A Doctor With A Creative Hand

Dr Razi Ahmed

Dr Razi Ahmed is a Doctor (Intensivist) at a Multispecialty Hospital at Ranchi, Jharkhand. Don’t let that fool you, though; he hasn’t let his job sanitise his creativity over the years. In fact, he has recently written his first fiction novel; Razi has melded his love for mystery and thriller, and his curiosity to explore the roots of the land he calls home, into a creative pursuit.

He loves making the choices other won’t make easily; in an age where most wannabe authors take to writing formulaic romantic stories, Razi chose to delve deeper and meld history and culture with an interesting mystery whodunit. That choice has served him well; his book ‘The secret of the Palamu Fort’ hit various bestseller lists soon after it was released. His ability to write a successful book while managing the rigours of a successful medical practice has resulted in him being adoringly referred to as ‘Doctor Who’ in the local media.

I could have written romantic novels, but I wanted to contribute and to give something back to the state that has given me so much in life. That is why I decided to write a story that showcases it history and culture.

Writing his first supernatural thriller ‘The secret of the Palamu Fort’ was a strenuous affair; he would have to make time from his busy medical practice and his domestic responsibilities. But he never let that become an excuse. He believes that taking the journey to your dreams is always a journey and not mere destiny and that making that journey is ultimately a choice.

One needs to leap of faith to do something really extraordinary. I like to make things simple; I don’t like to complicate things unnecessarily. I was able to write this book only by sheer will power and simplicity.

A simple conversation with Razi will make his pure admiration for the experience of reading and writing abundantly clear. Years of unmitigated love and affection for books reflect in his writing. He is truly an artist in love with his craft, and he writes without being fazed by the scary market forces that scare so many others into writing ineffective prose.

It is fascinating to read his thriller and notice the influences in his writing style. Michael Chrichton and Satyajit Ray are his self-proclaimed idols, and its shows – he combines the characteristic Chrichton-esque use of literary tension with the sombre rustic framing of plots that Ray was famous for.

Writing is my first love. Pure and unconditional I have been in love with books since childhood. Even now I have a small library at home, with a little over 1000 books.

His writing has begun garnering critical praise as well. He was awarded with the Indian Icon Award in 2019 for ‘The Best Budding Author in India’. He certainly seems to be in no mood to stop with this achievement. He has already started working with a team for an adaptation of his story on the big screen,