We are thrilled to announce an exciting opportunity for Indic authors to contribute to our upcoming anthology, inspired by the directorial brilliance of Nag Ashwin and dedicated to his imagination.
Kalki Purana speaks of a saviour who will restore balance and usher in a new era at the end of Kali Yuga. In ‘Kalki 2898 AD,’ director Nag Ashwin attempts to bring this Purana to life with a visually stunning portrayal set in a dystopian future.
Ashwin conceptualised the storyline where Ashwatthama is cursed with immortality by Lord Krishna, which can only be lifted when Ashwatthama protects the birth of Vishnu’s final avatar, Kalki.
This curse and its implications set the stage for a narrative that blends elements of Ithihasa and Puranas with sci-fi, creating a world where the past and future collide. Ashwin pushes the boundaries of traditional storytelling, creating a unique visual experience.
We now wish to honour his brilliance in our anthology by drawing inspiration from his creative vision and further expanding its scope.
Kalki & The Seven Immortals
Building on the inspiration from ‘Kalki 2898 AD,’ we are launching an anthology of seven stories expanding the narrative to include all the seven revered immortals of Hindu scriptures — Ashwatthama, Bali, Vyasa, Hanuman, Vibhishana, Kripacharya, and Parashurama, also known as the Chiranjeevis.
We invite authors to imagine how each one of the immortals has witnessed the ebb and flow of time, carrying the weight of their timeless existence through the ages. They can explore their experiences over thousands of years, witnessing historical events, shaping destinies, and ultimately converging all of them in a dramatic climax with the emergence of the Kalki Avatar.
Authors can fill each of their stories with adventures, battles, and moments of reflection, providing a unique lens through which we can view the world’s changing face.
We ask the authors to imagine the paths of Chiranjeevis crossing and diverging, with each encounter adding a new layer to their legend. As the Kali Yuga reaches its end, their individual journeys should converge, setting the stage for the arrival of the Kalki Avatar. In this ultimate climax, each of the seven immortals will play a crucial role alongside Kalki, combining their ancient wisdom and powers to bring about peace and restore balance to the world.
We invite authors to reimagine these legends through the lens of futuristic and speculative fiction, weaving a narrative that is both rooted in ancient wisdom and brimming with imaginative possibilities.
Please note that there should be no reference to the worlds that Ashwin has created in his movie. The writing must be completely original.
The curation of this anthology will be led by Hari Vadlamani, Founder of INDICA, along with a team of scholars who will ensure authentic consistency in the creative liberties authors take.
We invite authors to send in their published writings along with the specific immortal they would like to explore. From the submissions, we will select one author for each of the immortals. Authors will be given three months to submit their first draft. We will then introduce them to our development editor, Otis Haschemeyer, who will work with each of them individually to fine-tune their drafts. We will subsequently involve our copy editor, Michael Thorn, to work on the final draft. The book will be published by Blue One Ink. We are targeting publication during the first quarter of 2025.
Interested authors may write to us at namaste@indica.org.in.
About INDICA Anthology Series
In order to encourage fresh talent in Indic writing, we identify new themes for exploration and invite authors to contribute to the same. We have so far published six anthologies. Each anthology is led by a curator who engages with the authors, guides them through the process, and is responsible for the overall outcome.
The anthologies published are Unsung Valour by Sai Swaroopa, Flight of Deities by Avatans Kumar, Aarya by Shivakumar GV, Vyasa’s Whispers by Aditi Banerjee, Padma Bharatis by Jai Jina, and Shared Roots by Ratul Chakraborty.
