Author Interview : Kochery C Shibu, author of ‘Men and Dreams in the Dhauladhar' (Part 1)

Kochery C Shibu

Read up, the first part of the Interview with Kochery C Shibu, author of 'Men and Dreams in the Dhauladhar'. What I liked about this book, was the author’s love for his characters. As he says in the interview, ‘Every character was dear to me…’ It seems so, as you read this book on and on… Each chapter seems dedicated to a new character.

In this first part of the Interview, he tells us how the story first happened, the kind of research, which was put into this book, and how he relates the characters to day to day live and most importantly, which character he feels most close to, Folks...

How did ‘Men and Dreams in the Dhauladhar’ happen?  Could you describe the journey? 

The novel was written, whilst I was working on a hydroelectric project in that region. I had been planning on writing a novel since the late 70s. Many novels have died their own death after a few pages. 

It was finally whilst working on this project that I could find the time during the taxing project work to write this novel. A long cherished dream was breathed into life during this writing.

What kind of research was put into the writing of this book?

The novel was written over a period of four years spending an average of three hours per day for 25 days a month and about 3,600 man hours. Any and every character, situation and subject is researched extensively and further refined during the editing.

What according to you is different about your book?

The novel is first of its kind in Indian English to write about the life of workers, in a project of this kind capturing the very minute details of their life.

The book also, is the first of its kind to give researched data on the life of people in the sub Himalayan region; it is also a racy thriller, written in the back drop of literary fiction. It is also first in Indian English writing to have the technical content of a dam, building built into the main story line.

How did you come up with the main plot line and develop it?

The novel and the plot went through much iteration in the process of writing, and it was a deliberate attempt to develop a new genre of sorts called literary fiction-thriller.

How would you relate the book and its main characters to our day to day lives?

The novel was written with an effort to make the characters, as real as possible for the readers to identify with. That the events are built in the backdrop of a hydroelectric project with near realistic settings, make it as close as it can get.

Which particular character did you feel most close to? Why?

Every character was dear to me…

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