One can never get bored in India

43 years of hard work, 33 published books and a world full of fans. This is the life of 78-year-old author Wilbur Smith, who was in the city on Thursday, as part of the Landmark Wilbur Smith Tour in India. With his 33rd and latest book Those in Peril recently hitting the stands, Smith hopes that it is accepted and appreciated by his readers, just like his previous books. Throwing some light on his latest book, Those in Peril, Smith says, “The book is set in the Indian Ocean. It is the story of a woman who loses her teenage daughter to modern day pirates and how she manages to rescue her daughter.” Indian experienceEven though this is his first trip to Hyderabad, Smith has been visiting India for 25 years now. “The first time I visited India was probably 25 years ago, and I have been visiting the place ever since. It was great to come down yet again for this tour,” says Smith. Talking about his experience in Mumbai and Bengaluru, he adds, “Lots of readers and some of them have been following my work for 40 years now — which feels great. It was like I had a reader from different generations, right from a nine-year-old to an 80-year-old — like the entire family had read my books.” Journey not ended yetHaving published his first book in 1964, and 33 books till date, Smith has had a long journey since then. But he clarifies that his journey has not ended yet. “It has been an amazing journey so far — a phenonemal experience. Not only has it been a great deal of fun, but a lot of hard work was also involved,” recalls the author, adding, “It involved travelling around, meeting different people and has been very rewarding.” He says his journey is not over yet, but refuses to talk about his next book. Ask why, and he explains, “I don’t like talking about the book that I am planning on writing because it is like talking a book away — the idea evaporates and the book never materialises.”Africa is homeSmith’s books are usually based in Africa, and he wants to continue to do so. “Africa is my home and that is why I only write about it,” he explains, adding, “I always stick with what I know. My stories are based on an authentic background. This is why I have not written a book on Australia or for that matter, on India, because I feel like I don’t qualify to write about the diversity that exists in this country. Probably, if I lived in India for 50 years, I would’ve written about it.” Books vs movies Several of Smith’s novels have been turned into movies — earliest being The Dark of the Sun 1965, filmed as The Mercenaries (1968) and the latest being River God 1993 and The Seventh Scroll 1995, a miniseries filmed as The Seventh Scroll (1999). But Smith doesn’t like the idea of his books being made into films. “I hate the films that have been made on my books. It is a completely different thing. They may be vaguely similar to my books, but those films are not my creation — it is the creation of those people who have created something based the ideas of my book,” opines the author.Love for IndiaIt’s been 25 years that Smith has been visiting India and he believes that his fascination keeps bringing him back to this place. “I love India and the reason I keep coming back to this country is because I am widely fascinated by the diversity, the landscape — I have been enchanted by the mix of people in so many religions. I not only love the food here, but also the traffic. One can never get bored in India. Now I know why they call it the Incredible India in those tourism ads,” points out Smith, who also loves reading books based on the history of India.