He is barely 20, but he is wiser for his age.

For Hazaribagh boy Kajol Aikat, who was diagnosed with epilepsy when he was barely one-and-a-half-year-old, life is not about giving up but rather about facing every challenge and moving ahead.

This is also the message that he conveyed through his first two stories - Unsocial Amigos and Life isn't a Fairytale. Both have received overwhelming response from readers and critics alike. Currently, he is currently working on his third novel.

Unsocial Amigos is a usual love story, focusing on live-in relationships and how the society perceives it. "The story is about teenagers Raj and Puja who are in a live-in relationship and face social discrimination. The story tells how moral policing affects the lives of people who make independent choices," said Kajol, who is currently pursuing his MBA at BIT-Mesra.

Getting a publisher for his first novel was no cakewalk for Kajol. He was rejected 13 times. "There is a substantial rigidity in the publishing industry," said the 20-year-old author.

Though his first novel may have earned this DAV Public School, Hazaribagh, alumnus more recognition, Kajol is certainly more attached with his second one, a short story that is part of an anthology called The Unbreakable You .

Diagnosed with epilepsy at a very tender age, Kajol knows how it feels to be bullied. Even after being cured by the time he turned 12, people always made fun of him. Life isn't a Fairytale is about one such boy and how he overcomes every hurdle.

Born to government employee Shyamal Kumar Aikat and housewife Mitra Aikat, Kajol was always an avid reader and had a knack for writing.

"My teacher Sampa Dutta encouraged me a lot to write. Even some friends like Apurva Anand, Subhi, Sumit Sinha and Puja Sinha were my pillars of strength." he added.

About his third novel, Kajol said it would be a romance-fiction. "It is in the drafting stage," he signed off.