In conversation with Satyarth Nayak....
The idea of searching for a royal secret clicked when you finished reading Dan Brown. How much credit do you give to that for your first book- The Emperor's Riddles in relation to the concept, draft, plot etc.
It is true that I was re-reading Dan Brown and had this sudden curiosity to know if there was something similarly mysterious or esoteric hiding in our Indian civilization. Some royal secret or historical puzzle! A random search on the Internet yielded a fascinating conspiracy theory involving one of the most iconic Emperors of our history. What this man did thousands of years ago and the possibility that this imperial secret is alive and functioning even today bamboozled me. I knew this was one story I had to share. Like Brown's thrillers my book is also a history meets mystery. If Brown has codes, my book has a trail of cryptic riddles scattered all over the country that must be solved one by one. The concept is inspired but the historical context, plot points and mystery elements are uniquely my own. It's also probably the first Indian thriller to make use of Buddhist philosophy and iconography.
You have been an avid reader for thrillers and you also swear to write thrillers. Is there any other genre you think will ever interest you to write - maybe popular fiction or a chick-lit?
Every writer knows his strengths and weaknesses and I know for sure that chick lit is something that simply does not excite me. I have grown up reading Edgar Allan Poe, Agatha Christie, Conan Doyle and Ashok Banker and have always desired to emulate the thriller genre. Having said that, I am not averse to diversifying. In fact while I am already working on my next mystery thriller, I am also looking at creating another book that celebrates a landmark Bollywood classic. I am quite the cinephile and find film writing equally thrilling. I also love writing short stories. My short story Elixir has been published by Penguin in its latest Sudha Murty anthology.
What was the most astonishing aspect of the overwhelming response you got for your book?
It's wonderful to see the book topping various Bestsellers charts and getting media coverage and acclaim at literary festivals. However the most astonishing aspect has surely been the praise from authors like Amish Tripathi and Ashwin Sanghi. I recently met Ashwin after a long time at a literary festival where we both were speakers and the first thing he asks is 'So how are the riddles doing?' It's this wonderful encouragement from seniors that keeps me going. Also the fact that the book's earning comparisons with Dan Brown is overwhelming. But with success comes responsibility. Responsibility to make sure that my next thriller is bigger and better.
One author you would like to endorse for his writing?
Holding a Masters in English Literature from St Stephen's, I was fortunate to read various authors dabbling in thrillers. Agatha Christie has been a humungous influence. Poirot and Marple tales have been textbooks on how to create watertight mysteries, scatter clues in plain sight and finally lead the unsuspecting reader to that jaw-dropping final revelation. The murder mystery in my book and that final twist that my readers are loving so much is my tribute to Christie's uncanny genius. The touch of macabre is probably Poe and Stephen King's influence while the historical context is entirely Dan Brown and Umberto Eco.
Share few secrets (of course other than the one mentioned in your book) you found out while reading up on Indian royal secrets that are unknown.
That's difficult since I have incorporated most of these fascinating secrets in my book. Not many know that Indian royalty used simpler versions of robots called Yantra Purushas for daily chores. Or that, scenes of war described in Mahabharata correspond exactly to destruction from nuclear wars. In fact when the Americans bombed Hiroshima and Nagasaki during the Second World War, Oppenheimer, the coordinator of the atom bomb project quoted Krishna from Bhagvad Gita, 'I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.' Apparently even Hitler believed that our ancient texts contained secrets of nuclear warfare.
Converting a novel into a screenplay has become a trend these days. Thrillers make a good meat for Bollywood anyway. Do you foresee a great Bollywood career ahead?
It is surely an exciting proposition especially since I have an offer from Bollywood now to convert my book into a film. The screenplay is being created and it feels wonderful to collaborate on this exciting venture. Offers are coming my way to create thriller content for television and I am also creating a script for a Bollywood thriller. Success opens new doors. Now let's see what's behind them!
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