Meet The SHEROES - Chandana Dutta Of Akka Bakka
Published on
3 Jun 2016 . 6 min read
"Everything is usually an amalgamation, never isolated"
I have been Assistant Director for the publishing wing of Katha. I set up the publishing outfit India log of which I was Chief Editor. I was Editor, Indian Horizons, a quarterly journal on art and culture published by Indian Council for Cultural Relations, New Delhi. I translate from Hindi and Bangla into English. I hold PhD. from the Jawahar Lal Nehru University, New Delhi. I was Adjunct Faculty for the Masters Program in Publishing at the Ambedkar University, Delhi. I am co-founder, Akka Bakka, and Renge Strains.
You studied, and taught English literature, when did you decide to become a publisher?
While working on my doctoral thesis I began to teach at a Delhi University. I realised I wanted to continue working with words, books and literature, but not teach. Fortunately, publishing happened, and that relationship has been going strong ever since. I was lucky to have worked with an organization that popularized translations in India, to have set up a publishing house after that, worked as an Editor on a magazine on art and culture and contributed to several other turnkey projects along the way.
We are in the digital age, where everything is online. How are traditional publishing houses adapting? Any tips for aspiring writers and editors?
The shift to an online world is quite useful. Editors like us, content writers and several other professionals, can tap into this to work out of home, from different locations, across cities and still be connected to deliver a well worked out project. Many women, who have for good reason, left the office space are beneficiaries of this. This certainly works extremely well for publishing. In fact, online options have actually expanded the work base extensively if you know how to work with it.
You recently set up 'Akka Bakka', tell us more about it, and the challenges you faced?
When I shifted to the NCR region, with a growing child, I found very few options to expose him to what I considered important to his growth. So I did the next best thing. With two of my friends, I started a venture for children to play with art and literature, a space to explore the intricate connections between forms and styles and traditions in the play with words and art. I also felt that we need to continuously rethink ideas about what’s happening around us. To put it in a very basic way, what makes us elevate some things to a high platform, call it a masterpiece, ascribe a certain price or status to it, and reject or neglect others. We consider children the future, so it is important to get them to question things positively.
You have handled a lot of roles in your career, how were the shifts?
Well, yes, I’ve worked as a book editor, set up a publishing house as well, conceptualised and edited a couple of specialised journals, taught MA classes in Publishing, and now along with all of this I run Akka Bakka, a venture for children. We also have a chapter for older participants, similar ideas but with a different approach called Renge Strains. Each shift happened for a specific reason and, therefore, I’ve been very happy with them. I always looked at them as “time-to-move-on”. In fact, everything is usually an amalgamation, never isolated.
You have been working from home after your son was born, how did the shift from a regular office job work out?
When I had Ray I was very sure that I wouldn’t return to an office, to a 9-to-5. So, I never stopped working, only shifted my base home and continued to do what I could from that space. I kept translating and editing, even curated an art show for a friend. I haven’t had a problem with that decision. The only thing needed was to change the home schedules whenever required to fit the work in.
Any advice for freelancers and content writers on how to navigate their careers?
We must, as people who work with words, writing and books, keep reading and keep the questions alive. It’s essential to be mentally active. I tell myself, if I’m cooking or gardening then all the passion has to go into that. And when I’m working on books or am with the children, that’s where I’ll direct it.
SHEROES
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