Ad man and co-founder of chlorophyll, India's first brand consultancy, Kiran Khalap has ventured into writing in a major way. Not only did his first book Halfway Up the Mountain launch in December last year, his second book too is well on its way. This 'non-menopausal Indian male', as he describes himself, is an ex-teacher in an experimental primary school inspired by J Krishnamurti (one the greatest spiritual leaders of the 20th century) and by his own testimony, 'has been there, done that'.

From being an advertising copywriter to ex-CEO of an advertising agency, brand consultant and co-founder of chlorophyll, Khalap is also the winner of an Indo-UK Short Story Competition.Halfway Up The Mountain, published by Jacaranda, tells the story of Maya's journey through life, from a childhood in Konkan to married life in Mumbai and then stablility in the cool climes of Mahabaleshwar.(Click here to read a review of Halfway Up The Mountain)

In an email interview with indiantelevision.com, Khalap expressed his thoughts on creativity, chlorophyll and more.

How difficult was it to write a book like Halfway Up The Mountain from a woman's perspective? What was the inspiration?
I'll answer your second question first. My mother used to be chronically ill, so we had a steady stream of her nieces from the Konkan who stayed with us. They helped her, and in turn, our family helped them finish their education in Mumbai. As a kid I always wondered what happened to their hearts and minds when some of them returned to their village life. That fascination was the starting point of Maya, the protagonist in Halfway Up the Mountain.

First question now: If women can write from a man's perspective, why not the other way round? Anyway, it's a greater challenge to feel differently, think differently. There was one area where my understanding of how women think and feel did not work: Motherhood. I had to talk to friends who were mothers in order to understand the deep physical and psychological changes that they undergo. I also did a lot of desk research about motherhood.

How far are you with your second book? What does it deal with?
I have laid out the plot, worked on the three characters, worked out their stories and destinies, outlined the locales. Most important, I have an intriguing title (that it is intriguing has been proven by simple research!): Two Pronouns and a Verb.

You can interpret it as "I love you" or "I hate you" or one hundred variations of that construct, but the one I am going to focus on is "Who am I?"

My guess is all fiction that I will write will deal with one fundamental issue: How do we, as imperfect, complex human beings, approach the meaning of life? My dream is to write about the same subject through different perspectives, but always keep the language rich, poetic, sensuous.

What is the feedback from readers that you have got now that Halfway Up The Mountain has been on bookstore shelves for more than a month?
To me the book had to start a dialogue, so we provided a web site (www.hutm.com) to facilitate feedback. Most have written in with their immediate emotional reactions, but some have then gone on to analyse the characters. The latter are mostly people who read a lot of literature.

The common thing both have said is, "The book is unputdownable, beautifully written…parts of it move you to tears". To me that is very satisfying. I think my first job as a writer is to connect. My second job is to use the constructive criticism to improve myself as a craftsman.

If the advertising fraternity is full of creative brains, why don't we see more of them venturing into literature and allied fields like you have?
First, I don't agree that 'more haven't ventured'. My colleague Nalesh Patil is regarded as one of the best poets in Marathi, Gopi Kukde ventured into pottery, Alyque Padamsee and Rahul Dcunha are accomplished theatre professionals, Priya Pereira, who designed the book cover is the only one in India who does "artist books"…she is even got her stuff in the Guggenheim Museum!

Secondly, I am not very sure the creative urge has to find expression only in a creative 'product'. To me, at the highest level of creativity, you are able to experience the end of all divisions, you can feel in your bones how all consciousness is one. At that level, you don't need to create any 'thing'!

Who are the important clients chlorophyll has had in the last one year? Can you elaborate on any one brand that Chlorophyll has helped turn around in the last one year?
In the last one year, we have been working with the Taj Group of Hotels to build a new brand from scratch. We worked with Unilever Amsterdam on a HR brand, 'cascading' it worldwide. We worked with Polaris Software lab for their international 'product' brand as well as their corporate brand. We are working with Nihilent Technologies to launch their software product brand, and with Essar to rationalise their brand-product matrix.

It's been a year of remarkable learnings!