Techie’s book on award shortlist
By Suneetha

IIT Kharagpur alumnus and SAP expert Anirudha Bhattacharjee co-authored a biography on the music maestro R D Burman which is now going places. On April 26, 2011, Techgoss had interviewed Anirudha.  We catch up with Dubai based Anirudha again after "R.D. Burman - The Man and Music” is one of the six books recently short listed for the prestigious Shakti Bhatt First Book Prize.

Techgoss (TG): What are your impressions of the Shakti Bhatt first Book Prize?
Anirudha Bhattacharjee (AB): I think it is a wonderful avenue for new writers to be recognized and evaluated. I have checked the previous winners and they are extremely deserving candidates. I did my homework on their work in the last few days. Unfortunately I have read only a few of the books which have been nominated in the last 3 years - need to catch on my reading once I am back in India.

TG: How do you feel on being short listed?
AB: In one word - Wow. I never thought that our book would be considered for awards. Our (Balaji Vittal, my co-author’s and mine) intention was to tell our version of the Pancham story - about his music. I take this opportunity to thank the editorial guys at Harper Collins - they have been extremely co-operative and enthusiastic about the project. I would, once again, like to thank Pancham's musicians, associates and friends - without them nothing would have happened.

The Shakti Bhatt First Book Prize is worth a purse of One Lakh Indian Rupees and rewards first-time authors of all ages. It is granted by the Shakti Bhatt Foundation which is a non-profit trust set up by the late Shakti Bhatt’s family to keep her memory alive.

Read Techgoss’s previous interview with Anirudha Bhattacharjee here.