Sun, Moon & Stars Volume I Horror Of The Musk

Q & A

Dear readers, 

Thank you for showering so much love to this series. 

Now that Volume II is complete and published, I have been showered with a lot of questions from you all. Hence, I have put them together and tried to answer almost all the questions. 

Read on to know more!

Does Kapaliks really exist?

Yes. They do. In fact, my mother had seen one. Fortunately, he was a very good man and not like the evil ascetics mentioned in this story.

There are Aghoris and then there are Kapaliks, both are very different. According to the folklore and stories, Kapaliks worships Goddess Kali while the former are strict believers of Lord Shiva. In the stories I have heard from my elders and grandparents Kapaliks are supposedly harmful and they are portrayed in all negative aspects in different native literature.

However, looking to find support to turn those beliefs into facts would require researching them in-depth and I wouldn't want to go and interview one for obvious reasons of course!

The ancient beliefs mentioned in the series, are they true?

Not all, but most of it. For example, Ashwini Kumaras or The Ashvins are believed to be the twin gods of medicine and health, they are also mentioned in Mahabharata whereas Nishir Daak or the call of the night spirit still exists in remote areas of West Bengal. 

What kind of myths inspired the series?

I wouldn't say myths rather stories passed on through generations. Growing up I visited my maternal grandparents' house often, which is located in Murshidabad. There I heard a lot of folklores and stories on ghost sightings, evil ascetics, unexplained incidents and mysterious disappearances.

The story idea first developed as a plain horror tale after I had seen a strange dream of three girls being chased by a strange scary-looking entity. It exactly looked how I have described it in the book. The blue-veined burned flesh demon. I started writing during lockdown and Volume I was completed within a month. As I kept writing, it turned into a paranormal story.

When is Volume III coming?

Ah! The most-asked-question. Well, I do not know yet! Of course, there's a lot more and I want to explore it. However, the plotline is still under construction and I am not sure when can I complete the story.

Is Shomak inspired by a real-life person?

Yes. Someone I met long back.

The man who saved Nishi, is he Aditya?

Well, you need to wait to find that out! No spoilers!

What will happen to Oishi?

She is the most complicated character I ever created. Sometimes even I cannot understand what is going on in her head. But one thing I can assure, she will have a huge role to play.

Who is Tokkho Raj and what is the story behind his name?

Tokkho Raj is the leader of the Kaanthalis. As for the name, I hate the creature Tokay Gecko. If you hear its call properly it sounds like the broken syllables toh-kkho. I first saw this reptile sitting on the wall of my maternal grandparents' village house. It irked me so much that I still haven't forgotten. Hence the name.

Weren't you scared when you were writing this story?

Have you ever heard about the devil's time? The time between 2:40 am to 4 o' clock is often considered the witching hour or devil's time. Call it spooky or just coincidence somehow I couldn't write a word other than this particular time period. Hence, yes I was scared as hell and in my mind kept thinking that someone is sitting at the top of my wardrobe and staring at me!

What are your views on Indian Paranormal?

Oh! I can write a whole essay on it.

I am a huge fan of paranormal, fantasy and horror genres. But whenever I try to search for titles even in bookstores it's mostly vampires, werewolves, demons and ghosts. Those are the dominating topics. A story, which is authentically Indian, is hard to find. Hence when I first started writing the series I wanted to explore the world of Indian Paranormal. The stories that we grew up listening to.

I believe that this particular genre has a lot of potential. As the west calls it – India is a mystic land – thus is a treasure trove of supernatural and paranormal topics as well. If you go searching on the Internet you will find a never-ending list of paranormal creatures that walk on Indian territories.

For example, if you think of ghosts that are authentically Indian, of course, there is always classifications in broad and subtypes, in the case of female ghosts there are several types such as chudail, dayaan, yakshinis, pishachinis, chedipe, mohini and the list goes on. So why not explore when you have plenty! *wink*

What is your scariest incident associated with paranormal reading or writing?

I remember one, that happened about seven years ago. I was doing detailed research on Bhangarh, Rajasthan, with one of my nieces. In the next two days, both of us had the same nightmares about Bhangarh and my niece's mother, my sister-in-law, saw us drowning in a lake which is located inside the Bhangarh fort. And none of us had ever visited Bhangarh.

How much did you research before writing this book?

Another question I am often asked. Well, I didn't research anything separately for this series. All things mentioned are from my own knowledge and folklores I have heard since childhood.

Where are you from?

I am from Kolkata, the city of joy!

Have you ever faced any unexplained situation?

Yes, I have. Some experiences were not pleasant while some still gives me courage.

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If you have more questions or would simply love to interact about Sun, Moon & Stars series, please drop your comment here and I promise to answer them as quickly as possible!

Love to all!!