Interview with Author – Age of Hiblisk- Sumukh Naik

Hi everyone, it gives me great pleasure to share with you my latest interview as conducted by www.bookgeeks.in. This interview first appeared on their website – www.bookgeeks.in

Link for the Interview : http://www.bookgeeks.in/entries/authors/sumukh-naik-author-interview

Interview :

SUMUKH NAIK | Author Interview

Geeked On January 24, 2014

Sumukh Naik is the debut author of ‘The Age of Hiblisk’, a fantasy novel. He juggles his time between managing his family business and writing books. Many authors find it difficult to reach their readers’ imagination with vivid descriptions of fantasy lands, but Sumukh does it with ease and calls it a gift of mother nature. In this interview with us, he talks about his passion for writing, love of Sanskrit, and more.

 

BookGeeks:	Please tell us something about yourself and your passion for writing.
Sumukh:	I am a Human Resources professional handling our family business and based in Mumbai. Writing for me is a very hallowed method of communicating. It holds the potential to influence all those who now, and in future, will chance to look upon my words, sentences framed, paragraphs structured and ideas dressed within them. It is also a challenge, because what is written by you can be interpreted in thousand ways and more.  As an author, it is always stimulating for me to ensure that the idea is not lost in the words that are employed to dress it. I feel that what an author wants to communicate must stand out on its own – be it in the presence of the sun or in the presence of nocturnal elements.
BookGeeks:	Fantasy is a tough genre even for experienced writers. Any reason why you chose fantasy as the genre for your first book ‘Age of Hiblisk’?
Sumukh:	The idea that I have tried to communicate in my novel is unique in various aspects. I wanted everyone to be patient enough to understand and learn from the same. I felt, the best way to achieve the above is to keep a person entertained. The genre of fiction provided me this solution. The base of fiction has been widely used from time immemorial to communicate ideas which have strong moral overtones.
BookGeeks:	Tell us the secret behind the name ‘Hiblisk’. How did you come up with it?
Sumukh:	I was looking for an intriguing name. Hiblisk just struck me out of the blue. I liked the sound of it. So, without giving it much thought, I just decided to go with it.
BookGeeks:	In a fantasy novel, an author has to construct the entire world with his imagination. How difficult was it for you to conceptualise ‘Jaguar’, ‘Ivory’, ‘Hiblisk’, ‘Himra’, etc.?
Sumukh:	The entire book came pretty naturally to me. I wish I knew the exact answer to your question but the fact remains, that I really didn’t require putting in great efforts to conceptualise and imagine the various world. I guess, the credit goes to Mother Nature for she has been kind enough to bestow her blessings on me.
BookGeeks:	Tell us the story behind the maps that came along with the book. Whose idea was it?
Sumukh:	The maps are my idea. I had drawn those on a large drawing paper and the same were then converted by a professional artist into the ones you find attached with the novel. I felt it was a serious requirement to help readers keep track of various places and also helped the story to move forward.
BookGeeks:	The names of half of the characters are Indian and the other half are western. Any reason for this?
Sumukh:	The ideas and concepts that I have mentioned in my book have universal appeal. But the soul of the story is based on Indian ethos. I never wanted the book to remain confined to the minds of Indians alone.  I felt that adding western names to the various characters will aid them (non-Indians) to relate to the story much easily.I have myself found it very difficult to focus on novels written by western authors due to the unfamiliar names used in them. I guess, perhaps from this very difficulty that I faced, rose this idea to devote western names to certain characters so that it becomes easier for them to get involved with the story. I am not aware whether the western names that I have used are common or not but it was a conscious effort from my end to aid all those who are not familiar with Indian concepts on spirituality to help relate with the story of my novel.  The western names have been used majorly at the start of the novel to help the westerners get comfortable with the novel. After devoting initial chapters to this very exercise, I have introduced Sanskrit and Hindi names for ease of Indian (Subcontinent) readers. I have tried to strike a balance in the same. Few of my readers have found it weird with such naming of characters but through your medium, I would like to state to the world, that there is a ‘Method behind the Madness.’
BookGeeks:	Which Bollywood actors do you see in the role of William, Sara, Sage and Dushtt, in that order?
Sumukh:	No idea. The industry is full of talented artists and if the time comes the necessary sane decision will be taken by those concerned.
BookGeeks:	Are you working on the sequel now? Any sneak peeks?
Sumukh:	It is too early for me to make any comment on this.
BookGeeks:	Any message for the readers?
Sumukh:	Please try and learn the mother of all languages – ‘Sanskrit’ so that it will help you to read the great scriptures in the real sense and not the translated versions. Also, ‘Sanskrit’ being a scientific language has many advantages associated with it. Please make a conscious effort to read books of Indian regional languages. Our literature is a treasure house of enigmatic concepts of all possible genres available under the sky including spirituality, philosophy, fiction, fantasy etc.
BookGeeks:	Your testimonial for BookGeeks.in.
Sumukh:	BookGeeks.in is a great organisation, with innovative and excellent mode of working. Thank you for providing a wonderful platform for Indian authors. I wish you All the Best in your future endeavours.

Thanks a lot bookgeeks.in for giving me an opportunity to share certain nuances about my novel with the world.