BEHIND THE STORIES

Mythology Moral Stories

What prompted me to write these stories

King Raghavendra –

I always had a special inkling towards Mythology stories and thus thought of writing one.  My father was quite satisfied with the story which acted as a good motivation for me.


I used to read Chandamama regularly and a thought came to my mind to send this story to the famed magazine and try my luck.  My parents agreed and the story was sent.


Once when I was having a look at the magazine, my eyes fell on the page where the stories which were to appear next month were listed.  And there I found a story titled ‘Story of Raghavendra’!  A brief was given about the story and it was mentioned that a mini-series would begin!
I could not believe my eyes!  I looked at it again and yes!  It was indeed my story that was to be published from next month!  I hurried to my parents and broke the jubilant news.  They too were very delighted and offered their complements to me.

Thus, from March 1995, Raghavendra began to appear in Chandamama for five months.

Although it was a great pleasure to see my story appear in Chandamama, a surprise was in store for me in the last instalment.  In fact, I came a stranger to my own story!

The surprise element was that the publishers changed the ending completely!  I will not reveal the plot much here.  I have made a mention of this in Raghavendra 5 towards the bottom of the page of Raghavendra-5  Do read it to know what had transpired.

Heart of Gold –

This story is very close to my heart.  The plot has been inspired by the events that happened in the life of one of my most precious gem, whose identity I, unfortunately, cannot disclose.  

There are some among us, whom I would call perpetrators, for whom physical appearance matters more than one’s inner qualities.  Despite the fact that those whom they consider to be of unworthy looks are their very own owing to blood relations, these perpetrators ignore these poor souls, whom I would refer as victims,  and treat them with haughty disdain.  The perpetrators care a damn about the poignancy that their actions could cause the victims.

While we react at the slightest provocation when someone tries to hurt us, isn’t it an irony that we do not think even once before hurting others?

This story depicts the mental pain and anguish that the main character had to undergo when her own father maltreats her just because he feels that she is not good-looking!  

I want my readers to feel the pain of the story’s character so that we realize that our looks are neither of our making nor our mistake but the way God has made us, which we must accept. 

The original plot was quite long and a bit complicated.  I had sent it Chandamama which was rejected.  Later, I changed the plot and made it into a short story.  Although I did not send it to any magazine for publication, my family appreciated the story.

Dreaded Conspiracy – The original plot like, The Heart of Gold, was quite lengthy and complex. When I narrated the story to my family members, they suggested some changes which I carried out and sent it to Chandamama, who, yet again rejected the story. My Mom opined that I should make the story very interesting for the readers by having some twists and turns to the plot. I liked the idea and added a good element of thrill and suspense to the plot. Also, thanks to my wife who helped me in a small but very crucial element of the story. My efforts paid off when one of bosom friend, who has been a great motivator for me to write these stories, read it and rated it 4.9/5! He did not give me 5/5 only to motivate me to write something even better in the future. This compliment was very satisfying for me.  Somehow, I preferred not sending this story to Chandamama after the initial rejection. If my readers enjoy reading this story and stay glued right till the end owing to the element of suspense inculcated, I have to give due credit to my family without whose inputs and support, this would not have been possible.
Twin Brothers – Chandamama rejected the original plot of the story.  Thus, I had to rework the plot and felt satisfied with the result.  This time, I sent this story to Amar Chitra Katha. Anand Pai, the brain this famous comic book series, sent a mail stating that although he won’t publish it, the story is a good one! This in itself was a great compliment for me.  I only hope my readers not only enjoy reading this story but also grasp the moral behind it.

Chaturbhuj –

I was quite influenced by Akbar-Birbal tales.  A the thought crossed my mind of writing a story where a person’s wittiness in resolving matters forms the base.  Thus, I came up with this story.  I also like to involve an element of surprise and suspense in my stories to keep my readers engaged which I have included here as well.  If, after reading this tale, you feel like appreciating the intelligence of the main character, I would feel that the purpose of this story has been acheived.

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