Sanjiv Behera's Blog - Posts Tagged "vikram"
Writing Vikram - This seal doesn't swim
Hello everyone! Thanks for following.
Invariably, every author has his/her reasons for why they write, and what they write about. For me, the rationale is quite simple.
I write for my children. You could say that I had a Billy Crystal "City Slickers" moment while my wife was pregnant with our first child. I thought about how I would explain my line of work (software business development) when my child asked what I did. Would the answer intrigue her? Would it excite her? Or, would it put her to sleep?
So, I set forth to writing stories, in the hopes that they would interest my children more than any marketing forecast could.
My first novel, Vikram and the Enchanted Seals, was written for the purpose of introducing my kids to everything I love about our Indian heritage. The novel touches on India's history, mythology, art, architecture, natural settings, philosophy, and societal values.
The first question that prospective readers may have about the book is, "What does a story about India have to do with furry sea mammals?" But the 'seals' in question here are something entirely different than the sea-faring animals that share the same name.
Seals are among the first artifacts found from the Indus Valley Civilization, the earliest of South-Asian civilizations. The following British Museum link actually provides a great explanation of what a "seal" is.
http://tinyurl.com/74sodgu
Enjoy!
And thanks again for your interest!
-Sanjiv
Invariably, every author has his/her reasons for why they write, and what they write about. For me, the rationale is quite simple.
I write for my children. You could say that I had a Billy Crystal "City Slickers" moment while my wife was pregnant with our first child. I thought about how I would explain my line of work (software business development) when my child asked what I did. Would the answer intrigue her? Would it excite her? Or, would it put her to sleep?
So, I set forth to writing stories, in the hopes that they would interest my children more than any marketing forecast could.
My first novel, Vikram and the Enchanted Seals, was written for the purpose of introducing my kids to everything I love about our Indian heritage. The novel touches on India's history, mythology, art, architecture, natural settings, philosophy, and societal values.
The first question that prospective readers may have about the book is, "What does a story about India have to do with furry sea mammals?" But the 'seals' in question here are something entirely different than the sea-faring animals that share the same name.
Seals are among the first artifacts found from the Indus Valley Civilization, the earliest of South-Asian civilizations. The following British Museum link actually provides a great explanation of what a "seal" is.
http://tinyurl.com/74sodgu
Enjoy!
And thanks again for your interest!
-Sanjiv
Writing Vikram - Oh, the places you'll go!
One of the things that excited me about writing Vikram... was the number of settings I had to choose from for the story. India is a phenomenal country, filled with so many fascinating places of both cultural and historical significance, that is was easy to draw inspiration for many parts of the book.
For example, the cave of murals is derived from the monastic caves at Ajanta, the temple in the jungle from the sun temple at Konark, the palace on the lake from Lake Pichola Palace in Udaipur, and the Buddhist sanctuary from Sarnath. Even the village and jungle scenes were derived from places that I have actually been to!
But, out of all the settings in Vikram…, one in particular continues to beg the most questions from readers. "What's with the two trees?" or "What do the trees mean?"
In the story, while on their adventure, Vikram and his friends stop to rest next to two towering Neem trees: one rich with lush leaves and teeming wildlife, and the other, barren and skeletal. Here's a brief excerpt from the novel:
This setting was depicted to exhibit the stark contrasts found in India. During my visits there, I clearly remember the poor being extremely poor. And the rich being filthy rich. India was home to gorgeous and wild forests. But minutes away, vibrant metropolitan cities flourished. Ascetics shared the streets with small-time pickpockets. Bitter melon and sweet papayas were both consumed by people with equal fervor. And in the middle of a hot, cloudless day, monsoon rains would appear within a flash.
So at an early age, I was taught that the world was full of contrasts, each incredible in their own right. The biggest lesson however, was tolerance. If a single country could tolerate such broad extremes, we as people should be able to tolerate a few differences between us.
That's all for this time. Thanks for reading!
-Sanjiv
For example, the cave of murals is derived from the monastic caves at Ajanta, the temple in the jungle from the sun temple at Konark, the palace on the lake from Lake Pichola Palace in Udaipur, and the Buddhist sanctuary from Sarnath. Even the village and jungle scenes were derived from places that I have actually been to!
But, out of all the settings in Vikram…, one in particular continues to beg the most questions from readers. "What's with the two trees?" or "What do the trees mean?"
In the story, while on their adventure, Vikram and his friends stop to rest next to two towering Neem trees: one rich with lush leaves and teeming wildlife, and the other, barren and skeletal. Here's a brief excerpt from the novel:
Vikram couldn't decide which one he liked better. The live tree, at first glance, was kinder on the eye. Its leaves were a beautiful shade of green, and there were birds and squirrels perched on many of its branches. The bare tree, on the other hand, had nothing to hide. It was transparent; each one of its flaws was clear for him to see.
This setting was depicted to exhibit the stark contrasts found in India. During my visits there, I clearly remember the poor being extremely poor. And the rich being filthy rich. India was home to gorgeous and wild forests. But minutes away, vibrant metropolitan cities flourished. Ascetics shared the streets with small-time pickpockets. Bitter melon and sweet papayas were both consumed by people with equal fervor. And in the middle of a hot, cloudless day, monsoon rains would appear within a flash.
So at an early age, I was taught that the world was full of contrasts, each incredible in their own right. The biggest lesson however, was tolerance. If a single country could tolerate such broad extremes, we as people should be able to tolerate a few differences between us.
That's all for this time. Thanks for reading!
-Sanjiv
