The new book ‘Kuldharar Guptodhon’ is a perfect blend of reincarnation mystery and adventure
The New book of Dr. Sanjib Kumar banerjee is in the go and it’s a perfect recipe of a desert adventure commending with the hint of incarnated Mystery.
Buy the book here on Amazon, Power Publishers
- Congratulations on the release of ‘Kuldharar Guptodhon’. Tell us something about your book. How is it different from other books of the same genre?
Answer: Till date I am written Shorts scripts for drama and short films. Kuldharar Guptodhon is my first attempt to write a big story. It is a desert adventure based on a local folklore of Kuldhara, Jasalmer, Rajasthan.
This story is not a typical treasure hunt but a bit different which encompasses the contemporary historical events, heart touching love stories and Jwatishwar (the reincarnated)
- As a medical practitioner and gynaecologist, how do you balance your demanding profession with creative pursuits like writing Kuldharar Guptodhon?
Answer: It is difficult to continue my creation with my challenging professional activities but new creation definitely rejuvenates me and for this I have to make some professional sacrifices and adjustments as well.
- The myth of Kuldhara is rich with history and intrigue. What drew you to this legend, and how did you decide to frame it in the context of a desert adventure?
Answer: Since childhood I am a voracious reader and read different types of books side by side of my schoolbooks and detective, crime thriller and adventures were my main attraction. But when I grew up a little, I was mostly attracted on the stories based on historical events and I am in continuous search of such mysterious and uncovered historical events online and offline. After knowing about Kuldhara I felt an urge in my mind to create something with this story and a concept of desert adventure popped up from subconscious mind. Before writing I have gone through various articles on Kuldhara, and related subject and a book named – ‘ Legends of Kuldhara
‘ by Malati Ramachandran helps me immensely to elaborate the story.
- The idea of a reincarnated soul, or ‘Jwatishwar’ is central to your story. What inspired this concept, and how does it serve the narrative of uncovering the cursed treasure?
Answer: There is multiple information about the reincarnation available online. The most famous of all the case of Shanti Devi for whom Mahatma Gandhi sent an enquiry committee and the claims by Shanti Devi was also approved by Gandhiji himself. In Bengali stories Rabindranath Tagore wrote “Khudhito Pashan” and in recent years we find a very popular story ‘Sonar Kella’ by legendary filmmaker and story writer Satyajit Ray, in which a story of reincarnated boy leads to a desert adventure and from it a blockbuster movie was made by Ray himself. This movie made Jasalmer fort very famous. But after him no significant work have been done on Jasalmer and Jwatishwar (the reincarnated). My story is completely different from that of Ray, but It also have almost the same location and Jwatishwar. I think is a perfect tribute to the legends and readers can enjoy the essence of nostalgia.
- Kuldhara is a village steeped in mystery and folklore. How much of the story is rooted in historical facts, and how much is fictional imagination?
Answer: There are two views regarding the abandonment of the villages of Kuldhara. The first one is the popular folklore which is the central of my story and second one is that the villages are not abandoned overnight but gradually due to scarcity of water. The Historical characters like Rawal Gaj Singh (king of Jasalmer), his minister Salam/Salim Singh and the Paliwals of Kuldhara were very much real. The house of Pradhan in Kuldhara is now renovated and is a tourist attraction. The Haveli of Salam/ Salim Singh still there inside the Jasalmer fort. My story is blend of historical facts and popular folklore.
- Nisar, Sayra, and Parveen are fascinating protagonists. How did you develop their characters, and what do they symbolize within the larger context of the story?
Answer: As a practicing Gynaecologist I must meet many patients in the age group of Parveen and the parents and relatives of them. Mostly they are from middle class families and as I am also born and brought up in middle class family, it is not very difficult to realise their mindset and to build characters like them. Nisar, Sayra, Parveen and Mustaq represent the typical middle class family members irrespective of caste, creed and religion.
- Writing an adventure story requires vivid imagery and engaging pacing. Can you share any specific techniques or challenges you faced while bringing the desert setting and treasure hunt to life?
Answer: From the past experience of my writing of scripts I can tell some important points regarding the writing a proper adventure stories- a) Knitting of the storyline should be tight, b) To keep the suspense alive throughout the entire story, c) The beginning should be very interesting and d) The ending should be like this that after finishing the story reader must have a long lasting impressions about the story and should have a question in the mind – What’s next?
As we are now in T20 Cricket era and reading habits of the most people a bit changed. Now limited pages stories are more preferred over the big volume novels. So, my challenge was to make the story short but should be lively and full of suspense. And for this U have named every chapter of my story.
- As someone involved in drama and short film direction, did your experience in visual storytelling influence how you structured or narrated the book?
Answer: It seems from your question that you have gone through the story deeply and a special thanks for that from me. Yes, it is true, when I write any script or story, I can see vividly the character and even there conversation and movements. And regarding this book I can tell you that I could realize the potential of the story as a film. For this reason, it is written as a continuous movie scenes format.
- How do you balance creating suspense with respecting the cultural myths and legends that inspired the book?
Answer: Yes, balance is very important because I am not only telling the popular folklore but also there are contemporary history along with love stories and above all Jwatishwar insertion of right thing in right place to keep the suspense intact with pace is very nych needed. I have tried my level best and remaining opinion reserved to my readers.
- The bond between Nisar, Sayra, and Parveen is at the heart of the story. How does their familial relationship drive the plot and reflect the story’s deeper themes?
Answer: In a middle-class family, the bond between the parents and their children is made up of love and affection and it is universal. If any of the family members are unwell then every member will be concerned, and it will jeopardise their daily lives. So, the concerns of the parents for their daughter is universal irrespective of caste, creed and religion.
- What do you hope readers take away from Kuldharar Guptodhon? Do you envision it appealing to fans of mystery, history, or adventure—or perhaps all three?
Answer: I have tried to make the local folklore more attractive and to spread awareness regarding our past cultural heritage. The take home message is – No caste creed religion is superior to mankind and humanities.
I have written this book to reach readers of different mindset, if readers accept it in any form as I will be thankful to them and will try to entertain them with more attractive stories in the future.