Mythology is a link to our evolution as a species; author Ravi V

Mythology as a genre and the new flavour in entertainment has never failed to thrill and capture our imagination. The Exiled Prince by author Ravi Venugopal is no exception. It is the first in The Crystal Guardian Series and a testimony to the author’s deep abiding passion and his keen interest in ancient Indian history and mythology. His first literary venture was born from his firm belief that our myths are linked to our evolution as a species and extensive research led to this novel which creates a larger than life image of our ancient Indian superhero – Rama. It chronicles the epic journey of Rama, The Hero of the Ages and is a unique tale which is a blend of fast action, futuristic science, and magical adventure into a different telling on the Legend of Ramayana narrated by the protagonist himself.

Ravi is an entrepreneur and innovator in the IT sector in the USA where he has been living since the late 1990s. Apart from his academic and literary pursuits, he also loves exploring such varied topics as futuristic science, human evolution, and cosmology. A globetrotter in the truest sense, he enjoys hiking and snorkeling in different corners of the world and uses these experiences to connect better with the natural world.

In an exclusive interaction with Adgully, author Ravi spoke about his book, the research conducted for the same, how he finds mythology as an evolving genre and his depiction of Rama in his new avatar and other interesting aspects of his book.

Today the  Indian mythology based fiction is a popular genre, so when asked  how the trilogy of the Crystal Guardian Series fits into this genre wherein mythology, history, science fiction and fantasy are interwoven in the epic tale, Ravi explained that the genre of Indian mythology is being revamped into a modern outlook with new authors. He went on to say, “Yes, the mythology field is getting crowded, as there are only so many stories to rule the roost. Instead of keeping to archaic concepts that keep displaying myth to history, it’s my humble opinion that our myth needs to be shown as futuristic science for the benefit of the younger generation.  Science fiction was specifically used to show that our epics have more futuristic vision than star wars or avatars. Indian epics are not just philosophical genius creations; they are also science treasure troves. Hence, the blend was portioned and created.”

Legends say that there exists a supreme Crystal of Creation, with part of the souls of Lord Shiva and Narayana suspended within it. This single most powerful weapon with the power to construct the universe, annihilate it, and recreate it again; remained hidden somewhere deep within the Himalayan ranges… except now, it has gone missing. At the core of this trilogy is the omnipotent Crystal of Creation that has to be guarded to prevent the destruction of mankind as we know it. As the series continues and gathers momentum and advanced scientific weapons swish across the air, new secrets about the legend of Rama begin to unravel as he adopts a new avatar of … the Crystal Guardian!

Rama, the hero of the ages, must embark upon a perilous journey to find the Crystal of Creation before someone with an insatiable lust for power, discovers it and the reigns of the entire cosmos fall into the wrong hands. The epic adventure takes Rama, beyond the kingdom of Ayodhya into lands where he will have to battle the fiercest of demons that have colonized Earth and in the course, change the destiny of human lives forever. This tale also seeks to answer a question that has never been asked: Who was Rama really? What was his real purpose? Is he the real immortal?

Sharing about the extensive research he conducted for his debut novel Ravi avers, “This is really the toughest question to answer; I can’t really say when I began researching the topics. But then, the fascination behind Hanuman and Ganesha as animal gods and the possibility of such feats by these gods really made me curious during early school days.” Over time he became an atheist during his early college years and made it a habit to question every one of these epics, mostly with ridicule. Gradually came a time when he began enjoying the diversity in our stories and became more agnostic in the quest for finding ‘why’. 

“When such a quest comes up, we begin reading and correlating information, that’s exactly what I pursued,” he says. Shedding light and explaining about his fascination for Rama from the legend of the epic Ramayana and the depiction of his new avatar as the Guardian of the Crystal in his book Ravi said, “At one point in my life, I rebelled at home and on their faith on Rama. I think I was in my 2nd year at college then. At that point, if you had told me that in 15 years from now you would be writing a book on this legend, I would have laughed it out. But here I am, a pen in the hands of this universe that turns tables within a matter of days.” It was then that he chanced upon an amazing Tamil historical fiction written by Kalki, which dragged him into investigating the Chola Empire of Tamils. He was drawn to various temples and somewhere the scale tipped and his next move saw him delving deeper into the character of Rama.

“The crystal is the suspended energy surrounding the point of creation in a small crystal and Rama is not the hero of this trilogy. This is his new avatar and I have no idea why he chose me or why he pursued this plot line. In any case, the story has a very different lateral plot,” he says on a philosophical note.

Ravi is of the firm belief that our mythology is linked to our evolution as a species. Elaborating further on this point he says, “Stories and hero worship is very common in several civilizations. Stories propel our minds to think and imagine.  I believe one of the reasons for our evolution as a society and man in general, is due to the areas of fear, faith and belief system. We either explore or devote, question or ridicule them.  By either fear or devotion to those areas man looks to the universe inside his own self or by questioning it he looks for external answers. Either way, man seeks answers. When answers are sought, the universe is bound to provide them; the process to attain is evolution. It all begins with stories that are either based on faith or myth.”

The Exiled Prince is a unique blend of mythology, futuristic science fiction, fast action and magical adventure where fact and fiction have been intertwined in timeless space. According to Ravi every mythological story has an underlying concept /code which is waiting to be explored which can be proved in various ways. He is of the opinion that the concept can be viewed in different ways and mostly depends on how people view it. Quoting an instance he gave the example of when "Sita was made to walk through fire". “In Ramayana a religious reader would have a different interpretation while a feminist would say that the episode was totally wrong. But here I have a different story to tell in the same episode.”

“We look at events with a socio economic perspective; we try to map the known history and behavior patterns to what must have happened. Coming from a very traditional Vaishnav family, I was taught not to ask questions on any act of God. I felt strongly that they were to be questioned and pursued for answers as a rebel,” he adds.

He believes that many stories have a strong 'Why' factor, and addressing them can possibly open many Pandora’s boxes or keys to heaven, but they are definitely there to be opened. A case in point being Heinrich Schliemann who found Priam’s Troy exactly where Homer had said it would be. The clues have to be dug out and Ravi opines that many a time there will be opposition to the extraordinary pursuits.

Originally an engineer by profession, when he moved to the US, he began reading more into his  interest areas which included futuristic science, astronomy and every business trip to India saw him travelling and reading  Indian history, epics / ancient literature and architecture.

How does he co-relate his profession to his passion for writing and keen interest in ancient Indian history and mythology? Sharing his views on the common underlying concept in both,  he said, “At one point, I felt that the Indian epics had everything in a story format. When pitching a story from our epics to my daughter, I found it easier to explain using scientific aspects. Finding a new ingredient to feed my thinking frenzy, I began researching more to connect these oceans. There are many things that connect engineering and mythology. Mythology has some 'What' moments; I believe they are strategically placed to make the reader think. The whole point of engineering is not just to learn where to position a complex calculus equation, but to think how to expand the plastic brain into the universe. To make the human think and evolve either spiritually or futuristic, is the under lying concept in both.”

Some of the writers who have been a source of inspiration and whose works have made a deep impact on him and his style of writing are Carl Sagan and JK Rowling to whose concepts, thinking and works he has been drawn like a magnet.

He denied having any particular TG or age group in mind when he started writing his first book ‘The Exiled Prince’. “Rama is ageless and according to this trilogy, an Immortal. So anyone who wants to read a mythology story, with love, fantasy and sci-fi interwoven in it or those comfortable to read beyond the native embedded ideas taught for ages, are most welcome. This is a lateral plot over the tale of Rama and it should make one think and question, that's the purpose,” concluded Ravi.

As powers greater than the universe itself come together only to erupt into chaos and intrigue, discover a tale set in a time before Time, where the immortal Rama will come to life and reveal his mysterious world through his eyes as he begins his true purpose- the quest for the Crystal of Creation. A fascinating novel, The Exiled Prince certainly makes for interesting reading.