ON WRITING A TAUT THRILLER AMALGAMATING HISTORICAL NARRATIVES

Author Interview: Vivek R Chaturvedi

Vivek R Chaturvedi has lived most of his life in Goa and he is a full time banker. He is a biking enthusiast and an adventurer, and also has a commendable record of extreme sports including sky diving, paragliding, bungee jumping, scuba diving, and many more. He has recently come out with the book “The Secret of the Stolen Idols”, which draws from his vast experiences and is a fictionalized account of real historical events and characters from Goa, moulded into a fine tale. In a candid chat with Chirdeep Malhotra, he talks about his book, his writing journey, his favourite books and authors, and much more. Read on!



Please tell us more about Vivek R Chaturvedi as a person.

I am light hearted person looking to enjoy all moments of life. Having lived in Goa till about 30 years of age – it was enough to get me to seek fun and joviality at every juncture of everyday. Professionally, I am a dedicated banker, and personally a doting husband, son, and father.
I do a lot to keep me occupied always – most of the activities I share with my life partner and wife. Amongst active hobbies of mine, naturally I love reading and writing, but I also have a fair repertoire of extreme sports to my credit ranging from skydiving and bungee jumping to motorcycling, scuba, and trekking.



Has writing always been a part of your life? Or did you chance upon it later on and then instantly fell in love with it?

Well, creative verbosity has indeed been a part of my life for a long time – my father was the first person to think of me as a perpetual raconteur who could simply go on and on. In fact, I have spent a lot of time being chastised by teachers for being the most talkative boy in class. I guess it was during one of those moments of kneeling down before a full class that I had first decided to write.



Please tell us more about your book “The Secret of the Stolen Idols”.

It’s a fiction book that deals with a subject very close to my heart – namely Betaal worship in Goa. I have tried to write a crisp thriller story based on several historical events intertwined with very unique characters and a deep knowledge base of various topics of keen interest. Besides an unnerving tale, it is a book that elaborates on many areas such as Trace and Hippie counter cultures in Goa, the Portuguese Inquisition of Hindus, Nootropic Supplements, Extreme Sports, Betaal worship, Thailand, and many, many more.
In the several years of my extensive reading I have found a general lack of books that deal with the subject of Goa in any depth – I have tried to plug this gap. Readers of my book – hopefully – would walk away with the happiness that comes with reading a taut suspense, empowerment which comes with new knowledge, and the fulfilment of reading a slightly difficult level of English – which I have purposely maintained throughout the book.



How did the idea of writing this book originate? When did you start writing this book and how long did it take you to finish it?

Well, during my childhood my family would frequently visit Betaal temple in Mapusa town of Goa. That temple has had a strong influence on me, and there was no way I would not write about Betaal in my lifetime.
I had started writing the book several years back – early 2015 to be precise. It took three years to complete the first proper draft, another year to scout out agents. Luckily, I am now represented by well known agent and close friend Suhail Mathur, who has opened up so many avenues for me.



What made you foray into the genre of historical fiction for your debut novel?

Whereas, my book isn’t a historical fiction in a strict sense due to the fact that a majority of the book’s narrative is in the present times, the idea of it is very dear to me. The spark for history and historical fiction first came to me because of a book I read decades ago – “Empire of the Soul” by Paul William Roberts, and it is this book that set me on this path. I was awestruck with the scope of the work and imagination that existed in this realm, and am sure to write a few books in his genre.



What type of research went into writing this book?

A lot actually. I have tried to enrich the book by deep research in all the areas that the book covers. While most research today is based on secondary data, I did enjoy a full month of conducting primary research in Goa as well. The sites I personally covered were Dewar, Old Goa, and the museums of Goa, along with documentation from various libraries.
Besides this, I am happy to state that I have relied on a lot of my own first hand experiences such as life in Goa for thirty years, visits to Thailand, skydives and treks, my experiments with Nootropic supplements and even contrabands, and so much more for the book. Indeed, the book contains so many of my own experiences.



What challenges did you face while writing this book?

Writing a book is a daunting task for want of a story, creativity, substance, but above all else – time. Being a public sector officer in senior management, taking time out for writing a full book has been the biggest challenge for me. For a whole year, I wrote till 2 am beginning at around 10 pm. Then it suddenly stopped working for me. After a brief struggle of a month or so, I experimented by writing from 4 am all the way till 8 am. That worked for a year. So time has been the biggest issue – especially because I do have a lot of other activities that involve time and resources.



Can you recommend five books from any genre, for our readers to add to their reading lists, that you particularly cherish?

Gladly. These are “Shantaram” by Gregory David Roberts, “Empire of the Soul” by Paul William Roberts, “The Luminaries” by Eleanor Catton, “Unaccustomed Earth” by Jhumpa Lahiri, and “Jurassic Park” by Michael Crichton.



What are your other interests apart from writing?

It has to be fitness, extreme sports, and motorcycling. I have some achievements in these lines and wish to do more in them.



What are you working on next?

I am working on two books currently – a fiction book based on Dream-catchers and a non-fiction treatise on Entrepreneurship – my core professional area of expertise. Drafts for both books should be complete by first half of 2022.



There are many new writers and poets who are aspiring to get their work published. What would you say to them?

Just hang in there. There will be ups and downs, but if you keep at it, you will get a foothold.



Can you share with our readers a motivational quote that keeps you going?

“The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity; the optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty.” – Winston Churchill