I have written fanfiction on and off since my university days. It has been like this stress buster and guilty hobby I cultivated over the years.

There were many stories that could be told from a different perspective. There were many fascinating minor characters in the stories I read. These characters were not central to that plot. They never got explored to their full potential. There were these remarkable ships that never sailed.

And then, there were those stories that I wanted to continue forever. No one was telling those stories for me. So I decided to tell those stories myself. It didn't come with any peculiar epiphany that they were going to rock the literary world. Far from that. It was an amateur's attempt to get rid of the burden in her chest with all those incoherent ideas swirling inside.

I wrote in fits and starts. I wrote whenever I was free, juggling between my busy academic life with its assignment deadlines, tests and exams. A few chapters in and often I lost steam. Over the years, I produced few finished and many unfinished works.

Then came many changes in my life. I had many more important things on my hand than plaguing unsuspecting souls in the virtual world with my verbal diarrhea all over the computer screen. Just before Baahubali-The Conclusion was released, I told myself that I was off fanfiction writing. It was a hobby and ultimately not a wise thing to do. I told myself I had better things to do than spending it in writing fanfiction.

Then Baahubali-The Conclusion just happened. Like many people all around the world, I and my family adored the movie. We watched and rewatched it countless times.

One day, my five-year-old son came up to me and said, "Now let's go and watch Baahubali-3."

I told him, "It is the conclusion, the end. There is no story left to tell. Everything has been told."

His face fell. There were teeny weeny tears in his eyes as he said, "No, mom. There is lot of story left."

I asked him, "You tell me. If there is a lot of story left, what will happen in Baahubali-3?"

Then he had this brilliant idea, "You know what mom, you can write it. Mahendra Baahubali has two children. Both of them are good. But they are on opposing sides."

I saw the story in his eyes but I didn't tell him that. You know kids. They are rather obstinate when they get an idea into their heads. As he sat down to do his math or read his books, he insisted that I write this story.

I just pretended to be writing it simply to humor him. As time passed, I toyed with plot lines and characters. But somewhere within me this idea kept growing. It vaguely appeared in my mind as this huge mountain I had to conquer. It was truly daunting.

I took the leap. I posted the first few chapters of Shatru Sesham: Sequel of Baahubali on Wattpad. My first readers were very encouraging and motivating. They read, they voted, they commented.

But there was this one moment at the end of Book One of Shatru Sesham when I wanted to discontinue. My son had gotten over his obsession for Baahubali-3 by this time. He had moved on to other things. He would no longer feel bad if I didn't write it for him.

I had written only seven chapters. And there were ninety-three more yet to be written. The odds were huge. I didn't know if I had it in me to sustain this endeavor, leave alone execute this idea the way it deserved to be.

I hadn't updated for a month. I thought my readers would gradually forget about it. They kept coming back to it. I received these private messages where they wanted to know why I wasn't writing anymore or if I was ever going to complete this story.

I knew at that moment that I had to complete this story however long it took. It was about fulfilling expectations and delivering what I had unconsciously promised all my readers. In these two and a half years since I began writing Shatru Sesham, I took a number of breaks during my pregnancy and after my second son was born.

But every time, I kept coming back again and again. Eighty-three chapters in. Just seventeen more left. I see the end. It doesn't appear so scary now. I want to take this opportunity to thank every single reader who has been with me throughout this journey. Every journey, big or small has to end. But having you with me made my journey truly memorable.