The Big Idea: Gourav Mohanty

Author Gourhav Mohanty is on a mission, one that takes on the heritage of his nation, and his own ambitions for story telling. In this Big Idea, he tells you how he’s combined both for his novel Sons of Darkness.

GOURAV MOHANTY:

The idea seems simple enough at first glance. Ask any Indian reader, however, and they’ll tell you that, from a historic perspective, the idea is akin to radioactive fall-out in an arable field.  The old stunted crops will wither and finally leave space for stranger, more fantastical beanstalks to rise to the heavens.

Let’s talk about the badass women first.

I don’t know when this idea took root in my mind. India has had no shortage of powerful women in history. Whether it’s Indira Gandhi (tyrannical, all-powerful Prime Minister of Independent India) or Begum Samru (Mercenary Warlord in Mughal India), Indian women have always been forged in the fires of bravery and courage. We don’t worship a God of War but a Goddess of War. However, that does not axiomatically translate into the portrayal of powerful devil-may-care women in fiction. Stereotypes and traditional gender roles still persist, limiting the representation of resilient brown women in literature and media.

Don’t get me wrong. Have fictional Indian women been strong? Yes. Resolute? Yes. Have they faced and conquered innumerable odds? Yes. But they have almost always been damsels-in-distress, and I wanted to read of damsels-who-caused-distress…

Sons of Darkness: Amazon US|Amazon UK|Barnes & Noble|Waterstones

Author Socials: Twitter