down the memory lane: Navtej Sarna

What is the book about?
The book tries to put in human terms the tragedy of Punjab's hero, Maharaja Duleep Singh. It aims to show a shade of our own history from a very normal point of view.
 
Punjab is a flourishing state, even after braving many losses and massacres. What is the cause of its undying spirit? 
This is true for all of India. It isn't the story of one prince, but of everyone who struggled for the country. It is ultimately a people whose spirit cannot be trampled upon, a spirit  derived from a search for our
identity, an invincible belief in our own roots. 

What inspired you to write about a maharaja of yore?
The dethroning of the Maharaja is a well known tale in Punjab. I've heard it since childhood. The story kept gnawing at me for a long time, because I wanted to know how the little boy felt at facing his tumultuous life. It became an obsession, so I started researching on it nine
years back.

A mix of fact and fiction... why? 
I have used fictional devices to add feelings and sentiments to the story, but no factual information has been distorted. Everything that is history is original, only minor characters with major narratives, like Mangla, the maid servant, is fiction, mainly to depict vividly and closely the maharaja's life. Even these characters are in tune with historical memoirs and writings, only with added dimensions not written in history. Other situations, like a snowstorm, have been creatively built upon to give colour. It is meant to be read as a novel, not as a book on history.

Sikh projects, even a harmless movie like Singh is Kinng, has attracted a lot of controversy. Are you apprehensive? 
My work isn't about bringing in politics of any religion. The politics in this book is that of a long bygone era, so the question doesn't arise.  

Don't diplomatic strings bind you from making comments on other civilisations, like your comment on British imperialism in the book?  
This has nothing to do with my life as a diplomat. Diplomats paint, make music, write. They can't be held responsible for what history says! 

The Exile
Author: Navtej Sarna
Publisher: Penguin  Viking
Price: Rs 450