Author Darsan Halan’s VELAN IPS: The Shadow Network Brings Crime, Espionage and Political Conspiracy to a Gripping Indian Thriller

When a Swiss mastermind activates the mysterious ‘Disintegration Protocol’, an international shadow operation begins targeting the future of India’s youth.

In Tiruppur, Additional SP Velan is drawn into an investigation that soon becomes far more dangerous than expected. Alongside fearless journalist Anupama and an undercover ally, Velan begins tracing a hidden network operating beneath the surface.

Their investigation exposes corruption, manipulation and connections that reach far beyond the local crime scene. But the deeper they go, the clearer it becomes that the operation they have uncovered is only one part of a much larger plan.

With danger closing in and time running out, Velan and Anupama must uncover the truth before the shadow network achieves its ultimate objective.

VELAN IPS: The Shadow Network is a high-stakes thriller that combines crime, espionage, political conspiracy, mystery and action in a story about justice, courage and the forces working behind the scenes. 

1. What inspired you to write VELAN IPS: The Shadow Network, and how did the idea for the story come to you?

The story began with images that kept appearing in my mind. Over the past few years, many such images occupied my mind, and I had slowly given shape to some of them.

One particular image of a woman running in the dark intrigued me. I wanted to follow her path and understand where she was going and why she was running. I began writing, without knowing whether it would become a short story or micro-fiction.

I was hoping it would remain a short story, but to my surprise, it developed into a full-fledged novel. It eventually became my first complete book.

2. Can you share some insights into your writing process?

I usually begin with my sadhana, called Shambhavi Mahamudra Kriya, or a simple Sukha Kriya, which helps me centre myself.

Once I sit in front of my laptop, it takes some effort not to get distracted by YouTube or a new OTT release. Once I develop the conviction to begin, I open my working document and spend some time staring at the blank page.

Slowly, I experience a sense of surrender. Deep, slow breaths help me transition into that stage. It generally takes around ten to fifteen minutes after my sadhana, although sometimes it happens within two minutes.

Then images begin forming in my mind, and the words begin to flow as I type.

3. Are the characters based on real people?

The characters are purely imaginative.

Although I may have experienced certain common traits among several people I know, no particular individual inspired the characters.

To me, the characters revealed themselves as the story progressed. Each adventure and event they encountered revealed something new about them.

4. Your book explores crime, justice and love. What motivated you to explore these themes?

The book brings together crime, justice and love and puts its primary characters through different ordeals in pursuit of what they truly believe in.

Like any thriller, I think readers naturally expect justice to eventually emerge. As human beings, justice remains a constant aspiration and endeavour, and I feel it is inseparable from our pursuit of happiness. 

5. How did you develop the settings in the novel?

When I completed the first draft, it was essentially a skeleton of events and scenes. I had to go through multiple rounds of editing and rewriting to develop the world of the characters as fully as possible.

Velan and Anupama pursue their respective goals and have their own unique settings. The settings were not necessarily planned in a deliberate way; they emerged naturally during the writing process.

However, the locations themselves are real. Writing about real places helped me develop the story because I could cross-reference details about their history and geography.

Rameswaram, for example, is so rich in culture and history that I had to remove several paragraphs of details to prevent the novel from becoming a history reference book.

6. How did you balance originality with the expectations of the thriller genre?

Since this was my first full-length book, I had hundreds of questions while writing it. I doubted the story from the very first page.

Interestingly, the very first page I wrote was a cliché. Hundreds of books and movies may have had similar scenes. But the desire to find out what happened next kept me writing.

As I continued, I realised that clichés do not necessarily have to lead to the same outcomes. That gave me confidence to continue.

Somewhere around Chapter 3, I put aside my doubts because I felt something unique was developing, and I wanted to know where the story would lead.

At that point, I was no longer worried about originality or genre expectations. I was simply intrigued by the story and wanted to discover what happened next.

Eventually, that journey led to a complete story that I was excited about and proud to have written.

7. How did you maintain tension and momentum throughout the story?

Once I had developed the manuscript reasonably well, I researched writing techniques and reader expectations.

I did this because I did not want readers to lose interest before reaching the more intense parts of the story.

I discovered several techniques that writers recommend for maintaining reader engagement. I selected only a few that I felt comfortable using and believed would add value to the narrative.

There is still a lot for me to learn about storytelling and pacing, and I see that learning as an ongoing part of my journey as a writer.

8. How do you see storytelling evolving in the age of changing media and reader preferences?

I feel this is a challenge. As a first-time author, I am not sufficiently informed to comment extensively on reader preferences and storytelling as a whole.

However, I believe the world will always need good stories to be told and retold.

The major variable is the number of competing mediums available for storytelling. Even so, I believe storytelling will remain rooted in print because reading is a much more personal experience than visualising a story through someone else’s lens.

Every individual has unique imaginative tendencies, and reading provides an intimate experience that no other medium can completely replicate.

Step into the world of Velan IPS, uncover the shadow network and follow the investigation as a local crime opens the door to a much larger conspiracy.

Buy your copy of VELAN IPS: The Shadow Network by Author Darsan Halan on Amazon today and begin the journey.