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Sudipto Das’ debut novel combines ancient history, linguistic palaeontology, mathematics, music and a mystery story
If you are a history buff and a thriller aficionado, then The Ekkos Clan by Sudipto Das might just be the book for you. Ancient Indian history, linguistic palaeontology, mathematics and interesting insights on music are held together by a gripping mystery in Sudipto’s debut novel.
The Ekkos Clan (Niyogi Books, Rs. 350) tells the tale of how Kratu, a graduate student at Stanford, his best friend Tista and linguistic palaeontologist Afsar Fareedi, discover that the bedtime stories Kratu’s grandmother Kubha inherited from her ancestors, have hidden within them linguistic fossils and layers of history. This leads the trio on a quest to trace the origin of her stories and in the process they make some fascinating discoveries.
It took Sudipto intensive research to put the novel together. “I read up on ancient Indian history between 2008 and 2010.
By July 2010, I thought I would start writing because as Newton said the more you know, the more you realise how little you know. I thought I had to start writing,” says Sudipto who holds an engineering degree from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, and is also a member of a music band Kohal.
The first draft was written in six months. Sudipto then chose a sample of 25 readers, which included his friends, acquaintances and relatives, between the ages of 18 and 60, and gave them the first draft to read for feedback. He also sent in the manuscript to the Literary Consultancy, London. “They are known to be one of the best literary reviewers. They gave me detailed feedback.” The book was released recently at Oxford Bookstore.
The first two chapters of the novel, which also have an autobiographical element, are set against the 1946 Noakhali Riots. “I thought I had to write about the Partition of Bengal, as not much is written about it. I wanted to write about the survivors of the Noakhali riots. My father and his family came to Kolkata when the riots broke out. My father went onto become an engineer and provided well for his family. There were survivors who made a life for themselves despite being affected by the riots; I wanted to explore such stories in my novel.”
Sudipto developed an interest in music, history, mathematics and literature as a child. So, combining these aspects in The Ekkos Clan seemed only natural to him. “I knew the right thing about Indian culture. I have closely read Tagore’s works and had studied at the Ramakrishna Mission Institute. I have also always been fascinated by the poetry in the Rig Veda and the historicity of it. There is an inner meaning in the poems that are simple, yet profound. I wanted to demystify the Rig Veda in this book,” says Sudipto.
Speaking of the relevance of linguistic palaeontology in ancient Indian history, Sudipto says: “Historical proof is very limited in ancient Indian history, but linguistic palaeontology proof is plentiful.”
A tale of discovery and unraveling mystery. It's the story of grandmother Kubha and her grandson Kratu who belong to one of the traditional clans. Unaware of his grandmother's origins, Kratu goes in search to find the missing link with his two best friends Tista and Afsar across continents and discovers his ancestry. An interesting read for an afternoon.
The Ekkos Clan, Sudipto Das, Niyogi, 2013, pp 282, 350
Someone wants Kratu’s whole family dead. Is it personal vendetta or is it because they have access to Kratu’s grandmother Kubha’s stories, which conceal perilous secrets. The eventful lives of Kubha and her family span a hundred years and encompass turbulent phases of Indian history.
“The Ekkos Clan”, the debut novel of Sudipto Das (1996/ECE/RK), is already at position 3 in the best sellers list in the Literature and Fiction Section in Flipkart in less than a fortnight.
“A promising debut in the growing realm of modern Indian fiction”, said Jug Suraiya, a senior columnist with Times of India, about the book.
Get your copy from Flipkart and country-wide any store of Sapna (Karnataka, & Tamil Nadu only), Oxford & Crossword.
Read online reviews on http://www.flipkart.com/the-ekkos-clan/product-reviews/ITMDMTDCQ5GTGTYM
For a novel whose setting stretches from the Partition-affected villages of Noakhali, Bngladesh to Arkaim in the Southern Urals , The Ekkos Clan is a daring novel. The scope of the narrative is magnanimous and deftly handled. But perhaps where the book falls short is the way that it is written. Though a racy and gripping read, there are rarely any flashes of literary brilliance, when it comes to the descriptive and the introspective. Involving elements of ancient history, mathematics, music, orality and linguistics, author Sudipto Das has weaved a cinematic tale of migration, revenge, and how the everyday preserves history in unique ways, unceremoniously occupying our locale. The narrative spins around the stories which Krotus, the protagonist, grandmother Kubha used to tell. Two successive deaths in his family kicks start a chain of events and discoveries which transforms the innocent childhood tales into caskets of hidden secrets. The Ekkos Clan should be read for its sheer aspiration and the intelligent handling of historical material.
Legends of India will feature a sarod recital by Ustad Aashish Khan, a performance by music ensemble New Shanti, an Indo jazz group led by Ustad Aashish Khan and a book launch of The Ekkos Clan by Sudipto Das will be held on August 3...
Sudipto Das’s debut novel The Ekkos Clan is a contemporary thriller.
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