Hello everyone. I hope you all are doing well. So to all of you who are listening to this particular swell cast, let me ask you one question. Have you ever experienced a situation where everything feels so overwhelming that you feel like a character from a fictional story? Well, I have a lot of experiences where I felt that my life was not real and all these situations are just so similar to scenes or chapters of a novel
Manalika Das
@Manalika · 0:45
It is filled with a lot of experiences, a lot of twists and turns which will definitely keep you hooked till the end. A man from Hari is just published by Penguin India which is just like a lyrical tale of love, loss and breaking boundaries. So sir, I welcome you and I'm very excited to have a conversation with
Manalika Das
@Manalika · 0:23
Alright, sir. So my first question for you would be, so when I was researching about the novel and I was gaining an insight about it, I got to know about the connection of George Orville. So how did the supernatural connection with George Orville Shape Aslam Sherkhan's character, particularly in his aspiration to become a writer? Additionally, could you share the genesis of the plot for your second novel?
Abdullah Khan
@abdullah71 · 1:29
That's how I came up with the character of the protagonist, Aslam Sher Khan, who was born in the same house where the great Orwell was born. So when Aslam comes to know that he is anyhow connected to the Orwell, so he begins to believe that there is some natural connection between him and Orwell. And that inspires him to become a writer. Earlier he das not interested in any non academic books except school books. He never read any book
Manalika Das
@Manalika · 0:21
Well, sir, I must say that the supernatural element is definitely going to make this novel an interesting read. So I also got to know that this novel basically has some political element into it. So can you share some details about the impactful political events in India that deeply affects Aslam Sherkhan's life? Without giving away spoilers, of course
Abdullah Khan
@abdullah71 · 1:25
You. I believe no story exists in a vacuum. I allow the politics of the time to become a part of the narrative, as I believe it is the only way to tell authentic stories. While writing about the politics, I do not shirk my responsibility as a writer and try to be as impartial as possible. So this story is set in present times in India and in the US
Manalika Das
@Manalika · 0:28
Well, that's amazing, sir. And to everyone who is listening to this conversation and who wants to give this book a try, we are not going to give you any more spoilers. So go grab this book right now and read it by yourself. So, sir, my next question for you would be how did you manage to strike a balance between the romantic elements and the more dramatic or transformative aspects of the plot in your approach to storytelling?
Abdullah Khan
@abdullah71 · 1:09
You, as you might have observed, that my novel das lot of elements, from romance to politics to drama to the story of familial bonds. So I think in our personal life we have all these elements and we very well balanced that. So whenever I create a character or a story, I think of a real life situation and then try to take inspiration from my real life. How in real life we balance all these elements from there. I get the idea
Manalika Das
@Manalika · 0:44
Hello. Yes, sir. You are absolutely right with the fact that there are a lot of emotions and experiences in our life. So we are not always sad or we are not always happy. So there are different emotions based on different experiences, which makes our life beautiful. So I would like to say, or I feel that your novel kind of resonates with the real life situations that people go through, and that is the best part about it. And now let's come to the next question
Abdullah Khan
@abdullah71 · 3:06
Hello. So when I started writing first novel, started writing first novel, I did not know anything about the fiction writing. I had just finished my masters in chemistry and I had no literary background or nobody there to teach me how to write fiction. So it was a kind of hit and trial method where I learned the art of fiction writing from a scratch. And it was a kind of discovery also. So I learned so many things
Manalika Das
@Manalika · 1:11
So if you are writing about a particular person from a particular background, there will be people from that particular background who might get offended, added certain elements of that background. So a lot of research goes behind writing a novel. And I really appreciate the efforts of all the novelists out there. So, sir, my last question for you would be, did you have any specific themes or messages in mind that you intended to convey through the novel, especially considering the diverse experiences and backgrounds of the characters?
Abdullah Khan
@abdullah71 · 0:44
You. When I start writing a novel, I don't have any message to convey as the plot and characters naturally come to me without any preconceived plan. As I create the story, some important points or message often emerge organically from those two. Be so I believe that every story should convey some message and we should take away something from that story, and that message should be of love, humanity, and brotherhood
Swell Team
@Swell · 0:15
Manalika Das
@Manalika · 0:25
Well, sir, I'm pretty sure that whoever is going to read your novel, they are going to take away a lot of things from it. A lot of good things, a lot of informative things, and a lot of things which will definitely help them in their future as well. So with that, we come towards the end of our conversation
Abdullah Khan
@abdullah71 · 0:11
Thank you Manalika. And thank you Anurag for arranging this interview. Nice talking to you. Talk to you again very soon. Bye. Good night