it chemistry or compatibility? How do you know that the person you are with is the right person for you?
Rajiv Kapoor: When hearts are pulled to one another, it is not important to continue with the rush which comes when your partner first admits their love. The moment may weigh upon you pleasantly, but you do not have to respond similarly. Let your mind contemplate and unravel the full force of the three words uttered until your heart can answer back. If your partner truly meant his or her words, he or she will understand that a love song can take a while to play out, one heartstring at a time.
Love without respect is like a tall building without a foundation. Ask yourself what does your mutual respect rely on? Do we really know each other’s inner core and respect one another for the same?
Both words (love and like) begin with an ‘l’ and end with an ‘e’, but the discerning heart knows which one it is that applies. Love gives and finds joy and does so even if the relationship does not work out. Liking can turn into something like desiring - as a child does for a toy. And just like that, if one can't have what one desires, it might lead to tears.
Sputnik: Why is love a sweet yet strong emotion? Is it a deep sense of involvement leading to something wonderful? Is it about a complete acceptance of both perfections and imperfections of your companion?
Rajiv Kapoor: Sweet can be strong, why not? No one is perfect. Love is about total acceptance. We love ourselves: don’t we accept ourselves completely, even if there could be many avenues of improvement in us?
Sputnik: How often should we tell people close to us that we love them? Why does everyone want to hear the magical “I Love You” from the person they are closest to?
Rajiv Kapoor: Real love never needs reassurance. But everyone changes with time. So, the real question is whether love remains mutually felt. It is nice to hear those words in a relationship amongst noise, distractions, daily struggles or waning confidence.
Sputnik: In the end, would you like to share any poem or excerpt from your romance novel for our readers?
Rajiv Kapoor: This poem is for the readers of Sputnik.
She left an impression
"Along the boardwalk, hand-in-hand
When we walked,
A singular moment, on the edge
When she laughed,
Sun was hiding, but her spirit warm.
Then came the tree with flowers
Where we sat under
She told me more, with a fleeting kiss.
I looked at the ocean in front,
A dive could hug the current
So, I listened to her more
A bird chirping pleasant."