Dev Prasad describes himself as restless. “I think about too many things at a time.” He thinks this maybe why his books have been of varied genres. His first book, Krishna: A Journey Through the Lands, and later Legends of Krishna , a spiritual travelogue, received much appreciation for the detailed research that went into it, long listing it for the 2010 Vodafone Crossword Award. His next literary venture, Pitch It! Attempts to draw an analogy between cricket and corporate management. Having featured on the bestseller in leading bookstores across the country, the success encouraged him to keep writing.
With his third book, The Curse of Surya , he moves into the crime thriller genre. “The Curse of Surya is a fast-paced thriller against the backdrop of Indian history and religion.” The story involves three protagonists from different parts of the world who meet each other in India. Circumstances force them to embark on a race against time to find the Shyamantaka, a precious jewel lost 5,000 years ago.
James Hadley Chase and Sidney Sheldon are Dev’s favourite authors right from school days. “Most of Sheldon’s protagonists have been beautiful and intelligent women who are also vulnerable. When I had to develop the character of Sangeeta Rao, the central figure in my book, I was influenced by this common factor in his novels,” says the author.
As part of the research for his first book, he travelled extensively across various cities of the Brij Bhoomi, a region in Uttar Pradesh, around Mathura and Vrindavan, considered to be the land of Krishna. “I found that there was very less information on the internet about these places, inspite of their rich cultural heritage. So, I decided to travel and explore these cities, which is how my first book came about,” recalls Dev.
He narrates about how he struck upon the idea for The Curse of Surya , “There were various interesting details I noticed during these trips. For instance, the presence of a corridor connecting the Krishna Janmasthan Temple (Mathura) to the mosque nearby was baffling. I thought of weaving a plot around these elements, including the stories of Lord Krishna’s life.” He has seamlessly blended authentic information about the places with slight fictional twists, ensuring a great reading experience.
Is he worried about being compared with his contemporaries in the genre, like Amish Tripathi and Ashwin Sanghi? “No, our plots are entirely different. I think the key differentiator would be that they probably set out to write a fictional thriller with the background of history and mythology.
This was not the case with me. I worked for five years on my first book, which was a spiritual travelogue (non-fiction). This later formed the base for The Curse of Surya .”
Being an IT professional, his writing is done mostly over the weekends, burning the midnight oil. His passion for history and archaeology took form when he was a young boy.
Dev thinks he would have been an archaeologist if he had found suitable courses after his schooling. “I have always been fascinated by the Indus Valley civilization. I’d love to visit the region and write a book about it, someday.” He is currently busy co-authoring his next book, which, he reveals, will be a fast-paced thriller, with Christianity as a backdrop. He describes the process of co-authoring as fun, adding, “After all, two heads are always better than one.”
What does he love about being a writer and published author? “I enjoy the meticulous research I do for each book. I also love meeting people and interacting with them as part of the promotions.” As advice to aspiring writers, he offers, “Write for yourself, don’t keep a specific audience in mind. How many times you’ve read your own book will show your love while writing it.” He laughs and adds that his wife chides him for picking up his own manuscript to read whenever he is bored.
The Curse of Surya will be launched by renowned playwright and director, Mahesh Dattani, on June 13 at 6 p.m. The venue is Sapna Bookstore, Residency Road.
