NEW DELHI: After 1,50,000 words, his mind was wrought with thoughts that had overworked themselves into writing Chronicles of the Mortal Vishnu, a mytho-fantasy saga set in the next Treta Yuga, also his debut novel. This was only the first draft and it took 24-year-old Antar Atreya a year and a half to complete. Many revisions later, it turned him into a published storyteller.
After graduating from Ramjas College, along with the dilemma of deciding his career path, Atreya developed clinical depression due to chronic liver problems. “I became prone to stress, anxiety and panic attacks. Apart from medications, I involved myself in yoga and this suddenly directed my interest into the ancient Indian school of thought and culture. I read the Bhagavad Gita and the Mahabharata. This gave me the plot for my novel,” Atreya says.
Six years ago, he moved from Assam to Delhi, a move that made him fearless. “This helped me write, publish and drive good sales for the book. From being a person who used to speak broken Hindi with an Assamese accent, today I have my own YouTube channel where I share how to be a good writer and get published.”
Chronicles of the... begins with the end of the universe. It discusses theories of how it was born from its atomic existence to the emergence of mankind and civilisations. “I have developed a concept of the origin of Gods backed by logic. It talks about how the mentors of mankind who helped men make discoveries and inventions and laid the foundation of the first civilisation, turn corrupt. To counter that prolonged unjust rule, two prodigal warriors emerge.”
How their lives mature and their destiny is fulfilled, forms the rest of the story. It ends with the first global war of the upcoming Treta Yuga.
The fantasy novel sees Bhuswami as the most powerful and invincible antagonist who has earned his prowess with years of perseverance. “The protagonists are Ashok and Tejas, and their better halves, Meghnaini and Navya. Towards the end, one lead character takes a corrupt turn.”
What makes it a relevant present-day read, he says, is the attempt to clear misconceptions surrounding our ancient texts and culture. Hinduism has always been a liberal religion but he hears people accusing it of being misogynist and misleading regarding its rituals, sacrifices and the caste system. “This happened because man diluted the meaning of ancient texts. After reading this book people will know what Hinduism advocates,” says Atreya.