CHENNAI: Kabilan Vairamuthu’s calm demeanour is by no means synonymous with what he writes. That was what the first novel of his trilogy, Aagol and its sequel Machiavelli Kaappiyam proved to us.
They were intense, relevant and lured the readers into the world he had created. Now, he has launched the third part—a novel titled Nithilan Vaakumoolam. “I remember precisely when we were shooting for the launch video of Aagol.
The script for the video was different and without my knowledge, I deviated from it to say that Aagol isn’t a story that could be packaged in just one novel and that I would love to have more parts of it.
Aagol was an introduction to this universe that travels from 2030 to 1920.
Its sequel Machiavelli Kaappiyam had several layers that were merged into one story as characters from various time periods come together with neurolink in 2057.
It’s not a mere story, it has a screenplay to it. However, a common viewpoint I received after the release of Machiavelli was that readers didn’t expect Nithilan to die in the novel. They found it hard to digest as he was an iconic figure,” begins Kabilan.
He continues to say that he keeps in mind the reviews from the readers and the takeaways he could work on in his upcoming novels. “I took notice of these things and decided on working on the third part. And after being confident about the premise, I started writing Nithilan Vaakumoolam,” says the writer-lyricist.
Kabilan introduced Mool, a fictional computer technology in Machiavelli Kaappiyam. He says that Nithilan Vaakumoolam too has such an element for the readers in it. “I have delved deep into a futuristic AI technology with this novel.
I have made it relatable to every common man, who grabs their hands on the book.
It would be relevant for future readers too. The story takes place in 2060 and the application of AI in that time. I would call it a prediction because they are not mere imagination. Prediction comes from literature and depends on how well read a person is.
Nithilan Vaakumoolam too has time travel in it. I have also included a small episode on the 1924 Vaikkom Porattam led by Thanthai Periyaar. It will provide a new experience to Tamil readers because they wouldn’t have come across such technologies and terms in a Tamil novel.
– Kabilan Vairamuthu, Writer-lyricist
AI is a weapon and it depends on how the person who has an exposure to the technology uses it,” he elaborates. Aagol and Machiavelli Kaappiyam (also published by Discovery Publications) cannot be restricted to a certain genre as there is sci-fi, crime, politics and history to them.
Also, with footnotes, it will be my way of communicating with the readers,” adds Kabilan.
With so much information, we could think of a weighty tome. “No, I have packed a 2000-page info in just 200 pages. I strongly believe that a novel should contain only a stipulated number of pages because we shouldn’t bother the readers much with a lot of pages.
A book should be travel-friendly and be a good companion. Apart from these, Nithilan Vaakumoolam also has a love story in it,” the author opens up.
Kabilan remains tight-lipped on his upcoming work. “The universe of Aagol ends with Nithilan Vaakumoolam. I am working on packaging the trilogy into one. However, there is more on the work front which I will let you know soon,” he concludes as he is in preparation for the author’s meet with the readers on Sunday.
Nithilan Vaakumoolam too has time travel in it. I have also included a small episode on the 1924 Vaikkom Porattam led by Thanthai Periyaar.
It will provide a new experience to Tamil readers because they wouldn’t have come across such technologies and terms in a Tamil novel.