“Sometimes, we do not get a chance to thank each one who has helped us in our Journey.” Let the readers get a chance to know about all the important people who have played a part in this ‘Author Journey of Yours’.

I have numerous people to thank. My family has been a pillar of support and encouragement through my journey of creativity and self-discovery. Numerous friends have served as confidantes and bouncing boards. The team at my publisher TreeShade Books put heart and soul into ensuring that my books get a wide readership. Lastly but most importantly, my readers, who have given by books their love and support.

When and how did the idea of writing a book come to you? Can you tell a bit about the books you have written and share a few lines from any of them?

I nurtured the desire to write from my childhood days when I used to immerse myself in books from my grandfather’s library. But my writing was confined to local forums. In my early years in the corporate world, the inspiration to write would surface often, but somehow get drowned in the din of daily life. My roles at firms like Credit Suisse, JP Morgan and Macquarie were quite demanding, and I spent a few agonizing years struggling to write in the midst of corporate travel and deadlines. There was a time when I was averaging over one hundred flights a year!  Over the years, I began to use the solitude in flights and airport lounges to retreat into a quiet space in my mind, and that’s how my first book came about.

KAALKOOT is a thriller that brings together a forgotten Himalayan legend, a dark secret from the last days of our freedom struggle and an ominous plot involving a pandemic induced by a bioweapon. KaalKoot was published in 2018, almost eighteen months before Covid-19 hit.

My second book AGNIBAAN, released recently, brings an ancient mystical connection between India and Egypt together with a modern conspiracy that encompasses electronic warfare and climate change.

Sharing some of my favourite lines from AgniBaan:

“The body is like a machine. The mind is like a monkey. You need to be the master of both.”

“Sometimes it helps to let a little magic into your life.”

“The universe works through a deeper logic which seems like magic to the untrained eye.”

Some of my favourite lines from KaalKoot are:

“What is inaudible to a layperson is audible to the seeker who is one with the silence.”

“He who finds the rhythm of stillness shall finally hear the sound of his heart.”

According to you which are the 5 books that everyone should read and who are your top 3 Authors and what impact did they have in your journey as a writer?

Let me share the names of some books that impacted me deeply. 

‘Man’s Search for Meaning’ by Victor Frankl, based on his experiences at a Nazi concentration camp, articulates a hard-hitting and yet uplifting view of life. ‘The Spiritual Heritage of India’ by Swami Prabhavananda and Christopher Isherwood, provides a succinct summary of Indian philosophical thought. The ancient Taoist text ‘Tao Te Ching’ has also influenced me with its simple, yet profound, wisdom and its similarities to Indian Vedantic thought. 

I also like books that use imagination to create a universe where human frailties are exposed. ‘Brave New World’ by Aldous Huxley, ‘Lord of the Flies’ by William Golding and ‘Animal Farm’ by George Orwell are books that come to mind.

I was influenced by many authors in addition to the names mentioned above. I grew up reading thrillers by Frederick Forsyth, John le Carre, Robert Ludlum and Alistair Maclean, as also adventure classics like Robinson Crusoe, The Coral Island and the works of Edgar Allan Poe.

What is the inspiration behind your latest book titled “Agnibaan”?

A number of strands came together to form the inspiration for AgniBaan. 

History has been a consistent source of inspiration. I was fascinated to read about ancient connections between India and Rome, Greece and Egypt, involving trade routes, hidden temples, lost cities and treatises on astronomy. I wanted to bring these secrets to life, and found the channel to do that in AgniBaan.

Geopolitical and scientific trends have also been a source of inspiration. KaalKoot dealt with the dangers of a potential pandemic induced by a bioweapon. The plot in AgniBaan is centered around electronic warfare and climate change, both trends that we will be hearing more about in the years to come.

Travel has also been a source of inspiration. Places and spaces not only help create moods but also enable the reader to get in touch with spaces in his or her own mind. The story in KaalKoot starts from the by-lanes of Mumbai, moves to Goa and ends in a desolate corner of the Himalayas, mirroring the inner journey of the protagonist. The plot in AgniBaan starts from the splendor of Egypt’s ancient civilisation, traverses through mysterious meteoric craters in India and ends in the dense forests of the Sunderbans, the battleground where mankind faces the onslaught of climate change.

What has been your most cherished experience as an author?

The most gratifying aspects of being an author are in the creative process itself, and also the feeling of satisfaction when the story resonates with a reader. 

The creative process can be frustrating at times, especially when you hit a dead end, but then there are other times when you feel like you are floating in the clouds. Being able to bring together inspiration from history, mythology, science, travel and geopolitical trends into a gripping story is a big high for me.

The creative journey can often be lonely, as you go through extended periods of time without external validation. And then you get messages from readers with whom the story has resonated deeply, and it all seems worthwhile.

Could you share a few tips for budding Authors?

Read a lot, and make a beginning. For many people, the urge to be perfect is a big impediment to begin writing. Budding writers feel that their work will turn out to be sub-par, and end up procrastinating. It is actually your fear of failure which masquerades as perfectionism. 

Don’t judge yourself too harshly as you start writing; allow yourself the leeway to experiment and make mistakes. You will always have time later to come back to your manuscript and refine it. 

How can a writer keep the mental block or writer’s block away from his/her creativity?

Two things have helped me. 

The first is to be regular with your writing, and not wait for that perfect moment when inspiration will strike. Inspiration strikes more often once you put in the work required. So, make time to write time every day, and things will automatically start falling in place.  

The second is to alternate between periods of intense focused work, and periods when you relax or exercise, and let your subconscious mind do the work. Many writers, including Haruki Murakami, have talked about how the best ideas come to them during the latter period.

Are you working on anything at present that you would like to share with your readers?

I am working on two books in parallel. One of them is a thriller set against the backdrop of the adrenaline-soaked roller-coaster world of the Indian stock markets. Nevertheless, it is a book that can be read by a layperson without needing any background in stock markets. 

The second book is a thriller that links certain terrifying scientific advances with some of the pressing issues of our time.

After writing successful thrillers, would you like to explore a different genre for your next book?

I have over a dozen book ideas in my head, and many of them are in genres other than thrillers, including some non-fiction ideas. But I am having too much fun writing thrillers for now, so I guess some of these will have to wait.

At Sharing Stories, we have an ongoing campaign ‘Let’s Empower Our Kids’. Please suggest some books here that you would want your child to read before the age of 15 which could help him in understanding certain dimensions of human life like empathy, sympathy, relationships, etc.

For those in their teens, I would recommend ‘The Prophet’ by Kahlil Gibran, which is a reservoir of timeless wisdom on life, love and relationships. Also, the Bhagavad Gita, for the eternal truths that it contains, ‘Jonathan Livingstone Seagull’, for its uplifting message about the audacity to dream and soar, and ‘The Alchemist’, for its message about pursuing your passion and finding your destiny.

For younger readers, I would recommend the ‘Little People Big Dreams’ series, which brings to life inspiring stories of real people. I enjoyed reading Amar Chitra Katha stories as a kid; they sparked a keenness to know more about our heritage.

Reach out to Mr. S.Venkatesh at below attached Social Media Handles.

Website: www.svenkatesh.in

Facebook: facebook.com/AuthorSVenkatesh

Twitter: @AuthorVenkatesh

Instagram: @authorsvenkatesh

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/svenkatesh

Rapid Fire Round

1. Favorite Place, Actor & Actress, Person, Food, beverage….

Place – The national parks of Tanzania, the country where I spent my early childhood (Ngorongoro and Serengeti)

Actor – Roberto Benigni in ‘Life is Beautiful’

Actress – Jodie Foster in ‘Silence of the Lambs’

Person – This is a trick question!

Food – Delhi street food – Tikki, Chaat and Kulfi 

Beverage – Tough toss-up between cold coffee and masala chai. I guess I’ll go with cold coffee.

2. Your other talents apart from writing….

People say I sing well, though I am not formally trained. Stock market investing also comes naturally to me, due to years of practice and experience.

3. Your First Love…

My family.

4. Favorite Quote….

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step” – from the Tao Te Ching

5. Favourite Character from a book…

Professor Van Helsing from the original ‘Dracula’ book by Bram Stoker. While Van Helsing’s character has been distorted in later adaptations, his iron will, basic goodness, openness to ideas and unshakeable faith shine through in the original book.

What if Round 

1. What if you had to live with only three things all your life, what would the three things be?

A way to read and access knowledge, a way to be in touch with people and a way to get food. So, I guess books, a phone (with internet access) and a stocked fridge!

2. What if you were given the power to change one thing from this world, what would you change?

I would remove the propensity for violence from people’s minds. 

3. What if you had all the money in this world, what would you do first?

I would ensure that everybody gets food, shelter and drinking water, and has access to healthcare and basic education.

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