Subhechcha Ganguly 
Rakhi Kapoor’s journey from childhood dreamer to prolific author has been shaped by resilience and the courage to embrace failure as a stepping stone to success. Her latest book, ” F stands for Success ; Untold secrets about failure,” draws inspiration from her own life’s greatest setback, offering invaluable insights for aspiring individuals worldwide.
Rakhi Kapoor’s “F stands for Success ; Untold secrets about failure.” published in 2021, is a poignant exploration of resilience and redemption. Inspired by Kapoor’s personal experience of an uncompleted trek in Nepal’s Himalayan ranges, the book delves into the depths of failure and the transformative power of perseverance. Through this narrative, Kapoor inspires readers to embrace setbacks as opportunities for growth and eventual triumph.
- What inspired you to write “F stands for Success ; Untold secrets about failure,” Can you share some of the key lessons or insights from your own journey of overcoming failure to achieve success?
It feels devastating to be the one who falls behind in any situation especially at the brink of extinction as an individual when the chances of survival are at stake. In the year 2001 while delivering my son my normal pregnancy turned into a complicated childbirth scenario leading to an emergency c section resulting in heavy blood loss and an impending septicemia to which I nearly succumbed. I was saved by the timely intervention of my obstetrician. Getting up from bed to have a sneak peek at my baby was impossible, forget holding him in my arms. I wept in pain writhing on the bed fighting to get up to hold my son while my son bawled for his mother’s milk and warmth. Later in 2014 because of two unknown impending umbilical hernias (which is a common side effect of c sections during childbirth) and food poisoning resulting in high fever and loose stools my health failed on an adventure I had embarked. It was a trek to the Gokyo lakes summiting at 18000 feet above sea level in the Himalayan Ranges of Nepal. I had to abandon the trek at 12000 feet. I dragged myself back to civilization, heart broken, devastated and unwell surviving six nights and five days in the wilderness trekking back from one tea house all alone. This has been my narrative, always being the Girl Who Was Left Behind finding myself in life threatening circumstances; physically, emotionally, and mentally devastated. I decided to turn things around after each of these circumstances. After being given a second chance at life post childbirth, I started the concept of prenatal counselling in India for expecting couples for better maternal and foetal health outcomes. I strapped my son on my chest and went door to door meeting gynaecologists rallying up support to generate awareness about the concept of prenatal counselling which was unheard of in India. Since then through my centre, I have been able to touch the lives of thousands of young couples for two decades.The failed trek in Nepal became the manuscript of my first book published in 2017 titled “The Girl Who Was Left Behind”. Since then, I have published twenty-six books on subjects which areSince then Five of my books have been Amazon India best sellers in its category and I have been awarded the Golden Book awards 2023 and 2024 for 25th and 26th book.
“Failure seems like a devastating pit of darkness to be in, but once the shame and self loathing is over there is light on the surface.”
2. You’ve published twenty six books since your debut, with several becoming national best sellers. How do you approach each new project, and what drives your creativity?
An author has to be a keen observer, a thinker, a dreamer and an extremely determined person . To write a book thoughts need to flow uninterrupted. An author writes a book in his or her mind first . The ideas get imprinted as thoughts first then only does it translate into pages filled with words and sentences. I like to work on subjects which are neglected, difficult to address, tabooed and neglected like maternal health, women’s wellness, personal transformation, violence and abuse against women and children.
Writing a book doesn’t happen just by sitting on the laptop or with a paper and pen. Only documentation of a humongous amount of thoughts happens when a writer sits to write. A book is continuously being written in a writer’s mind. In today’s times with the plethora of distractions, it requires a lot of determination and discipline for an individual to complete the first draft of the book itself.
I have become introverted after starting my journey as an author. I protect my time and energy meticulously. Only if I pay attention to my thoughts can I write my manuscript. If I drown my mind with constant meaningless chatter of the world how will the thoughts find a way into the pages of a book? My first solo trek did the trick for me. It silenced the external chatter so that my mind spoke its heart out into 26 books from experiences of the past, learnings of the present and the vision from the future. An author’s mind is the crossroads in which time stands still. The past, present and future divide from one intersection.
3. In your opinion, why do you think many people struggle to bounce back from failure, and what advice would you give to those facing setbacks in their lives?
Most people find it hard to accept that they failed to achieve something. It leaves them disheartened and broken. They fall in their own eyes, and then, they give up on their dreams.Everyone fails at some point in their lives.
After you have finished feeling miserable, wallowing in self-pity, empty yourself of guilt and shame. Find freedom from these demons and vultures that only plunder you of your self-esteem and self-worth. How do you do that? Make your failure your mentor. If your failures guide you in life, you will never lose your path. Get done with the weight of your own expectations about yourself and how much you should have achieved. Slowly, shame and guilt will leave your life. If you celebrate the very things that made you fail, then how can it ever make you miserable? It will only liberate you. Let your failure teach you the most precious lessons and impart priceless wisdom of success to you. Why did you fail? What did your failure teach you? How could you have succeeded and prevented this failure? How can you turn your failure into success from here? What should you not do in the future and how differently should you do things in the future?These will be lessons that no B-school, guide, course or manual can provide you in your life.
As you fail, you stumble upon the path of success.
4.What role did your childhood dream of writing books play in your perseverance, and how did you eventually turn that dream into reality?
Admiring my paternal grandfather translating the teachings of the Gautam Buddha from the original language Pali to English and Bengali while I sat beside him to pen down my experience in the vegetable market and first metro rail in Kolkata. My grandfather sat for hours together undeterred which left an impressionable mark in me. There sparked by the Eureka moment of writing and cherishing things in life. I nurtured a dream of becoming an author since childhood but never got to accomplish it till my late thirties. My Grandfather was a writer who would write books on Buddhism and do book tours to the United States which inspired me deeply.
5.Could you describe a pivotal moment or decision that significantly impacted your journey as an author?
I always wanted to be an author from my childhood. Being an author was my most cherished dream but that came true at the age of 2017. Initially I wanted to write a unique and informative book on pregnancy enriched with my experience as an antenatal counsellor and share it with as many expecting couples out there. The years of experience working with these couples gave me an insight to increase the strength of their marriage and bond for life. Healthy pregnancy results in holistic healthy children who will become world citizens.I would take my pen and paper doodle scribble and try to write but I never managed to write the book. I did feel disheartened about it and almost gave up on my dream of becoming an author.Then in the year 2014 I went for my first trek to Nepal to the Gokyo lakes. At 12,000 feet in the mountains I fell sick and deemed unfit to complete my trek. I trekked back alone through the deserted trails of the mountains of Nepal feeling like a loser and absolutely heart broken. I managed to come back home safe and sound. That failure and setback in my life motivated me to write my first book The Girl Who Was left Behind.After that I haven’t looked back. Twenty six books published and four more books on the way by 2020 including a few best sellers and I feel unstoppable now.
6.Looking ahead, what are your aspirations for the future, both personally and professionally, in your writing career?
I intend to take a break from non fiction for a while and I am working on two fiction books. It’s women centric, the core of it is relationship and mental health. I intend to do a business non fiction book and am keen to work on a children’s book. I like to try diverse genres, interesting, impactful yet fun topics to work on. Those are my plans for my future writing projects.
Rakhi Kapoor’s journey exemplifies the transformative power of resilience and determination, offering a beacon of hope and guidance for anyone navigating the turbulent waters of failure on their path to success.
