# Help finding a science fiction story

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-finding-a-science-fiction-story/963369>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Tags:** books-writing-myths\
**Created:** [April 24, 2022, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-finding-a-science-fiction-story/963369 "2022-04-24T19:50:55Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\
**Post date:** [April 24, 2022, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-finding-a-science-fiction-story/963369/1 "2022-04-24T19:50:55Z")

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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?

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**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\
**Post date:** [April 24, 2022, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-finding-a-science-fiction-story/963369/2 "2022-04-24T19:54:01Z")

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Paging @Andy_L.

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**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\
**Post date:** [April 24, 2022, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-finding-a-science-fiction-story/963369/3 "2022-04-24T20:08:34Z")

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You rang? Sadly, the story doesn’t ring a bell.

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**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\
**Post date:** [April 24, 2022, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-finding-a-science-fiction-story/963369/4 "2022-04-24T21:12:49Z")

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I don’t recognize it either, but someone will eventually, and that sounds interesting. I’d like to read it.

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**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\
**Post date:** [April 24, 2022, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-finding-a-science-fiction-story/963369/5 "2022-04-24T22:43:04Z")

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There are a number of sf and fantasy authors from India - perhaps one of them wrote this? [Category:Indian science fiction writers - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Indian_science_fiction_writers)