Amish Tripathi was at his best while talking about his early life, books and interests while enjoying his 'sappad' at Hotel Sree Annapoorna. "Tamilnadu is familiar to me for I did 5 years of my schooling at Lovedale in Nilgiris about 30 years ago. Thereafter I did my B.Sc Maths at Xaviers before completing my MBA from IIM Kolkatta. Subsequently I joined the banking sector and wrote my first book in 2004 for which I had put in about 4 years of research. I tried getting it published and it did not happen for sometime. Finally after many rejections I got it published and the rest is history." smiles Amish, the Rockstar of Indian fiction based on mythology.
The author was at Coimbatore on the invitation of the Indic Book Club in connection with his latest book "Immortal India". The event was held at the SNR College and the welcome address was by D.Lakshminarayaswamy, the Joint Managing Trustee of the SNR Sons Charities. Swathy Rohit of the SNR group showered encomiums while introducing Amish. Dr.Pramod of The India Book Cub was at his best in the jam packed auditorium.
The paternal grandfather of Amish was a Pandit at Benares (Pandit Babulal) and his father V.K.Tripathi happens to be an engineer while his mother Usha is an MA in Economics. The energetic author was a keen gymnast and a boxer in his younger days. "I must say that our Universe is actually made up of stories and our ancient Indian culture is thriving in spite of several challenges simply because of its ability to adapt itself to suit the times without diluting its core in the process. We believe in many truths and not just one. I also endorse the views of Diana Eck who stated that - India was built on the footsteps of its pilgrims." added Amish.
He spoke about the many unsung heroes of India who included Lachit Barpukhan, Rani Abbakka, Ahalya Bai Holkar who refurbished a number of temples, Marthanda Varma, Baji Rao and many others. It was edifying to learn that though the Pathans of the North West were great warriors their strategies failed to stop incursions. However the Ahoms of the North East actually repelled every incursion into India. He also spoke about the concept of the nation state, "Nations were cultural concepts for a long time and it was only after Westphalia that the modern STATE emerged. One had to be loyal to the Sovereign first before being loyal to England those days. We must understand that we should face truth boldly and in the process we must eschew anger, hatred, etc., Again we should update historical facts on the basis of truth and believe in reconciliation. Every culture and country has at one time been an oppressor or a victim."
The thoughful author reads about 100 pages before commiting even a single page and it's amazing to see his depth and interests in his books. For example one can see Lord Lakshman playing Jallikattu in his book on Sita. He talks about Purusharthas - the goals of life and about trying to understand and interpret truth. "In the north the older Lord Karthik is a bachelor and women do not enter his shrine but in the south he is a married man plus he is the younger brother of Lord Ganesh. We have six seasons in India unlike the west. The gatekeeper at Nalanda was the entrance test holder for students seeking admission into the University. When we look at the couplets of Tirukkural they appear to be simple but they are pregnant with wisdom for they direct us to the Purusharthas. Rajendra Chola is not much spoken about in the history books for the books are north and north west centered unfortunately. The maritime merchants and the stories of the Maratha navy is not spoken about much. Kanoji Angre is not known to many. Not many know that the Diwani of Bengal represented 10% of the global GDP when it was ceded to the East India Company after the battle of Buxar in 1764. The Europeans took over from the Marathas and not from the Mughals. In fact, somehow the tradition is kept alive through books, movies, temples and festivals in our country. "beams Amish whose name means, 'one who has'nt committed any sin'.
Amish is clear while talking about disputes and debates. He advises us to be abreast with facts and then react in a calm and composed manner. He attaches a lot of importance to mythology and considers it to be as essential as history. He makes it a point to share that our temples have fabulous historical records but we have been speaking otherwise. "Many of our issues can be addressed by the wisdom of our ancestors. Issues connected with transgenders, freedom of expression and women's rights are found in our past and they will surely help us understand the liberal-cum-spiritual nature of our society those days. The southern part of our country enjoyed a longer period of peace and therefore our culture is best represented in the peninsula. Hence it's incumbent upon the people of the south to revive our culture and tradition," adds Amish.
Preethi, the wife of Amish runs a Chidrens' books publishing venture and their child Neel is named after Lord Shiva. Amish is an ardent devotee of Shiva and he displays unbridled energy while talking about Chidambaram. "I was in tears while having a darshan of Lord Nataraja at Chidambaram and I simply loved the arati at the Vadakkunathan temple in Thrissur recently. I am what I am due to the grace of Lord Shiva." His latest book and the first non fiction work of his shares details about his pooja room which has images of the Ka'aba, Mother Mary, Jesus Christ, Buddha, Guru Nanak, Prophet Zarathustra, the Star of David along with the idols of the large number of Gods belonging to the Hindu pantheon.
While speaking about his latest book 'Immortal India', Amish talks about the ingredients which have kept our civilisation alive, "The cultures of Egypt, Greece, Rome and Central America are in the museum today simply because they failed to adapt themselves over time. Our culture believed in viewing and experiencing the truth in many angles. The adaptations were woven around truth at all times. The timelessness of our stories, epics and religious works which gave space for non believers too helped us sustain in spite of several onslaughts. You know there are temples for Ravan in Kanpur but the people who worship him worship Lord Ram as well. Indians are rebellious, fun loving, passionate but are very creative. Socities who create myths tend to be more creative and therefore they survive for ever. Timeless India is also ageless because our myths are ever youthful. No wonder youngsters are attracted to my works. As people belonging to the most ancient living civilisation on Earth it becomes incumbant upon us to uphold truth without malice, prejudice, hatred or anger for truth alone triumphs, Satya Meva Jayate."
Amish, the author of 'Immortal India - Young Country, Timeless Civilisation' feels that it's the best moment to be an Indian. The author cum publisher in him is keen to promote a number of authors, concepts and works based on Indian mytholgy and history. Amish has further assured that he will share details about the adaptation of his works into movies or serials in the near future. The wise author meanwhile continues to enthral millions of readers and his works have been so far translated into 19 languages.