‘Sunrise Storyteller: Walking into the light, one mindful morning at a time’ by Viji Swaminathan
What if the quietest moments of your day held the loudest truths?
Every morning, the author steps into the dawn — not just to walk, but to listen, observe, and reflect. From these simple rituals emerged powerful insights on presence, purpose, and the poetry of ordinary life.
In Sunrise Storyteller, each chapter is a gentle meditation shaped by nature, photography, and personal growth. From waking with intention to seeing beauty in the everyday, these reflections invite you to slow down, notice more, and walk your own path with greater mindfulness.
This isn’t a memoir or a manual. It’s a sunrise — unfolding one chapter at a time, lighting the way toward a more intentional life.
Author Interview
1. The book invites the reader to “listen, observe, and reflect” through quiet morning rituals. What made you choose the morning hour as your creative and contemplative canvas?
Being an early riser and a runner, mornings were always a part of my rhythm. What began as a fitness routine gradually became something deeper. When injuries led me to slow down and start walking, my passion for photography became the motivation that kept me going. Capturing the sunrise gave new meaning to those walks — it became my quiet time, a sacred space to observe, reflect, and simply be. The calm, unhurried energy of the morning now sets the tone for my entire day.
2. You describe the chapters as “gentle meditations shaped by nature, photography, and personal growth.” How do these three threads weave together in your writing?
Nature shows me something, photography helps me notice it, and writing lets me make sense of it. They’ve become three parts of the same flow — how I see, feel, and grow through each morning.
3. What role does silence, or the absence of noise, play in your creative and spiritual process?
Silence — often with just soft, devotional music in my ears — sets the tone for my mornings. The moment I step out, there’s a calm that feels almost sacred. Life is just about to begin, and it’s that quiet, noise-free time when my thoughts settle, my emotions find clarity, and I often find answers to what I’m seeking. It helps me centre myself and gently organise the day ahead.
4. How did your own morning walks evolve into this book? Was there a moment when the idea crystallized?
Clicking sunrise photos and sharing them with short captions was something I had been doing for years. People around me were always supportive and encouraging. My good friend and colleague, Ranish Haran, had been telling me for almost eight years that I should write a book about myself — but I was never quite convinced. I wasn’t sure I wanted to write my story, or if I could really be an author. Then one morning, it struck me — most of my sunrise posts reflected my emotions and thoughts in those quiet hours. Why not weave them into something more meaningful? That’s how Sunrise Storyteller was born.
5. Do you follow a fixed routine (time, route, pauses) when walking, or is it fluid?
I usually start around the same time, just before sunrise — that part is fixed. But once I’m out there, it’s fluid. Some days I walk steadily, other days I pause often to watch the sky or the sea. The only real rule is to show up — everything else flows with the morning.
6. Photography is part of the book’s essence. Do you capture images before writing, or does the text come first?
It’s the photograph that comes first and then the caption. The images usually come first — a moment that catches my eye or heart. Later, when I sit with it, the words emerge naturally. Sometimes the photograph leads to a reflection; other times, a thought from the walk finds its visual echo in an older frame. It’s never forced — it’s more like conversation between sight and soul.
7. Who do you hope your readers will be — those already on a spiritual/mindfulness path, or someone newly curious?
Anyone can read my book from an 8-year-old to just anyone can. Anyone who seeks stillness in a hurried world. Whether they’re already on a mindfulness path or simply curious about slowing down, this book invites them to pause, observe, and reconnect — with nature, with themselves, and with the rhythm of life that often gets overlooked.
8. What is a chapter you found hardest to write, and why?
Perhaps “Nature as a Mirror”. It required deep honesty — to see not just beauty in nature, but the reflections of my own emotions and choices within it. Writing it meant revisiting moments of change, letting go, and acceptance. It was both cathartic and grounding, a reminder that growth often happens quietly, much like the sunrise itself.
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From the Editor's desk
Vanshika Gupta