@BloomsburyIndia
Siddhi Palande
@Book_gobbler · 0:38
Murder in the bylanes ft. Tête-à-tête with author Aloke Lal & Maanas Lal
Hello bookworms. I am Siddhi Aka, bookgobbler. And welcome to my podcast. Are you a fan of crime fiction or true crime? Then this book discussion is for you. Murder in the Bylanes by Alok Lal and Manas Lal is a gripping account of a dig recounting his experience policing India's most volatile city. After the demolition of Babri Masjid. I will be live in conversation with both the authors about this PST book. That's sure turning heads among book lovers. So join me tomorrow
Siddhi Palande
@Book_gobbler · 1:16
Co author of this book Manaslal is a prolific writer with hundreds of articles to his credit. He is also an award winning artist whose exhibitions of photography, painting and digital art have made waves across the art world. So let's get talking to both of them about their gritty political thriller Murder in the Bylanes. Hello, Alok. Sir. And Manas. Congratulations on the book and welcome to my podcast. My first question is for Alok sir
You. Hello. Hi. It's so wonderful to be here and be talking about a book which I have written with Manas. And I'm very glad that this book touches upon some of the most important events that have occurred in the history of independent India. The 1992 episode of the demolition of Babri Masjid was an event which changed Indian history, immediate Indian history. And maybe the imprint left by this demolition will live with us for several decades, if not centuries
Siddhi Palande
@Book_gobbler · 0:33
And I'm sure there are zillion the stories that will see the light of the day sometime in the future. I'm sure of that. But then why this story to begin with?
You? Yes, of course. This is a 1992 happening and a question would arise in the mind of the reader why is this being told now? And you're right that police officers often have a bag full of stories, bag full of events that they have seen very closely in their lives, have participated in dealing with them from the side of the government. Therefore, all these stories are there to be told. But why has this been told now? And why is this the first?
Siddhi Palande
@Book_gobbler · 0:32
Absolutely, sir. We need to go back in the history, learn about it, relearn and unlearn certain things. And it is really important that we talk about it time and time again so that history doesn't repeat itself. Manas my next few questions are for you. How did you two collaborate? Who approached who? Basically, what was the writing process like? How was your schedule? And if you could tell us a bit more about your brainstorming sessions
Maanas Lal
@maanas_lal · 2:10
Luckily, our writing blends seamlessly and in fact, even our editor was very happy with the way our writing styles don't clash. We are also both disorganized writers and so that works to our advantage. I don't think we really chalk out a schedule. Our schedules just tend to fit like pieces of a jigsaw. So it was a wonderful experience writing with him. I also saw the importance of the subject as a co author and I knew that this story needed to be told
Siddhi Palande
@Book_gobbler · 0:22
For someone like me who loves true crime. It is indeed a delight to talk to both of you. The conversation has been quite interesting so far, and I am intrigued about the book. So Aloke sir, was revisiting the past difficult? And Maanas, as a scribe, what were you feeling throughout the process of writing this book?
They should be looked at again and again, analyzed, not just for ourselves, but for the generations to come. They should know what had gone wrong, what should not have been done. So they learn from our mistakes. So I think Revisiting, this was a mixed bag. On the one hand, the importance of this for being retold and being understood is there. The other is that was an unpleasant happening
Maanas Lal
@maanas_lal · 1:03
My overwhelming feeling while writing the book was one of having a great responsibility on my shoulders. I was aware that this book is going to do well knowing who my co author was and how the true crime market is in India, and I knew that this is also a very bold book, so I wanted to get the facts right. And that sense of responsibility is something I felt through the book. The other feeling was very personal when I was writing the book
Siddhi Palande
@Book_gobbler · 0:50
That was such a heartwarming answer. Manas and alok. Sir, you're right that police officers do miss out a lot on the family life. My uncle is a retired PSI and growing up he wasn't around much, but he made sure that we felt his presence often with the kind of gifts that he gave and all the other stuff. He is a father figure in our family. Be so my next question is actually to both of you. Current political scenario is quite volatile
So, yes, I agree that telling stories from your heart and not pulling any facts back is not always easy for an author, because there is this element of being true to your story. So that is what we have tried, both Manath and I. We have stuck to our narrative, though I must admit that it has been watered down to some extent, though we have conveyed what we wanted to say
Maanas Lal
@maanas_lal · 1:13
Good to know about your uncle's service. I get the feeling because while my father was also away a lot of the time when I was growing up, he did make up for it. Not just in the form of gifts, but also when he was present. He was completely there for me. So I connect with what you're saying. As far as second thoughts are concerned, no, there were no second thoughts. We knew this book had to be written
Siddhi Palande
@Book_gobbler · 0:27
You're right about this. The cancel culture is sort of a disease in the present times. But I'm glad that this book saw the light of the day and I hope to read it soon. Alok sir, this question is for you. Every pillar of democracy was falling apart back then. There were riots all over. So what was the state of police force? The mental state of police force
Thank you. Yes, of course. Any democracy, and especially young democracy like ours, has to live through a lot, live through a lot of tests, and there could not have been a bigger test than this one. So, yes, to say that democracy was falling apart or the institutions were falling apart might be a bit of an overstatement. But there were challenges. There were challenges for the police also
Siddhi Palande
@Book_gobbler · 0:43
When you mentioned about this mutiny, I went like, whoa, listening to you. But the reason why I asked you this question is about the mental state of police officers is because we rarely speak about mental state of police officers. And they are doing a lot, a lot. They are handling their family, they are handling their duty and all of this with much grace. And they are, I think, not appreciated much. My next question is again for the both of you
Maanas Lal
@maanas_lal · 1:14
But yes, there are a lot of these action packed happenings in the book and I would recommend that people read the book to see the many incidents which are not just worth recalling but also even now raise the hair on the back of my neck
Siddhi Palande
@Book_gobbler · 0:34
I'm actually speechless right now listening to the both of you sharing these incidences and it's unthinkable. Unimaginable. This is my last question to both of you and as much as I would like to continue this conversation, I can't. We have time constraint. So how important do you think it was to tell this story? Now, I think we've spoken about this throughout the interview, but again, before we sign off, I would like to know your point of views
Maanas Lal
@maanas_lal · 0:44
I feel that the timing is important, yes, but this is a story which is eternal and will be told in many ways and for all times to come. So I am glad we told our version of it. There will be more versions and somewhere in the middle of all of it, people will find their own truths
Siddhi Palande
@Book_gobbler · 0:32
Thank you so much, Aloke Sir and Manas for doing this live session with me. It was a delight to talk to both of you. Babri Masjid Demolition is a potent, poignant and important event in the history of independent India. And no matter which political party you side, this was a gruesome event and it remains a gruesome event to my listeners. If you would like to read about the truth of the aftermath of Baburi Mashdith, then do make sure to grab a copy of this book