 "Interview | Connecting facts with fiction was the real challenge: Dr Razi Ahmed on his novel ‘The Mars Conspiracy’")
Human beings are perhaps the most inquisitive among all the species on earth. This curiosity is the reason behind the intellectual and material progress of humankind. As primitive humans, we wondered the ways in which life flourished on our planet—the birth, death, life cycle, biodiversity, etc. As our understanding grew, we got some answers, and the more answers we got, the more questions we asked.
A question about the existence of extraterrestrial life has tickled the human mind. The curiosity grew even further when we realised the vastness of the universe, and with this came a logical argument that we might not be alone in the whole cosmos. Further, we read about several conspiracy theories, a number of hypothetical historical trysts, various alleged UFO sightings, and weird patterns like crop circles that tend to increase our eagerness even more.
Albert Einstein had written in an article, “Old Man’s Advice to Youth: ‘Never Lose a Holy Curiosity’” (LIFE Magazine, 1955): “The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existence. One cannot help but be in awe when he contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, and of the marvellous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend a little of this mystery each day.”
This quest to know has brought us so far and will take us farther, and who knows the interactions with the aliens, as we see today in Marvel movies, and is as such a part of our pop culture from a time being might be a reality in some aspects one day.
Dealing with all these questions and weaving them together in a plot, Dr Razi Ahmed, a medical practitioner by profession and a writer by hobby, has come out with his compelling novel, The Mars Conspiracy. Dr. Razi recently spoke to the Firstpost about his new read.
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Vimal (V): A science fiction story with references from the past and inspirations for the future. What were the challenges you faced conceptualising the story?
Dr Razi (R): The Pyramids of ancient Egypt, their illustrious pharaohs, especially Ankhenaten, and their magnificent structures are always associated with stories related to alien interventions and sightings. Some people still believe that the great pyramids of Giza were built by aliens!
The real challenge was to set up a monumental story about ancient Egypt and Aliens in the small town of Jharkhand, connect it to the recent advancements in space exploration and the Mars colonisation project, and make it believable and scientifically accurate. It is because if we mix ancient legends and folklore into a powerful story and couple it with scientifically accurate and undeniable explanations, then we create a story that sits right on the edge of reality and fiction. It then becomes extremely hard to know whether it is just a story or if it really did happen.
(V): Your personal views on extraterrestrial life and how humanity should approach it? If at all it should…
(R): To me, it doesn’t feel right to think that we are alone in a universe that is so vast that we have yet to determine its boundaries.
In the recent pictures sent by the James-Webb telescope, we have found many exoplanets that might support life. And who knows if life might exist on those exoplanets in some form? We have just put a foot forward in space and have already seen places that have conditions where life can thrive. Imagine what might be out there in this vast, unexplored space.
Even in my book, you’ll find that 4 billion years ago, planet Mars was also in the Goldilocks zone of our solar system, along with Earth, and had oceans on it. Life is a sturdy thing. It always finds a way!
Regarding the question of approaching it, we should welcome this opportunity with open arms, if it ever comes to that.
Apart from the exchange of technology and culture with each other, any contact with an intelligent alien life form would unite us humans in a very unusual way.
When meeting the extraterrestrial life forms, we would identify ourselves not as people belonging to different countries, different religions, or different sects, but as a species, or Earthlings. Humanity as a whole is meeting an intelligent alien life form.
This brotherhood would be really interesting to see if it ever happens.
(V): I think the story went on a pure plot with fewer dramatic dialogues, making it a simple and easy read. How far do you think the art of writing lies in simplicity?
(R): I always believe in a quote by the 19th-century American novelist Nathaniel Hawthorne: “Easy reading is damn hard writing.”
It takes a lot of effort to make a story easily readable to readers, and I happily put that effort into my writing because I write for everyone. Not only for critics or highly intellectual people, but for the mass. I want my stories to reach everyone so that I can share my thoughts and whatever little wisdom I have with people and connect with them easily. It is my strong belief that our universe is made of stories, not of atoms!
(V): A line from your book says, ‘The world is run by politicians, although it should be run by scientists.’ Your views on this…
(R): Although we all know the logical flaw in this idea and the naivety of it, it is really very romantic to think that this world should be run by scientists.
Scientists in the field of food production and research are making policies to eradicate hunger from the world and working for it collectively. Scientists and experts in the field of anthropology are making policies that affect our daily lives; doctors are making health policies; economists are making policies and taking decisions that affect our environment; and the list goes on.
I want to believe that it might be a very different and better world if that happens. But then again, the naivety of it.
(V): You are a senior doctor; I am sure you have a number of real stories to share, yet you chose a sci-fi topic. Do you have any specific reasons behind it?
(R): Being a doctor is a task that takes all your attention and physical capacity. We are constantly in a very different world that shows us the very true nature of humanity. The real test of people’s character is when they are on edge. It is sometimes really exhilarating and sometimes very depressing too. But then you have to learn to leave those stories behind in that world in order to live a normal life.
Maybe writing fiction is my way of escaping and unwinding from that world. But even in my stories, there are many characters that are based on real people whom I encounter in my day-to-day life. So we can’t say it is always entirely fiction.
(V): Lastly, how do you manage to ideate and write a story that requires so much effort after spending all day treating patients? Any advice you have for Gen Z people on time management?
(R): If you truly love doing something, you will find a way, and if you don’t, you will find an excuse!
It is really sad how people are conditioned to believe that they are very busy and don’t have time. We can always make time for things we really love to do.
We are now living in an extremely distracting world, but it’s about your priorities. If your priority is watching reels or just killing time on the internet, then you might find it very difficult to manage your time, but if your priority is doing something meaningful or creating something that can outlast your life, then you will always make time for it.
As for me, I don’t always get time to write, but when I do, I always try to make it worthwhile. I usually write merely for an hour after my daughter is asleep, but I try to do it every day. It always doesn’t happen, and sometimes there is a gap of even a week. I try to maintain this routine as much as possible, and in a year I will have a complete manuscript in my hand!
Perseverance is the key, and this law applies to everything we do in our lives. We just have to keep working, keep fighting, and hang on a little more. A winner is just a loser who tried one more time!
The views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost’s views.
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