About the author:

Neelesh Kulkarni is a management graduate, entrepreneur, and passionate reader and traveler. He is also a poet, theatre actor, voiceover artist, and former cricket commentator. Neelesh frequently conducts corporate workshops on public speaking, storytelling, and creative writing. He is an author with HarperCollins and Westland Books and is currently under a three-book contract with Westland.

His debut book, In the Footsteps of Rama: Travels with the Ramayana (HarperCollins), is available in hardcover, paperback, and eBook formats, and has been adapted into a six-part web series. The Hindi translation, Ram ke Path Par: Ramayan ke Sang, was named the best non-fiction book of 1923-24 by FICCI and is being translated into Marathi, Gujarati, and Bengali.

Neelesh also contributed to the best-selling anthology Where the Gods Dwell: Thirteen Temples and Their (hi) Stories (Westland), where his essay “Vithoba of Pandharpur” received acclaim.

His book Open Sesame: My Little Book of Magic Tricks for Kids was published by Westland in June 2024. His seminal work on the successful people-led armed struggle in the Indian freedom movement, Uprising: The Liberation of Dadra and Nagar Haveli, was released by Westland in August 2024.

Akashavani: A Century of Stories, about All India Radio, will be published by HarperCollins in February 2025. Neelesh is currently working on a children’s book, an anecdotal history of Delhi University, and a book on the Varkaree tradition.

QUESTIONNAIRE

TLT: Welcome to The Literature Today magazine, Neelesh! Your book Uprising sheds light on a largely overlooked chapter of India’s history. What inspired you to write this story, and how did you navigate the challenges of piecing it together through interviews and archival research?

Neelesh Kulkarni: The discovery of the story was pure happenstance!
I was traveling by train from Delhi to Nasik to research my first book when I got into a conversation, as we all do on trains, with the gentleman seated across. He was then in his late eighties and revealed that he had been a freedom fighter who had taken up arms to liberate Dadra and Nagar Haveli from the Portuguese. He told me how he was part of a small group of idealistic young men who had formed a private militia, raised funds for it, purchased arms, and attacked and drove out over three hundred fully armed Portuguese soldiers from these territories. It sounded like dynamite, and there and then, I knew I just had to write the story.
There were many challenges to writing it. The primary one was that the battle had been fought by many freedom fighters in parts, and each knew only their particular part. Almost all who knew the larger picture had passed away, and of the ones still alive, only a few were traceable, and most of them were unwilling to talk. Their attitude was that they had done their duty towards their motherland and saw no reason to talk about it. Tracing them in Pune, Goa, and even the jungles of Nagar Haveli and gaining their trust were significant challenges. Through patience and tenacity, I managed to talk to them, obtain documents and memoirs available either with them or their heirs, cross-check them against newspaper reports and government documents, and then put the story together.

TLT: The book highlights the courage of ordinary civilians against well-armed Portuguese forces. How did you portray the emotions and resilience of those involved in this historic struggle?

Neelesh Kulkarni: I did not have to work hard on that at all. It was all there—the bravery, the resilience, and the raw courage. I just had to report it, which I did faithfully.

TLT: As an entrepreneur, poet, theatre actor, and more, how have your diverse experiences shaped your approach to storytelling and your writing style?

Neelesh Kulkarni: I believe one writes from the sum total of one’s experience. Each one of my activities is, therefore, reflected in my writing. I think everything I do has made my writing more visual and readable. Even when dealing with the hard facts of history, like in this book, I adopt a style that makes it interesting. I guess that’s why the book has been referred to as history that reads like a thriller.

TLT: Your earlier book, In the Footsteps of Rama, was adapted into a web series and translated into multiple languages. How did seeing your work transcend mediums influence your creative vision?

Neelesh Kulkarni: I have become more conscious of my responsibility towards what I write since my work is reaching audiences far bigger than initially envisaged. I have started going that extra mile to ensure that whatever I commit to my writing is authentic and genuine.

TLT: Uprising also showcases cultural icons like Lata Mangeshkar and Mohammed Rafi raising funds for the cause. What role do you think cultural solidarity played in India’s broader freedom movements?

Neelesh Kulkarni: Each individual who participated in the freedom struggle, whether in this Uprising or the fight against the British, was first and foremost an Indian. Any differences in caste, creed, or religion were subsumed in this identity.
In the case of this armed struggle, Lataji and Rafi Sahab performed free of charge in Pune to raise funds for it.In a telling aside, when the freedom fighters went to Rafi Sahab to request him to perform, he not only agreed to do so but, when a volunteer rose to book a train ticket for him, he stopped him and said, “This country is as much mine as it is yours—if you are risking your lives for it, can’t I even buy my ticket?”

TLT: How has your journey influenced this book, and what life lessons do you see reflected in the resilience of the people you’ve written about?

Neelesh Kulkarni: As an individual, I have faced many ups and downs in my life and fought against adversity. Maybe this is why this story struck a chord with me.
In writing this story, I have seen validation for my worldview: no fight is impossible, and no odds are insurmountable if you desire to fight against them.

TLT: What challenges did you face during the writing process, and what advice would you offer aspiring authors tackling historical nonfiction?

Neelesh Kulkarni: One challenge was locating the survivors of the Uprising, particularly those from Goa and among the tribals. Winning their confidence and making them talk about it was another. After speaking to them and obtaining whatever written material they had, cross-referencing the various narratives and cross-checking them against independent sources was yet another. The final frontier was arranging the disparate narratives into a single linear story. I am glad all that is over and done with, and the book is receiving fantastic reviews.
My advice to authors writing historical nonfiction is to be aware of their responsibility towards their readers and cross-check every date, every statement, and every fact before putting them down on paper. You owe it to the past!

TLT: Finally, what are your plans? Can readers expect more historical narratives, or are you exploring other genres?

Neelesh Kulkarni: Of the books lined up now, two are organizational histories (All India Radio and Delhi University), and one is a mythological travelogue. After that? I am open to ideas and to whatever powerful story want me to write it.