What if your first love never really left your heart?
मेरी रुक्कू (Meri Rukku) is a nostalgic Hindi novel about the innocence, purity and enduring emotional power of school-day love.
The story follows Prakash and Rukmini, whose love begins during their school years but remains with them long after they have gone their separate ways. Thirty years later, fate brings them face to face once again, opening a new chapter in their lives.
Inspired largely by real people, real places and real-life experiences, author Peri Suryanarayana Murty brings a deeply relatable quality to the story.
At its heart, Meri Rukku is not only the story of two people. It is a journey back to the emotions of adolescence—the friendships, dreams, innocence and unforgettable moments that many readers will recognise from their own school days.
AUTHOR INTERVIEW
1. What inspired you to write this book, and how did the idea for the story come to you?
Apart from being a writer, I am also a voracious reader.
While reading stories on the Pratilipi platform and other literary platforms, I noticed that readers have a strong affection for love stories. However, I also felt that many such stories relied heavily on imagination, with events that were often far removed from everyday reality.
That made me wonder: Why not write a love story based largely on real experiences, with only a small element of imagination?
That thought became the inspiration for Meri Rukku.
When I began thinking about a story rooted in real life, the idea of school love immediately came to me. Almost everyone remembers some form of adolescent love, affection or emotional attachment from their school days.
My own memories and feelings from that period inspired me to explore the theme.
And that is how Meri Rukku began.
2. Can you share some insights into your writing process? Do you follow a specific routine or have any unique rituals that help you get into the creative flow?
I don’t follow a strict writing routine.
Once I have an outline of the story in my mind, I begin thinking constantly about the characters.
When I am writing about a particular character, I become deeply involved in that character. In a sense, I try to personify myself through the character so that I can understand what that person might think, feel and experience.
Ideas about the plot and characters can come to me at any time, so I make a point of noting them down immediately.
Interestingly, many of my ideas come at night when I am about to sleep. The following morning, I write them down and develop them further.
For me, the creative process is therefore less about following a fixed schedule and more about remaining open to ideas whenever they arrive.
3. The characters in your book are quite distinct and memorable. Are they based on real people, or did they evolve purely from your imagination?
As I mentioned earlier, I am not particularly in favour of pure imagination when writing stories that are intended to feel emotionally real.
Whatever theme we explore, I believe it should have some connection to real people and real surroundings.
That is what allows readers to recognise themselves in the characters.
The characters in Meri Rukku are therefore based largely on real people, with only a small element of imagination added to shape the narrative.
My intention was to create characters who feel familiar—people readers could recognise from their own lives, memories and surroundings.
4. Your book explores the theme of school-day love. What motivated you to explore this theme, and what message do you hope readers will take away?
Yes, the novel explores school-day love, which is often the first experience of romantic emotion for many people.
My own feelings and memories from my high-school days motivated me to explore this theme.
I wanted to revisit that period of life when emotions are uncomplicated and love is experienced without the expectations and calculations that can sometimes enter adult relationships.
I hope readers come away with the feeling that school-day love can represent a particularly pure and innocent form of affection—one that is not necessarily driven by selfish motives, but by genuine emotional connection.
More than anything, I hope the story brings back beautiful memories for readers.
5. The world-building in your novel is rich and immersive. How did you create the setting, and did you draw inspiration from real-world locations or historical events?
I believe that when you delve deeply into the characters and the central theme of a novel, the setting naturally becomes richer.
Because Meri Rukku is based largely on real-life characters, experiences and situations, I did not face much difficulty in creating the setting.
The locations featured in the story are real-world locations, and the narrative is connected to real events and experiences.
So, rather than inventing an entirely imaginary world, I drew extensively from the world around me.
That real-world foundation was important because I wanted readers to feel that the story could genuinely have happened to someone they know—or perhaps even to themselves.
6. As a writer, how do you balance originality with the expectations of the romance genre? Were there challenges in putting your own spin on familiar elements?
Balancing originality with the expectations of the romance genre was important from the very beginning.
Because Meri Rukku is a love-based novel, I wanted the underlying current of love to remain consistent throughout the story.
The leading characters experience difficult situations, but their emotional connection remains an important constant.
The challenge was to communicate the true and selfless nature of their love even during the most difficult moments of their lives.
I wanted the romance to feel emotionally genuine rather than artificially dramatic.
That balance between a familiar theme and a realistic emotional journey was one of the most challenging aspects of writing the novel.
7. The pacing of the story keeps readers engaged. How did you approach maintaining tension and momentum throughout the narrative?
Maintaining tension and momentum is essential in any novel, particularly in a love story where the emotional journey needs to keep developing.
In Meri Rukku, an important role is played by the four friends surrounding the two leading characters.
These friends are deeply invested in their well-being and repeatedly step forward to help them when they encounter difficult situations.
In many ways, they become the saviours of the story.
Their involvement creates additional movement in the narrative and helps maintain the pace while also highlighting another important theme of the novel: the value of genuine friendship.
8. Traditional storytelling appears to be finding new relevance among contemporary audiences. How do you see this changing relationship between readers and storytelling?
Although storytelling has changed significantly with the rise of digital media, I believe traditional storytelling continues to have a strong emotional appeal.
Today, audiences are surrounded by rapidly changing forms of entertainment and information. Yet stories based on real people, familiar locations and recognisable emotions can still create a powerful connection.
That is why I prefer to base my stories primarily on real people and real places.
When readers recognise the surroundings and emotions in a story, they are more likely to feel that they are not merely reading about someone else.
They begin to feel:
“This could be my story.”
That emotional identification is one of the most important techniques I try to follow in my writing.
I believe stories that create that sense of familiarity and personal connection can continue to resonate strongly with contemporary readers.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Peri Suryanarayana Murty
Peri Suryanarayana Murty is a writer, poet and novelist with a deep interest in Hindi literature.
Alongside his professional career in banking, he has maintained a strong engagement with Hindi literary writing and has been an avid reader of the works of renowned Hindi authors and poets.
His interest in literature eventually led him to writing, with several of his works published on the Pratilipi literary platform.
His published works include the poetry collection ‘बादलों के पार’ and the short-story collection ‘कथा पंचविंशति’, published by Rudra Publications, Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh.
His writing explores themes including idealised love, morality, society and humanity.
A defining quality of his work is its connection to everyday life. His stories draw upon real emotions, familiar surroundings and recognisable human experiences, allowing readers to see something of themselves in the characters.
With Meri Rukku, he turns to one of the most universally remembered experiences of adolescence: first love.
Remember Your First Love
Some stories are fictional.
Some stories feel like memories.
Meri Rukku is a nostalgic journey into the innocence of first love, the loyalty of friendship and the possibility of a second chance.
If you have ever remembered someone from your school days and wondered, “What if?”, this story is for you.
Discover Meri Rukku by Peri Suryanarayana Murty.
Order your copy on Amazon today and return to the days when love was innocent, friendship was forever, and every memory felt unforgettable.
Order Meri Rukku on Amazon today.
