Throwing light on Indian history

Author Sudipto Das reveals the inside story behind his novel The Ekkos Clan

Building Bridges: Sudipto Das believes in transcending boundaries Photo: K. Murali Kumar

“Bangaladesh was on my mind and Indian culture my inspiration when the journey of The Ekkos Clan began,” says its author Sudipto Das. The IIT engineer-turned-writer says the mystery novel is set in 1947 when “my grandparents left Bangladesh and came to India. It also sheds light on the evolution of various languages in the region.”

Apart from the experience and the true stories which he heard from his grandparents about the Partition, the novel focuses on the various aspects of ancient culture, evolution of the people in the subcontinent and the hierarchy that forms the caste system.

The Ekkos Clan is the story of a boy who listens to his grandmother’s stories. Their struggle to save their families and their challenges is highlighted in the novel. “In my book, women play a pivotal role. They are strong women and don multiple roles such as mother, sister, friend or girlfriend.”

Sudipto believes: “Most of the languages in the world belong to a single family and in this book I pay homage to everything I love.” He feels that there are many words in different Indian languages that sound similar. “There are some commonalities between Bengali and other Indian languages while Santhali, an original language is still spoken in parts of Bengal, Bihar and Jharkhand.”

“My focus was on Aryan history and the Rig Veda. As there is not much known about the Rig Veda, I wanted to share what I knew with the readers. The book is not about Hinduism or any other religion. The idea behind the novel is for my readers to understand the history of Indian culture.”

Sudipto says Ekkos means horse, which has a deep relation with Indian history. “That is the theme in the story. In the Rig Veda, the horse is used as a symbol of power and is also stands for the strength of the Aryans.”

His intention is to spread love across the borders saying that we share a lot with our neighbours.