Book Review and Discussion: Immortals of Meluha - Amish Tripathi.

The Review : 

The first installment of the Shiva Trilogy, a refreshing spin on history and mythology alike, a book that will challenge your world views but not in a way that will offend you. Or it might, if you're a fanatic, it definitely will. There are some inconsistencies if you cross check with the Shiv Puran, yes. But then again, this book is not fact. It's fiction, and fiction is granted liberties. So if you're planning to write enraged comments or entire blogposts about the book, I'd rather, you stay away from it. No point generating pointless bad karma, by writing malicious stuff for anyone.

To the non-judgmental, and non-fanatical readers - it's a must read, to the ones open for discussion, read on, and comment later, and for those of you who haven't read it yet, what are you doing with your life?

The Discussion :  

One of the most hard hitting insights that come from the book is best described as a song by Joan Osborne, “what if God was one of us?” building on the premise Amish starts the book, not in a clichéd “once upon a time there lived a man…” he starts the book from the middle of an ongoing story, he starts the book with a sunset, such a powerful way to begin something with a visual that is so often associated with endings and forevers - happy or sad, bitter or sweet, immediate or eternal.  and also unconventional symbols of a beginning, of the reign of the shadows which lay banished and reduced to mere figurines in broad daylight. 

Every author has, in different ways spoken of the potential within us, philosophers philosophized about the essence and greatness of God, science talks of finding a God particle – much to the effect that God is always perceived as supreme, and unquestioningly he is, but to think that God has risen to Godlike stature for the person that he was, is in a sense, trying to understand and appreciate God for who he is, not just what he can do. Our human mind is very limited and tries to understand the whole through parts and instances, but the Gestalt school of thought rightly says, "The whole is other than the sum of the parts" (- Kurt Koffka)

In this book, everything means what it means, and also what it doesn't mean. It's a tad bit difficult to explain and understand at this point but trust me, it'll all come together in the end.

Just when you think you've got a grip on the initial battle and barbaric chaos that ensues, comes a question so simple and deep, it made me put down the book to ponder over this new thought that was planted in me -  "More of the same or different?" 

And I still do, after months of having completed the book, and the trilogy. There are beautiful lessons  on comparative leadership styles and crisis management, that stay true to the basics of who we are as people. 

There's a beautiful duality at play which bares an obvious facet with the Chandravanshi and Suryavanshi clan ship, which becomes even more apparent when you look at the names, one clan worships the Moon and the other the Sun. Just as the moon borrows light from the sun, the Chandravanshis are dimmer though more soothing versions of the otherwise pedantic ways of the Suryavanshis. Just like the day and night, and good and bad are two sets of contrasts, which are poles apart in every sense, yet co-dependent on each other to lend meaning to them, we cannot understand one concept without knowledge of the other. The Suryavanshis and Chandravanshis are different on the surface, but deep down inside are really the same clan, simply packaged differently.

Every story has many perspectives, that's true; but how can we be so sure that ours is the right one? or that another perspective, entirely contrary to ours, may also pull the same weight as ours does?

Another thought provoking analogy presented within the pages was the green leaf analogy, which was ordinary and special all at once - Why is the leaf green? Because it is the color of the leaf or because it is the color from the VIBGYOR spectrum that the leaf expels while absorbing all the others?

The book is peppered with such beautiful doorways to hidden wisdom which open so unexpectedly, you're almost too scared to go through them, but you do. You always do. The pages will turn, and you'll lose yourself in the book, perhaps even find yourself there. You'll find a little bit of yourself in Shiva, and a little bit of Shiva in you. 

With that, I conclude with a quote from the book "Har Har Mahadev, Everyone is a God."

That statement alone, means what it means, and even what it doesn't. Amish was right when he wrote the book in the manner that he did, on the premises that he did; Because the truth is that Gods are not born, they're made.

Review by Sonali Sharma,
Writer, Team Interpret.