Behind the Pen: Authors Sheetal Choksi & Samiran Ghosh on the Discipline and Passion of Writing

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED | DE MODE OF LITERATURE SEP 2025 GLOBAL

Article Published on: 06TH OCT 2025 | www.demodemagazine.com

"Thuldrun.śūnya" - By Authors Sheetal Choksi & Samiran Ghosh

Thuldrun. Śūnyā—even the title refuses to sit quietly. While most tech authors might tack on a “1.0” and call it a day, this book goes full cosmic, reaching back to India’s gift to the world: zero. Not just a placeholder, but śūnyā—mathematical emptiness transformed into a fertile void of infinite potential. That’s the heartbeat of this story: a puzzle, an idea, and a dare for the reader to piece it all together. Instead of chasing New York skylines or Hollywood tropes, the narrative finds its pulse in Mumbai. Dadar, Shivaji Park and Mahim form its playground; the chaos of the 18:15 local, vada pav vendors, marathon runners, political rallies, and Kaiju-sized appetites become the backdrop for a collision of ancient secrets and corporate greed.

Like the river it evokes, Thuldrun. Śūnyā flows rather than freezes. Quirky characters drift in, plot twists break off like tributaries, and subplots swirl like driftwood. Collaboration, chaos, and curiosity feed its current, propelling readers into a reality-bending, physics-defying ride that’s equal parts puzzle and adventure. Some parts branch into delightful tangents, while others loop back, leaving readers wondering how they got there. It’s a narrative that refuses to be pinned down, spilling over with life and a touch of madness, but always drawing you deeper into its current.

The infinity symbol on its cover hints at something larger—a series, perhaps, or an idea without end. For now, though, it’s an invitation to step inside a story that’s as unpredictable as Mumbai itself. Grab your chai or coffee, settle in, and when you’re next in Dadar, take a moment. Those cracks in the pavement? In this world, they’re not just civic negligence. They’re stress fractures in spacetime—breadcrumbs in a universe that might not want to be remembered.

DIRECT LINK TO BUY 'Thuldrun.śūnya' - CLICK HERE 

JOURNEY OF THE AUTHORS SHEETAL CHOKSI & SAMIRAN GHOSH

Sheetal and Samiran are two-thirds of the award-winning 3 Techies Banter podcast, where sharp insights meet fearless speculation and irreverence is always welcome. Sheetal is a seasoned qualitative researcher with a knack for uncovering the stories people don’t even realise they’re telling. Whether decoding hidden patterns in human behaviour or spotting meaning in the mundane, she brings deep curiosity and sharp insight to everything she does. From Mahim’s cosmic mysteries to the chaos of Shivaji Park’s coffee shops, Sheetal manages to carve order out of disorder, always landing on a truth that others might have overlooked. Samiran, on the other hand, is a technologist who thrives on the unusual, playfully delving into history and obscure trivia that most would dismiss. Constantly battling “thaasophobia,” or the fear of boredom, he looks at the world through a lens where even the ordinary becomes fantastical.

Together, Sheetal and Samiran have spent countless hours chasing improbable questions and embracing the joy of unconventional inquiry. Samiran, for instance, is currently investigating whether the Bandra Worli Sea Link is more than just a bridge—perhaps even a wormhole to another dimension. This mischievous curiosity often collides with Sheetal’s razor-sharp instincts, creating conversations that zigzag between playful speculation and profound reflection. On their podcast, and now in their writing, they explore theories of ancient civilisations, decode urban legends, and wonder aloud if Mumbai’s pigeons are covert operatives or simply diehard fans of vada pav. Their debut book captures the spirit of these explorations, weaving together India’s past and future in unexpected ways. Set against the dynamic backdrop of Mumbai—chaotic, unpredictable, and endlessly fascinating—it invites readers to see technology, culture, and history through a fresh, witty, and irreverent lens.

FOLLOW THE AUTHORS ON INSTAGRAM -  bookofthuldrun

OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF THE AUTHORS- bookofthuldrun.com

INTERVIEW OF AUTHORS SHEETAL CHOKSI & SAMIRAN GHOSH

Q: What was the very first spark that led to Thuldrun.Sunya?

A. Hollywood glorifies Norse gods, while Indian epics—filled with nuclear war blueprints—get dismissed as mystical fables. The Mahabharata even describes radiation poisoning, yet we’re reduced to yoga clichés. So we weaponised frustration: Thuldrun.Sunya fuses Indian mythology, quantum mechanics, and Mumbai chaos. It’s cultural reclamation through entertainment. And honestly, New York’s had enough apocalypses—Mumbai deserved one.

Q: How did you merge mythology, quantum science, and Mumbai’s madness into one story?

A. Mumbai is quantum chaos—rickshaws vs. Ferraris, temples beside towers, street food near molecular gastronomy. We just added science and storytelling to document it. If a hero survives Mumbai traffic, interdimensional voids feel normal. The city exists in many states at once—like Schrödinger’s cat, but louder, tastier. If Mumbai runs on impossibility, why not quantum-powered mythology too?

Q: What makes Ansh Chatterjee a relatable yet unlikely hero?

A. Ansh is every tech geek who codes by day and binges Ancient Aliens by night. He probably also overthinks his morning chai, and still uses his ex's Netflix password; like every urban Gen-Z. But throw him into interdimensional chaos with ancient technology? He doesn't become Superman; he panics, makes terrible jokes, then accidentally saves reality. He's heroic precisely because he remains anxiously human throughout.

Q: Where did the idea of a meditative, Sanskrit-savvy dog come from?

A. Samiran’s dog is Socrates with fur. Why should humans monopolize enlightenment? So we made a meditation-practicing, Sanskrit-chanting canine who grasps quantum mechanics while Ansh fumbles high school math. He doesn’t fetch balls; he fetches cosmic truths. Subversive? Yes. Realistic? Ask dog people. Who else could calmly navigate multiple worlds at once? The dog simply knows.

Q: How did your 3 Techies Banter dynamic influence your writing process?

A. Our podcast rule: never let logic kill a good tangent. We discuss invading aliens, sustainability, and vada pav with the same seriousness. Writing 'Thuldrun.Sunya' was our podcast on steroids. We would debate Vedic equations powering floating cities with the same intensity as debates over tabs versus spaces. Result? An interdimensional thriller born from the same energy that makes every Indian argumentative.

Q: Did you ever strongly disagree on a plot point while co-authoring?

A. We fought for three days about whether Thuldrun should have internet. Sheetal wanted transcendent consciousness; Samiran demanded quantum routers. We settled it like all co-authors — rock-paper-scissors, then coded a random number generator when we kept tying. Followed by a coin flip. Final solution? Thought stones that work like telepathic 6G. Both advanced and ridiculously over-engineered. A perfect compromise.

Q: How much of the book is research and how much is pure imagination?

A. Every tech passed our “drunk physicist” test—could three PhDs and five beers explain it? Quantum tunnelling, Sanskrit algorithms, thorium reactors—all real science stretched thin. “What if ancient Indians knew first?” The Void: pure fantasy. Flying vimanas: maybe. Telepathic dogs: proven. We built a scientifically plausible bridge to an impossible world and let characters live there.

Q: Why did you choose Mumbai as the stage for this techno-mystical tale?

A. We live in Mumbai, where buildings could slip between dimensions unnoticed. Every apocalypse film wrecks New York or Tokyo—we wanted an Indian apocalypse. Our city thrives on chaos; it deserves its own techno-mystical meltdown. Writing what you know means knowing which train platform connects to other worlds. If reality ends, it should collapse in Mumbai—already negotiable, already beloved.

Q: How did you strike the balance between humour and high-stakes adventure?

A. The book’s humour mirrors Mumbai — harsh reality softened by absurdity. Our formula: thrills with a smile. High stakes don’t turn characters into Batman; they crack bad jokes because they’re scared. Even the dog’s name, Galileo (Galli-ka-Leo), reflects this spirit. If Mumbaikars can laugh through floods, our heroes can meme through any apocalypse.

Q: Which myth or trivia nugget became the backbone of the narrative?

A. The Mahabharata’s Brahmastra reads eerily like radiation—hair loss, barren land, genetic defects. The Delhi Iron Pillar, rust-free for 1,600 years, proves metallurgy still puzzles us. What if these weren’t lost tech, but lost understanding? Not aliens or nukes, but knowledge encoded in forgotten ways. That became Thuldrun’s backbone—a civilisation mastering principles we’re only now rediscovering.

Q: Who would you cast as Ansh in a screen adaptation?

A. Babil Khan would be perfect! He’s mastered looking perpetually confused while accidentally saving the day. Inheriting Irrfan’s gift for showing inner chaos, his “Qala” and “Railway Men” intensity blends with philosophical Instagram musings. He radiates pure Ansh energy—tech-geek meets ancient mysteries—like someone decoding cosmic secrets at 3 AM, then spiraling into an existential crisis.

Q: Do you believe real life can outdo your fiction in strangeness?

A. Mumbai’s Aarey Metro car shed exists in bureaucratic superposition—forest and not-forest. Our quantum tunnelling feels tame beside Indian jugaad and crows cracking nuts. Reality never needs editors saying, “too unrealistic.”