Vish Dhamija

Vish Dhamija is a British Indian crime-fiction writer who lives in the UK. He is frequently referred to in the press as the "master of crime and courtroom drama" ^[1] in India. In August 2015, at the release of his first legal fiction (his third novel) Déjà Karma, Glimpse Magazine called him: India’s John Grisham^[2][3] for stimulating the genre of legal fiction in India which was almost non-existent before his arrival on the scene.^[4] In a survey by eBooks India website, Vish Dhamija was listed along the top 51 Indian authors you must follow.^[5]

Vish Dhamija
Vish Dhamija
Born	July 30th Ajmer, Rajasthan
Occupation	Digital Marketer; Crime Fiction Writer
Language	English
Education	MBA
Alma mater	Alliance Manchester Business School
Genre	Crime Fiction; Legal Thrillers
Notable works	Unlawful Justice & Bhendi Bazaar
Years active	2010 to present
Website
http://vishdhamija.com/

Early life

Dhamija grew up in Ajmer, Rajasthan, where he spent the first twenty years of his life.^[6] He attended St. Anselm's School, a convent school in Ajmer established by the Rt. Rev. Dr. Fortunatus Henry Caumont O.F.M. in 1904. He earned his B. Com from Government College, Ajmer. Dhamija dropped out of law school after his first year, and then attended Jodhpur University for a degree in Management. After a few years of working in the corporate world in India, he left for Manchester Business School in the UK for an MBA in Marketing and Strategy.^[7]

In school, Dhamija was very active in literary and stage activities. He was the President of the school's Literary Society.

Writing career

Dhamija's first book, Nothing Lasts Forever, was published in 2010 by Srishti Publishers; it was long-listed for "Vodafone-Crossword Book Award 2011.".^[8] A crime thriller, the book is based in the posh locality of Worli in Mumbai, India.

Bhendi Bazaar, Dhamija's second book, was published in 2014 by Rumour Books, and tells the story of a serial killer and the police officer^[9] who attempts to identify the pattern behind the killer's murders before she becomes the next victim. The setting of the book is Bhendi Bazaar in south Mumbai.^[10] Since it was first published, the book has remained on Amazon India's Top 100 list for 'Crime, Thriller, and Mystery'^[6] and has been noted for its ingenuous plot and rich characters.^[11][12][13]

Dhamija has said in interviews that crime fiction, which is mainly what he reads, is the only genre in which he can imagine himself writing for the time being.^[14]

In August 2015, Déjà Karma (Dhamija's third book and first legal thriller) became a bestseller and was featured on both The Financial Express^[15] and Crossword Bookstores^[16] lists for two consecutive weeks. His next book, Doosra – The Other One was released in Feb 2016, and Business Standard featured it in March, calling it a "…must read.".^[17] Dhamija's fifth book - Nothing Else Matters was launched at the Kumaon Literary Festival in October. In November it reached number 6 on WH Smith charts on both, domestic and international airports in New Delhi. Bloggers rated it as one of the top 10 books by Indian authors in 2016 ^[18] and top 10 romance novels of 2016 by Iindian authors.^[19] Harper Collins india released Dhamija's sixth book, Unlawful Justice in June 2017,^[1] which The Times of India called: "a gripping legal thriller^[20]".

Personal life

Dhamija works in Digital Marketing. He and his wife, Nidhi live in the UK.^[7][21]

Bibliography

References