Eliteone Stories: Vinoda is an actress in a world shaped by power and patriarchy. What does her stage performance reveal about the person she cannot openly become in society?
Naveen Sridhar: As a young woman with the usual constraints, she can only express her inner struggle through her role in the play. Of course, she is helped by her talent as an actress, but here it is a role in which she can cry out loud to the public about her inner misery and conflict. She cannot openly announce what is on her mind and cry havoc. Giving more details about what the stage performance revealed would lead to a spoiler.
Eliteone Stories: The novel brings Greek theatre into an Indo-Greek setting. What fascinated you most about imagining how Sophocles might have been received by an Indian audience in 143 BCE?
Naveen Sridhar: Precisely, the above question has been discussed in the 9th chapter in the book.
To my knowledge, drama as a literary form was not prevalent in India during the time of Sophocles and other classical Greek poets. I daresay it was a result of laer cultural influence or inspiration. Mythical stories and folklore were only ‘enacted’ with the help of dance to support the customary form of storytelling. I was illustrating the impact this new medium was having on Indians, with Greek and Indian actors assisting. The fascination I found was that in the diverse society in India with all kinds of faiths coexisting, Sophocles would have been well received by one and all.
Eliteone Stories: If Vinoda could speak to a woman living in the modern world, what do you think she would find most surprising about our society?
Naveen Sridhar: Luckily, women still wear sarees. But she would have wondered why the question posed in the story remains unsolved. Patriarchy and the conquest and imposition of authority by one set of values on another, by one nation on another remain unchanged. All that has improved is the technical innovation and advancein healing (medication), making life far less dangerous and far more comfortable physically.
Eliteone Stories: Your story asks readers to reconsider how we judge people making impossible choices. Has writing Vinoda changed the way you personally look at moral decisions?
Naveen Sridhar: A great question. Yes, writing the story changed how I look at moral decisions. It is often presumed that the writer is only pouring out his own mind. I feel responsible for my characters and view the world from their point of view, like a coach in sports who also considers a player’s idiosyncrasies, or a movie director who considers an actor’s abilities and limitations. In fact, we learn from each other. This is an enjoyable part of writing, more than simply expressing oneself on paper or screen.
Eliteone Stories: The Indo-Greek world was shaped by cultural exchange rather than isolation. What can this ancient meeting of cultures teach us about the world today?
Naveen Sridhar: I believe culture progresses primarily through exposure to other cultures. Despite fear of a “clash of cultures,” in the modern world, with ever more contacts and intermingling due to digitalization, the internet, immigration, and tourism, a “globalization of culture” is steadily advancing. This is the time to welcome and hail the traditional open-mindedness of ancient times, before the advent of intolerance.
Eliteone Stories: If you could spend one day in the world you created for Vinoda’s Vengeance, which place or moment would you most want to experience, and why?
Naveen Sridhar: As a Time Traveling Tourist (TTT), I would race straight to the play’s staging early in the story. Then, with a little more travel back to the future, I would pause to attend the discussion in the aforementioned scene in the 9th chapter about the impact the play could have on the subjects. This was the central question I had posed to myself; moreover, meeting the protagonist and at least some of the other characters in action is a dream of every author.
