Writers Fate

I am doing the most peaceful work on earth: writing. To study and write in my own way, without getting involved in anyone else’s affairs. This work can be done from the comfort of home; all it requires is a laptop and an internet connection. I have both. This is my primary sanctuary of peace. I can carry on with this work while staying detached from the rest of the world. Nothing else attracts me.

Over the past few years, I have transformed my work into joy. Household chores and troubles are always there—and they will remain—but amidst all that, my core work is writing. It is through writing that I am able to live in the world of knowledge. Fate has granted me this opportunity. What’s even more gratifying is that my writing has managed to attract the attention of great minds. Young people read my work with keen interest. A class of readers in Bangladesh waits for my books.

This is exactly what I dreamed of eight years ago. In 2018, when my first piece was published on a large scale in Silk Route, I thought to myself: if I can write something readers love, editors will wait to take my work. I told a friend about this, but he didn't believe me. He used to say that without lobbying, one cannot get published in prestigious journals. Without getting discouraged, I kept writing—specifically about my studies in history. Those pieces gained popularity in a very short time. After that, I never had to look back.

When Uponibesh Chattogram (Colonial Chittagong) was published, readers rushed to buy it. All copies were sold out with unbelievable speed. That gave me the courage to write my subsequent books. After the publication of the next five books, readers bought them with even greater enthusiasm. So far, all six published books have been received with great respect by the readers. In the world of non-fiction, such popularity is a rare phenomenon even for famous authors. When Thangliana went through five prints within a single year, I was truly stunned. Is this even possible? Can an unknown author reach readers like this—without any lobbying, without promotion, and without the endorsement of famous people?

Now, I have earned a respectful place in the Eid specials of the country’s leading dailies. To my knowledge, no other writer from Chittagong has achieved such an honor. Like last year, this year too, three sensational pieces have been published in three Eid specials. Among them is my first novel. I was afraid whether readers would like it, but it seems to have become the most popular of all.

I am a simple man. I work sitting in a secluded corner of my room. This laptop and a few books are my only assets. This is my small world. Through this window, I bring forth novel information from different corners of the globe. I write about subjects that people haven't read or written about before. I do not write on over-discussed topics; instead, I have made history popular by presenting fresh subjects.

The financial rewards from this work are not bad at all. For a writer like me, it is quite unbelievable. While many popular and established writers do not receive their dues, someone like me is earning nearly a hundred thousand (lakh) taka a year from writing. I will remain grateful to fate for everything. In a country with such low literacy, it is difficult to gain this level of respect as a writer without fate being on your side. From the very beginning, luck has helped me generously. If no obstacles stop my world of writing, I will be able to move further ahead. Will fate give me the chance to go a little further?