ART & CRAFT OF WRITING

MAHENDRA JAKHAR, AUTHOR, THE BUTCHER OF BENARES talks on the art and craft of writing.

Q. What draws you to crime fiction? Writing / reading? 

Well, I have been a crime reporter and crime thrillers come naturally to me. I have also written many episodes for the TV show CID that served as a school for crime writing. Especially crime writing is an art that combines craft along with keeping the story thrilling and interesting. Also, I write crime fiction not just for thrills and entertainment it provides me a platform to try and understand what is going on in our society, what is wrong with our society that in spite of all the development, education, stringent laws and all the crime rate continues to spiral upwards. So in my own way I try to understand it, look for solutions if there are any and see where we as a society are heading.

Q. The name The Butcher of Benares makes the book sound like it is more of a historical piece and not crime fiction?

Let me tell you, I was writing a film script with the same title and approached a lot of film directors and producers but none showed any interest. There are still not many murder mysteries being made in Bollywood. So I had this title and then I started writing the book. The story changed totally from what I had in the film script. And I am a big History lover so yes somewhere I have put history into the book. The history that becomes a part of the book also is something that’s unknown to the common man. It’s not taught in schools and colleges so I turned it into a thriller with historical undertones.

Q. What are the advantages/ challenges to crime fiction writing? Especially when compared to other forms of writing?

 The greatest challenge to crime writing is that so much has already been done worldwide that it’s difficult to come up with something that has not been done before. Even today, world over there are hundreds of crime writers churning out hundreds of books every week and to have a book that stands out in this crowd is itself a great challenge. And to make a crime fiction book from an Indian author shine on a global platform is a big challenge. The great advantage is that if your book is really, really, very good, the crime fiction sells like hot cakes. Then it has to be very good and with my first book The Butcher of Benares, I feel I have been successful in this regard. Being an avid reader and writer of crime fiction myself and being the author of the book, I would go and buy the book. Apart from just being a murder mystery, it combines the mysticism of Benares, the mysteries of Vedic astrology and astronomy, the varied religious sects, the history of Benares, the royal family, the many historic sites and temples and how it all connects to the 1857 Revolt. With these ingredients The Butcher of Benares stands out in the crowd. A whole lot of foreign travellers are picking up the book from airport and superb five star reviews are pouring in from all over.

Q. It’s an intriguing story where crime fiction meets religious and mythology reference. Was it a deliberate effort or something inspired you?

Yes, it was well thought of, researched and planned. We have many books on mythology and crime fiction but none that brings them together in a contemporary setting. So the very setting of Benares, the land of Gods and mysticism bring it all together. Some of the critics have compared me to Dan Brown but I take it as a compliment that I could stand up to that level in my first book.

Q. How did you go about researching the book?

I took three trips to Benares and stayed there for a week each time. I met with Sadhus, Aghoris, Naga sadhus and spent a lot of time roaming on the Ghats and talking to pundits and touts. It was there I found some interesting characters. I also met with a senior astrology scholar who enlightened me with Vedic astrology and its connection to astronomy. I had to read a lot of background on the royal family of Benares and make sure that I don’t hurt their sentiments and still can turn my book into a thriller that I aspire.

Q. So what were the tough parts of writing and then making sure it reaches the readers?

Well there were no tough parts as such. For me the most important aspect is creating interesting and well rounded characters that are believable. So once I had great characters, a plot and a setting to work on then there’s no stopping. The writing almost flows. About taking it to the readers, a book doesn’t have a huge marketing budget so we authors mostly rely on online and use social-media sites to connect with readers and visits to stores. So far the response has been phenomenal. In Bollywood terms I can say the book is a Blockbuster!

Q. Did you plan that you’ll be writing books one day?

I was an avid reader from my school days and I never thought that I too could ever write a book that will be read by thousands. Still, that desire was certainly there. So when I started writing film scripts and TV shows, I realized that there were stories that might never get made into a film but can be told through a book. So I used this as a medium to tell more stories.

Q. How would you recommend the book to the reader?

Here’s a whole new book that’s a murder mystery with Naga sadhus, Aghoris, Benares, the Ganges, the royal family of Benares and the mystery of Bhrigu-Samhita. It entertains and educates. At time its kicks you in the gut and jolts you to think about the crimes happening in the society. It grabs you and takes you on a journey through the lanes of Benares and into its dark secrets, its history and the murderer. One thing is sure, you’ll love it and won’t be able to sleep till you finish it.

Q. What next?

I already have a contract with Westland Publications for my next book and the book will soon go into editing. The book is an international intrigue, a murder mystery with religious symbols, history and loads of action and thrills.

Q. Is there a pitfall of getting trapped into formulae of crime fiction writing?

Yes, in crime fiction there are only so many things that you can do and in a sense it does become formulaic. However, as a writer one has to push oneself and keep re-inventing and coming with totally different narratives. The Japanese author of Devotion of Suspect X has broken the formula where he starts the story with telling the reader about the killer and the rest is the intricate investigation to trap him. We too ill have to keep coming up with great stories and a whole new structure.  

Q. Is crime fiction accorded the respect say a work of literary fiction would get?

There are few writers who are regarded as literary masters like Truman Capote whose work In Cold Blood is a masterpiece. For that the work has to be extraordinary. Yes, there are very few crime writers who could be counted among the literary masters. I’m putting in blood and sweat to make my work different from a plain crime novel. The Butcher of Benares might not be counted among great literary works but it will raise the bar of crime writing in India. Whatever people say crime fiction is the only genre that has survived through ages. Also crime fiction is the most popular and largest selling genre.    

Q. Who are some of your inspirations among crime writers globally? And your favourite character from crime fiction novels?

I enjoy the works of the great Agatha Christie. I call her the Emperor of crime fiction. She has explored each and every twist and turn that now it is difficult to come up with things that she has not done. I also love the works of Michael Connelly, Jeffrey Deaver, Ian Rankin, Minette Walters and obviously thrillers of John le Carre. The favourite characters are Hercule Poirot, Sherlock Holmes, and Harry Bosch.

Q. What would it take to have more popular Indian detectives/ crime fiction writers?

India never had a tradition of crime writing so we don’t have a great many novels. A few characters were created but they were mostly inspired by Sherlock Holmes. The need of the hour is to tell very India centric tales as the world is getting keen to hear local stories. We need to have characters who very Indian like Hawa Singh in The Butcher of Benares, is a Jat police officer who belongs to Haryana. He is the typical son of soil who draws his strengths from his experiences and battles that he had fought with criminals in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana. He understands people and has an emotional side and carried a whole lot of pain inside. Along with this, he stands as a hero with qualities, values and principles that gives a certain direction to the directionless youth. We need to draw on these strengths that will come from our very own Indian-ness, and use the vast culture that our country has. The Butcher of Benares presents a whole new Indian crime fiction writing that draws from our very own characters, history, religious symbols, Gods and goddesses, spirituality, and the mystics.