A Storyteller’s Journey by Juvelle Mendes

In a candid conversation with Ratul Chakraborty, the author of Sutradhar, we bring to you an interesting and thought-provoking interview.

The opening line of the book will get you hooked: "In an ode to Bharat’s eternal glory."

Ratul's debut book, Sutradhar, launched before the lockdown in 2020. He saw the first hard copy of the book only months after the lockdown lifted, mentions Ratul.

It is a collection of seven stories revolving around the tales of our ancient mythology and legends. Written in a short story format with detailed and expansive narration sprinkled with an overlay of prose and poetry, the book is both enjoyable and educative.

“I took a break from work for about five months to finish this book,” says Ratul.

At the outset, the author shares his resolve about the stories and how they unfolded. When asked about what drew him to write about history, the author mentions ancient history has always intrigued him. Mesmerizing from page to page, this book presents a human dimension and historic perspective of these timeless events.

Each story paints several thought-provoking messages through the narration. It reminded me of the folklore I heard as a kid.

The word sutra means thread that keeps the seven stories tied together in the writing style. Set in a historical background spanning across various spectrums of Indian history, right from the Harappan/Mohenjo-Daro civilization to the partition of India, these stories will walk you back in time.

The stories narrate a distinct theme from each other, ranging from sufferings, heroism, sacrifices, faith, and a lot more. It is so good that you'll dive into the vastness of the stories. They are engrossing and well-written.

The first story, Newton’s First, set in the Sarasvati civilization, deals with issues such as the impact of the loss of faith and civilizational responses to habitat changes.

The other anecdotes dot Ratul’s book Sutradhar are: The Law which is a story about Alexander and Chanakya, The Lament is about Ashoka and his journey, The longest story is A Mirror for the Ants. Set in rural Bengal, One Penny Tune, is about modernity and the shortest story is The Offering, which is set in the British era and speaks of the challenges and discontent of the farmers during the British administration. The last story, The Path of a Coward, plays out during the partition era, which was also the single most humanitarian crisis. Ratul also adds that this story is close to his heart, as he recalls his family moved to India from Bangladesh during this time. He first wrote the story while he was in school. It has been re-written several times, and what we read in the book is the final version of it.

His wife Surela is his first reader and critique. Without the support of his family, it would have been almost impossible to complete the book, specially, Indic Academy and the founder Mr. Hari Kiran Vadlamani, who entrusted faith in him and gave him the platform to launch.

You can now find both digital and physical copies of the book, Sutradhar on Kindle, and Amazon. The purchase link is here.

Bio note: 

Juvelle is a automation engineering lead at Deloitte. She likes to travel and read books. Her favourite genres are biographies, non fiction, narratives, history, and thrillers. Her husband and she love visiting breakfast cafes in Bangalore almost every weekend. She leads an active and disciplined life and practices yoga and pilates.