Captain Sakra and his crew of the Sura race namely Durga, Vayu, Agni set sail aboard their mighty spaceship Airavata on a mission to planet Earth where they collide with their mortal enemies, the Asuras. Both the races have to find a way to work towards a common goal, to find ambrosia, the elusive elixir in the universe that is believed to have mystical properties. Their common goal has to be approved by the all-powerful Trinity, namely Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma, the powerful guardians of the universe who believe in a prophecy that foretells the birth of a powerful being on whom the fate of the universe will depend on the coming days.
Who is this powerful being in the prophecy that will save the universe?
Can the mortal enemies work together to find this mystical elixir of the universe?
Excerpts:
Please tell us a little about yourself and your debut novel.
I am Manini and I am a poet and an author by night and a global HR business partner by day. I had reached a point in my life where I was looking for more fulfilment and joy. Writing this story, which is now my debut novel was a way to achieve that.
My debut novel is called, Search for Transcendence- The Beginning. It is a space opera where I have written about the familiar Gods and Goddesses from our mythology and set them in the context of space.
Why did you write in the genre of mythology, what was your inspiration?
I am a big fan of mythology, whether it is our own Indian mythology, Greek, Roman or Egyptian as I have read all these stories from a very young age. When I started writing my novel, naturally, the characters that came to me were the familiar characters from our Indian mythology which I am deeply connected to as it represents my culture and heritage. I have been fascinated by the stories of the Gods and Goddess and the choices that they make in our stories. Choices that we can learn from even today. So, in a way, these stories and the deeper nature of the characters are timeless. This was my inspiration.
How long did it take you to write this book and when did you start?
I started writing in 2018 and the first draft of the novel took me around 9 months. The journey of writing this book was very new to me, I didn’t really know whether I could write a story that made sense or no idea if the words would come. So, the whole journey was a process of discovery for me and I enjoyed every minute including the editing and the rewrites.
Kevin Missal reviewed your book as ‘Star Trek meets Indian Mythology.’ Tell us more about this interesting mix of science fiction and Indian Mythology that Search for Transcendence has.
I love science fiction and I read and watch everything that is in this genre, so I wanted to a create something in this world. Then as I was thinking about characters, I wanted to write about our familiar characters of our mythology but totally set them up in a new context of space. The essence of my book was born from a desire to fuse two subjects that I love, science fiction and mythology.
In my novel, the Devas descend on Earth on a spaceship, and they encounter their rivals – Asuras who have their own plans for Earth. Their paths collide on Earth looking for a mystical elixir of the universe.
What’s your writing process like? How do you develop characters and plot, is there any character traits based on you or your friends or family?
I try to be quite disciplined in the sense that I will always find time to write on a day. Even if its for 15 minutes, I make sure I sit and attempt to write. Somedays I succeed where I manage to write a lot and I am satisfied with the way the story is taking shape and somedays, it’s difficult to find the words. More than the words which may or may not come, I have come to realize that it is the attempt that will make a difference in your writing journey.
For characters and plot, I don’t outline my chapters, but I always have an idea about the beginning and the end of the book. This helps me to create an arc that connects the two. I always take inspiration for character traits based on people I know. Not just my friends and family but also people that I read about. For example, in my next book, a main character is based on a political leader that is talked about a lot. In this book, a character in particular, Vayu is based on my brother. An Asura character from my book is based on someone I know from work. I am always observing and listening to the people around me.
You are a global HR business partner also, how do you find the balance between writing and working? Tell us about your journey.
For me writing is necessary, it’s the high point of my day where I look forward to escaping to this world that I created in my head. Seeing even a few lines that I wrote that was a blank screen before gives me a sense of joy and fulfilment.
Over the course of time, I have discovered that this feeling of creative fulfillment is the one that has impacted my life in deeper ways, where I am much happier and more joyful in life. Even on a very busy day, I find time to write to hold on to that feeling. Because this is my motivation, balance is easy to find.
What kind of research was required in order to capture the essence of mythological fantasy?
I have been reading mythology from a young age, so in a way these stories were always percolating in my head. I read a lot of news related to our missions to space, specifically our Mission to Mars. I watched a lot of Star trek and read Asimov novels to get some inspiration for scenes that unfolds in space specifically the technicalities where you must explain the “science” behind something even if its completely fiction.
Do you look up to any other writers/personalities while writing the book?
Asimov and John Scalzi novels are a huge inspiration and Star trek and Star Wars. From our own Indian literature space, I really admire Kevin Missal’s novels for the worlds that he has created in his books and Amish’s Shiva Trilogy. I consider Amish’s books as a starting point for all of us mythological fantasy writers. He really set the path for us.
Any message for the readers who are reading the book.
I hope the readers enjoy the world that I have attempted to create, where they can immerse themselves in this world of spaceships, advanced technology, super powered beings, and all of them searching for transcendence through this mystical elixir of the universe. I hope the readers find the metaphor of this story where this search for transcendence is our own search for more meaning and purpose in our lives.