What do the world’s most loved furniture brand, the nation’s highest selling mobiles and the highest on-time airlines in the country have in common? They have all borrowed words from Anindita. Better known as Annie in the advertising circuits, she has also lent voice to hospitals, leading dailies, automobiles, fashion brands, FM channels, gender sensitive social causes alike. Her work has earned her several prestigious awards and accolades in creativity and effectiveness. An alumnus of the Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Delhi, she grew up with a love for story telling in the green city of Guwahati. This is her first attempt to write something without a client’s approval. She also giddily warns her readers that this isn’t going to be her last either. Akhila Saroha: I would like to begin by congratulating you on the publication of “What The Pandemic Learned From Me.” How has the response to the book been so far? Anindita Das: The response has been warm so far, but I am hoping it’s going to pick up more in the coming days. Within two days of launch, it got a top best seller rank in the humor and self-help categories of Amazon. It has also been consistently ranking in the Top 5 Hot Releases. Messages and mentions have been pouring in from many readers and bloggers letting me know that they could relate to it and they seem to have had a few good laughs. Akhila Saroha: What led to the idea of writing “What The Pandemic Learned From Me”? Were there any events that inspired the work? Anindita Das: Let’s just consider this – we have all given two years of our life so far to the pandemic. While for some people this has been an extremely productive phase, I felt in my case, it wasn’t so. The feeling of being stuck alone in a house, grappling with all-encompassing grief, and scrolling endless bad news on social media pushed me to do something positive. I took to writing so I could process my feelings. That’s how the idea of turning it into a book and maybe help people to anchor themselves to some positive experiences or at least derive some form of momentary entertainment during the lockdown came into being. Akhila Saroha: How easy or difficult was it for you to write on a subject that held relevance for all and also remain objective about them despite being personal at the same time in “What The Pandemic Learned From Me”? Anindita Das: I almost gave up on publishing when the second wave peaked, because though we all knew it would happen, nothing had prepared us for the intensity of it. It often felt crippling to keep up with the nonstop cheerful tonality of the book considering what people in the country were experiencing and I, myself was feeling. I was often riddled by doubts if my view was too frivolous and myopic, and I had to constantly work on reminding myself why this made sense not just for me but for other people also. It made sense to dig into something light and happy after many months of just doom and despair. It’s what our soul needed. Akhila Saroha: What are your views about present-day writing? Do you think it does complete justice in depicting human nature in the light of “What The Pandemic Learned from Me”? Anindita Das: I wouldn’t presume to comment on the state of present-day writing. I realize in recent times quite a few lockdown diaries have come out, though I personally haven’t read any of them. From what I have seen of the book blurbs, I do feel my book handles the topic in a completely different light. It’s a mix of humorous anecdotes, insightful observations and a hint of satire. It’s a peek into our collective experiences and our lockdown lives.   Akhila Saroha: “What The Pandemic Learned From Me” shows the uniqueness of your style of writing. Are there any authors that you enjoy reading or any books which are your favorites? Anindita Das: It’s embarrassing but I have been in a bit of reading slump. But this year, I have read a few books that I quite enjoyed. I have a special soft corner for historical fiction – The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, Pachinko by Min Lee and The Forest of Enchantments by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni are the ones I have read recently. I am also fond of books by Phillipa Gregory and Indu Sundesaran. Akhila Saroha: How would you categorize “What The Pandemic Learned From Me” as its appeal seems to be to a broad audience? Anindita Das: This is a good question, because while this is a book in humor genre, it is also about the huge array of experiences we didn’t plan for, thanks to the pandemic. At some point, we all tried our hands in reviving an old hobby that we had to let go off or latch onto a completely new form of distraction for the sake of our sanity. Simply, because of that it is relatable to a vast number of readers but especially to girls who might be spending the lockdown days alone. I was surprised when the book became a best seller in the self-help category and not just in the humor category on Amazon. Akhila Saroha: “What The Pandemic Learned From Me” has given a powerful introduction to your potential as a writer. Can the readers expect more from you in the future? Please share about your future projects. Anindita Das: I do intend to write something more in the future, a young adult romance perhaps. But the idea is really at a very nascent stage right now. Then there’s also the writing that I do as an advertising creative, hopefully there will be some good campaigns coming out soon. I have also been helping out Osmo International, a school focused on educating economically backward students through innovative mind mapping techniques back in Assam. Akhila Saroha: