S.N. Siva
Interviewed By: Ms. Nita Samantaray
He was born in Mumbai, in 1944. His initial education was in Delhi where his father was then with the Ministry of Defence. His final years in school were in Mumbai. He graduated with Physics and Mathematics and then went to IIT (Indian Institute of Technology) in Chennai for post-graduate studies. He started working with the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre’s Nuclear Physics Division. With his immaculate command of the English language, He preferred to lead public awareness programs to highlight the benefits of atomic energy. On retirement, He ran a medical transcription company in Hyderabad for a couple of years. But the frequent power shutdowns made it difficult to cope; so shut it on and came to Thanjavur. Then he had to face a tsunami of sorts, had to battle hard to win the war against bladder cancer which had caught up with him in spite of him having kicked the habit decades ago. He shared this tale, together with his wife, RAJALAKSHMI, of how they conquered it in their book entitled, “When Thoughts Invade the Cancer Conqueror.”
Lets have a glance on what he has to say to my Questions:
Nita: Hi, I welcome both of you to ‘’All about an Author’’
Siva: Thank you,
Ms Nita. It is nice of you to agree to
spend some time with us.
Nita: Tell me a bit about yourselves?
Siva: I, also known as Sivaram, was born in Mumbai, on August 9, 1944.
My initial education was in Delhi where my father was then with the Ministry of
Defence. MY final years in school were in Mumbai. I graduated with Physics and Mathematics and
went to IIT (Indian Institute of Technology) in Chennai for post-graduate
studies. I then joined the Bhabha Atomic
Research Centre's Nuclear Physics Division. With a gift of the gab and an
immaculate command of the English language, I preferred to lead public
awareness programs to highlight the benefits of atomic energy. On retirement, I ran a medical transcription company for a couple
of years. Then I had to face a tsunami of sorts, had to battle hard to win
the war against bladder cancer which had caught up with me in spite of my
having kicked the habit decades ago. I shared this tale, together with my wife,
Poorna aka RAJALAKSHMI SIVA, of how we conquered it in our book entitled, “When
Thoughts Invade the Cancer Conqueror.”
She is a Managing Partner at Madhurakalpa Collections, a women’s
boutique dealing with apparel and imitation jewelry, in Thanjavur. We have two children and four grandchildren,
all in the USA.
Nita: When
and how did you start your journey of writing?
Siva: Really there was no intention at any time of embarking on serious
writing. My surgeon would refer his new patients to us for counseling on the
management of bladder cancer. We would speak telephonically to both the patient
and his/her caregivers and raise their confidence levels to deal with the
situation. The anonymity was a great help for a free exchange of doubts and
their clarification. This made us wonder why we should not write a small
monograph of about 32 pages. Then, on the advice of friends who read the draft
manuscript, it slowly developed into a story encompassing basically our battles
with the crab.
Nita: What
inspired you for writing?
Siva: The need to increase the level of awareness of the masses in
general and the cancer community, in particular, was the driving force. The
suffering we saw in our fellow patients at the hospitals each time we visited
and the twinge at the sight of anyone smoking away.
Nita: The
person who suffers the pain can explain the pain in a better way. Yes, “When
Thoughts Invade the Cancer Conqueror’’ is one such book which is written by the
person who had experienced the pain of cancer with an objective to help other
cancer patients. This is not only a book but it is an Initiative. This book
takes us on a guided tour through the dreaded disease, how it was overcome and
many more things. I wish both of you all success in your Initiative. Is there
any specific genre that you prefer to write or read?
Siva: It has been the reading of classics of the bygone days all the
way. Look at the various quotes that appear in our book and that clearly shows
where our preferences lie. For decades my writings and lectures have all been
in the realm of carrying science and technology, particularly nuclear energy,
to the layman.
Nita: How
will you explain your book?
Siva: Very little is actually known by the public at large about
cancer. It is all restricted to some
superfluous blah-blah from here and there and several misconceptions and
superstitions about cancer patients and survivors. They need to be reached out
to. And what better than getting it straight from the horse’s mouth from one
who has been there and done all that to come out victorious.
Nita: So
what is the main message that you are trying to convey?
Siva: The message of book is
two-fold:
(1) Don't smoke ever, and if you already do, quit smoking
immediately; or else cancer is going to catch up with you.
(2) If you have got cancer,
it is not the end of the world; if diagnosed early, cancer is curable; so
please follow up quickly.
Nita: We
have read several books written by cancer survivors. So what is different here?
Siva: While the others concentrate only on the emotional aspects looking
for sympathy, or the financial burdens, this one concentrates on the details of
the surgeries and medical interventions, and follow-up monitoring that bladder
cancer treatment involves. These details are of use to the medical fraternity
as well. Several quotes in the middle of some chapters and at the end of some
others serve to break the monotony and the somber heaviness of the hospital and
disease environment. This is also a unique
Nita: How
was your book publishing journey?
Siva: It was just submitted and the wait was for what seemed like an
eternity. We needed to get our feelings and thoughts across as we felt them
without much delay. So took the rapidly publishing self-pub route and this was
smooth and enjoyable. A very nice team
of young, energetic and zestful boys and girls brought it all out in record
time: 30 working days as they said they would. And the ceremonial book launch
on World Health Day and the physical release on International Book Day were like
a fruition of all our efforts. And after all this, a couple of publishers now
keep calling repeatedly wanting to publish my next book!!!!!
Nita: Is
writing your passion or profession?
Siva: No. It is like a one-day stand with a very specific and very
unique aim and objective. With the incidence of cancer rising so rapidly across
the country, and bladder cancer more so, secondary to incessant smoking among
even children extremely prominent in spite of stringent laws to curb it, I need more and more people to read a life
experience of one suffering because of his love affair with the smoke ring
emanating from the exhalation of cigarette smoke. This is the sole purpose of my words that
pour out at every meeting.
Nita: How
did you manage time between your full-time profession and writing?
Siva: Most of the eighteen months that this book matured in was in and
out of hospitals with surgery upon surgery. It was much like a duty to record
what happened during the week. Then these weekly musings were merged to form
this book.
The sale proceeds of the year between this year's
cancer survivors' day (JUNE 5)and the next year's is earmarked for public
awareness programs on bladder cancer and it is hoped that more people will buy
the book for this great cause too.
thank you, nita
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