‘The Treasure of Kafur’
has a plot that took close to seven years to build. Aroon Raman, despite his
hectic work schedule managed to fit it in. And it is an excellent job of being
made to perfection. It had all the workings of a well-tailored fit. You could catch the review here.
‘I think it lies deeply
buried in the creative subconscious!’ was an answer he gave me to my question
on how he developed the core idea and that is exactly how he answered the
questions too. I would know because he took all the time for giving me my
interview, and what an interview it is. Kudos, again to Aroon Raman…
How did ‘The
Treasure of Kafur’ happen?
This book was over
seven years in the making. The idea literally came
out of the blue – I think one evening when I first started feeling the urge to
write. I started tentatively around 2006, but really it gathered steam
only after 2007 and even then the writing came in fits and starts.
In between, I even
wrote ‘The Shadow Throne’, which got published first! But
I am passionate about well-written adventure novels and I thought TOK would
break new ground in Indian adventure writing.
What kind of
research went into writing of the book?
A lot. The events are
fictitious of course, but set against a backdrop that is still broadly
authentic. The character of Akbar is well researched and I suspect he was
actually like the TOK Akbar in real life.
The
physical geography of India, Rana Pratap and his tense yet complex relationship
with Akbar, and the descriptions of Agra etc… are all based on facts though
subject to
some loose interpretation as demanded by the story.
How did you
come up with the core idea and develop it?
I love history – especially that of the Mughal period. I
love adventure.
So, the backdrop came
almost by default. As to the plot – it is very
difficult to describe a special trigger. I think it lies deeply buried in the
creative subconscious!
How would you
relate the book and its characters to the lives today?
Human beings do not
change, only the flow of events. Hence the famous
saying: Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. In
that sense, reading the characters in the book is to enliven our understanding
of not just history but of ourselves.
In
Datta’s relationships with his friends are age-old values that we cherish even
today; in Akbar’s part in the adventure we see the values of bravery, the handling
of power and the qualities of leadership that are every bit as relevant as they
ever were.
What is the most fulfilling part of writing a book?
Knowing it reaches a wide audience… who in
turn enjoy it and write in to say so. Nothing is more
fulfilling!
What book is
coming from you, next? When do you see it released?
I am looking at a sequel
to ‘The Shadow Throne’ first to be possibly ready for release next year. Then
we shall see!
Do you have
another part coming up for this subject?
I think
so – but this is a demanding story and I need to get it right.
So it will take a little time.
Who was it
that told you that you could become the author, you are today?
My inner self – and the
fact that I grew up reading and telling stories to others. Over time, I just knew I could both create stories and
then write them down. No one else had to tell me this.
Any advice to
writers that would like to be published today? How tough is it to be published
in India?
It is tough to get the
early break as the number of would-be authors is very large and the publishers
limited.
So, they get deluged by manuscripts. But I would strongly advice
persistence. If your work is good enough, one day it will see the light.
What else do
you like to do on a daily basis?
Trekking,
bird watching, supporting NGOs and my corporate work – running an R&D
company.
No comments:
Post a Comment