Stories Rooted in City and Soul

A Storizen Exclusive Feature

- Pria Raiyani and Swapna Peri

In this conversation, we step into the richly imagined world of The Bangalore Detectives Club and the mind of the writer who brings 1920s Bangalore to life with such warmth, depth, and precision.

An ecologist by training and a storyteller at heart, she moves effortlessly between archival research, sensory memory, and a deep love for her city to craft mysteries rooted in history, feminism, and everyday life. From the birth of Kaveri Murthy—her curious, sharp-witted, and quietly rebellious heroine—to the intricate blend of social themes, local culture, and ecological insight that define her books, she offers a rare window into how science, memory, and imagination come together in her creative process. This interview traces that journey: the inspirations, the challenges, and the intimate threads of personal history that shape her writing.

Your Bangalore Detectives Club series brings 1920s Bangalore and its vibrant society to life. What inspired you to set your mysteries in this time and place, and how do you balance historical accuracy with storytelling?

In my main profession, I am an ecologist who works on cities. Bangalore is the city I have called home for much of my adult life, and — though I have lived in many parts of the world — it is my favourite city. My academic research on Bangalore, described in my first (nonfiction) book “Nature in the City: Bengaluru in the Past, Present and Future”, draws on a deep dive into the history of the city.