Born in England, raised in India, and now living in New Zealand, Dr Sharad Paul has a reputation that precedes him. He is a doctor, a social entrepreneur, a lecturer at three universities in New Zealand and Australia, and perhaps the only writer who has written books across fiction, non-fiction and medicine. Most Kiwis will fondly remember his business venture Baci Lounge in Newmarket, Auckland—an award-winning bookstore that funded literacy programmes in schools—before it was untimely shutdown. A sought-after speaker, Dr Paul has given talks at THINK, Auckland Writers Festival and at TEDx Auckland. Indian Weekender spoke to him to find out more about the man who packs in more in a week than most of us can. 

IWK: A surgeon, senior lecturer, and novelist; how do you manage to juggle everything?

Sharad: I think the secret is to do the things that you are passionate about and want to do and not worry about the money. If you work hard enough, the latter takes care of itself. I also possibly sleep less than others.

IWK: What inspired you to write your first book?

Sharad: I was always a writer, I guess. From childhood, I always liked writing stories and poems. Those were pre-internet days so none of them survived. I had written a novel and when I finally got around to sending it to a literary agent (more for validation, to see if my writing was any good) it ended up being

bought by Picador UK and that was the story of my first novel, Cool Cut in 2006.

IWK: And now, seven books later and one due to be published in April next year, do you plan to continue writing more books? 

Sharad: Yes, now I've had three novels, three non-fiction books, one poetry volume and one medical textbook published internationally. I have a book that will come out via Simon and Schuster New York in April 2017. Like I said earlier, I write for myself because I enjoy it, and if a publisher thinks it is good enough to publish, so be it. So while I enjoy writing, I will continue to do so.

IWK: How early on did you decide on a career as a surgeon?

Sharad: My family is a family of doctors; almost everyone is a doctor. My father is a retired surgeon, so I originally trained in General/Plastic surgery in India. When I came to New Zealand, (a long time ago—25 years to be exact when few people came to New Zealand), I had to re-train as a GP and later specialised in skin cancer and have become a skin cancer academic and now run a busy skin cancer surgical practice.

IWK: What led you to start Baci Cosmetologie?

Sharad: My research interest is in developing bespoke skincare. I designed a skincare range for my/our skin especially suited for Asian/Indian skin, but given I am based here in New Zealand, it has been a difficult process to find nationwide distribution partners in India. My research lab is based in Los Angeles and we have a unique sunscreen and several biotech skin serums we have developed, which hopefully we will bring to market over the next year.

IWK: When Baci Lounge was closed, was there any particular reason you did not start the business again in Auckland?

Sharad: When Baci Lounge closed, it broke my heart. It was a venture designed to fund my literacy programmes in schools. Rents were getting too high and people were buying fewer books, and the landlords didn't seem to make any effort to make it sustainable. In Australia or New Zealand, it is difficult to run a bookstore/cafe and have a viable business unless you are personally working in the store yourself. This model, however, will work in places such as India/Asia, so maybe one day, as we have all the training manuals and know how. At the peak, we had Baci Lounge stores in both Australia and New Zealand.

IWK: You were born in England, raised in India and then you moved to New Zealand. How do you think the different cultures have helped/influenced your work, both as a surgeon and as a writer?

Sharad: I guess it has made me a global citizen—comfortable in east and west. I'd say I'm more spiritual than religious, so I draw from both cultures. After medicine, I also studied Law and have a Master of Philosophy majoring in ethics, so I am full of useless information! However, been educated in India, and also in the UK helped me become a better researcher, teacher, and student.