Jagnandan Tyagi on Power, Integrity and Writing The Mashal of Justice

I wanted the verdict to be the beginning, not the ending.

Introduction

In this exclusive interview-style feature, author Jagnandan Tyagi reflects on the creation of The Mashal of Justice, his fascination with institutional pressure, and the moral dilemmas that define his political fiction. Presented below is a detailed conversation in which every response comes directly from the author’s perspective.

Q1. What first inspired the idea for The Mashal of Justice?

Answered by Jagnandan Tyagi:
The inspiration did not come from a single incident but from long observation of how institutions behave when confronted with uncomfortable truth. We often imagine that once corruption is exposed, everything automatically improves. In reality, exposure creates turbulence. People panic. Systems protect themselves. Narratives change. I wanted to explore that unstable middle phase — the moment after justice is technically delivered but before society decides what to do with it. That is where the real drama lies.

Q2. Why did you choose to begin the novel with the verdict instead of ending with it?

Answered by Jagnandan Tyagi:
Because verdicts are rarely endings in real life. They are beginnings. A court ruling might conclude a legal case, but politically and socially it opens many new chapters. Administrations react, politicians reposition themselves, families become vulnerable, and public discourse splinters into competing interpretations. Starting with the verdict allowed me to examine consequence rather than discovery. I wanted the narrative to live inside aftermath.

Q3. How did you shape the character of the judge at the center of the story?

Answered by Jagnandan Tyagi:
I did not want him to be a crusader or revolutionary. He is someone who believes deeply in procedure, precedent, and institutional discipline. His entire career has been built on restraint rather than confrontation. That is precisely why his decision becomes disruptive. He is not trying to create upheaval; he is simply doing his job. When systems depend on silence, even professionalism becomes dangerous.

Q4. Power is portrayed as exhausting rather than glamorous in your work. Why?

Answered by Jagnandan Tyagi:
Because power, in reality, is rarely heroic. It involves negotiation, compromise, calculation, and constant scrutiny. In The Mashal of Justice, the highest position in the country is offered not as a reward, but as protection. Authority becomes tempting because it promises safety, not prestige. I wanted readers to ask themselves whether reform achieved through compromise is genuine reform or merely another form of surrender.

Q5. You focus heavily on systems instead of single villains. What draws you to that approach?

Answered by Jagnandan Tyagi:
Blaming one villain is emotionally satisfying but intellectually misleading. In most real institutions, responsibility is distributed. Committees delay decisions. Advisers soften language. Officials wait for signals. Files circulate endlessly. Corruption persists not only because of bad people but because of cautious people. That complexity is far more interesting to me as a novelist.

Q6. Family pressure plays a major role in the novel. Why was that important?

Answered by Jagnandan Tyagi:
Because family is where moral debates become personal. Public pressure is abstract. Political threats are expected. But when your spouse worries about safety or your children fear isolation, the stakes change. In the novel, the judge’s relatives are not villains. They are frightened. They are imagining futures shaped by his stubbornness. I tried to keep those scenes quiet rather than melodramatic. Often, compromise begins not with bribery, but with love.

Q7. The novel exists in a bilingual edition. Why was that significant to you?

Answered by Jagnandan Tyagi:
Questions about justice and power should not belong to one linguistic group. Publishing THE MASHAL OF JUSTICE / द मशाल ऑफ़ जस्टिस was about accessibility. I wanted readers from different backgrounds and generations to encounter the same dilemmas. Translation is not simply technical. Tone, tension, and philosophical rhythm must survive across languages. That was central to the project.

Q8. How much research went into making the institutional details feel authentic?

Answered by Jagnandan Tyagi:
A great deal. Courtroom protocol, administrative communication, political lobbying, internal memos, media briefings — these are not decorative details. They create credibility. If readers do not believe the environment, they cannot engage seriously with the moral conflict. Real systems are slow, procedural, and subtle. That subtlety is often more frightening than spectacle.

Q9. Do you believe fiction has a special role in political conversation?

Answered by Jagnandan Tyagi:
Absolutely. Journalism reports events. Academic writing analyzes structures. Fiction allows us to inhabit private doubt. Through novels, we can explore what happens behind closed doors — family arguments, internal rationalizations, late-night phone calls that never become public record. Those emotional spaces are where decisions truly form.

Q10. Rise to Power explores ambition within governance. How does it connect thematically to The Mashal of Justice?

Answered by Jagnandan Tyagi:
They examine different sides of authority. The Mashal of Justice looks at what happens when integrity disrupts systems. Rise to Power looks at what happens when ambition moves through them. Together, they form a conversation about how power is acquired, maintained, and resisted. Neither book treats authority as a prize. Both portray it as burden.

Q11. What kind of readers do you hope your novels reach?

Answered by Jagnandan Tyagi:
I hope they reach readers who enjoy being challenged. Law students, civil servants, political science learners, book-club communities, and general fiction readers who like reflective stories. I do not want readers to close the book feeling comfortable. I want them asking what they would have done in the same position.

Q12. How do you approach author visibility and reaching global audiences?

Answered by Jagnandan Tyagi:
Writing is only part of the journey. Today, authors often rely on professional book marketing and author branding services to ensure that serious fiction reaches the readers who are looking for it. Thoughtful stories deserve thoughtful positioning.

Q13. What message would you like readers to take away from The Mashal of Justice?

Answered by Jagnandan Tyagi:
That integrity is not a single act. It is a sustained posture toward life, tested repeatedly under pressure. The novel does not claim that moral courage is easy or that institutions reward it. It asks whether holding on to principle is worthwhile even when the cost is personal.

What Readers Say

Tyagi’s explanations make the novel even more compelling. – Karan Joshi

A rare political writer with depth. – Pallavi Mishra

Provocative and frighteningly plausible. -Deepak Verma

Makes you rethink how decisions are really made. -Neha Roy

Frequently Asked Questions