Indian mythological fiction is enjoying its moment in the sun. With the success of numerous novels in this genre and the capacity for a writer’s fertile imagination to flourish, it is no wonder that new authors are exploring this genre so frequently. Nihar Bhonsule from Mumbai is the latest entrant with his book The Path of Sukshmaloka, published by Notion Press in 2021.
The book is set in Mumbai in the distant future, and its blurb describes a disturbing yet compelling backdrop. In the year 3102 BC, the Earth is affected gravely by a tear in an astral seal. This anomaly leads to the rise of dark forces who seek to destroy the human race. Fortunately, the wrecked seal has also blessed certain individuals with magical boons and knowledge of ancient yogic warfare. They are the Dharmayodhas, whose General, Harshwardhana is ready to fight. Meanwhile, in Mumbai, boy-next-door college student Prithvi Sen lives with an uncanny disease. Battling an existential crisis, he unleashes a drastic series of events that bring an unexpected twist into his life. Soon, the once flourishing city is in the grip of destruction and death, having been taken over by the aforementioned dark forces. Its new leader is hell-bent on war against the city and the innocent human beings that occupy it. The two heroes must step up to fight these Rakshasas and the underlying evil they represent.
“I would describe The Path of Sukshmaloka as a scintillating dark fantasy. Since I have always enjoyed reading genres like horror, fantasy, crime and thriller, and spent years of my life in coffee shops and libraries reading through the epic Mahabharata and decoding its various metaphors to discover the deeper philosophy and way of life embedded in the text; this book was a natural one for me to write,” explains Nihar in a candid chat.
Describing himself as an optimist, thinker, philosopher, video gamer, nature-lover, and philanthrope, he hopes that his writing will illuminate and enlighten his readers. Nihar is a fan of stories that use rich symbolism as a means to probe readers into deeper thought and reasoning—as is evident from his latest offering.
Speaking about his love for writing, Nihar says, “Writing was always a hidden talent that I was really appreciated for in my school days, but one I never paid attention to. It comes naturally to me, as a flow. I don’t follow any particular process, I don’t have specific training in writing, nor is there any kind of coercion for me to write—I write because I want to! All I do is craft the story, then edit and structure it.”
The reason he chose this subject was to fulfil his goal of telling a story that had depth and seriousness. Moreover, he was keen to highlight a battle of good and evil in an unconventional manner, by showing that heroes can also face adversity. It is their endurance of, and ability to surpass, these adversities by making the right choices, that gives them the worthy title of being a hero. He adds that writing this particular genre is a form of escape. An intense fantasy like this one allows him to explore uplifting and positive parts of himself that he can share with readers, in the hope of impacting them in a positive manner.
The book took between 8-10 years to write, and Nihar describes the procedure as one of patience and hard work. He took inspiration for the book from the Bhagwad Geeta and the Upanishads, which he studied intricately for weaving a strong message in his work.
The Path of Sukshmaloka is doing well since its release. Nihar describes it as a great journey, where he has received a lot of praise from bloggers, readers and the press as well. “I am deeply touched and want to contribute more such ideas to literature in the future,” he smiles. Next, he is working on the sequel of the book and simultaneously writing a western fantasy.
The Path of Sukshmaloka is available on all leading platforms both internationally and nationally, such as Walmart, Amazon and Google Books to name a few.
The writer of this article pens lifestyle pieces for various publications and her blog www.nooranandchawla.com. She can be reached on nooranand@gmail.com.