The Relic, a novel by team of 2 disabled writers has many readers hooked

It’s called The Relic and its a debut novel by Ashwin Karthik and Madhava Sharma, who have come together to produce a work of great mystery.

Centered around the Shri Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Kerala, the book keeps readers on the edge until the last page. Ashwin and Madhava Sharma, who are both disabled, know each other for many years and decided to collaborate on the book.

Ashwin Karthik is an engineer, poet, writer and has the distinction of being the first quadriplegic cerebral palsy student in India to study engineering. An achiever, he likes to challenge himself.

We wanted to write a story that had mystery, action, intrigue and related to our Indian roots. The choice of the temple and the treasure found there was only to trigger curiosity in the readers. The course the story takes further is because we
believed story-telling has the power to bring make people realise that our ancient knowledge isn’t just a myth. It is also very scientific. We also believe that the philosophy of karma can bring self-realisation if followed correctly. The same message had to be conveyed to the readers. – Ashwin Karthik, Author

The Relic took one year of intense dedication and being their first attempt, they left no stone unturned to make sure it had all the elements of a gripping novel.

Madhva Sharma, who is visually impaired, says writing the book was a memorable experience. Ashwin took care of the research and technical aspects of writing while I worked on the story ideas. We used to talk and discuss the plot everyday and how it should be presented. We fused our ideas to give shape to the book. Every word in the book is a joint effort and I am extremely happy with the way it has turned out.

The Relic has sold around 1,000 copies until now and has received positive reviews for its content and literary presentation. The response has thrilled these young authors who hope to collaborate again.

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