Durjoy Datta

Durjoy Datta is an Indian novelist, screenwriter and entrepreneur. He also writes for television and movies. He has two youth shows, Sadda Haq - My Life, My Choice and Million Dollar Girl - From Banaras to Paris on Channel V India and also Ek Veer Ki Ardaas...Veera on Star Plus to his credit.^[1]

He served at NIIT Ltd. Siemens AG, and American Express until he co-founded the publishing house Grapevine India in June 2011 with the objective of identifying young and upcoming talent, backing them and developing them into strong recognisable brands.^[2] He is the best-selling author of nine books. In 2009, he was recognized as the young achiever by The Times of India. He was also chosen as one of the two young achievers in the field of Media and Communications by Whistling Woods International in 2011.^[3] His debut show Sadda Haq - My Life, My Choice won the Youth Show - fiction category at Zee Gold Awards in 2014 and at Indian Telly Awards in 2014 and 2015.^[4][5]

In 2012, he was one of the recipients of the Teacher's Achievement Awards, joining the likes of Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma, Prahlad Kakkar among others. He has also spoken in various TEDx conferences in colleges across India. He is one of the highest selling Indian authors in fiction.^[6]

Personal life

Durjoy Datta was born on 7 February 1987 into an opulent and educated Bengali family settled in Delhi. He was actually born in Mehsana, Gujarat but grew up in New Delhi. He completed his schooling at the renowned Bal Bharati Public School, Pitampura and went on to do mechanical engineering from the prestigious Delhi College of Engineering now known as Delhi Technological University. He did his post graduation from the elite business school Management Development Institute, Gurgaon and also from Frankfurt School of Finance & Management, Germany and majored in marketing and finance.^[7] He was a frequent blogger and started writing while he was still in final year of his college. In 2011, he quit his job at American Express as a marketing analyst and turned a full-time writer.^[2]

Career

Durjoy Datta's first novel, Of Course I Love You! (co-authored with Maanvi Ahuja) was released in 2008 while he was twenty one and was still in college. It was based on his experiences at Delhi College of Engineering. The book was a coming of age story of an awkward, young, overprotected boy and how his life changes during the four years he spends at Delhi College of Engineering. The book was a sleeper hit of the year.^[8]

In August 2009, his second novel, the sequel to the first book, Now That You're Rich!, was released and it borrowed heavily from his co-authors', Maanvi Ahuja's, experiences at an investment bank in Hyderabad. It debuted on various best-seller charts and though it sold well, the overall response was lukewarm. Durjoy had carried forward the two characters from Of Course I Love You, Deb and Avantika, in this book.^[9]

In the summer of 2010, his third novel, She Broke Up, I Didn't!, released and was widely loved. This was the third book in the series of Deb and Avantika and charts their lives during their stay at MDI, Gurgaon, a management college after they are relieved from the investment bank they were working in.^[10]

His fourth novel was written while he was in Europe for four months in the winter of 2010. The book was named Ohh Yes, I Am Single!, borrowed heavily from Durjoy's life and was written jointly by Neeti Rustagi and Durjoy Datta.^[11]

After passing out from MDI, Gurgaon, in 2011, he co-founded Grapevine India Publishers with the vision of creating a platform for young authors.^[12]

His fifth novel, You Were My Crush!, was published by Grapevine India Publishers in September 2011. It peaked at No. 3 on the Hindustan Times Bestseller and stayed there for three consecutive weeks.

If It's Not Forever!, his sixth novel, was released on 1 February 2012 and was inspired from the September 2011 blasts in Delhi high court. It detailed a road trip a few friends take after they find a burnt diary at a blast site.^[13] The book opened at the No. 6 spot at the Hindustan Times^[14]

In the same year, Till the Last Breath..., hit the book stands; the novel was about two young people, a girl suffering from ALS, and guy whose systems are shutting down after years of drug abuse; the novel charts the last few months of their lives. it opened at No.3 on the Hindustan Times Bestseller list.

The English Teacher, a short story written by him was released in August 2012 which outlines the dangerous obsession of a young, brilliant student with his English teacher.^[15]

On 4 February 2013, Someone Like You, a novel he co-wrote with Nikita Singh, was released by Penguin India.^[16] It debuted at No. 5 at Hindustan Times Bestseller list. It was Durjoy's first book written from a female character's perspective.

His ninth novel Hold My Hand released on 5 August 2013. The storyline encircles the love between Deep, a book geek cum scholar IT graduate & a blind girl named Ahana. Based in Hong Kong it reveals the natural beauty of blindness depicting the practicalities of blind person's life. The book was commissioned by Hong Kong Tourism Board.

His tenth novel When Only Love Remains released on 19 June 2014. When Only Love Remains is another love story from Durjoy Datta, this one set in the troubled world of an aspiring young singer Devvrat and revolving around a young woman Avanti who has been obsessed with him for a long time.^[17]

His eleventh novel World's ̷Best Boyfriend released on 24 April 2015. Dhruv and Aranya spend a good part of their lives trying to figure out why they want to destroy each other, why they hurt each other so deeply, and why they can’t stay away from each other. The answer is just as difficult each time...yet there is something that tells them: This is not it.^[18]

He has co-authored his books with Maanvi Ahuja, Neeti Rustagi, Orvana Ghai and Nikita Singh. He is one among the best selling writers in contemporary India.

He is a regular at TEDx talks^[19] and conferences in colleges pan-India and often invited as a guest speaker across the country. He is considered as one of the most aggressive and unabashed young authors. His columns have also appeared in popular blogs like Miss Malini and That's So Gloss.

Works

Novels

• Of Course I Love You..!...Till I Find Someone Better (co-author Maanvi Ahuja) (2008)
• Now That You're Rich! Lets Fall in Love! (co-author Maanvi Ahuja) (2009)
• SHE BROKE UP I DIDN'T!...I Just Kissed Someone Else! (2010)
• Ohh Yes, I'm Single..! And So is My Girlfriend! (co-author Neeti Rustagi) (2010)
• The Backbenchers series (contributor) (first book of the series was published in 2011)
• You Were My Crush!...till you said you love me! (co-author Orvana Ghai) (2011)
• If It's Not Forever...It's Not Love (co-author Nikita Singh) (2012)
• Till The Last Breath... (2012)
• Someone Like You (co-author Nikita Singh) (2013)
• Hold My Hand (2013)
• When Only Love Remains (2014)
• World's w̷o̷r̷s̷t̷ Best Boyfriend (2015)
• Our Impossible Love (2016)

Short stories

• The English Teacher (2012)
• Shades of Love (contributor) (2012)

Television shows

• Ek Veer Ki Ardaas...Veera (co-writer Sumrit Shahi) (2012 - 2015)
• Sadda Haq - My Life, My Choice (co-writer Sumrit Shahi) (2013–present)
• Million Dollar Girl - From Banaras to Paris (co-writer Sumrit Shahi) (2014 - 2015)

References

External links

• Grapevine India Publishers
• Work Summary
• Listed as one Top 10 Indian Authors