A friend of mine posting elsewhere on the interwebs is having trouble finding a story, and maybe y’all can help? He says, “Looking for a science fiction work! My best guess would be a short story or novelette, possibly published or reprinted on Sci Fiction, but it could just be something I read elsewhere in the early 00s.
'The premise involves orphaned kids being recruited by a temple to try to reach enlightenment, which kills them but grants them one reality-altering wish, which they are encouraged to use to teleport starships to their desired destinations. The setting is maybe future India or maybe a fantasy Calcutta/Kolkata on some other planet. The protagonist is angry about inequality and eventually uses their wish to wish away the whole temple system, a sort of “deinvention of time travel” conclusion. Anyone recognize this? I’ve tried to do some searching but I’m not getting anywhere.”
Any clues?