Children's author Interview : Deepa Agarwal

Why did you choose to write about Vikram and Vetaal?

​Actually the request came from the publisher. My editor Sohini Mitra told me that they had a translation by the eminent Sanskrit scholar Chandra Rajan in the Penguin Classics series and wanted to bring out a child friendly version. As you know, these tales have passed into the realm of children's literature though the written Sanskrit texts are not really suitable for kids. Many years back, I had done a selection of 14 stories for Scholastic India titled The Tricky Tales of Vikram and Vetal so I asked the editor Tina Narang if it was OK to write them again for another publisher. She was kind enough to give permission. ​

 2.  How easy or difficult was it researching on those stories? Was the book easily available in the library? Generally libraries charge a lot just to allow people to handle these ancient texts and photocopy them? Did you face any challenges in the library?

​You are absolutely right. Libraries do not readily allow people to handle ancient texts. Actually, since I am not proficient in Sanskrit, I used Ch​​andra Rajan's book as a base. So this is not strictly a translation but an adaptation and retelling. ​

 

3.  How long did this book take to write? Any particular process worth sharing with other authors?

​It took me about 6 months since there were some interruptions in between.​

​About the process, I have written a bit about it in my note. The Shivadasa version has a lot of erotic content and is written in the ancient 'champu'  ​which is a combination of prose and verse. I had to be judicious about the use of verse because it was important that it fit well into the text. The sexual escapades of the characters had to be toned down too. Apart from this, compared to the Somadeva's Kathsaritasagara version that I had used as a base earlier, the Shivadasa stories are a little bare so I had to flesh them out.They are too brief at times and lack transitions and explanations which I have found in the Kathasaritasagar version that I'm more familiar with. But there is a very interesting prologue which I never encountered earlier. I have also taken one or two stories from a version by an author known as Jambhaladatta. Also, I have used the title "Listen, O King!" since the vetal begins each story with these words. It also provides an insight into the purpose of these stories since I feel that through these tales, he plays the role of guide or advisor to the king. 

5. This book contains extra, relevant information for the reader. Was it your idea or the publisher's?

​This is a pattern followed in all the Puffin Classics series to provide extra information that might be of interest and would place the book in context for the reader. I suggested some of the topics.​

6. How did you feel working on a story you enjoyed reading in your childhood?

​It was great fun, though frankly, many of the stories had faded in my mind.​

​ Actually, creating my own stories gives me much more satisfaction as an author. However, the stories from our tradition just blow my mind away with their wealth of imagination, their complexity and​ ​understanding of human nature.​ That's why I like to retell them too.

7. What is the biggest challenge( as an author in retelling an ancient story for today's children?

​The biggest challenge, I feel is the style. When you are retelling from the oral tradition you often stick to the "Once upon a time..." or the "Long, long ago..." style, which I have found creates the strange impression in children that all stories need to be narrated that way. The style of storytelling in the Vetalpanchavimsati also follows a particular pattern, for example in the story "The Mysterious Messages":

"The mighty king Pratapmukuta ruled over the great city of Varanasi. He had a son named Vajramukuta..."This straightforward beginning is repeated in almost all the stories. Since the book is based on an actual text I did not want to depart too much from the original. At the same time, I did want to adopt a style that would provide reading pleasure for the contemporary child.

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8. Which is your favourite story in the book?

​I like the story "Three Fastidious Brahmins" the best because it is so hilarious. ​

9. Are you planning to create more books from ancient texts?

​Well I might be doing something retold--Puranic tales. The project has been hanging fire for some time.​

10. How long did this book take from the idea stage to publication?

​Well, we began to discuss the idea in late November 2014 ​​and the advance copies reached me on August 31st this year. That's not too long, in my experience! And I'm happy to share that the sales have been quite good.

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To buy Deepa's "Listen O King" book click here

To know more about Deepa Agarwal visit www.deepaagarwal.com

This piece was created exclusively for the December  2016 issue of Kahani Takbak newsletter.)
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