All About Nav |
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Appreciating the hard work of my parents, who both migrated to Canada from Punjab,
India in the 1970s and 1980s, I learned to pay attention to the extraordinary lessons
that life can teach an individual who is willing to listen. This appreciation led to an
Honours Degree in Political Science from York University, followed by Law School at the
University of London, in England. During this time, I also engaged in youth politics,
government and human rights. These activities included the Model UN at university and
in running for election as city councillor in my hometown of Brampton, Ontario.
My parents have served as great inspirations for my writing. Their life experiences, their
positive and adventurous outlook on life, encouraged me to keep my imagination alive.
India in the 1970s and 1980s, I learned to pay attention to the extraordinary lessons
that life can teach an individual who is willing to listen. This appreciation led to an
Honours Degree in Political Science from York University, followed by Law School at the
University of London, in England. During this time, I also engaged in youth politics,
government and human rights. These activities included the Model UN at university and
in running for election as city councillor in my hometown of Brampton, Ontario.
My parents have served as great inspirations for my writing. Their life experiences, their
positive and adventurous outlook on life, encouraged me to keep my imagination alive.
| Copyright © 2012 Nav K. Gill. All Rights Reserved. |
Born and raised in Toronto, Canada, I've been writing since the first moment my parents placed a blank
journal and a sharp pencil in front of me. I guess they didn't trust me with a pen just yet, assuming I would ruin
the furniture. My incoherent thoughts soon became short stories, and the short stories eventually found their
way to a full-length novel. However, the road to the first novel has been an adventurous one.
My first short story chronicled my paternal grandfather's escape from capture during World War II. From here
began my obsession with historical fiction. Later, I came across my maternal grandfather's account of how he
travelled from Pakistan to India during Partition and the troubles he faced. If that wasn't enough, my
grandmother recounted her adventurous tale of travelling to Punjab under the veil of secrecy along with her
sisters during Partition. I wrote and re-wrote their stories many times, imagining different characters that they
would have encountered and the dangers they faced. I can still remember taking off into that world of part
fact, part imagination and making it come alive on paper. Thus began my journey towards becoming a writer.
journal and a sharp pencil in front of me. I guess they didn't trust me with a pen just yet, assuming I would ruin
the furniture. My incoherent thoughts soon became short stories, and the short stories eventually found their
way to a full-length novel. However, the road to the first novel has been an adventurous one.
My first short story chronicled my paternal grandfather's escape from capture during World War II. From here
began my obsession with historical fiction. Later, I came across my maternal grandfather's account of how he
travelled from Pakistan to India during Partition and the troubles he faced. If that wasn't enough, my
grandmother recounted her adventurous tale of travelling to Punjab under the veil of secrecy along with her
sisters during Partition. I wrote and re-wrote their stories many times, imagining different characters that they
would have encountered and the dangers they faced. I can still remember taking off into that world of part
fact, part imagination and making it come alive on paper. Thus began my journey towards becoming a writer.
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With a sister who's an economist, a brother who is in medicine, it's not always easy to stick to the arts. Yet my family
has maintained a strong passion for the arts and shown great respect for the field. They created a safe environment
for me, where I could explore my story ideas and dare to dream. They got excited when I got excited, they laughed
when I laughed, they cried when I cried. But most importantly, they taught me to envision a world without limits. A
world where any young person could aspire to be whoever s/he wanted to be. For this gift I am grateful to them
always.
In the winter of 2006, I was four chapters into my first novel when my father was diagnosed with advanced-stage
colon cancer. His journey lasted until April 2007. My first novel was very important to him and a dream he shared with
me. It was with his wisdom and guidance that I was able to attempt a fiction regarding a crucial period in Indian and
Sikh history. Under the Moonlit Sky will remain dedicated to my parents and to my father's memory. A dream we all
shared and has now been realized.
has maintained a strong passion for the arts and shown great respect for the field. They created a safe environment
for me, where I could explore my story ideas and dare to dream. They got excited when I got excited, they laughed
when I laughed, they cried when I cried. But most importantly, they taught me to envision a world without limits. A
world where any young person could aspire to be whoever s/he wanted to be. For this gift I am grateful to them
always.
In the winter of 2006, I was four chapters into my first novel when my father was diagnosed with advanced-stage
colon cancer. His journey lasted until April 2007. My first novel was very important to him and a dream he shared with
me. It was with his wisdom and guidance that I was able to attempt a fiction regarding a crucial period in Indian and
Sikh history. Under the Moonlit Sky will remain dedicated to my parents and to my father's memory. A dream we all
shared and has now been realized.
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Everything! Life in and of itself is an inspiration. The people, the environment, and especially the random experiences
of life can inspire me. Any moment can trigger the writer in me. I was once sitting on a chair in India and looked up
and saw this green lizard on the side of the wall and instantly all I wanted to do was write. It was the weirdest
sensation, but so energizing. So when I say that anything can inspire, I literally mean it.
Now of course there are some key things that I look to on a day to day basis when I'm in the middle of a story and in
need of encouragement. The main thing being music. My chosen genre is Rock. Anything from Dallas Green,
Alexisonfire, Three Days Grace, Coldplay, Snow Patrol, Death Cab for Cutie and U2. However, that only covers the
artists that I listen to often. The entire list is really very random and it just comes down to the instruments, the lyrics,
and whether or not they instil in me the inspiration I'm looking for, for that particular story idea. It even comes down to
the specific scene or dialogue that I'm writing.
Playing sports has also been a great inspiration. It gets the energy going. I've played many sports from ball hockey,
soccer, tennis, to basketball, football and lacrosse.
Lastly, I love to study other great minds. I'm a history buff, and so learning about other cultures, time periods and
movements are a great pass time for me.
of life can inspire me. Any moment can trigger the writer in me. I was once sitting on a chair in India and looked up
and saw this green lizard on the side of the wall and instantly all I wanted to do was write. It was the weirdest
sensation, but so energizing. So when I say that anything can inspire, I literally mean it.
Now of course there are some key things that I look to on a day to day basis when I'm in the middle of a story and in
need of encouragement. The main thing being music. My chosen genre is Rock. Anything from Dallas Green,
Alexisonfire, Three Days Grace, Coldplay, Snow Patrol, Death Cab for Cutie and U2. However, that only covers the
artists that I listen to often. The entire list is really very random and it just comes down to the instruments, the lyrics,
and whether or not they instil in me the inspiration I'm looking for, for that particular story idea. It even comes down to
the specific scene or dialogue that I'm writing.
Playing sports has also been a great inspiration. It gets the energy going. I've played many sports from ball hockey,
soccer, tennis, to basketball, football and lacrosse.
Lastly, I love to study other great minds. I'm a history buff, and so learning about other cultures, time periods and
movements are a great pass time for me.
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Inspirations
Growing up
How it began