Anjali Paul

I was born in Punjab, India. I have a B.A. (Honours) degree in English Literature, and a post-graduate diploma in Film-making. I also have a certificate that enables me to work as a fully qualified yoga teacher, which I gained at the Sivananda Ashram in Kerala, South India.

I have had a somewhat accident-prone life. I have experienced five major accidents, including a severe car crash in Delhi. The worst accident happened when I was twenty-four. At the age of 24 I was in a fire and suffered third degree burns. Extensive skin grafts left my whole body scarred, except for my face and my back. However, with the love and support of my parents, I recovered my well-being and mobility. Well, they say "accidents are no accident" and this is one of the many things I learned during the course of my personal spiritual journey! However, that is another story... .

Meanwhile, to continue with this story - I went on to work in many fields. I have even managed to work indoors occasionally as a journalist, an advertising copywriter, an independent theatrical and video producer, a festival organiser, a storyteller, a market researcher, and a customer care representative for a brand of washing powder, during which time I gave penetrating and heartfelt advice on stain removal...until I was fired... .

I have always wanted to be a writer, and wrote my first story at the age of three. Fortunately, my command of English improved a bit as I got older...though many publishers did not agree...and actively encouraged me not to write in English or any other language!

I didn’t listen to them. I knew I had talent, so I spent many years developing it. I learned how to write in the old-fashioned way – by living on the poverty line while spending all my time writing. I learned about life, I learned about people, I learned about myself, and I learned how to write. I wrote three novels – the first was so bad I binned it. The second wasn’t much better. The third was good. During this time I also wrote poetry - some of which was published in poetry magazines; I wrote short stories and won a short story prize along the way; I wrote and produced plays and screenplays as well.

In 2006 my fourth novel The Virgin Goddess was published by Kennedy & Boyd Ltd. This is what has been said about it:
“The Virgin Goddess is a meticulously researched story of a girl who was selected as the Royal Kumari of Kathmandu, Nepal at the age of four. A Kumari is a girl who is worshipped as a living goddess. The prevailing trend is to de-mystify such ancient traditions - but this novel, which is the only one ever to have been written about this subject, exuberantly re-mystifies it, revealing a clear-eyed understanding of the deep spiritual knowledge which nourishes this cultural practice. It is a beautifully written, perceptive and witty tale of a goddess who learns how to become a human being… .”

It is available on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk and can be ordered from all bookshops.

I also completed a collection of poetry called “Poems about Love and Life and Staring Out of Windows at Trees.” Some of these poems have already been published in various poetry anthologies – most recently the well-received “Life Stories” published by Anthony Xavier Productions.

Interests: walking, reading, yoga, meditation, science, dancing, music, the world, travelling, people, life... .

Published writer: Yes

Freelance: Yes

Published works:

Fiction