Author’s Background: Author Arvind Rishi, is currently pursuing his masters at Cornell University, New York. He was born in Jamshedpur, Jharkhand and he had completed his undergrad from RV College, Bangalore. With experience as a software developer, Arvind has an impressive repertoire of technical blogs where he captivates his audience with his ability to navigate complex concepts with grace. A talented filmmaker, he has written and directed a host of critically acclaimed short films.
Neel Preet: Firstly, Congratulations on your book, “The Brown Sunshine!” Well, can you please share your experience about making your work come in the form of book!
Arvind Rishi: Thank you, for the kind words and for featuring my book in your magazine. I am filled with gratitude that I got the opportunity to pen down my ideas and themes in a way that was engaging. Ideas inherently, I believe, exist everywhere. Writing this book was a great experience overall. It was a journey that took 7 years. I do believe that it is the execution that differentiates the good from the great, and I am optimistic by the reviews and love that has poured in for the novel till now. I hope for more responses – on both ends of the spectrum, in the future as well.
Neel Preet: What inspired you to write this book? What was the impetus behind this work of yours?
Arvind Rishi: The inspirations were mostly from a seed of thought that came to me a few years ago. It was the theme of how memories, and perspectives shape different men uniquely. People can go through the same set of events and come out taking different learnings from it. I also wanted to bring the genre of psychological thrillers to the forefront in the context of fiction novels in India. I genuinely believe, there is a huge range of audience for every type of content, until it is ‘engaging’ and there are ‘takeaways.’ Additionally, I have spent quite a few years writing screenplays and directing short films, so those experiences also gave impetus to the command I had over my skillset.
Neel Preet: Your book title, ‘The Brown Sunshine’ is definitely a catchy one! So, can you please explain the reasons for going with this book title!
Arvind Rishi: So, there’s an interesting story behind the title. I had written a blog on Quora with the same name, and a similar plot, quite a few years ago. I had never come around, to finish it and it was called – The Brown Sunshine. The reasons was that the protagonist, sees a sunshine that is of a different color, a new hue. For lack of a name, he terms it looks like ‘brown.’ So that’s where the name comes from. In the book, this stands true as well.
Neel Preet: Well, can you please explain that how is this book different from the other books of the same genre?
Arvind Rishi: I would like to say that a lot of effort has gone into structuring the book in a manner that it is ‘enagaging.’ The prime rule of thrillers, is to stay one step ahead of the audience, is to be unpredictable, while still maintaining a form and flow. This is where I believe The Brown Sunshine stands out. Also, I would like to add a second point – that it fuses mythology with fiction and philosophy in a manner that serves the story, which I would want to believe is a standout quality.
Neel Preet: Apart from this mystery-thriller writing, in which other genres would you like to make your contributions?
Arvind Rishi: Oh, I would love to write a comedy genre novel. Something like ‘Three men in a boat.’ Comedy is subjective and is a difficult genre to get right, but yeah, if you ask me, that is one book – I would definitely be interested in writing.
Neel Preet: After reading this book, I’m greatly impressed & I want you to explain us, in your version, that how this book will appeal the readers of the present day!
Arvind Rishi: As you have rightly pointed out, readers do evolve with time. From their attention span to what ‘sells’ in the market is a factor of the decade we live in. There are 2 aspects I would like to touch upon. The first one, being, the current scenario with respect to my book. I believe the story is told through the lens of Anthony Biswas, who is an everyday bloke with his set of skills and failures, which make him relatable to the reader easily. Navigating through the world of fantasy and dark forces with a relatable character makes my job easier as a writer, because I know that the protagonist is grounded and would hold the reader’s interest. Secondly, I would like to touch upon the aspect of storytelling and its universal themes which are not a factor of the decade we live in. The inherent themes and threads of this book talk about a story of loss and redemption, of love and heartbreak, of life and death. These themes would resonate universally across any day and year, if done properly. The ‘if done properly,’ being the key phrase.
Neel Preet: Next, I want you to tell us about some of those writers, who had inspired you!
Arvind Rishi: I would definitely start this list with Rabindranath Tagore. His writings are rooted in the heartland of India and touch the emotional string every single time. Stephen King and Mark Z Danielewski are also great inspirations. They are the masters of the psychological thriller genre, and rightly so. I would also like to mention Dostoevsky as one of my favourite writers. His take on a human psyche and their reactions to the environment around them are unparalleled.
Neel Preet: Is there any message that you would like to convey to your readers? Or any piece of advice, which you would like to give to the readers out there!
Arvind Rishi: The message would definitely be to read the book and have a good time. It would also be to have to think for oneself before believing anything they see, hear or read outside. See, the entire point of writing a fictional story is that people can take home the message that appeals to them in the version they prefer. It is subjective. I would definitely want my readers to read through it and come up with their own versions of the message, which is pretty much how the real world operates as well.
Neel Preet: Are there any other books being worked by you? Please let us know about your future projects.
Arvind Rishi: I am actively working on the sequel. This is part 1 of a trilogy. Other than that, I plan to delve into the non-fiction market as well, and I have a few ideas there.
Neel Preet: Thank you so much for answering all my questions. All the very best to you for future and your book too!
Arvind Rishi: Thank you Neel, for reading my book and having this wonderful conversation with me. I wish you best of luck as well !
