How this engineer-turned- author is exploring complex human relationships in the urban milieu with his books

A tryst with readers is every author’s goal, but very few of them have tasted success in this endeavor in the way postmodern writer Sabarna Roy has. All his writings - novellas, journals, narrative poetry, long short stories and plays - forge a personal touch with the readers.

Sabarna, who scripted literary success in 2010 with the publication of Pentacles, touched the very core of his readers with realistic themes touching upon complex human relationships - their darker and labyrinthine sides - in the urban milieu of present industrial society, in a lucid, engaging style.

In fact, the success story of this Kolkata-born civil engineer- turned-author, hinges on his ideation of revolutionary themes and sub-themes that most successfully mirror the dark comedies played out in our urban civil society every day.

On analysing the reason behind Sabarna’s early success, we find that his uncompromising attitude towards societal hypocrisy and its factual portrayal in his writings made readers feel he is one of them. Thus, a personal writer-to-reader tie was forged.

This resulted in his mass acceptance, evident by the repeated success of all his five works - Pentacles, Frosted Glass, Abyss, Winter Poems and Random Subterranean Mosaic 2012 - 2018 - Time frozen in myriad thoughts.

Sabarna’s sixth book, Etchings of the First Quarter of 2020, is all set to be published soon.

The duality of life

Sabarna’s success would remain untold without mentioning the fact that all his five works are bestsellers. This critically-acclaimed author is also commemorating his 25th work anniversary with the Indian Multinational Electrosteel Group headquartered in Kolkata as its Senior Vice President [Business Development]. He heads the Non-conventional Segment Business Unit covering areas ranging from industrial sector, irrigation sector to gravity sewer network sector.

Sabarna began giving wordy forms to his literary thoughts in English in 2007. Subsequently, he started writing prose and poems.

And, it resulted gradually into commercial and critical success. Sabarna is a recipient of the prestigious Literoma Laureate Award for fiction in 2019. In the same year, he was invited as a speaker for the opening day of the Noida International Literature Festival.

This year, he was invited as a speaker on the opening day in a panel discussion on the Dark Side of the Mind at the Tata Steel Literary Meet. He was also awarded with the prestigious Literoma Star Achiever in 2020 for his sustained authorship.

Tech leader

As a senior professional technocrat, Sabarna has spoken at various national and international conferences as well to read his technical papers on such subjects like irrigation water, wastewater, industrial water and different strategic technical issues concerning the ecology and environment. He staunchly believes in the Paris Climate Accord and works hard in the industry to bring down Carbon Footprint.

Sabarna has also co-authored a technical book entitled Articles on Ductile Iron Pipelines and Framework Agreement Contracting Methodology with Rajat Chowdhury and Basanta Bera, which has been translated into eight major European languages.

A widely travelled man, Sabarna lives in Kolkata with his family. He is an avid reader and a movie buff. He started writing during his university days, mostly English and Bengali poems. For four years at university, he edited the Bengali Poetry Journal, Mohana..His Bengali poems have been published in famous Bengali literary journals like Manifesto, Aneek, Baromash and Anushtup. A play Sabarna had written in Bengali in 1994 was published in the renowned Bohurupee Annual Edition of 2010.

Having given writing a break to pursue his career, Sabarna began writing again after a gap of 19 years to reconnect with himself.

But he has a long way to go still. Perhaps, what Robert Frost penned in Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening, fits perfectly...

The woods are lovely, dark and deep,

But I have promises to keep,

And miles to go before I sleep,

And miles to go before I sleep...