“Life is a very strange experience.” –The Little Light by Dipa Sanatani

Spirituality is an age-old concept. Ever since mankind began pondering about the purpose of their existence, the concept of spirituality began to surface. And as the universal quest for finding the meaning of life began, spirituality emerged as the means of finding the answers to the long-asked questions. As spiritual knowledge began to expand, it led mankind on the path to greater happiness with an emotionally richer lives and open mindsets.

Welcome to yet another exclusive interview with author Dipa Sanatani where she enlightens us about her journey with spirituality and shares her thoughts regarding this huge concept. Narrating her personal experiences, she reveals to us what actually drew her towards spirituality and which aspect of the concept she likes the most. She explains how spirituality forms an important part of our lives and puts forward her belief that spirituality is beyond all age limits. She throws some light on the spiritual content in her debut book “The Little Light” and her journey of imbuing spirituality in a fictional story.

While contemplating how she managed to present the complicated concept of spirituality in a simplified form, author Dipa Sanatani reveals how she wanted to strike the young hearts with her content and explain the concept to the teenagers as not many books on spirituality seems to target youths. This is what made her imbue spirituality into a fictional story and present it to young adult readers by introducing them to the world of spirituality.

And this brings us to the topic of our interview with author Dipa Sanatani: “Spirituality for Young Adults.” Read on to explore the realm of spirituality in a simple, short, interesting way and experience its influence over the mind and soul.

“Spirituality helps us to discover and make sense of our true purpose in life.”

Q. What drew you towards spirituality?

A: Spirituality and religion are often seen as synonymous with each other but I don’t think they’re the same thing. Religion is manmade. Spirituality on the other hand is the belief that there is a spirit or soul beyond material existence.

I’ve always had this sense that there’s a lot more to life than material existence. That there’s a whole world out there beyond what we can see and comprehend.

Q. Which aspect of spirituality attracts you the most?

A: That it goes beyond religion, science and material existence. That there’s something that ties us living beings together that is beyond human perception. To some people, the uncertainty of it all is scary. But to me, it helps me surrender to my higher purpose. That although free will exists, there is a higher law at work beyond you and me.

Q. Why do you think spirituality is an important part of our life?

A: In writing the character of Venus in The Little Light, I explored the concept that material abundance alone cannot provide mankind with happiness. Even when all our material needs are met, there can be a nagging sense that something is missing. An unhappiness that cannot be logically explained.

I think that’s why spirituality is important. It helps us to discover and make sense of our true purpose in life.

“True beauty lasts through the toughest of storms.” –The Little Light by Dipa Sanatani

Q. Do spirituality and astrology cross path with each other?

A: It depends on who you ask. But to me, the answer is yes. We can discover a lot about ourselves and our life path through our natal chart. At the same time, I don’t think that astrology is the only pathway to discovering our spirituality. We can always read books, meditate, find a teacher etc.

There are many modes of transportation that lead to the same destination.

Q. Do spiritual beliefs have anything to do with superstitious beliefs?

A: Superstition is the excessively credulous belief in and reverence for the supernatural. Anything taken to its extreme is always dangerous. At the end of the day, humans are still physical beings that have to exist in the material realm. We cannot lose ourselves and our minds believing wholeheartedly in ideas that are not grounded in real world application.

Q. The spiritual realm is supposed to be a very complicated one. How did you manage to present it in such a simplified form in “The Little Light”?

A: As a former teacher, I really wanted to write a book that my students could understand, appreciate and relate to. For my work to have relevance to the modern reader, it had to be accessible. I often asked myself, “If I had to explain this concept to one of my teenage students, how would I explain it in a way that they would understand?”

It’s an insatiably curious age group and I think there aren’t enough books in this genre that are targeted towards them.

“In a way, it is the beginning and the end.”

Q. Do you support the common belief that spirituality is something to be practiced in old age or do you think that spirituality is beyond all age limits?

A: Spirituality is beyond all age limits. I think it becomes more relevant in old age because people realise that they are not as indestructible as they were in youth. If you ask me, might as well realise this sooner so that you can accept the fragility of life and use your finite time wisely.

Q. Spiritual writing is generally considered as “non-fiction” work. What made you imbue spirituality in a fictional story?

A: I recently read quite a few non-fiction books in the spirituality genre and whilst the concepts they explored were relevant, I found it hard to read more than a few pages at a time as the content was so dense. I had to stop, take it in and then resume reading again a few hours later.

With a fictional story, I had more room to explore different ideas through the characters and setting. That way I could pace the story in a way that the reader wouldn’t get too bogged down reading the book.

Q. Did you ever feel getting into the theme of spirituality is a dangerous territory?

A: It’s precisely why I decided to write fiction and not non-fiction. In fiction, there is room for the human imagination to expand and flourish. With non-fiction, I would have to stick to facts and ideologies and prove them somehow. I didn’t want to do that.

I wanted to offer readers a chance to form their own understanding based on the different characters who all have their own unique yet contradictory perspectives.

Q. What message did you try to convey to your readers through the spiritual content of your book?

A: “Life is not meant to be foretold, Little Light. Life is meant to be lived.”

The future cannot be predicted. We have to go through our journey in the physical realm to evolve to a higher level of consciousness in the spiritual realm.

We’re all different, but we’re all little lights in this human experience together.

“We’re all different, but we’re all little lights in this human experience together.”

We wish Dipa Sanatani all the best for her novel “The Little Light” and for all her future books that would delve deeper into the realm of spirituality and explore it with ease and fancy.

“Spirituality is beyond all age limits.”

Available on Amazon: USA UK India Australia

Available on Kobo: USA UK India  

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Available on the Apple iBooks App

Available on Barnes & Noble

Available on OverDrive for Libraries

About the Author:

Hailing from the city of joy, Kolkata, Sanchari Das has contributed to multiple anthologies besides publishing her book of poetry, “Leisure“, along with her debut novel, “Not Just a Love Story“. She aspires to inspire millions of readers through her writing. Presently, she is a part of a writing community named “Scribbled Feels”. She loves writing articles, book reviews, travelogues and interviews on her blog. Apart from reading and writing, she also loves to paint, dance and travel, and feels an intimate connection with music.