About the Book:
Educated, young,
no-nonsense bearing, able administrator—these are the qualities that won Sesha
the loyalties of the people after three years of rule as the Chief Minister of
Tamil Nadu. An allegation that he was the mastermind behind the murder of 73
Kannadigas threatens to bring him down but he is miraculously saved in the 11th
hour.
Even before he can relish his victory, Sesha is slapped with the charge
of sexually offending a young nurse. This time round, the case is strong and
his supporters are uncertain. Worse, his teenage daughter calls him 'vile' and
walks out of the house. While Mythili, his wife promises her full support, her
secretive activities—undertaken with the help of a retired cop—is a cause of
concern for Sesha.
Will Zarina, the human-rights activist, succeed in bringing him down?
What about the insinuations of a celebrity lawyer that he is casteist and
antiminorities? When the young nurse is found dead, the case becomes even more
complex. Who is innocent? Who is guilty? And who is the mastermind?
Excerpt:
Zarina sensed the opportunity and asked, “Do you mind if we help you?”
“How?” asked Ramanujam.
“I would like to buy an apartment and I can pay upfront.”
There was a momentary silence. It appeared Ramanujam had not expected
this.
Perhaps a win-win situation for both, she thought. “Do I take it that you’re
fine with selling the apartment to me?”
“Hmm…I’m afraid not.”
“What?”
“I’ve committed the remaining apartments to my friends.”
“If I may ask you…have you entered into an agreement with them?”
“No, but I would not like to go back on my commitment. They’re my
friends.”
“What is the price you’ve agreed with them? We can pay a higher price.”
“We haven’t yet agreed on a price.”
“Then what is your expectation? Let us see if we can beat that.”
Ramanujam shook his head.
“Can I talk to your friends and see if anyone is willing to…” She clammed
up, as Ramanujam’s facial expression was not encouraging. Frustrating. He
was blocking all her efforts to find a solution. She decided to voice her
concern. “There’s no agreement. You haven’t agreed on the price. They’re not
ready with the funds. And you still want to sell the apartments to them?”
He was taken aback by her raised voice. “See Ms Zarina, it’s my house. I
can sell it to anyone I want. It’s not your business to suggest how and to
whom I should sell.”
There was absolute silence, as Zarina and her parents did not know how to
respond.
He must have realised that his response was too harsh and he tried to
control the damage.
“They’re all my friends. We can always agree on these things later. What’s
important is that it’s going to be a small community of family and close
friends. We don’t want outsiders.”
Then it struck her. Shit! It was all there before her eyes: The vadakalai
thiruman on his forehead, his wife drawing the curtain to stop them viewing
his lunch, the ‘Vishnu only’ photo frames that lined the wall, his reference to
them as ‘outsiders’. Why did it not strike her earlier? Now she understood
Ramanujam’s hesitation to sell the apartment to them: Orthodoxy.
Conservatism. Religious fundamentalism. He did not want to sell because
they were Muslims. Still, she wanted to confirm. “Who are these friends to
whom you want to sell the apartments?”
Ramanujam did not understand the relevance of the question. Still he
answered, “They were my colleagues in Southern Railway.”
“Iyengars?”
“Hmm…yes.”
She smirked. “I expected this. So, you don’t want to sell to us because we
are Muslims.”
Ramanujam remained silent.
His silence confirmed her suspicion. She closed her eyes to suppress tears.
Rejection based on her religion. She was facing it for the second time in six
months. Earlier, someone had rejected her love for the same reason. Now, this
old man was refusing to sell one of his apartments to her. Earning money and
earning respect were two different things, it appeared. Being a member of a
minority community was, after all, not easy.
She got up from the sofa, signalling the end of the discussions.
Author Interview:
Snehal: Hello Mr.
Hariharan, Thank you for agreeing to this interview. Tell us a little . about
yourself and your background.
Hariharan: I am finance professional by default
and a writer by choice. I head the finance function of a $150 mill group based
in East and Central Africa. My wife and I live in Dar-es-Salaam while my sons
pursue their ambitions in India. Filter coffee, Carnatic music, Arun Shourie’sbooks,
spicy Indian food and smart casuals define a part of my personality. My inner
personality? I am still exploring.
Snehal: Tell
us more about what you’ve written in the past.
Hariharan: Not content with just a rewarding
corporate job, I took to writing a couple of years ago. I blogged on media and
current affairs for a year at valadyviews.blogspot.com and contributed articles
to The Hoot, an online media watch portal before hitting on the idea for this
novel.
Snehal: Give
us an insight of your main character and how you thought about it.
Hariharan: The
lead character is an amazing woman called Mythili. A loving wife.Affectionate
yet a disciplinarian mom.Wife of the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Mythili is
an amazing mix of childish enthusiasm and sober maturity. Sounds like a
paradox? Hear this. When the High Court acquits her husband Sesha in a hate
crime case, she pulls him out of a lecture in Anna University, gives the
security guys the slip and takes him out on a late-night romantic drive. But
when a charge of sexual harassment surfaces against Sesha, when her daughter
calls Sesha vile and walks out of the house, what does she do? Does it shake
her unassailable faith in her husband? It is her response to this challenge
that sets her apart from the heroines of contemporary novels.
Snehal: How much was your research during the
writing process of the book?
Hariharan: The
novel revolves around political controversies and human rights violations. So,
I spent a good amount of time researching the legal and constitutional
provisions, how media houses run the show in the wake of dwindling ad revenues…
Snehal: What was the hardest part of writing this
book?
Hariharan: I
would rather talk about the difficult phase I went through while writing the
book. My first draft was 105,000 words. I gave the manuscript to a couple of
beta readers and their near unanimous response was ‘The book is interesting,
but cut down the size.’ And that was an unenviable job. Every word I had
written appeared to be significant. Every word I deleted cried for its
continuance. And indecisive period of 10 days. Finally I cut down around 15,000
words!
Snehal: How did you come up with that title?
Hariharan: You
know what? The initial title was Human Rights Industry. A beta reader said it
sounded more like the caption of a thesis. The example she gave struck me. Then
I considered 7-8 options and finally chose Surpanakha. Even now the question I
face is why title the novel after a negative character.
Snehal: What made you choose this particular theme
for your book?
Hariharan: A
couple of years ago, a law intern alleged that a retired judged behaved in a
sexually inappropriate manner with her. Celebrity lawyers took up her case.
Media hounded the judge. He was forced to resign from a strategic post
retirement job. Thereafter when the police registered a case and wanted the
victim to testify, she vanished. We don’t know what happened. Was there pressure
on her not to testify? Or was it decided that the purpose had been achieved?
Neither the celebrity lawyers nor media felt obliged to explain their position
to the masses.
Secondly, a series of articles by an IIM professor on the mushrooming NGOs and their questionable sources of funds forced me to think. Around the same time there were reports that well-known personalities who were running foreign funded NGOs were using the funds for buying branded jewelry, clothing and shoes! It made me wonder what the underlying motivation could be for floating such NGOs.
Both the above gave rise to a lot of what ifs in me and pushed me into the realm of fiction. And the novel was born. I would, however, like to clarify that it is not a real life story.
Snehal: Did
you ever get a writer’s block?
Hariharan: Yes,
writing the denouement was difficult. Writing an action packed end would have been
easier, but the story didn’t require one. A denouement should have drama and
believable surprises. Arguments should be intelligent as to not just cover all
the loose ends but also make the reader feel why he could not deduce what the
main character was concluding.The initial 3-4 drafts did not bring out the
drama I wanted. I went blank for a week.
Snehal: Do you remember the first story you read
that had an impact on your life?
Hariharan: Panchatantra
stories were one of the earliest books I read. They continue to be my favorites
even today. They influence the way I see life and condition my responses to
unexpected developments.
Snehal: Which
writers inspire you?
Hariharan: Arun Shouries,
Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Rajiv Malhotra and S L
Byrappa to name a few.
Snehal: Is there a message in your novel that you
want your readers to grasp?
Hariharan: Surpanakha
is a thriller, which keeps the reader hooked to the story till the last page.
Apart from that, I don’t think there is any message in the novel.
Snehal: How can readers discover more about you?
Hariharan: They
can connect with me through my Facebook page. My Twitter handle
is @HariharanIyer. Readers can visit my blog Valady Views.
Snehal: Anything
you want to add that I missed?
Hariharan: This
is a fairly comprehensive interview. If at all I have to add something, it is about the publishing process a new author goes
through. But that is a vast subject…could be the subject of a book. Thanks
Ms.Snehal for this opportunity.
Snehal: Your Welcome and Good luck with the book launch.
Buy Links:
HariharanIyer is a
finance professional based in Dar es Salaam. Not content with just a
rewarding corporate job, he took to writing a couple of years back. He
blogged on media and current affairs for a year
at valadyviews.blogspot.com before hitting on the idea for this novel.An
idea so powerful that it convinced the accountant in him that he could put
together not just a balance sheet but an intriguing political thriller as
well. He has definite views on politics, NGOs and media ethics and has
tried to package them in the form of an interesting novel.
Hariharan lives with his
wife in Dar es Salaam while his two sons are pursuing their ambitions in
India.
Contact Hariharan:
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Janine A. Southard is the IPPY award-winning author of Queen & Commander (and other books in The Hive Queen Saga). She lives in Seattle, WA, where she writes speculative fiction novels, novellas, and short stories... and reads them aloud to her cat.
Krysten Lindsay Hager is a book addict who has worked as a journalist and humor essayist. She is the author of the LANDRY's TRUE COLORS SERIES and the STAR SERIES. TRUE COLORS was her debut novel and the first book in the LANDRY'S TRUE COLORS series. BEST FRIENDS...FOREVER? (Book 2) was #1 in Amazon's hot new releases in teen & young adult values and virtues fiction and #1 in Amazon's hot new release in children's books on values. Landry in Like (Book 3) was #3 in Amazon's Hot New Releases for Girls & Women. Her work has been featured in USA Today, The Flint Journal, the Grand Haven Tribune, the Bellbrook Times, and on the talk show Living Dayton. Check out her YA novel, NEXT DOOR TO A STAR (book 1 in the STAR SERIES) and COMPETING WITH THE STAR: Book 2 in the STAR SERIES. You can follow her at: http://www.krystenlindsay.com.
