8.1 Atharva Pandit: On Fictionalising Crime Without Compromising Truth

Tara talks to journalist and debut author Atharva Pandit, whose novel Hurda is inspired by a real-life case that briefly made headlines in 2013, and then vanished.What begins as a mystery about three missing girls from a village in Maharashtra becomes a statement on what gets remembered and what gets buried. Atharva shares how a two-page newspaper feature became the seed for a decade-long creative journey. He discusses the blurry boundaries between fact and fiction, and how he built an entire village of voices, each with their own secrets and silences. The episode also delves into the quiet power of clothing, especially that green top that became a symbol of much more. Tara and Atharva explore why rural women’s lives so often go unheard, and how fiction can offer them space, dignity, and depth.Applications for The Bound Publishing Course 2026 are now open.The Bound Publishing Course is a 3-month intensive course on book, magazine, and digital publishing. Through live sessions, workshops, and industry-facing projects, participants gain practical publishing skills and exposure to careers across the industry.Cohort size: 50 seatsFirst round of acceptances: 15th June 2026Applications are reviewed on a rolling bas‘Books and Beyond with Bound’ is the podcast where Tara Khandelwal and Michelle D’costa uncover how their books reflect the realities of our lives and society today. Find out what drives India’s finest authors: from personal experiences to jugaad research methods, insecurities to publishing journeys. Created by Bound, a storytelling company that helps you grow through stories. Follow us @boundindia on all social media platforms.