Anangsha Alammyan, a two-time Quora Top Writer (2016 and 2018) and top writer in ‘fiction’ and ‘short story’ categories on Medium, specializes in poetry and short fiction. Her short stories have won several national and international awards and her self-published poetry debut ‘Stolen Reflections’ ended up as an Amazon bestseller within four days of its release and is still going strong on the Amazon Bestsellers list.
Born in Guwahati, Assam, Anangsha had to move to Jorhat with her parents due to their transfer when she was just one-year-old. At Jorhat, Anangsha studied at Carmel School and did her higher secondary education in science stream from Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Golaghat.
Her family moved back to Guwahati soon after, but Anangsha moved to Silchar to study civil engineering from National Institute of Technology (NIT) Silchar. She also holds a master’s degree in civil engineering from the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati where she is currently pursuing her PhD part-time in the same department. Her father, Deeptarka Deka is a professor at Assam Engineering College (AEC) and her mother, Karabi Bora Deka is a Deputy General Manager at Assam Power Distribution Company Ltd (APDCL).
Anangsha, who made her debut as a professional authorthis April, has been writing for a long time. She published several poems and short stories in newspapers and online platforms. “I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember. In fact, my first poem got published in a regional newspaper when I was four. As a kid, my parents encouraged me a lot to send my better pieces to newspapers. One of the reasons why I continued writing is that I used to love to see my name in print,” Anangsha recalls.
With more than 50,000 followers on Quora, Anangsha was the only writer from the Northeast to feature in 2016’s top writer list. Having published her first book at the young age of 26, she has already completed her second book which is in talks with publishing houses for publication soon. It is a collection of hundred micro-tales spanning several genres like science-fiction, love, horror, etc. She is also working on her first full-length novel which is a piece of historical fiction set in the Assam of 1600s.
Speaking to G Plus about her first novel, Anangsha says, “Most Indians are unaware of the rich history of the northeastern region. Not a lot of people know that at a time when the whole of India was on its knees under the Mughal rule, the Assamese were the only people standing defiant and independent? Emperor Aurangzeb had sent a huge army to conquer the state, but the courageous warriors of Assam fought with all their might to defeat the Mughal army. Not accepting this defeat, the emperor kept sending forces one after the other. The brave Asomiyas defeated the Mughals not once but as many as 17 times. My book would chronicle the valour of the Assamese people at that time; it would be my tribute to the land I was born in.”
Her first book, Stolen Reflections, has garnered positive responses across various book-reviewing websites. It is an anthology of poems celebrating love through the traditional poetry forms. It is a journey told through the eyes of a young woman as she discovers love, revels in its many little joys, goes through the pain of heartbreak and then, with all the courage in her little heart, manages to start over again.
An avid reader and a huge Harry Potter fan, Anangsha claims to have read all the Harry Potter books at least 7 times.“Growing up, JK Rowling used to be my favorite author. Even now, whenever I feel low, I pick up one of the Harry Potter books and randomly start reading a few chapters. Somehow, it calms me down and makes me feel better,” Anangsha told G Plus. Her current favorite authors are the Canadian novelist Steven Erikson and India’s Arundhati Roy, who have greatly inspired her writing.
“I don’t believe in giving up on dreams, and writing has always been a part of me for as long as I can remember. It is important to find the right balance between your work and your passion.” Anangsha told G Plus, speaking about her current writing engagements.
Currently, Anangsha is working as a trainee teacher in NIT Silchar and she’s a part-time PhD student at IIT Guwahati. Her topic for PhD is ‘Response of foundations in hill slopes under earthquake conditions.’ “Because Assam has so many constructions on hill slopes and is ever so frequently racked by earthquakes, I believe I can do my bit towards making life here better through my research,” says Anangsha.
