Q. Tell us about the inspiration behind Urnabhih; why write a story on the Mauryan times?
A. My passion for the treatise of Arthashastra is the reason why I chose the Mauryan period as my focus. The Mauryan Empire was the first empire of India. The Mauryans united most of the Indian sub-continent — from Afghanistan to Madurai and Saurashtra to present-day Bangladesh — and made it one ‘desh’. It was a period of progress, churn and change in material technology as well as society, culture, religion and philosophy. A passion for Sanskrit plays meant that Mricchakatikam (The Little Clay Cart) with the character of Vasantsena and Mudra Rakshasa with the details of the victory of the Mauryans over the Nandas were two major inspirations. Apart from this, Vaishali ki Nagarvadhu by Chatursen Shastri has also been central to my imagination. My heroine had to be a courtesan, a dancing girl in the tradition of Vasantsena. In ancient India, the courtesan’s boudoir was a hotbed of politics and espionage.

A scene from the Hindi drama Chanakya starring Manoj Joshi (right) in the lead role, which was based on the Mauryan era. Representative pic