Anita Shirodkar operates in two worlds; one that defines her existence and the other of which she is the creator. The author of Guardians of The Blue Lotus trilogy, Shirodkar recently launched its final instalment, Ambuj. The first two books include Aryavir and Sitanshu. The trilogy has been published by Authorsupfront.
“The Indian mythology captures my imagination as nothing else does! There is a richness of storytelling coupled with deep-rooted philosophy and life lessons that make for really engaging content. The story within stories and elaborately crafted characters leave me a very engrossed and satisfied reader. This is what I have tried to achieve in Aryavir, Sitanshu and Ambuj,” Shirodkar points out. Her previous publications include Adriana’s Smile, Night in Pink Satin, Secrets and Second Chances.
The mythology genre is growing in popularity and there are many who are penning their works, inspired by the epics. Shirodkar believes that the success of the mythology genre lies in our indelible ties with our roots, and the ethos that is so ingrained in our DNA.
“You can’t quite take the epics out of us — we love our sanskar, our traditions, our history, our grandiose, invincible warriors, and our complex yet subtle philosophy. We identify at a visceral level with our mythological heroes and tend to give them the demi-god status,” she points out.
“After having exhausted the original epics, we’re hungry for more, and the explosion, if you can call it that, of such literature is naturally being voraciously consumed!,” she adds.
Talking about how she conceived the characters in her trilogy, she says that the character creation was the most fun part of the entire process! The characters were all entirely fictional and do not draw upon any existing heroes and heroines of the epics. “There are princes, kings, queens and warriors who are fighting their battles — real and metaphorical which make them truly fascinating. I’ve planned them all so assiduously that I could write an entire book on each one of them!,” says Shirodkar.
When asked which is the one character in the trilogy that she identifies with, Shirodkar promptly replies, “All are close to my heart. But if I had to choose, it would be Chandrabha. I felt her dilemma when she was forced to make the choices she did, and her pain when she had to live with the consequences. In my books, I have touched briefly on the concept of free will, and although it was in relation to Aryavir and Sitanshu, I feel the lack of free will applies more to Chandrabha. I feel empathy for her.”
The most challenging part of writing mythological stories is keeping track of characters and chronology. In Ambuj, the story goes back and forth in a 20 years timeline, so figuring where each of the 30 plus main characters fit into the picture was challenging for Shirodkar.
“Creating back stories that tied in with each other and making sure the dynamics between dynasties and kings remained consistent too required some concentration. The entire process was as interesting as it was stimulating,” she says.
However, the readers enjoy reading trilogies or book series. Shirodkar agrees and says that it’s a mixed bag — there is fun in anticipating the arrival of the next book. But when the wait is long the readers become impatient. “In the last couple of years, I have received innumerable messages to speed up, write fast and release the next book,” she adds.
The great war of Sompur is over. Aryavir and Sitanshu reluctantly part ways, each to follow his own destiny. In a series of flashbacks, the narrative moves back to the rule of King Ambujakshan, Aryavir’s grandfather, who turns out to be the root cause of current turbulence.
Encompassing events that include brutal murders and a deal between Ambujakshan’s wife and mistress, with the king finally getting his retribution.
In the present, Sitanshu must perform a seemingly impossible task set by the Maheshwari Master, and in doing so, he discovers that his road ahead is fraught with more dangers than he thought possible.
