Bhuvan Mahto asked Sathyajith Panachikal:

Sathyajit, it was a revealing and yet claiming read! How did you write such a historical novel with such composure and ease? We often see some bias or subjectivity or, at the least, personal reflection in such works. Yours is mostly free of that! How?

Sathyajith Panachikal Thanks for the compliment, Bhuvan

While writing the novel, I let my narrator do all the talking, never interfering with the tenor of the tale. All I had to do was to journal his everyday musings and experiences besides keeping track of the actions unfolding against the backdrop.

Unlike in other literary streams, a historical fiction writer has to work within certain ambit. There is a limit to how much a dark character could be vilified and a protagonist would be glorified, because the facts are still fresh in public memory. Any alterations from the existing narrative should be adequately substantiated and must be prepared to stand academic scrutiny.

One of the advantages of employing first person POV is that all the criticisms and observations in the novel are those of the narrator. To some extend ,this implicit disclaimer sort of absolves the writer ( in an ideal world) of any possible sacrilegious or blasphemous act he is purported to have committed.

There is often only a thin line that separates villainy from heroism. The characters in all the Epics and Sagas , as in real life, are imbued with both Rajo guna and Tamo guna / yin and Yang and ,at times, it is difficult to hold any particular character responsible for the tragic turn history has taken.

I would liken the process of writing with objectivity to playing a game of chess with yourself. When you know the moves of both players you cannot take sides with either of them.

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