My interview taken by Dr. Swetha Prakash on her medium site
You have written for the Indica India-Cambodia anthology Shared Roots. Could you talk about your journey as a writer?
My journey in writing started in school. I won a prize for penning a poem on a Jesuit poet. The school used to send me for elocution, composition and quizzing. Was also the editor of the school magazine. Later on, I worked in technical writing and technology journalism. I was writing day in and day out- features, news, bios et al. I was interviewing CTOs, CEOs from around the world. I have interviewed many prominent people like Mr Narayan Murthy, Mr. S. Ramodarai of TCS, the Dean of Wharton Global Initiatives Harbir Singh, Organizational Behaviour savant Peter Senge, Data Mining expert Bill Inmon and the distinguished scholar ex- president Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.
Then, I started my own set up which has been engaged digital marketing and content creation. I wrote the novel Surreal City in 2012 and had written while in college an anthology of poetry ‘Existential Angst’. The noted Indian English language poet and reader — University of Mumbai Nissim Ezekiel facilitated publication through Jaico. They made it available in the US and the UK through Amazon, Barnes&Noble etc. It was catalogued in the British Council, Sussex and the U.S. South Asian Literature List. I was into journalism night and day so it was non-stop writing. Recently I worked on several research papers in disparate fields such as Gaudiya Vaishnavism, Jaina merchants, Indo-Greek cultural interaction and technological disruption.
Your experience in participating in the Indica India-Cambodia Anthology Shared Roots?
I sent the story to Indica in late 2021, so it has been such a long journey to paraphrase Rohinton Mistry. We all liked how Shri Ratul Chakraborty the curator of the anthology helped and took charge of the whole book. Ratul has been a very positive influence. I would like to thank Shri Hari Kiran Vadlamani, Founder of Indica, for his dharmic vision. He arranges conferences that focus on Indic and Dharmic issues. Mr. Hari Kiran is very unique in that sense. He has encouraged so many writers in this ecosystem and Swarajya is also owned by Kovai media, part of the Indica Group.
Could you talk about cultural heritage as a shared experience between nations?
Indian soft power which was widespread in ancient times has taken a back seat to China. The academic Samuel Huntington came up with the idea of ‘Clash of Civilisations’. In that sense in India, there has never been a volatile clash. We have always been a very assimilative culture. These are latter day nomenclatures. There is no country like India in terms of cultural heritage. Like the noted academic Philip Rawsonw wrote in the Art of South East Asia with specific reference to Cambodia, “The culture of India has been one of the world’s most powerful civilising forces” India is the prime example of cultural soft power. Due to internal dissensions and fault lines, we haven’t been able to cash in and leverage on that.
Which aspects of shared Indo-Cambodian culture did you explore in your short story?
My protagonist is a lady called Jayalakshmi Vijayan, a Tamizh Brahmin who is the descendant of an ancient lineage or kula. The story has mentioned Tamil and Khmer kings both participants in the movement of Indic cultural values to Cambodia. I took that aspect and crafted a fantasy narrative. The protagonist’s family is thrown out of Cambodia. I attempted to weave in history, actual kings, Tantra, Vaishnavism, Lord Hanumana and Shaivism, both in South India and Cambodia.
Themes in your short story?
History, courage are themes. The story is about a typical Indian corporate executive who works in a highly stressful high-profile job in Mumbai. I attempt to transfer her to a centuries old Cambodian set up. Presently, we have a disconnect between our ancient heritage, deep roots and what we are currently at. Western education, Marxist histography and English education have all severed us from our cultural roots and the sheer expanse and influence of our Dharmic civilization. History, alienation, deeper love and the bond between two ancient cultures are the main themes without making them tropes or mere jingoistic sentiments.
The importance of creating shared cultural narratives liked Shared Roots?
There has been an excessive focus on Delhi based history, the sultanate era, and after that Mughal history. Southern history, the East, the North East and many other regions have been ignored. We have figures like Raja Marthanda Varma, Rani Abbaka, Lachit Borphukhan from Assam, the Cholas, the Chalukyas or Lalitaditya Muktapida from Kashmir. There has been an excessive focus on the national capital, the so called graveryard of empires. We need newer narratives that help us reflect, admire and be proud of the greatness, the Brahma-Kshattra spirit and the Dharmic backbone of Indian history. We all look up to whoever the west honours. I would like to again thank the Indica founder as he has created a place where these kinds of narratives can have a voice and gain some traction.
