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When I met Neelabh in Story Mirror’s Youth Conclave (The Book is Published by Story Mirror - one of the most vibrant and upcoming Publisher from Delhi), where I was conducting a workshops at Delhi University, he gave me his book “The Resurrection of Evil” to read and review but as the luck would have had it, it travelled from Delhi to Mumbai with another friend. Finally last month, Neelabh caught up with me at Story Mirror office with another book, as he knew that I still have not got it back from its all India tour. During our conversation, I tried to find his views about the book, his style of writing and the purpose he has written the book. So here is the interaction. Hope you will like it.
Neelabh Pratap Singh is a mechanical engineer by profession. He hails from holy city of Varanasi. He has spent his school life in the steel city, Bhilai and pursued engineering from National Institute of Technology, Kurukshetra. He has been associated with premium motorcycle manufacturers like Honda and Triumph. Being a technocrat by the day, he has to resort to the nights to follow his passion for storytelling. He is a great lover of action thrillers and is highly impressed by Indian mythology. Hence, his debut book, The Resurrection of Evil, is an amalgamation of both.
a. The gods are heroes and daemons the villains only because of their Karma.
Neelabh says that it took him three years to complete the first book, right from idea generation to writing the last word. He dedicated the first year for research, homework, and plot outlining. The next two years took him to write the book.
I consider this book’s publishing as the biggest achievement, and there isn’t any other thing which can be compared to this one. However, there are two achievements which I can consider here, for they were life changing for me; both being academic. First one was during the first stage of my career when I competed for All India Engineering Entrance Exam (AIEEE) and secured a seat in National Institute of Technology (NIT), Kurukshetra. Second one is when I bagged a job in premium motorcycle manufacturer—Honda motorcycles—during college campus placement.
– Shashi
“You cannot question the existence of anything just on the basis of the fact that you haven't ever seen it” - says Neelabh, Author of “The Resurrection of Evil”
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| Me and Neelabh at Publisher Story Mirror's Office |
The Resurrection of Evil : A fast-paced mythological thriller weaved around the battle of Good vs. Ancient Evil.
To begin with, I must let you all know that I am biased, as the genre - Mythological Thriller, he has written in, is my favorite genre. As is usual, I always ask any author about the reason he / she has written the book. Is there a purpose behind the book? As Neelabh settled down, he relives his young days. His love for reading developed in his early twenties. he loved to share his interest with his friends. He would gift his friends his favourite books on their birthdays. But later on, he realised that they wouldn’t read the book as they believed ‘Reading’ to be quite a ‘nerdy’ thing. It wasn’t cool. So, when it came to write a book, he wanted to write in a way that makes a non-reader intrigued by the story. It should be as entertaining to a non-reader as they would find a movie or a game.
“In a way, the purpose of my book is to promote reading.” - Neelabh Pratap Singh
He quotes cricketer Yuvraj Singh who said after one of his brilliant T20 knocks, “I just wanted to express myself”, in the same way writing entertaining and interesting stories is a way of expressing myself, And that’s the first and the major reason for him to write. Although he admits with mischievous smile with another quote, this time of George Orwell, “It is humbug to pretend Ego is not a motive, and a strong one,” that In introspection, ego could also be a reason for him to write.
When I asked him, if some one he respects and love a lot, ask him to stop writing, he said that he can not and will try lots of reasoning to convince the person. But if the push comes to shove, he will survive by reading at least.
BRIEF NOTE ABOUT THE AUTHOR
HIS INSPIRATIONS
I was a storyteller right from the childhood. I would sketch comics on notebook papers, color it with crayons, and would give them to my friends to read. As I grew up, I left comic book making. But the stories would still develop inside my head and poke me to get out in front of the world. That desire of sharing the stories dwelling deep inside my head with the world inspired me to become a writer. Till this date, it is this desire, which inspires me every day to write.
CHALLENGES
I had no prior experience of writing before this book. I had never written anything creative before. I had no hope at all that I would ever be able to write a novel. But I knew one thing for sure that the destination of writing can be met by the path of reading. And hence, I started my love affair with books. Even after the research and plot outlining, I had a doubt whether I would be able to convert it into a full-fledged novel. But the till then, the books had given me enough confidence to conquer my fears and take a plunge into the world of writing.
QUOTES FROM THE BOOK
b. No matter how powerful one is, he will always be perceived and treated as his Karma drives people to feel about him.
c. You cannot question the existence of anything just on the basis of the fact that you haven't ever seen it.
d. Humans have always been puppets in the hands of the Devas, subjugated and terrorized by the Asuras. But not anymore
THE STORY
When an antique artifact is stolen from National Museum, Delhi, a reckless and stubborn police officer, ACP Aryan, is placed at the helm of the case. Uncovering each layer of the truth, Aryan discovers that the people on the hunt for the artifact are the descendants of those who are found only in the scriptures of Indian mythology—The Asuras.
From the gateway of Lord Vishnu—Haridwar—to God's own country—Kerala, from fiery pursuits to narrow escapes, the mystery of the artifact draws Aryan into a lethal maze of vengeance, betrayal, and dreadful secrets. With time slipping out of hands like sand, Aryan must unravel the secret motive of his adversaries. Else, this story of Good vs. Ancient Evil might not end with the victory of Good.
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Being a technocrat and working for a multinational company like Honda, he had to find time and places to write his book on the sidelines of his work. His first book “Resurrection of Evil” was written at random places like office, airports, and flights on laptop or mobile phone.
“Now, many would find it weird but I did it on purpose. Procrastination is something, which gets the better of many writers, and it started to get the better of me too. To counter it, I completely dissolved the requirement of right spot and right atmosphere for writing.” - Neelabh
“Now, many would find it weird but I did it on purpose. Procrastination is something, which gets the better of many writers, and it started to get the better of me too. To counter it, I completely dissolved the requirement of right spot and right atmosphere for writing.” - Neelabh
SOME INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT NEELABH PRATAP SINGH
I mentioned before that I was never a writer. But I had been associated with various art forms right from the childhood. I loved sketching and painting (I used to sketch comic books). In college, I was a passionate dancer. My friends were actually expecting me to do something in the field of dancing. But destiny had its own plan. I still take out some time for sketching and dancing.
TWO BIG THINGS OF HIS LIFE
I consider this book’s publishing as the biggest achievement, and there isn’t any other thing which can be compared to this one. However, there are two achievements which I can consider here, for they were life changing for me; both being academic. First one was during the first stage of my career when I competed for All India Engineering Entrance Exam (AIEEE) and secured a seat in National Institute of Technology (NIT), Kurukshetra. Second one is when I bagged a job in premium motorcycle manufacturer—Honda motorcycles—during college campus placement.
HIS FAVORITES
GENRE: Thrillers
This genre is multi-dimensional. They are engaging and entertaining. They display extreme side of emotions. When they are coupled with different subjects, they teach us about those subjects in a very entertaining way.
BOOKS:
THE DA VINCI CODE: I love Dan Brown’s “The Da Vinci Code”. It was an absolute entertainer, and along with entertainment, it taught us various things about Christianity.
THE KRISHNA KEY: I also loved Ashwin Sanghi’s “The Krishna Key”. It gave some great insight about Lord Krishna being a historical figure rather than a mythical.
– Shashi
CEO & Partner ICUBE Projects
Speaker | Author of “Songs of the Mist” | Haiku Poet
Writes India’s #1 Spiritual Blog “Shadow Dancing With Mind”
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ॐ नमः शिवाय
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