Interview with Mr. Akshat Gupta, author of the forthcoming book ‘The Hidden Hindu’. Mr. Gupta reveals some interesting facts about his upcoming book and talks extensively about mythology as a genre.
Q- As we all know your upcoming book ‘The Hidden Hindu’ is all set to launch please tell us about this book, what is it about and what new can a reader find in it?
A – “The Hidden Hindu” is a story of a mysterious Aghori, Om Shastri who is brought to an isolated island for interrogation by a team of 7 experts. The Aghori is subjected to the Narco test and hypnotized. In this state, he reveals a lot of unbelievable secrets like he has witnessed all the 4 yugas from Satyuga to Kalyuga. He stopped aging when he was around 40 years old. He is looking for the immortals mentioned in the Hindu scriptures.
The story talks about Hindu mythology beautifully amalgamated with science fiction. It is very unfortunate that we call it myth and mythology because I truly believe that they form the foundation of our existence.
Q- As you have mentioned in your bio that you weren’t a devout reader in your childhood days and you didn’t really have a background in writing. You were a third-generation hotelier, so keeping that in mind, how did you decide to write mythology fiction, what inspired you to write specifically in this genre?
A – I have not been a reader since my childhood. But even as I was a child I loved writing. I used to write stories and poems which my friends and family thought was good but I still never thought that I will take it as a profession.
Talking about mythology as a genre, I have always wondered about the 7 immortals’ existence. If they are real, where are they now? Do they wear the same attire as we do now? Will we know if we ever met one etc? I am very intrigued by the very thought of immortality. And hence this story.
I promise my readers that this book will be a page-turner till the last paragraph of the last book.
Q- Tell us something more about the character of Om Shastri, how an Aghori ends up being interrogated by experts, what events lead him to the interrogation.
A – During the interrogation, Om Shastri claims to have met Lord Rama during Ramayana and Lord Krishna during Mahabharata.
To know what events lead to the interrogation, you will have to read the book.
He has something in his possession that could change the course of the future and alter the events of our history. The story takes place in our present, is narrated in the future, and will take you on a rollercoaster ride to the past.
Q- As we’ve discussed mythology and we all would agree that mythology be it Indian or any other region, has influenced the way people has shaped their culture and traditions, how do you think Indian mythology has an impact on its society and what factors do you see in our current times that has a value intrinsic in our rich mythological genre?
A – Our nation is full of love & devotion. Hindu mythology or should I say our rich History has shaped our present very beautifully. We are taught that a Guru should be praised first and then the god. The one who teaches and shares his knowledge is greater than God himself.
The values that we the Indians have, our traditions, our acceptance, and our love for our fellow beings say a lot about our Hindu culture and history. I am proud to be an Indian.
Q- Mythological fiction has existed for a long time in our history and the authors of present times are exploring this field and are achieving success. Assuming you as an upcoming expert in this field, which other book would you recommend to people to start their exploration in the field of the mythological fiction genre.
A – There are many amazing books on mythological fiction. I will not be able to point out anyone or two. Great Indian authors like Kavita Kane, Anand Neelkanthan, Kevin Missal, Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, Vivek Kumar, and many more have picked up characters from mythology and retold the stories beautifully and from a different POV. The reader has to decide to depend upon their choice of character/ tale.
Q- This book is the first part of the trilogy that is to launch, and if I’m not wrong you’ve completed the rest of the parts of the book, tell us how your journey being a writer has been, what things did you learn and how did they impact you. It would be great if you could convey a message to the readers about your learnings and inspire them as well.
A – From the seed of thought to self-publishing it first and finally with Penguin Publications, it sure has been a long journey. Yes, this is the first part and I am glad to tell you that the second and third parts have been completed and are to be soon released. My journey with ‘The Hidden Hindu’ has been very exhilarating and exhausting at the same time.
My message to the readers is – Hard work, patience, and perseverance never fail. Things definitely fall in the right place at the right time.
Q- This will be my last question, as it’s not a hidden fact that the visual rights of this movie have been acquired by Dhoni Entertainment Pvt.Ltd for screen adaptation, how excited are you to see your book’s vision being depicted on screen and what expectations do you have from this project?
A – The Hidden Hindu has made me the first-ever Indian author to have given the visual rights of a trilogy before the launch and release of the book. All thanks to Dhoni Entertainment. I have full faith in the Dhoni Entertainment team and the conviction they have shown towards my imagination is very inspiring for a new author. We share the same wavelengths and I am convinced that they will bring it out beautifully and very close to my visualization and imagination.