Romance writer Ravinder Singh relives his Burla memories with fans in Odisha capital

Bhubaneswar: Bestselling romance writer Ravinder Singh is only too happy to see the Odisha capital, where he started his career as an IT professional, growing by leaps and bounds.

Born and brought up in Burla, the ‘I Too Had A Love Story’ author was in town recently for a conversation with his fans at a bookshop and Odisha Sun Times caught up with him. Amid the cheers and chants, he spoke about his earnest memories of Burla, reminiscing days of cycling down the Hirakud dam under the street lights in the evening.

“When I left Bhubaneswar and took up a job outside the state, people would ask me where I’m from and the name, Burla, didn’t ring a bell. So, I would tell them about Hirakud dam and in those days, it was the world’s longest dam. This is how I would introduce them to the land where I spent my childhood. It’s strange how people knew about the dam but not the river,” said an amused Ravinder, whose second book ‘Can Love Happen Twice’ too won rave reviews.

Bhubaneswar is Ravinder’s favourite place. “I love coming here. I have so many memories attached to it. When I worked here at Infosys, I made a lot of friends on the first day. Bhubaneswar airport is also where I boarded my first-ever flight,” he said.

“The best thing about this city is that it is peaceful. It’s green and sea is just two hours drive from the city,” he said. The author feels Odisha needs to promote itself as this culturally-rich state has a lot to offer.

In a message to young writers, he said, “Do not write just for the heck of writing. Write when you want to. Develop a depth in your writing than simply adorning it with high-sounding words.”

‘Will You Still Love Me’, Ravinder’s next book, will be launched this Valentine’s Day. His untitled book based on his friends Happy, MP, Ram and Rinku will also be released later this year.