PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY: THINK WHY NOT AGENCY

Writing my first book, The Immortals of Meluha, which is the first part of the Shiva Trilogy, was life-changing. To begin with, writing changed the course of my life and after the release of my second book, The Secret of the Nagas, I quit the financial service industry where I’d worked for nearly 14 years. I turned to full-time writing as a career and now make a living by my passion. But writing The Immortals of Meluha affected me on a more fundamental level as well. I am a more spiritual person now. I was an atheist before I began penning the work in 2002 but I’m a Shiv bhakt today.

I come from a very religious background. My grandfather was a priest and my parents are quite religious. My family, though, was a liberal one and gave me the freedom to follow my view point. But things changed as I pursued writing. I was drawn to Lord Shiva and my approach to religious philosophy changed. What I’d thought was pure philosophy, I now consider the philosophies of my god. I also realise that by going deep into a religion, you develop respect for all faiths. On the other hand, the book, which began as a philosophical work became a tale of adventure.

The other major turning point came in 1990 when I fell for a girl on my very first day at St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai. It took me two years to convince her that I wasn’t that bad, and we’ve been together since. She was 18 then and I, 17. Meeting Preeti, who’s now my wife, and writing my book have been the most significant milestones in my life.

(As told to Shreya Shukla)