Confessions of an Epic Indian

Would you like to see two more books in my Ramayana series published?

Not written, mind you, because they’re already written, but published.

You do?

Well, what are you waiting for?

Head on over to the Readerswrite page, read the ongoing discussion on these two unsubmitted manuscripts lying on my workdesk right now, and pitch in with your comment in favour of (or against) publishing these books.

And don’t forget to leave your full name when you comment. That’s so that I can thank all of you who join in the discussion if and when these books appear.

How did this come about? Well, a brief explanation…

As some of you who’ve been in touch with me before know quite well, I’m notorious for leaving books unpublished for years after finishing them.

Why? Well, partly because I don’t think an author should publish everything he’s written, no matter how good the books are, because while writing is a creative occupation, publication is a commercial process, and it’s easy for a writer, especially one who’s fairly successful as I seem to be, to get seduced by the lure of capitalistic commerce, and keep publishing everything he writes, until he reaches a point where he looks back and realizes he’s just been publishing to earn money, without regard for his art.

So I write a lot of books, and put them aside, and move on to other books. (I only write, read and spend time with my family, which is why I’m able to produce so much–you’d be surprised how much work you get done when you cut out useless stuff like ‘networking’ and socializing and self-promotional activities from a writer’s life.) And some time later, maybe months, maybe years, maybe even decades, I come back to the manuscript and look at it, and decide, perhaps, to send it to a publisher.

This also ensures that I’m not publishing something just because it’s what readers or publishers want right now. Or because it coincides with a current trend or something that’s in the news. I began writing my Ramayana at a time when it seemed like madness and career suicide to even attempt a modern reteling of the Ramayana, of all things. And by the time it was published, the whole fuss and furore about the Ramayana being potentially ‘controversial’ seemed like a non-issue. As I said at the time, “controversies and politics change every day, the Ramayana has lasted thousands of years.”

That’s what a good story should be: It should be as relevant to read today or twenty three years from now, or even a hundred years later.

But with my Mba requiring at least another year or two to complete, I recently began to think, well, why not look at the pile of completed manuscripts and see if there’s something there that’s worth publishing.

These two novels, Vengeance of Ravana and Sons of Sita seem to fit that bill.

And so, if enough readers out there–this means you, my friend–are still eager to read more in my Ramayana series, well, just post your vote of support on the Readerswrite page now.

And if, in another few weeks, there are enough people voting ‘Aye’, then, yes, I will finally pluck up the courage to send those two manuscripts to my publisher.

And if they also vote ‘Aye’, well, then, about six months after that, you’ll finally know what happened to Rama, Sita, Lakshman, Hanuman, et al, after the war of Lanka.

And what happened after that.

As well as the answers to many questions left unanswered at the end of King of Ayodhya.

So go on, vote by leaving a comment. And let’s see how this turns out.

For once, you’ll be deciding how this ends, instead of me.