THIS NUANCED FICTION EXPLORES THE INTRICATE WEB OF RELATIONSHIPS

Author Interview: Deepak Kripal

Deepak Kripal is a practicing doctor who has deeply studied subjects like Psychology, Philosophy and Sociology that have hugely influenced the stories and thoughts he chooses to tell. He credits his love for stories to the bedtime stories told to the imaginative child in him by his late grandfather. He likes to experiment in his writing, but also to stay true to real life issues that concern human existence. His debut novel, “The Devil’s Gate: An Impossible Journey”, was critically acclaimed and was a one of its kind book in Indian writing landscape. He has recently come out with the book “Sense of a Quiet”. In a candid chat with Chirdeep Malhotra, he talks about his latest book, his writing journey, his favourite books and authors, and much more. Read on!



Please tell us more about Deepak Kripal as a person.

Well, that’s a difficult one for a start. You should probably ask this question to people around me. But I would certainly like to be remembered as a person who was warm, affectionate and kind.



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?

I was always inclined towards creativity, but it took time for me to comprehend that writing was my true calling. I have been writing since 2009, and it has been a learning experience, and certainly a thoroughly gratifying journey.



Please tell us more about your book “Sense of a Quiet”.

Well, it’s a story about people that you will easily find around you. All the characters, barring one, are inspired by people I know in real life. This story looks at the complicated web of relationships and their ramifications from the prism of class system, ambitions, religion, corruption, personality differences and societal pressures. Readers will realize what I am talking about once they read it.



What inspired you to write this book? When did you start writing this book and how long did it take you to finish it?

I was in Haridwar and there I met a rickshaw-walla who amazed me in more ways than one. And I knew certain other people, who I thought deserved a story being written about them. And it’s not like they are some extraordinary people. They are perfectly simple people caught in the cobweb of this perfectly complex animal, fondly known as life. So, that’s where writing this book started and it took about 4 years to finish.



Can you tell us more about your writing process for this novel? How did you go about creating three-dimensional characters and mapping out an engaging plot for this novel?

I had a good understanding about a few characters as they were inspired from people that I knew in real life. I drank tea with rickshaw-wallas at a tea stall they used to frequent and chatted with them to get a deeper insight into their life and mannerisms. A lot of time and brainstorming went into formulating the plot, as I wanted to keep the story real and simple and still leave that impact once readers are done with the story.



What kind of research did writing this book entail?

This was a project that was more about looking inside than searching outside. Being a doctor myself, I knew about the technicalities of the story, so it wasn’t taxing in terms of looking for information. That being said, looking inside for things you see but don’t really observe is no less taxing, if you ask me.



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

A lot of blood and sweat goes into the making of a book. I don’t think I am qualified enough to do justice to this particular task.



What are you working on next? Any new literary projects that our readers should look out for?

I have already started work on the next book, and I don’t plan to take 4 years this time. I want to tell at least 10 good stories before I sign off.



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

‘Joy is like vapour. You can’t save it for later.’ Let me take an exception by quoting a line from my book only.