#AuthorTalks
The Little Light by Dipa Sanatani is a must read ! Read her interview where she talks about Astrology and how she thought of making it a fun read.
🔥Author Introduction.
Dipa Sanatani is the Merchant of Stories. She comes from a family of Gujarati merchants and educators with roots in Singapore and the UK. In 2007, she left behind her roots to discover her wings. Since then, she’s lived, studied and worked in Australia, Israel, Japan and China, adding uncharted territories to a long list of previously ventured destinations. With a background in both business and education, Dipa has extensive experience in the public-school system as well as in the private, government and corporate sectors.
🔥Did you always aspire to be a writer?
Oh yes. I don’t remember a time when I didn’t write. I can’t remember a time when I didn’t want to be a writer. I don’t know where this desire comes from. It’s hard to explain.
🔥How did you think of making such a vast and complex subject a fun read? How did you get the idea to make the planets’ characters human-like, funny and easy to understand?
The idea came to me when I was lying in bed alone in my apartment in Japan. I was contemplating the vast nature of the universe when I suddenly thought, “How nice it would be if I could invite the planets over for a discussion on life, love and the larger purpose for our existence.”
I promptly opened up my notebook and drew a sketch of what the mythological Nine Celestial Beings would look like if they were ‘updated’ for the modern era. The idea ruminated in my head for four years before I finally sat down to write the story.
In Vedic Mythology, the Celestial Beings are personified as a family that have a relationship with each other – some complementary, others highly dysfunctional. What I’ve done with The Little Light is reinterpreted and reimagined those myths for the modern era.
I never thought that I would write in the Young Adult genre, but I wound up working in the education sector for over 4 years… Those experiences groomed me to communicate with a younger demographic.
I wrote this book as a teacher. I wanted to write a book that my students would enjoy reading. Learning should be both educational and fun.
🔥Why do you think a lot of people don’t believe in Astrology?
Ahh… to be honest, I was a cynic for a long time myself. Growing up, I had a hard time with the way that astrologers would make these ‘predictions’ about the future. It negated all sense of free will and I didn’t find their advice helpful.
But then as I got older and studied more on the topic, it started to make more sense to me. The stars are a map – and they guide us. They have lots of wisdom to offer. We just have to listen… and then be prepared to take responsibility for our own decisions.
🔥There’s this question that I always wanted to ask. The daily horoscope that comes in newspapers, is it always accurate ?
Nah… the stuff in the newspapers. That’s just entertainment.
🔥And how is such a generalized horoscope curated?
I have no idea… I read it as a tidbit of fun. But I can’t say I take it seriously myself.
🔥Having a horoscope made, predicting the future, do you think it makes a person’s life easy or rather constricts it?
I think a lot of it depends on the knowledge and skill of the astrologer. These days, our generation is lucky. We can pluck our birth data into a software and poof – we can have our birth chart at our fingertips. The older generations had no choice but to call an astrologer in to do those calculations.
There are many different schools of thought and calculation systems – Vedic, Western, Chinese, Mayan… so on and so forth. And even within Vedic astrology, there are a few different ways to calculate the birth chart.
That whole explanation to say… the interpretations of the birth chart can vary greatly depending on which system the astrologer follows… and their personal expertise.
🔥Why do you think people are so afraid of having ‘Rahu/Ketu/Shani dasha’?
In The Little Light, I’ve explored the concept that Rahu, Ketu and Saturn are karma planets. They force the soul to face their karma. Rahu pushes the soul to fulfill its current life destiny. Ketu asks the soul to release its past life karma. And Saturn… well, it pretty much orders us to deal with the hard truths and realities of life.
I believe these transits are not to be feared as they will ultimately lead to a higher understanding of our own human experience.
🔥To what extent is Astronomy related to Astrology? Is it pure science?
Astrology is a precursor to astronomy. I believe that the calculations of the natal chart are scientific, but the interpretations however… now that’s an art.
🔥Are you planning to write more books related to Astrology or will you switch to some other genre ?
Ahh… my interest in astrology stems from my interest in mythology. So, you can be rest assured that my future books will feature mythological characters from all over the world.
🔥Which book would you recommend to a person who wants to learn about Astrology?
For a beginner, I’d recommend The Essentials of Vedic Astrology by Komilla Sutton. It’s easy to understand and provides a very grounded view of astrology.
🔥Any message for your readers?
The Little Light is the first book in The Guardians of the Lore series. I’m currently working on the sequel. If you’d like to know what happens to The Little Light once it’s born on planet earth… stay tuned.
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