India, March 14 -- What was the process of writing the book?

I think it all came from a sense of not knowing and wanting to know. We have grown up in an anglicized world, but at the same time, we are very conscious of our Tamil heritage.Writer Ashokamitran once told me, start from where you belong.So, I thought, let me start with myself. About being a Tamil in this time, and being exposed to the world and educated in another language. So, the process in that sense was absolutely one of discovery. I read extensively and started going to places to understand the lived experience of people. Dr Vedachalam, senior archaeologist and epigraphist, who helped me a lot said don't just write about the kings. Write about the life of ordinary people....