Author Interview : Anuja Chandramouli, author of ‘Kartikeya : The Destroyer's Son' (Part 1)

Read up, the first part of the Interview with Anuja Chandramouli, author of 'Kartikeya : The Destoryer's Son'. I have known Anuja for a really long time, right from her first book, 'Arjuna' until today, when she has sent me three books to read in a row. I still remember, what I had written in the earliest days, was that I was not too impressed with her earliest book, 'Arjuna', until I reached 'Shakti', when I has written that 'In brilliant prose, Chandramouli explains to us why and how the book was conceptualised and finally written'. 

Yet, this super author, continuously sent me her books, till she had managed to impress me. I still remember my earliest days when I had just about started writing on this blog, mysef too :).

In this part of the Interview, she tells us how the journey of the book first happened, how it feels now that she is finally plugging the holes in Shiva's sons' phase, and much more, Folks...

 

Could you describe the journey of ‘Kartikeya : The Destroyer’s Son’?

It has been an incredible journey. Working on ‘Shakti’, a few years back, I nearly had a nervous breakdown, which is why I took a break from Mythology and worked on ‘Yama's Lieutenant’ and its sequel both of which were fantasies.

Kartikeya was a great way to return to something I love. He has always been a great favourite with us, Tamizhs and the idea was to make his remarkable story more accessible to a pan - Indian audience.

I wanted Kartikeya's story to be a beautiful experience which the reader could actually live, identify with and take away fresh insights from while being thoroughly entertaining. Because that was what the writing process was like for me.

How did it begin? What kind of research was put into it?

As a child, I grew up listening to stories and music dedicated to Kartikeya and guess I just wanted to explore further and draw closer to this charismatic character. A couple of years back I did a solo Bharatanatyam piece called Kartikeya or Murugan Kavuthuvam, and it was very special.

Ever since, I have been toying with the idea of writing a book on Kartikeya and when my editor suggested it to me, I jumped at the chance.

As always, I spent a lot of time on research to make sure I had a solid foundation on which to build his story. My preferred sources were from the Puranas and the beautiful songs composed by saints and devotees of Kartikeya.

How does it feel, now that you are plugging the holes in the ‘Sons of Shiva’s phase’?

I tend to get impatient with the tendency of many folks to treat half remembered tales that have been haphazardly handed down as the gospel truth and fight each other over it. It is the height of ridiculousness.

I am glad you mentioned the holes in the existing narratives, because it is important to look past the obvious and accepted versions to arrive at deeper truths and the beautiful essence of Indian Mythology, before it was sterilized and politicized.

This is what I have tried to do in my books on ‘Arjuna’, ‘Kamadeva’, ‘Shakti’, ‘Yama’ and now ‘Kartikeya’. I have reinterpreted the existing texts and used my imagination to arrive at a version that makes sense to me.

And I expect my readers to join me on the journey and form their own conclusions that may or may not be at odds with mine.

You can Read the Review here and Buy the Book right here, as well.