Will ‘APOSTROPHE’ Define LOVE for you?

There is always a story behind the choice of our profession and who we are. We talk about the success stories of famous people because that story inspires us to go after our dreams. But what about the fantasies a child has? Or the desires an adolescent has? Or what about the fact that each of us has their own stories to tell? This is where the writers come in. They write about everything and everyone. They give life to fantasies. But not all writers are same. Some became writers because they had the talent of writing. Some chose this profession because they wanted the world to read their thoughts. But then there are those who write to express, who write to keep fantasies alive, who find solace in creating fiction on paper. That’s how Dr Harshika, who hails from the colorful & cultural city of Jaipur, became a writer. Psychologist by profession, Harshika is also an educator & a mental health advocate. She believes in the fact that we all need to escape from reality every now and then so that we can rebuild ourselves. There were times in her life where she herself struggled with anxiety. Losing her father at a very young age came like a shock to her. This pain she went through alone, motivated her to become a healer to spread awareness about mental health issues & support the ones struggling with psychological problems. But she healed herself through writing. She strived through her academic and professional career and excelled in learning as well as imparting knowledge of psychology. But before she achieved all her accolades in the field psychology, she went through all highs and lows of psychological pain. To deal with that she started with writing poetry and small pieces of fiction. And later she turned to writing short stories. She found relief in what she wrote. Writing was an attempt to discover who she was and what she wanted to become. Finally her musings are about to come to life as Apostrophe ‘Fantasy of Romantic Reality’.

Apostrophe is the sign that indicates omission of something or possessive relationships between people or things. Many of us have experienced that absence of love feels like an omission of something in life and also how it makes us possessive & complete. Short story collection ‘Apostrophe’ by Dr Harshika revolves around the perception of romance that how small moments in life are perceived as fantasy of epic love stories. But do these fantasies really come true? These short stories are like moments where the protagonist lives a romantic moment or longs for love. And the ending of each story is left for the readers to decide whether this moment will lead to a lifelong love story or will end with a short lived fantasy. That’s how love is full of unpredictable moments. Apostrophe tries to explore love through the emotion of pain, need of belongingness, lack of self-esteem and the long standing desire to feel complete. We all have our own imagination, our own definition of love. The important question is that, ‘Will Apostrophe define love for you?’ The wait is going to get over soon.