Kanchan Bhaskar
Kanchan Bhaskar, an Indian-American, is a first-time author of her memoir Leaving: How I Set Myself Free From an Abusive Marriage. She holds a Master's Degree in social work and a certificate in life coaching. She is also a certified Business Coach. Being a successful Human Resource professional, her expertise is in training and mentoring. She is a certified advocate, speaker, and coach for victims and survivors of domestic violence. Kanchan lives in Chicago.
Facebook: @kanchanMbhaskar
Linkedin: @kanchan-bhaskar-a99264245/
Favorite non-reading activity?
Listening to music is my passion. All genres of music, played in any language, vocal or instrumental, live or virtual, touch the cords of my heart. I do have preferences if given a choice, like classical over non-classical, instrumental over vocal, trumpet over clarinet, flute over mouth organ, Sufi over contemporary film songs, and classic rock over rock. I love old Bollywood romantic songs of the seventies and eighties. Music energizes me and calms me down, music elates me and loosens my nerves, music blazes me and melts me, it can make me dance in a frenzy or slowly tiptoe, music can take me to the highest ebb and into euphoria. It can take me to a state of stillness and meditation. It provides me with mental space. In essence, music is a mere romance to me, bringing me close to my soul.
Vacation druthers… City or Rural destination? Why?
I prefer to be visiting rural areas, the interiors where we originated. It connects me to our past, it allows me to watch and feel the traditions, values, and mores of diverse ethnicities and the inclusivity of a race where it belongs. It amazes me to see the distinction in the colors and features of the inhabitants, their body language, and their style of expression. I admire the assorted, prevalent colors and attires, the interiors of their dwellings, lifestyles, and religious beliefs. I am in disbelief to see their simplicity, their warmth, and loyalty to their families and neighborhood. Their farming methods, food habits, marriage rituals, and ceremonies talk to us about their heritage and how there is unity in diversity.
Do you have another artistic outlet in addition to your writing? Do you sew? Paint? Draw? Knit? Dance?
I am artistic by nature—a Jack of all trades. In my free time, which I rarely get - I like to draw, paint, decorate interiors, take pictures, make collages, sew and knit. Sometimes it’s going and sitting in my favorite places over the weekends and spending hours together turning pages of artistic books and admiring artistic vision, patterns, and mesmerizing colors in abstracts-Barnes and Noble and local art shops are two such places. Other times it’s just walking in nature and appreciating His creativity.
What brings you great joy?
I get joy in the smallest of the things that creation has provided us with. A flower, a bird, a water stream, raindrops, patterns that clouds make, the hummingbird fluttering in the air, a squirrel nibbling and running up the branches, the moon changing shapes each day, watching sunrise or flurry of snow……
Do you speak a second language? Do you think differently in that language? Does it influence your writing?
I speak Hindi, which is the national language of India, as well as my mother tongue. The expression of one language into another is difficult to translate. The Hindi language expresses poetry in a romantic way which I find loses its essence when translated and loses its depth. Translating prose is relatively easy while translating. So, I think about certain expressions differently in Hindi than English.
