Last Saturday, I had the opportunity to host motivational speaker and author Priya Kumar. And how did this happen? It’s all serendipity. Read on.

My first brush with Priya

You won’t believe how I first came across Priya.
Sometime in September, I saw one of my colleagues reading one of Priya’s books at her desk. I happened to ask her about it, and she mentioned she’d loved “I Will Go with You” by the same author. Mind you, until then, I had not heard of the author at all.

Back at my desk, I googled Priya Kumar and immediately realized I had seen the same book cover(s) in a bookcase at work (a shelf I have never seen anyone use in my three years in the organisation). I approached someone randomly to get the keys to the bookcase and of all the people in the department, he happened to have it on him, right then! Within 10 minutes of hearing Priya’s name for the first time, I had her book in my hand! I came home with a copy of “I Am Another You”. Later, I bought “I will Go With You” as well.

The very next week, I got a tweet from Priya’s marketing team, saying they’d like to send me a copy of her latest book “The Calling”! Apparently, they were sending a copy to my sis and saw my blog mentioned in one of her tweets. Talk about timing! In less than a week, I received a package with a coffee mug, a handwritten letter and a signed copy of the book!

Fast forward to October. I get a call from her team asking me to host an author reader meet for her in Hyderabad. And I said yes, of course!

How it went

I picked a chilled out cafe in Hitech City called Whiteboard cafe. The meet was attended by my friends, colleagues and Priya’s fans.
After introducing her to the gathering, I stepped aside and Priya took over.

Firstly, the entire experience of hosting an author was absolutely great! Secondly, Priya was nothing like other motivational speakers I’d heard. The session was informal, fun, and moreover, her communication style is absolutely conversational. So much so, that each one of us could relate to her. She felt like she was one of us.

Here are some of the things she said that struck a chord with me:

Read biographies of famous people.
It’s okay to say ‘no’ to anyone at any point of time.
Write. Write. Write. It helps you think clearly.
Marry someone who has similar tastes as you.
Don’t get defensive when someone criticizes you – instead, take heed.
Reach early. Preparing in advance is the best way to prepare for success.

Overall, her stories were short, inspirational, and humorous.