Sons of Darkness is a 'reimagining' of the Mahabharata. Why did you decide to base your debut on this epic? And how did you find the experience of basing your novel on something that already exists?
Gourav: This will be a long answer *takes a deep breath*
Mahabharata is a classic tale that has inspired people over centuries to either add to or retell it in their own unique style. I, however, did not want to just “retell” the story but “reimagine” it in an alternate What If dimension where I could fully flesh out a world. It always bothered me that we did not have our Narnia, our Westeros, an Indian immersive worldbuilding experience. I wanted to create such an experience from the world of Mahabharata- a sort of time travel to mythic India with its currency, cults, culture, and cutthroat assassins.
The desire to reimagine something that already exists stemmed from my revulsion against projections of ancient India as a village stuck in the Age of Wheel and obsessed with wooden arrows. I mean, c’mon. Our myths boast of non-linear time, flying machines, fetal incubation, test-tube babies and cloning. That Age cannot be viewed from the lens of mud huts. No. I wanted to read a book that had swords, morning stars, battle-axes and war-hammers, castles, siege engines, ports and temples, all festering in a vibrant civilization whose underbelly seethes with magic, murder and mayhem. So, I started building a new world on the legacy of scores of hand-drawn maps, character sketches, raw notes, castle plans, detailed fight scenes, caste tattoos, heraldic designs…you name it. And five gruelling years later, here we are, at the threshold of an exciting adventure.
The experience was enriching because as I said, I “reimagined” a tale which meant breaking down what exists to its bare atoms and reconstructing a new universe on its grave. I felt like Thanos reshaping a universe with the Infinity Stones.
There are many points of view in Sons of Darkness and we hear from a whole host of characters throughout the novel. Do you have a favourite, and if so, why? Anyone that you'd like to be friends with...or not?
Gourav: Favourite character? It is akin to asking a parent who the favourite child is? They all have one but they are rather reluctant to share it. Though I confess I delight in writing Krishna. His mind plays the game at such a level that it is incomprehensible to the naked eye. And being cleverer than most, his mistakes tend to have huge consequences, and I enjoyed exploring the aftermath of such consequences.
Friends with characters from Sons of Darkness? That made me chuckle. They are all so messed up, I am not sure I would want to be friends with anyone unless I had a death wish. Perhaps, Shishupal. That man is a burned out knight and just wants to be ignored by the Gods so that he can sleep for eight hours a day. Alas, the man is just pushed from one ordeal to another. Being a lawyer, I relate.
What made you decide to write a novel? Was it a long time in the making?
Gourav: A Toni Morrison quote: "If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it."
It was my final year of law school and Day Zero landed a job in my hands. I decided to make the best of the year left by reading all the books I wanted to read. In my hunt, I observed that there are no big Indian fantasy books. In fact, there had been a conscious trend in Indian Fantasy to turn the beautiful magic of our mythology into 300-odd-page science fiction in perhaps a bid to make it more believable. And while that was wonderful but it clipped the wings of the imaginations of our forefathers. What is magic if not unexplained science?
I had always wished to escape to a world where the power of Chakras, the mystery of Mandalas and the fire of Astras were as believable as wands in Harry Potter or Zeus’ lightning in Greek Retellings. I had always yearned to see an ancient India where drab mud brown was swapped for obsidian veined with gold and lapis lazuli. I hungered for a world where there was no white or black but just different shades of grey when it came to people. I wanted to read such a world based in India, and finding none, I ended up creating it.
You place Sons of Darkness in the 'grimdark' fantasy space, and describe it as India's first grimdark novel. What drew you to writing grimdark? Were there any challenges with writing in this genre?
Gourav: I read a famous quote somewhere that one man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter, and that affected me profoundly.
It is true. No one ever believes they are a villain in their story. The line between good and evil is always a line drawn in the sand. Most of the retellings of ancient Indian epics that exist treat this line as sacrosanct. I wanted to blur it. You can call it unheroic fantasy, scoundrel lit or grimdark – but I want to write a book that focuses on the seedier side of life rather than the shiny because, to me, it felt more honest. Grimdark says something about our world as it is. And the world clearly does contain lots of darkness, violence, death, despair, filth, and pain so to ignore those things, especially in a book that focuses on war, can seem a little dishonest.
The world of Sons of Darkness clearly does contain righteousness, self-sacrifice, virtuousness and hope. So you wouldn’t want a story that entirely ignores the possibility of those things but, speaking for myself, Sons of Darkness was always intended to sit somewhat on the other side of the scales from a lot of the simpler and righteous stuff which seemed to dominate the Indian fantasy fiction scene.
Challenges? Not really. It was just a reflection of the world as it is around us. Disillusioned. Amoral. Dishonest. But somewhere within, a bit of hidden good.
Sons of Darkness is epic at around 650 pages. You also have a full-time job as a lawyer, and a side hobby as a comedian. How do you manage to fit everything in? When do you tend to write?
Gourav: Honestly, I just do not know the answer to this question. I do like my days to be productive. I enjoy arguing before courts, love making people laugh and hunger for readers to be consumed by my stories. Stagnation is a death sentence for me. Love the hustle. Chit-chat, small talk, delaying, waiting around, and scrolling, is all useless. If you want to get shit done, you have to jump straight into the action.
Elimination of distractions, keeping away clutter, creating routines, advance planning, and emphasis on rests have all done their part in keeping the browser running despite so many open tabs.
I write every day before I head off to sleep and the first thing when I wake up. I know many budding writers wait for creativity to strike but I have found the Muse favours working stiffs. You don’t wait for the Muse to take you to the temple, you show up at the temple, do your ritual and if she is happy, she will descend on your keyboard. Most take it the other way round, and destroy their chances of finishing a book. Consistency is the cradle of creativity. Alright, I will end this answer before it turns into a Ted Talk.
What are you reading now? Any recommendations for our readers?
Gourav: I am currently reading The Anarchy by William Dalrymple and Sixth Extinction by Elizabeth Kolbert, and in fiction, I am reading The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern and Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin. I read multiple books simultaneously and consequently can die anytime under the TBR Tower.
Recommendation: I recently completed Red Rising by Pierce Brown. Wow! Hunger Games in Space played by Spartans on Drugs. Absolutely, wowed. It was my first Sci-Fi book and boy was it worth it!
Sons of Darkness is part of a trilogy. What can we expect from the next book?
Gourav: I extract deeper from Indian history in Dance of Shadows. There is a Devadasi as well as a Librarian who are going to be introduced as major characters. The North East has often been ignored in depictions of Ancient India but Dance of Shadows primarily takes place in Pragjyotisha, the Rakshasha Kingdom of the East (present-day Assam). There are heroic quests, crazy heists and incredible heartbreaks! I can’t wait to unveil it to the world!
