Famously known for his painting, ‘The Merge’ which has created waves in the new art world, Dr. Charith Venkat Pidikiti is a bestselling author, an airplane pilot, and a biomedical engineer who currently lives in Munich, Germany. Apart from being a full time employee at a Fortune 500 Company who has a P.HD from LIGS University, USA and a Masters from New York University, Dr. Charith is also loves to collect classic cars and history books. In an Exclusive Interview with Nitish Raj; Editor-in-Chief, The Literary Mirror, the young author talks about his literary masterpiece along with his painting and other upcoming projects.
Q.1: A ‘Bestselling Author, Doctorate holder, Certified Project Management Professional (PMP)®, a Certified Medical Device Consultant, and a Master of Science Degree holder in “Biomedical Engineering” from New York University’, What are the traits that help execute such multifaceted accomplishments?
CVP: I always had the urge to keep learning or experiencing new things and because these skills were so diverse, they gave me the creativity needed for my writing & art. Besides, life would not be fun if it was not challenging or hard. If I am stuck on a Project at work, I take a break and start writing, If I am stuck (writer’s block) at writing, I take a break and travel somewhere & when I travel, I in turn learn new trades. This is how it all started for me & this cycle helped me hone my skills. Whenever I traveled to a new place and tried something new, I got a fresh perspective on my thought process.
Although experiences are key to creativity, there is some common ground. All my activities revolve around Science & Engineering, which was already the biggest Anchor for work. Just like painting, writing a book is always hard. Well…. writing a good book at least and whether you are a full-time employee or a mother or even a housewife, there are always a million things that are happening, ready to distract you away from writing. But if you truly make it your passion, a hobby and you believe you have the right material, then there is nothing to stop you.
You just have to believe in yourself. You need to understand that we humans are capable of any challenge, and we just have to believe first. Personally, it was a passion to achieve great heights and make a difference……… A desire to leave this world in a better position than when I found it.
Q.2: Your painting “The Merge” has created waves in the new Art World. What are the similarities and differences that you encounter while transitioning between being a painter and a writer?
CVP: I must say, that is the most impressive question I have been asked, and I am glad you asked it!
People often think “The Merge” is a single artwork piece, but in fact, it is a series of “Cross-Species” themed, oil-paint artworks sized 120cmx90cm on an organic canvas. They follow the same theme as the “Evolution Cradle” which is also about the Vasatiwara and playing with cross-species genetics. On top of that, an underlying common message in both the book and the art is that all life is equal. There is no one superior and no one inferior. That is shown through the symmetry in human and animal forms.
Let me explain……Humans have been brainwashed to consider themselves superior beings to other life forms. Ask yourself, why so? Just because we think we are more intelligent. Isn’t Intelligence relative too? We invent things that destroy our planet and then invent things to undo the damage but always keep failing. What is the use of that? We never learn from our mistakes and unlike us, a cow has been repeatedly more successful at saving the planet since the dawn of time by never overgrazing on the same patch of land. What about Methane you say? Well, that’s our mistake too for force-feeding it corn.
Besides this arguably non-beneficial intelligence, all other things are the same. If you pay close attention to “The Merge”, you will notice the life-form’s most common features like the eyes, the nose, and the mouth perfectly aligning. A Literal representation of the golden mean ratio if you will. This is what my readers and art patrons love about it. The blend, the merge from the book to the art and back. That’s the reason behind its success. There have been a few commissions (orders) since my first piece. Often kept anonymous as per the request of the buyer and the reason for this is they often choose themselves or their loved ones as one of the subjects and I request them to choose the second subject for themselves to “Merge” with. One thing I will disclose though since it is one of my Instagram posts, is “The Merge” of actor Rana Daggubati and a bull. You may recognize this from the movie “Bahubali”. A scene between “Bhallaladeva” and the monstrous “Gaur”, is now a part of “The Merge” series.
Q.3: “Creating truth from space place and time”, your book ‘Evolution Cradle’ explores ancient history and science. Why did you choose the genre and how has your research process been?
CVP: “Evolution Cradle” is perhaps the best choice of words for the title. The title describes the book on many levels and has a very deep meaning that the reader will understand only after reading the entire book. The title has several clues in it that are revealed as one progresses through the book. The book revolves around Evolution as a whole, of mankind, of religion, of spirituality, of science, and even of the various ancient symbols that once meant something else. The Cradle is a representation of the womb, not a metaphor but a literal womb which if revealed further will be a spoiler for the readers so I will keep that suspense.
The Aryan Origin with the word “Origin” striking away Theory, represents that truth prevails all, meaning the reality over any fake theories/claims. The book explains what the real origin of the Aryans is (purely based on evidence and modern science) and not the theory that we were forced to believe. This book is all about deciphering ancient writings to their literal sense and clearing all misconceptions and wrong depictions.
Here are a few key points regarding this:
- I wanted to reach a large audience with my message, to see or at least consider the ancient wisdom to be literal, the original text’s versions, not the more recent versions. For example, Varaha was not rescuing the planet from an ocean but from the orbital drift of its course in space. Ocean was a misinterpretation. You can clearly see that the depiction of Earth in any picture pertaining to Varaha is always a sphere, while the rest of the world was pondering whether it was flat or round, ancient Indians were already discovering plants and stars light years away from us. Galileo took several thousand years to rediscover our earth’s actual shape and dimensions. Ancient Indians by this time have long discovered the exact dimensions of Earth and all other neighboring planets with 0.0001% accuracy. I can only reach a limited number of people in person to explain and rearrange the way they think, but a book can speak on my behalf even after my passing.
- Time Dilution was a common thing several thousand years ago. For example, when King Kakudmi went to Brahma traveling several light-years (possibly through a wormhole) to ask for his help, Brahma explains that several years have passed on earth during the King’s stay in Brahma’s world. Brahma explains that time is relative and that a few minutes in that world is several years on Earth. This is a concept we have only now rediscovered in the West.
- My book is about the Germans’ obsession with learning about ancient India, far more than any present Indian would be interested in, and their journey in science and to the mythical East. Literally!
- This is what led to my passion for historical fiction (I call it Hi-fi, pun intended) and suspense thrillers with a dash of sci-fi, our culture has the answers to everything, and I urge the whole world to learn about it.
Q.4: Your book ‘Evolution Cradle’ was recommended for the Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar 2021. What is the role of awards and accolades in the literary success of a writer?
CVP: Awards and accolades are not only key for motivating writers and artists, by showing them appreciation for their hard work and encouraging others to aspire to also become writers, but most importantly to bring awareness regarding the writer’s or artist’s work to the world. In simpler words “Marketing”.
I know every single author usually says writing is easy and publishing is tough, but marketing is a struggle. Well, I would completely disagree with this. Personally, I feel this:
- Writing is the Adventure (into a new world)
- Publishing is the Excitement (of successfully bringing the book out)
- Marketing is the Joy (of reaching new readers and making new friends)
A good launch team to promote and nudge your book is very important to spread the word out wide and fast through blogs, celebrity endorsements, or social media, but I am a huge believer in Word of Mouth. Call me old-fashioned if you will, but a good book will market itself after the initial spread of the word.
Q.5: How has your publishing experience been?
CVP: My biggest achievement, “Evolution Cradle – The Aryan Origin” first started in January 2015, actually while I was working in my office, on a quiet day. I have written several short stories and poems prior to this (during school) but never actually published them. Unfortunately, I am also no longer in possession of those works.
Regarding publishing itself, this is a remarkable story. I am represented by a Literary Agent, and we found several publishers who instantly loved the manuscript; however, the timing of the release was not perfect, and they also wanted us to chop out 7000 words from the book or rather split it into two parts. So, I waited for the right opportunity and then one day I met the President of the “INDIEN-INSTITUT IN MUNICH”, which is the oldest organization of its kind in Germany and has devoted itself to the cultural exchange between Germany and India. The society was established in 1929 as the Institute for Cultural Relations. I pitched my story to them, and they instantly loved it and boom, the rest is history.
Additionally, due to the Covid situation, book sales have gone up and my friends at Amazon requested me to release the book by the end of March 2020 to gain traction, so I went ahead with the support of the Indian Institute in Germany to release the book on a large scale, all-in. This was a huge risk indeed, but the book was an instant success around the globe. Within 24 hours I started getting reviews, calls, and messages from people I never met before.
Of course, by now everyone knows that this book has also been rated the most controversial book of 2020, but that only fueled its success.
Q.6: What are common traps for budding writers? What advice would you give them?
CVP: The most common trap is our own self. Take the “starting” itself, I mean literally typing your first words. Most budding writers have a great idea and spend a lot of time on creating a mind map or flow chart, but when it finally comes to putting down their words onto paper, they shy away. They question themselves. Some manage to start though, but they lose interest. Some manage to keep interest afloat but lack motivation. Some manage to keep themselves motivated but lack consistency. Some are consistent but lack the momentum. Only 1% finally made it to the finish line.
There are 3 things that can help, which definitely helped me, and I would love to share them with you:
- Firstly, find your favorite subject. Write about what you are truly passionate about, this already makes it easy to keep going. For me, History as a whole is extremely fascinating, especially how the ancient Indian subcontinent has inspired the entire world. From great Physicists like Oppenheimer “father of the atomic bomb” who quoted “Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds”; It is, perhaps, the most well-known line from the Bhagavad-Gita to new-age filmmakers like Cameron. Even legendary infamous people like Hitler or an entire ancient civilization like the Greeks, have all derived their inspirations from our mythical country.
- Next have a goal. Ask yourself why you want to write. What do you want to achieve with it? For me, my primary goal is to put Indian literature on the global literary map. As many have noticed, we are lacking a certain support to push our best books into the international best sellers’ ranks. I designed my book to specifically tackle this main issue, not only did I mainly write about ancient Indian history, but I also involved an international team as both Protagonists and Antagonists, something relatable and tangible for people across the world. I truly believe that “Evolution Cradle – The Aryan Origin” is going to change the way Western reviewers and book critics look at Indian subjects and literature. After all, it was specifically designed for this purpose only. A book that talks about Indian religion, heritage, culture, and history through the words of German, British, American, Indian, and even Afghan characters. Through my book, I want to bring India to the forefront of International Literature.
- Lastly don’t worry about language skills. It all boils down to “content”, if it is empty then it needs a flamboyant language that most won’t even understand and in my case I let the content speak for itself, by following the art of minimalism. Simple, easy-to-understand fluidity. I intentionally chose a very unique writing style for my book “Evolution Cradle – The Aryan Origin”. A Style that I picked up from my experience in the Film Industry. This is an adaptation of screenplay and screenwriting. Not popular and not widely used, not even something that is trending but after trying everything else, this seemed most apt for my story. The writing style I chose for my book is easy to follow, the story flows smoothly and even this complex multi-genre book can easily be visualized and digested by the reader. There were of course many haters who also criticized me the same way they did to other non-conventional authors, but the majority loved this new style. But we need to adapt to the times, the story of the book, the message, and the medium.
Q.7: What is in store for your readers with your forthcoming projects?
CVP: I just started creating a basic blueprint for the sequel to Evolution Cradle – The Aryan Origin, this time addressing the two dimensions that have least been touched upon, Time and Space. Now I just need to figure out a way to follow that one up with the final part, Part-3 of this trilogy. After that I do want to get back to non-fiction for a while, I have some pressing subjects that I would like to cover in those books.
We are in an age where even a little child wants Facts and Truth. In fact, they have access to the facts through a smart device and we writers have to adapt and evolve our narration, storytelling, plot, and characters. A good story will have to include well-researched facts, facts that perhaps very few know about, yet they could search over the internet and find out. I think a good story is the perfect balance of all of this, tangible scenarios, a gripping plot, facts that can easily be found, and the most important piece is the villain with a powerful character build. My personal favorite element of surprise for a good story is to have what I call a “multi-climax”. We need to consider that the stories and tales we heard could be literal. There are many clues right in front of our eyes and we still fail to see them. We are barely scratching the surface despite coming from the most advanced civilization. Take the skin color of our gods, blue, but lost in translation we are told it is not actually blue but dark tone, but then they would have been really depicted with dark skin tone, and why blue? Blue perhaps was literally their skin pigment…….
Almost everything in our ancient scriptures was literal, over the years we made them figurative to match our current status quo.
A Bonus Tip: Adapt and evolve into what the audience needs!
