Nitya Neelakantan is a writer and yoga teacher from Bangalore. Nitya graduated with a degree in Hotel Management before moving into the learning space as a technical trainer and then a soft skills trainer. Her writing and yoga journey began simultaneously as she hung up her corporate boots in exchange for more time with her two and four-legged family. When not teaching or reading, Nitya enjoys travelling with her husband, son, and two fluffy dog-babies. She is an amateur jogger and blogger. She is passionate about composting, slow fashion, and conscious living.
Readomania: Congratulations on the launch of your book Navapashanam!Tell us something about your background. What did you study and where are you from?
Nitya: I am from Bangalore. My father’s family mostly lives in Chennai while my mother’s relatives are in Bangalore. I studied Hotel Management and worked for a while in the hotel industry before moving into Training and Development. I am currently an L&D Coach.
Readomania: What inspired you to become a writer?
Nitya: I have been writing since I was in standard 7. It started with small poems and then blog posts and short stories in the early 2000s. But it was my husband who inspired me to write a full length novel. For someone who doesn’t read much, he put a lot of faith in me.
Readomania: What genre do you think Navapasham falls under? With its adventure and thrill, the book is bound to attract readers of all ages, isn’t it?
Nitya: The book will certainly be a cross-genre one. It can be tagged under mysteries, it can be called a thriller, and it has a hint of mythology and history to it as well.
As the writing from a language and content perspective is simple, it is perfectly suitable for all age groups.
Readomania: Navapasham is such a unique book. How did the idea of the story germinate?
Nitya: The idea for the story is inspired by Tamil writer Indira Soundar Rajan whose story Marmadesam was telecast on TV when I was a child. That story stuck with me and I always wanted to tell similarly compelling tales. I hope I have been able to pull off a sliver of his brilliance here.
My inspiration also comes from the fact that I have gone on many temple tours in Tamil Nadu. At the time, as a child, I felt annoyed and obligated to tag along, but somewhere, my love for temple architecture and folklore evolved because of those trips.
Readomania: There are innumerable architectural, religious and cultural details mentioned in Navapasham. How much research did you have to do to pen this book? Did you actually visit all the temples mentioned in the book?
Nitya: As mentioned earlier, I have visited a lot of temples in India. The visits notwithstanding, I had to do a lot of research on the architecture, the folklore behind some of the temples, the poems associated with these temples and deities etc. I had to read several works of Tamil poets and writers to bring in a certain authenticity to the story.
Readomania: Navapashanam deals with themes of magical healing, hidden treasure, betrayal, kidnapping and murder making it a fascinating journey of passion and intrigue. Did you list down the themes you wanted to play with or did the story just organically grow?
Nitya: When I started plotting the story, it was meant to simply be a treasure hunt with dual timelines. But I am not much of a plotter. I am not even a pantser who can just wing it. I fall somewhere in between where I have a vague outline but as I start writing, my characters do their own thing and take the story forward.
Readomania: What was the most challenging part of the writing process for you?
Nitya: I think I always suffer with the endings. I feel like I want to say a lot more, but I am afraid I'd bore the readers to sleep if I drag it out.
I also feel like finding the time to write consistently is challenging in itself
Readomania: Did you have any favourite authors or books that influenced your writing? Have you always preferred the thriller genre?
Nitya: My favourite authors are Dan Brown and Jeffrey Archer. Among Indian authors, I loved Amish’s initial work and I enjoy Ashwin Sanghvi. All of them have inspired me in parts. I don’t have a favourite genre but I am partial to thrillers, mysteries, mythology, and fantasy.
Readomania: Do you prefer reading more or writing? And what interests you apart from reading and writing?
Nitya: I believe that you cannot be a good writer if you are not well read. Thanks to my father, us girls at home have always been avid readers. I love reading as much as I enjoy telling a good story.
I am a yoga instructor and am passionate about it. I also enjoy travelling very much. I am a self-confessed Earth-hugger. I do as much as I can to live sustainably. I love the environment, plants, and animals and I have three dogs at home too.
Readomania: Have you started writing your next book? If yes, then what is that about?
Nitya: I have two books that I am working on simultaneously. One is a non-fiction about Mythology related travel in India and the other is the second part to my self-published fantasy thriller novel Rudrabaan.
Navapashanam is available on Amazon.
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