Author Sudhir R. Nambiar who has been a PMO Lead in Hewlett Packard Enterprise, a Lean Sigma Blackbelt and has also served upon several other notable positions in the corporate sector comes from the city of Trivandrum in the state of Kerala. Having completing his education from Bangalore University, he is inspired by mythology, spirituality, and legendary storytellers, brings a unique voice to this high-stakes narrative. After 27 years in corporate leadership, he now channels his passion into powerful, imaginative storytelling!

The Literature Today: What inspired you to write this title, “The Mangalyaan Protocol — Against Empires, A Tin Can Change History” especially in a genre like techno-thriller and space fiction, which is still relatively unexplored in contemporary Indian literature?

Sudhir R. Nambiar: I’ve always been fascinated by space, stars, planets, and galaxies since childhood. A longtime fan of Star Trek, Star Wars, and any other story about space exploration, I found a storyline taking shape in my mind after India’s success with Mangalyaan (unmanned probe to Mars). Leaving corporate life gave me the time to turn those ideas into the book you see today. Also, as you mentioned, this is a relatively unexplored area in Indian Literature and hence I wanted to introduce this genre to our Indian audience (keeping the Indian Roots & Culture intact).

The Literature Today: After spending 27 years in the corporate leadership roles across multiple domains, what motivated you to transition into storytelling and fiction writing?  

Sudhir R. Nambiar: I am a big fan of writers like Dan Brown, Sidney Sheldon, Amish, Agatha Christie, Isaac Asimov etc. I have read most of their books (especially Sidney Sheldon, Stephen King, Isaac Asimov since childhood). By God’s grace, I have been blessed with a creative mind by birth. During the break, I started penning down my thoughts on my first book (The Ashtadasa Code which is due to come out in a month’s time). My son, who is an avid reader like myself, proof read and encouraged me to publish the work. Due to some technical difficulties (tried self-publishing), the project got delayed. In the meanwhile, The Mangalyaan Protocol draft was ready which I sent to White Falcon Publishing company who were supportive and helpful to get the book out.

The Literature Today: Your novel blends geopolitics, science, survival, and emotional depth seamlessly. How challenging was it to balance technical authenticity with fast-paced storytelling?

Sudhir R. Nambiar: Coming from an IT background, you are bound to use a lot of technical jargons. Knowing that most of the readers may not be that tech-savy, I had to consciously tone down the use of a lot of technical jargons and keep the narrative as simple as possible. I also follow geopolitics very closely and this helped blend in some of the challenges that we see in the real world today.

The Literature Today: The underdog spirit of India’s Mars mission forms the emotional backbone of the story. Was this narrative inspired by India’s real-life achievements in space exploration?

Sudhir R. Nambiar: Space exploration has always been a dream to me. During my college days, I longed to get into institutions like ISRO, NASA. I hence use to read a lot of content around space exploration and technology advancements in that domain. I always have been proud of my Indian Ethnicity and Culture. The thought hence was always to have a book highlighting the achievements India has made in high-tech areas which not many are aware of globally. With India’s strong push towards economic growth and visibility on a global stage, this work of mine is a small step in that direction.

The Literature Today: Interestingly, Dr. Vihaan Aryavart is a compelling protagonist driven by ambition and resilience. How did you shape his character, and does he reflect any qualities you personally admire in leaders?

Sudhir R. Nambiar: Vihaan is a culmination of the various leaders that I worked with during my corporate career days and some of the traits that I personally learned and implemented during those days. A leader is a leader irrespective of whichever sector you belong to. Patience, Strategic Thinking, Leading by Example, Risk Taking and many more attributes defines a true and successful leader.

The Literature Today: The title itself, ‘Against Empires, A Tin Can Change History’ feels symbolic and powerful. What deeper message were you hoping readers would take away from it?

Sudhir R. Nambiar: India has always been bullied and looked down on a Global Stage even though our Achievements and Contributions to the world has been enormous; however long forgotten. This thought has always frustrated me. I am sure most of you remember the kind of messaging that was put out in media those days when ISRO started its space operations (Ex., a villager riding a bullock cart carrying a rocket and knocking the doors of famous space agencies etc.,). What the world didn’t realise was that Indians already had the knowledge of deep space (ancient scripts available as proofs) much before the modern-day instruments where invented. These are things that have always intrigued me. While India silently (not retaliating publicly) grew to where it is today, I am sure majority of the Indians have always yearned for a platform where they could pushback the above-mentioned thoughts & ideologies.

The Literature Today: Your background as a Lean Sigma Blackbelt and PMO Lead must have given you deep insight into systems, pressure, and strategic thinking. How did your corporate experience influence the structure and tension of the novel?

Sudhir R. Nambiar: A lot. My corporate experience had a lot of influence in drafting the manuscript. Having experience and deep understanding of Program/ Project Management helped sequence the narrative in a systematic and process driven approach.

The Literature Today: The book explores the idea of powerful nations trying to control innovation and dominance in space. Do you believe space exploration today is as much about politics and power as it is about science?

Sudhir R. Nambiar: Yes. This is true. We are living in a time period where everyone is trying to prove their dominance over the other. I however yearn for a time frame (as in Star Trek), where we have one universal body governing the whole of earth and everyone working in tandem towards the greater human cause.

The Literature Today: Readers have praised the cinematic energy of the narrative. While writing, did you consciously visualise the story in a film-like manner?

Sudhir R. Nambiar: As I mentioned earlier, being a ‘Big Fan’ of Dan Brown and his works, I too aspired that this work gets converted into a movie format (like DaVinci Code, Angels & Demons, Inferno). I hence consciously scripted the book in such a way that this dream becomes a reality.

The Literature Today: Since, “The Mangalyaan Protocol” is the first part of a trilogy, what can the readers expect from the larger universe and themes you plan to explore in the upcoming books?

Sudhir R. Nambiar: While this book started as a standalone one, during the course of the story build, I felt that this could be converted as a Trilogy Series. I hence have 2 more books lined up (currently in cover design and printing phase) which form the complete storyline. The 2 books also are as fast paced and action packed as the first one. Readers can expect these books to be out in the next couple of months. The Ashtadasa Code (my actual first draft) is a treasure hunt thriller in the lines of DaVinci Code; however, the plot and the entire setting is within India and elements of Indian Mythology added in the storyline. I am currently working on a sci-fi horror storyline which is a little unique in its approach. I hope the readers would find this interesting as well. This again has the scope of being converted into a movie format.

The Literature Today: In an era increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence, global competition, and technological ambition, what do you think humanity must protect the most, while racing toward the future?

Sudhir R. Nambiar: Isaac Asimov’s I-Robot told about the future back in the 70s. It captured the essence of all those things that can go wrong and how machines can take over and control humanity. While our aspirations are high and technological ambition and advancements are at its peak or nearing there, we need to think and move forward very cautiously. Nuclear power is one such example. While there is the good side to nuclear advancements, there also is a flip side to it and the world has only gotten more dangerous than ever. Any new technological advancement needs to be thought through thoroughly and then worked upon. This is something I firmly believe in.