Interview originally printed in Deccan Chronicle in June 2013.
Wannabe writers might want to try travelling in trains when they feel creative. Back in 1990 J. K. Rowling was on a train to London when the idea for Harry Potter just “fell into her head”. Twenty years later, K. Hari Kumar wrote his first novel on a train in Delhi.
Sleep paralysis can be a terrifying experience that affects millions worldwide. In this blog post, we explore the science, myths, and mysteries of sleep paralysis, including its links to alien abduction experiences. Learn about the common symptoms and causes of sleep paralysis. Tune in to The Fourth State podcast to discover the secrets of the night and learn how to overcome your own sleep paralysis nightmares.
Inspiration comes from all quarters; films, folktales and even cartoons. I have read stories from Chandamama, and ghost stories of Charles Dickens, Satyajit Ray and Ruskin Bond. Pet Sematary was the full-fledged horror novel that made a deep impact in my mind. The Butcher’s Theater by Jonathan Kellerman made me realise that every horror story does not have a supernatural entity. This served as an inspiration for my book, That Frequent Visitor (2015).
Before I begin writing, I sit down, take a piece of paper and scribble down the story idea point by point (sequentially). Some of these points might be just one word, while others might be as long as a paragraph. I take an entire day (without breaks) to finish this outline of the story which is called ‘the skeleton’ or structure of the story.
There are songs that soothe the soul, and then there are songs that transport you to another world altogether. Ariyathe from Ravanaprabhu belongs to the latter. To those who understand Malayalam, it feels like a divine blessing—a secret doorway into the realm of poetry and music that others, sadly, may never fully comprehend. The unparalleled
