The Immortals of Meluha,
It is a brilliant take on the story of Lord Shiva.
It starts with Shiva, leader of the mountanious tribe - the Gunas - are invited to the greatest empire in the world - Meluha, in the region of what we know as the Indus Valley Civilization. This land is situated to the west of India, and it is the land of the Suryavanshis, or followers of the Sun.
Unknown to Shiva, he is the man chosen to save the Suryavanshis to battle the defeat the "evil" Chandravanshis. This eventually happens, by the end of the book, before which, Shiva marries the princess of Meluha, Sati and also uplifts an unjust law, called vikarma - similar to the untouchability principle followed in the traditional Hindu Society.
Even as the Suryavanshis win the war with their excellent strategy and technology, and Shiva's superior leadership, a new revelation presents itself - that the Chandravanshis were not as evil as thought, and althought they lived life in the extreme, were good people at heart. Shiva cannot handle the burden of being the taker of millions of innocent lives. He meets a Vasudev, a member of the tribe of Vishnu, who explains that it is nothing compared to the damaged that could have been caused.
The book ends with a treaty between the Swadeepans i.e. the Chandravanshis and the Suryavanshis and Shiva embarking on a journey to find the Nagas, or the snake tribe who he believes will lead him to the actual "evil", that the legend of him being the "Neelkanth" or the man with the blue throat, says - "the destroyer of evil".
But the most important and principle theme of the book is the establishment of the perfect society, Meluha and its brilliant governance. Amish establishes this fact only to contradict the claim in the later part of the book, thus asserting that universal truth that "perfection", "happiness", "justice" are all matters of perspective and that no social system is ideal. Freedom is as essential as discipline, and that there will always be a constant struggle strike a balance between the two.
He explains how Perception plays a major role in our lives and in calling judgements, through the the Meluhan and Swadeepan society, which starkly contrast each other and believe the other to be evil. He explains that "different" does not mean "evil", a philosophy that needs to be adapted in out daily lives too.
There are some beautiful angles in the story:
the friendship between Brahaspathi and Shiva, the romance between Shiva and Sati, the equation between Nandi and Shiva.
The characters too, are a mix of the free and fun loving tibetans - the guna tribe -, the rigid and disciplined, sometimes dull Meluhans and the outrageous, crazy and passionate Chandravanshis.
It is an enjoyable read, a fantastic story that tells you that one need not be the most proficient of writers - a powerful story alone also can make for an equally enchanting and captivating read.
My favourite quote from the book :
"...If the entire society was conscious about its duties , nobody would need to fight for their individual rights, since everybody's rights would be automatically taken care of by someone else's duties.."
The two books promise many more twists in the quest and I look forward to reading them.
It is a brilliant take on the story of Lord Shiva.
It starts with Shiva, leader of the mountanious tribe - the Gunas - are invited to the greatest empire in the world - Meluha, in the region of what we know as the Indus Valley Civilization. This land is situated to the west of India, and it is the land of the Suryavanshis, or followers of the Sun.
Unknown to Shiva, he is the man chosen to save the Suryavanshis to battle the defeat the "evil" Chandravanshis. This eventually happens, by the end of the book, before which, Shiva marries the princess of Meluha, Sati and also uplifts an unjust law, called vikarma - similar to the untouchability principle followed in the traditional Hindu Society.
Even as the Suryavanshis win the war with their excellent strategy and technology, and Shiva's superior leadership, a new revelation presents itself - that the Chandravanshis were not as evil as thought, and althought they lived life in the extreme, were good people at heart. Shiva cannot handle the burden of being the taker of millions of innocent lives. He meets a Vasudev, a member of the tribe of Vishnu, who explains that it is nothing compared to the damaged that could have been caused.
The book ends with a treaty between the Swadeepans i.e. the Chandravanshis and the Suryavanshis and Shiva embarking on a journey to find the Nagas, or the snake tribe who he believes will lead him to the actual "evil", that the legend of him being the "Neelkanth" or the man with the blue throat, says - "the destroyer of evil".
My review -
The book has a fabulous story which covers up for its relatively mediocre writing style that is disappointing. Although it may have been a deliberate move to reach out the larger audience, somewhere, the story doesn't shine as it has the potential to.
That apart, the book has some wonderful philosophies on society, individuality and the perception of evil. It tackles with the many human emotions of friendship, love, lust, respect and the many principles of duty, honour, obedience and discipline. It represents a black and white picture and explains of how both are essential to maintain harmony.
But the most important and principle theme of the book is the establishment of the perfect society, Meluha and its brilliant governance. Amish establishes this fact only to contradict the claim in the later part of the book, thus asserting that universal truth that "perfection", "happiness", "justice" are all matters of perspective and that no social system is ideal. Freedom is as essential as discipline, and that there will always be a constant struggle strike a balance between the two.
He explains how Perception plays a major role in our lives and in calling judgements, through the the Meluhan and Swadeepan society, which starkly contrast each other and believe the other to be evil. He explains that "different" does not mean "evil", a philosophy that needs to be adapted in out daily lives too.
There are some beautiful angles in the story:
the friendship between Brahaspathi and Shiva, the romance between Shiva and Sati, the equation between Nandi and Shiva.
The characters too, are a mix of the free and fun loving tibetans - the guna tribe -, the rigid and disciplined, sometimes dull Meluhans and the outrageous, crazy and passionate Chandravanshis.
It is an enjoyable read, a fantastic story that tells you that one need not be the most proficient of writers - a powerful story alone also can make for an equally enchanting and captivating read.
My favourite quote from the book :
"...If the entire society was conscious about its duties , nobody would need to fight for their individual rights, since everybody's rights would be automatically taken care of by someone else's duties.."
The two books promise many more twists in the quest and I look forward to reading them.
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