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book went on to become a bestseller. Since then he has published
Chanakya’s Chant, Krishna Key, The Sialkot Saga and a non fiction
series on 13 Steps to Bloody Good Luck and 13 Steps to Bloody
Good Wealth. He has also collaborated with James Patterson, a
thriller writer who holds the Guinness World Record for the most
#1 New York Times bestseller, for his Private Series called Private
India. Talking about the second addition of the Private India series,
Private Delhi, Ashwin recalled how co-authoring with James
Patterson seemed like a terrifying idea. “When the offer came to me,
I was a little concerned. I din’t want it to be a colour-book exercise,
meaning, I did not want someone to draw the outlines for me
because that invariably meant that my creativity would be curbed.
Surprisingly, James said that India is an alien territory to him, which
meant that the plot lines would come from me and that is precisely
what I wanted ,so I agreed to get onboard.”
The union of the two thriller writers is magical and is evident in
their Private Series, the research and storyline of Ashwin and the
supreme detailing and twists of
James makes an interesting read.
Priding himself in creating
grey characters, Ashwins
characters can neither be loved
nor loathed. For a regular reader,
his Private Series would seem
brutal and blood curdling, this
un-Ashwin Sanghi like quality
can be very well credited to the
creative geniuses of the duo ,
“The book was meant to be a
dark. Before James and I even
began writing, we were very
clear on the idea that the book
would be a Scandinavian or Nordic Noir. Typically in this genre the
thrill that one gets is through the open spaces, the freezing
temperatures, the fact that you have light for a very few hours and
the number of miles between one house and the next. But India is
the stark opposite of that, you have hot weather, you have daylight
most of the time and you have an ever swelling population, in that
sense, the overcrowding nature of our city gives us anonymity, you
can slip in and out unnoticed, you are just one in a million and that,
to us was an area that lend itself to a crime thriller. So, our attempt
to transform an Indian setting to fit the Nordic Noir genre gave way
to the blood curdling elements.”
Being a purposeful writer, Ashwin has always managed to merge
the past and the present beautifully. The plots would revolve around
actual controversies, political unrest and shocking incidents.
Keeping the pertinent theme of organ harvesting and medical
tourism at the centre, Private Delhi stirs up a feeling of unrest. “As
fiction writers, we are supposed to be lying to our readers by
spinning tales. But I want my lie to be believable and I try to keep
“ The reason behind the gravitation towards
such (crime) fiction is because there is a little
part of us which knows that we could also be
that way, there is an element of evil in all of
us. There is a strange preoccupation with serial
killers even though they account for less than
one percent of crime. The reason behind the
gravitation towards such fiction is because
there is a little part of us , which knows that
we could also be that way, there is an element
of evil in all of us. “
my lie as close to the truth as possible. The reason my readers can
recollect or relate with the incidences is because they have already
appeared in the newspapers, so everything sounds believable.”
Ashwin is fascinated by things around him, be it media, politics,
business, the interplay between them and even serial killers. “ There
is a strange preoccupation with serial killers even though they
account for less than one percent of crime. The reason behind the
gravitation towards such fiction is because there is a little part of us
, which knows that we could also be that way, there is an element of
evil in all of us. Our conscience mind would disagree but our
subconscious mind knows that we are a whisper away from being
mentally imbalanced and that realization is why 90 percent of crime
fiction is dominated by serial killers.
Ashwin is referred to as the ‘Sage of Research’, his quest for
knowledge has lead him to uncover information and realities that
help make his book seem real. “Research plays an important role in
my books, I want the readers to know that reality and fiction can
co-exist and that drives me. The
research for my Bharat series are
always nicer and as I can read
and talk to scholars and linguists
but the Private series is a whole
different ball game. I have to be
out there, talk to people, cops
and even conmen. But, it is
something which whas to be
done, the grittiness of world has
to be brought to peoples notice.”
With the idea rooted firmly in
his mind, Ashwin almost
effortlessly weaves tales that are
nothing but fictionalised truths.
With an established foothold in the literary world and nine
bestsellers in his kitty, Ashwin marches ahead steadfastly bettering
himself with every novel. He commits to keep co-authoring books
along with other experts, but also promises that his Bharat series
would continue to be authored solo. He concludes the hour long
interaction by urging budding writers to keep at it.
“Those who are trying to write should write, because most people
think about writing but they don’t get to it. Second would be to
never worry if your book would be sellable or not. Third, would be
to not look at the whole process as writing but rather as storytelling
because when you write a good story, the words take a back seat.
Any editor worth his merit could make your story read better but
he cannot write the story for you. Fourth, is to be thick skinned to
deal with inevitable rejections that come within the territory and
the fifth, and the most important would be to stay rooted if you
make it big.”
vidyaunnithan@crememagazine.in
64 march 2017 www.crememagazine.in