The tale of a rabies infected she dog turned this veterinarian into a writer.
Surprised! Read on:
Rana Preet Gill, a doctor at Government Veterinary Hospital, Hoshiyarpur, Punjab, had hardly thought of becoming a writer till she gave anti rabies shot to Julia—the rabies infected canine.In the process of treatment, Julia’s keeper–an old woman– informed the veterinarian that Julia, her long time pet, had devoured her own pups, jolting her human sensibilities. She, then, abandoned Julia at adesolate place.
But after a few days, the old woman had a sense of guilt for abandoning a loyal pet and embarked on searching the dog. Eventually, she found Julia loitering at a place she had left and brought her back.
Rana left Julia and her master’s home after administering the anti rabies vaccine. But Julia silently entered Rana’s creative imagination. She first posted Julia’s saga on Facebook that attracted several likes. Encouraged at response, Rana moulded the Facebook post into apiece for “Middle”—an editorial page column—and dispatched it to The Tribune newspaper.
Julia—living on in unhygienic environs and contaminated food on streets—had caught rabies that warranted upon its master to call the veterinarian.
Rana left Julia and her master’s home after administering the anti rabies vaccine. But Julia silently entered Rana’s creative imagination. She first posted Julia’s saga on Facebook that attracted several likes. Encouraged at response, Rana moulded the Facebook post into apiece for “Middle”—an editorial page column—and dispatched it to The Tribune newspaper.
The editor used it in no time. It was on some day in August 2017. After that she never looked back.
She churned out ‘Middle’ after ‘Middles”sending them to The Tribune, Hindustan Times, The Hindu, The New Indian Express and Deccan Herald among others.While continuing with her ‘Middle’ writing, Rana has got her two novels—‘Those College Years’ and ‘The Misadventure of A Vet’–published from Petals and Inkstate, publishing houses from Ludhiana, Punjab. At the same time, she has got ‘Finding Julia’—a collection of her middles in the form a book too published.
Thus, in a short span of two years, Rana Preet Gill is the author of three novels—all available on Amazon for sale—and has one more, awaiting response from the publishers.
In our almost two hour conversation, Rana talked only about the stories she had written and the books she was reading. I was simply amazed at the speed she had been reading and writing. “Either I read or I write. I don’t watch TVs and I am not fond of mobile phone either. I buy books and read most of the time”, she said in one ago.
She discovered me in a closed WhatsApp group of The Book Bakers—a top notch literary agency that represents me among other authors and expressed her wish to see me. The other day, I reached Hoshiarpur and met her.
In our almost two hour conversation, Rana talked only about the stories she had written and the books she was reading. I was simply amazed at the speed she had been reading and writing. “Either I read or I write. I don’t watch TVs and I am not fond of mobile phone either. I buy books and read most of the time”, she said in one ago.
I had read somewhere that Enid Blyton—the darling children’s literature—didn’t keep the number of the novels she had written. Enid was, I had read, a compulsive writer churning novel after novels and in the process carving out a niche in the heart and mind of the children across the world.
But I saw in Rana—in blood and flesh—a compulsive writer and obsessive reader. Flipping through the pages of her published books, I found that she had eyes for details, power of observation, and flair for writing and single minded devotion to write.
She can be a delight to the literary agents or publishers. At the same time she can send them to fits of exasperation too for an unbridled penchant to get her work through. But these are more a part and parcel to the world of the writers, literary agents and publishers; not very unusual trait.
When I asked what sort of stories she liked reading, she said, “I don’t like non-fiction. I read fiction only and write the stuff that gives space to my flight of imagination”.
I suggested her to read history, biographies and other non-fiction works too to bring in depth in her writing. I suggested that the writers are supposed to read many things they don’t like to which she responded positively. But I saw in her an unfathomable appetite to write fiction.
I wish you well, Rana Preet Gill.
