(Yonhap Interview) Indian ambassador builds bridge between two countries with novel

By Sohn Suk-joo SEOUL, July 19 (Yonhap) -- At Kyobo Book Centre, South Korea's largest bookstore in downtown Seoul, a little boy stands near a bookstand, oblivious to the bustle all around him as he intently reads a book, its jacket adorned with a portrait of an Indian princess.
The boy is engrossed in the ancient story of Princess Suriratna, who sailed across an ocean from India's Kosala Kingdom 2,000 years ago to marry the founding king of the Gaya Kingdom (57 B.C.-668 A.D.) in the southeastern part of the Korean Peninsula.

"Historical novels have an additional advantage. Particularly, younger generations should be made more attracted to history so that they can pay more attention," said Indian Ambassador N. Partharsarathi, who installed the picture of the reading boy on his computer screen as wallpaper.

Besides, literature brings out happiness in people, regardless of age, and creates goodwill, so that it spreads positive energy among people, he said. Taking his cue from only four pages of a thick history book on the marriage of Kim Su-ro and his Indian wife, who changed her name to Heo Hwang-ok, the ambassador stretched his imagination to weave the simple story into a 276-page novel.

The fictional work, entitled "Silk and Empress," is based on a mythical love story widely known here in Korea. But the author had to go to great lengths to infuse life into the characters, researching for about two years. "When I came here, everybody would say Princess Suriratna, Ayodia. Beyond that, there was not much I could get. But after this book, I hope many people will go back in history and see their own history in front of their eyes," the 53-year-old ambassador said. Dictated by an oracle, the Korean king awaited the princess from Ayodia, the capital of the Kosala Kingdom.

Despite the contrivances of a rival Korean king and other whimsical elements, the long-awaited union between the king and Princess Suriratna bore fruit with the help of a Buddhist pagoda built by Buddha himself.

Parthasarathi retraced the scintillating love story of the king and princess, whose fate was consummated by the will of the heaven. By so doing, he managed to shed new light on long-standing ties between Korea and India at a time when their relationship is burgeoning at a breakneck speed. "In 2005, bilateral trade stood at US$6.7 billion. But in 2006, it was $9.7 billion, and it will exceed $10 billion this year. I thought my responsibility was to fill a possible gap between the two sides, if any. I hope my book will contribute to that," he said.

The ambassador has been writing since his school days, and his debut novel, "The Reluctant Assassin," was published in India in 2003, a few years ago after he finished a stint in Pakistan. "Novels reflect the culture in which one lives. It is a comprehensive reflection of a way of life. After I finished my tenure in Pakistan, I thought there was something so interesting, as India and Pakistan are neighboring countries which used to be the same country," he said.

In fact, South Korea is a testing market for his second novel. If the Korean language translation becomes successful over a period of about two months, he plans to get his original English manuscript published in India. "It took almost one year for the Korean translation. My translator did a lot work. She revised her translation seven times. The whole idea was to make it poetic, but simple. I think she did a wonderful job," he said. ssj@yna.co.kr