PVLF 2025

Interview with Subham Ranjan Patra, Author of "Rise of the Descendant"

Rise of the Descendant" by Subham is a gripping thriller that weaves ancient Indian spirituality and mythological elements into a modern detective story, creating a captivating read.
on Aug 08, 2024

Frontlist: "Rise of the Descendant" is a gripping thriller with intricate mysteries. What was the initial spark or idea that led you to write this novel? How did the storyline evolve from that first concept?

Subham: I have always been intrigued by stories from religious and spiritual beliefs. In India, we all grow up in such an atmosphere that faith becomes the foremost aspect of our culture. And this faith was what motivated me to make a shift from science fiction to writing stories bedecked with mystics of mythologies. I believe India is a land of immensely diverse stories. And if these stories are left undiscovered, it would be quite an injustice with our roots which, in the past, had sown the seeds of some of the planet’s earliest and the most magnificent civilisations. And that is where I believe my work as a writer starts: sharing my story round the globe, along with the Indian tales of devotion and spirituality which are yet unsung by the world.

Finally, having made the decision of writing a mythological thriller, I now had to think of a captivating theme.

Om. The key of creation and one of the broadest and earliest concepts of the Sanatana Dharma that defines existence and sustenance. But could one believe that the idea of Om can be extended to more such sources of creation? If there are other such keys to creation, how encrypted would they be? And more importantly, how impactful would those be for the world we know today?

Once I had a clear view of my plot and characters, I went with the writing process with discreet efforts. I had to ensure that the facts and references I mentioned in the story should be accurate. Yes, I took the aid of some fictional groups – like the Sooryakantha tribe and the Madaar royal family – as I intended to have the story framed in a way in which no sentiments of any existing group are hurt.

Frontlist: Detective Ritesh Dhawan and the Descendant are central to your story. How did you go about developing these characters? What aspects of their personalities were most challenging to portray authentically?

Subham: I believe that, to a reader, a well-written character is not one who only acts as a vehicle that moves the story from the initial plot to a further world. A well-built character, instead, progresses realistically through a series of character development, and at the same time, shows a resistive trait of maintaining their older character description.

Following my definition, I drew the character of Private Detective Ritesh Dhawan. Dhawan is a man who, like many other characters we know, is shaped to his present form by the events of his past. His past was a consequence of his own decisions. It could have been significantly different had he chosen his path wisely. But now, when he has been churned into an emotionless machine, all he can do is fear his own story.

The biggest issue I faced while writing this character in the story was ensuring that this character is someone that people can connect with, while at the same time realising that this protagonist is not a hero by definition.

On the other hand, the Descendant is, I admit with my whole soul, the toughest villain I have written to date. The way he stalks his targets and eliminates them. The way he mysteriously appears and disappears and no-one is able to trace him down. And the way he is loyal to his notion that he considers to be the necessary ideology that he must possess as a live man. It was both – a fun experience and a very tough task – to frame him as terrifying a villain as possible. As if it was not already a task enough, this guy was – again like Dhawan – someone intended to be attached with by readers. Though his acts are clearly evil in the story, my objective was to create a dilemma for the readers when it comes to choosing whether to like or dislike a character. So, I gave the level-best of my writing skills to make him a terrifying, yet connectable villain.

Initially, the inspiration to write an antagonist having deep faith in prophecies and religious symbology came from Mal’akh, the scary and memorable bad guy from Dan Brown’s The Lost Symbol.

Frontlist: At sixteen, you are already an accomplished novelist. How do your personal experiences and your journey as a young writer influence your storytelling?

Subham: Writing came to me by a spelling mistake. Back when I was seven-year-old, I learned about some Novel Prize, which was apparently the most prestigious award in the world! And since I had enough confidence on my story-making, which had developed through all those episodes that I had written for my toy-cast, I began to work upon writing a book which I hoped could bring me the most prestigious award in globe!

It was not before I was ten that I realised it was actually Nobel Prize, and not Novel Prize. But by then, writing had already become an addiction. By the age of twelve, I finished my first book, which was a science-fiction novella. I got it self-published by the age of thirteen, but… it did not do well. This still did not stop me from writing. I started writing on Wattpad, which I still do, to improve my writing skills.

I eventually got interested in writing thrillers, which soon became my prime genre.

By some time, I finished writing my fifth book – Rise Of The Descendant – which I found finally good enough to be published. However, I had to be wary of the points that I had missed or lost in my previous publishing venture. I needed some good editing and marketing.

After getting rejected by seven publishers and editors, I finally came across The Book Bakers. Suhail Sir found some potential in my story. Through several long yet fruitful processes, my book finally became a lavish-looking product finely polished by masterful editing!

Frontlist: Being from Odisha, how has your cultural background influenced your writing? Are there specific elements of Odia culture or folklore that you incorporated into the story?

Subham: When I say that India is a land of innumerable unexplored stories, I do keep in mind that a big fraction of these stories is the cultural and spiritual face of my home state, Odisha. Odisha is indeed a less-sung land in many ways. Therefore, I also feel obliged to spread the glory and pride of Odia culture through my stories.

You can, therefore, see the reference to the Konark Chakra being extensively used in the novel. In fact, in the sequels to Rise of the Descendant, I have planned to put in more aspects of spirituality celebrated in Odisha.

Frontlist: How do you balance your writing with your studies and other responsibilities? What does your daily writing routine look like?

Subham: As a school-going student, this is the most important, as well as, the most difficult thing to maintain track of. When I’m writing a novel, I need to ensure that I am very consistent with the writing process. Therefore, when I was writing this story back in 2021 to 2022, I had a schedule for writing which I was quite obedient towards. Writing for one-and-a-half hours a day after coming back from school. But on holidays, this got even extended to two to three hours a day. And of course, I used to write secretly many times, too!

This schedule became more and more irregular as I grew older. Currently, I am pretty much on a hiatus from writing till my twelfth-grade ends (even though I still do write poems on some occasions), and after that, it will be all just me and my writing!

To conclude, I don’t have a fixed writing routine that lasts long; I write when I feel comfortable with my study plans for the day.

Frontlist: Your book poses an intriguing question about standing with the good or the better. How do you personally interpret this theme, and what do you hope readers take away from this aspect of the story?

Subham: The choice between the good and the evil has been a classic trend in the literary history. While I don’t really say that the aforementioned one makes an easy choice, making a choice between the good and the better does pose an uncomfortable scenario. Uncomfortable in the sense, it often becomes a case of regretting or denial after making the choice.

The thin line that separates the meaning of sacrifice and tribute holds high significance. While both can be done for the right motives, sacrifices count for a man losing something from oneself, and tribute counts for making others lose their valuables. Killing even for the betterment of the world – is it a sacrifice or tribute?

I still speak nothing on whether a tribute is as good as a sacrifice. The notions on this are all valid, but are very situational at the same time.

Therefore, what I intend to propose through this idea is to be wise enough to take time and think whether their sacrificial nature, at instances, actually defines sacrifices or does it speak of tributes. Whether the acts we perform, despite being beneficial overall, is the right way? Even if it is the write right way, is there a road through fewer losses? And thus, which road shall a man walk upon when it comes to this kind of situation? The path of the good? Or the path of the better?