On a mission to join the dots...

Read what the country’s celebrated author Christopher C Doyle has to say about his recent book, Bob Dylan’s Nobel win and more.

Have you ever wondered why Alexander the Great marched for over 10,000 miles for over eight years to come to India, only to turnback Or, why at an age when stones were mere tools, engineering marvels like Stonehenge were built As one traces through some of the most important historical events, there are equally mysterious questions that the past raises.

With a mission to find a logical explanation to many such mysteries from the Mahabharata, one of the country’s best-selling author, Christopher C Doyle, has been bringing myth, science and history together through his compelling theories. In an interview, he discuss how he came up with the fictional theories for his latest book, The Secret of the Druids, published by Westland.

“It was nearly twenty years ago when I first read about the Druids, Julius Caesar and his invasions. The whole concept for this book took root about 20 years back and gradually, when I started researching about the science behind the history, everything started falling into place, and the puzzle started coming together. I’ve found that the Druids have an interesting relationship with Julius Caesar as also a relationship with the Mahabharata, all of which I explain in the book,” explains the Delhi-based author Christopher on the idea behind the book.

Christopher is one of the few authors in the world who brings history, science and myth together. When asked what sort of research goes into trying to explain historical myths using science, he says, “I actually start by researching the scientific aspects. The heart of any of my books I write is to find a scientific explanation to an event in the Mahabharata — be it about a technology that was used or the weapons — using the science we have now.”

He adds, “It involves reading a lot of scientific papers and consulting experts in the field. Since I’m a management graduate, I don’t have a science backing, so a lot of time goes into the research.”

The author says that he sees no place for religion in his books, and adds that there were times when the fictional theories he wrote in his books were proved to be true. “In my first book, The Mahabharata Secret, I have described a technology concerning aircrafts. During the MH370 aircraft's crash, there were theories that were being discussed about the plane’s possible reason for crash, which was the same I had described in my book a few months earlier,” he reveals.

The author who took to writing as a way of narrating stories for his daughter, says his books have always been about breaking down the traditional ways of looking at things.

When asked what he thought of Bob Dylan winning the Nobel Prize for Literature, he says it’s a way of breaking traditional approach. “I find it very interesting that the Nobel Committee has chosen to look at literature in a different way,” he says.