Model, entrepreneur and a graduate in Business Administration, Shibani Singh, from Mapusa, Goa, is now a young author, too. At 21, she made her maiden entry into the world of fiction writing with her book, entitled At the slum – The story of a victimized soul.
The book deals with some of the harsh realities of life. It touches upon the life of slum dwellers, the rich and the poor. It is the story of a rape victim, and shows how fate can turn into good fortune and can even be an inspiration.
Journey into writing
Shibani never imagined herself as an author. While pursuing her Bachelors in Business Administration, she was given a story-writing project and that is how she turned the story into a book.
"I was in the third semester of college. Our lecturer told us to write a story, and in the end, the character should end up in a slum. So, I structured the story and connected it to a slum," says Shibani.
It took Shibani around seven months to finish the book. "Six months were entirely devoted to writing, and the seventh month was spent on the layout and publishing," says the young author.
About the book
The book At the slum – The story of a victimized soul is published by Stallions Publications Inc, Margao. The story revolves around a character, 'Mona,' and depicts the prevailing social evils and dilemmas of our society, class fragmentation and other crimes in society today.
Readers get insights into the various layers of society, and through fiction, the author aims to touch upon several prevailing problems that many girls have to deal with in today's world.
At the same time, it makes one realise the need to be kind and empathetic.
Her story
The young author, who is also the runner up of Miss Goa 2022, says "Modelling was also never part of the plan. A designer friend asked me to wear one of the designs from her collection and that is how I got inclined towards it and took part in Miss Goa 2022."
Shibani hails from Bihar, but was born and brought up in Goa. She says that whatever she is today has been quiet a tough task to achieve, especially for a girl coming from such a conservative background.
"I come from a very conservative family background and none of what I do is acceptable for them. Even my parents had issues, but over the years, they saw my work, and people also started to appreciate it, and it gradually built up their faith in me and my work," she adds with a satisfied smile.
On a mission to empower women
This 21-years-old is determined to help empower women. She runs a salon 'Inari', in Saligao. And, under the same banner, she plans on organising various programs and events to help women unleash their talent and skills.
"Women have a lot of potential, and need proper direction, and I want to work towards helping them find one," concludes Shibani.
(The book is available in three formats paperback, hardcover, e-book, over Amazon. In, google books, google playbooks, stallions e-commerce websites and many other E-commerce websites.)