the immortals of meluha

pretty darn interesting! not a huge fan of the way Amish writes but it sorta grows on you. totally loving it! I love indian mythology and as of now have a huge crush on the man that is shiva:-)

Is it serious reading ? I have been bugged out of my skull to take this up ..so far I have held strong and tall

who will then read Stardust People and Us ?

no it is not serious reading. as impy said, it is a retelling of indian myth. and it is quite fascinating. in fact, impy, the secret of the nagas is even better.

Did not realize this thread was already there. I ended up asking the same question. Anyway I read both these books.

I would like to know what you mean by serious reading!
Also, it is NOT a retelling of an Indian Myth. BTW, we need to be careful on whether everything in India is a Myth.
Atleast there have been some proofs about happenings in Mahabharatha.
http://www.saraswatifilms.org/movies.php

Coming back to this book, it is a completely new fictional interpretation on Indian God Shiva and his family, not just a retelling of a Myth. It Humanizes Shiva and his family (and variants of Goddess Parvati), and tries to preserve the basic aspect of the relation ships between these gods, and the key happenings in their life, as understood by a Hindu. Infact the whole basis of the book was whether Shiva was Human OR just myth?

Summary, the author also has taken potshots at reforming Hinduism, indirectly in this thread

Positives
a) He has tried to talk about the true basis of how Varna system was conceived, and in effect questioned casteism by Birth and in effect casteism.
b) He has an interesting philosophical question on evil/good duality, and has pointed out that evil lurks among the rich and famous also, along with hypocrisy.
c) Using his protagonist, Shiva he has pointed that the oppressed people should be helped.
d) I think his own personal philosophy is that there is only one god, and that these multiple manifestations of these gods are not required. That is his intent.
I am still not sure whether he believes in Dwaita or Advaita. He himself believes Shiva is worthy to be that one god.

e) His contrasts between a welfare state Vs a capitalistic state is sort of interesting. But he does not go deep into that aspect.

Negatives
1) Painting goddess Kali, Lord Ganesh as deformed Humans is way off from how the gods are perceived today. Hinduism has matured that nobody has protested his characterization. Same with the way he has characterized Parasuram.
2)Talking of Radio waves to be used as a basis for communication by using columns in temple is a nice attempt, but a stretch.
3) His attempt at painting Shiva as a smoking dude (albeit as a cool person!), might not go well with many.
4) To appear secular he keeps saying Inshallah everytime during interviews. He claims all the paths lead to god. Fine, but there is no need to specifically say Inshallah for that and not "Amen" or something else Or "Om Namah Shivay". I do not really understand why he is saying this. May he wants Media to treat him as "secular" and nominate him for Booker prize.

rawemotions wrote:I would like to know what you mean by serious reading!

serious reading calls for a mature audience and it can be difficult to read even for adults for it is stylish, verbose, intricate-plot, too many characters, very long, full of literary or historical allusions, allegorical, satirical. all these nuances would be missed by an audience not already exposed to examples of them in literature. take for example the annotated copy of the diwali poem by vikram seth on this site -- annotated by panini press. that is an example of serious reading.

i don't know, bob. two chapters into this book and i have no desire to finish it. usually, i am interested in finishing a fiction ASAP but this book is just meh for me. i will finish it eventually but i am not eager to do so.

edit - i see at least three posters on this forum who can write better fiction and sell 5X more than this tripathy mama.

Captain Bhankas wrote:i don't know, bob. two chapters into this book and i have no desire to finish it. usually, i am interested in finishing a fiction ASAP but this book is just meh for me. i will finish it eventually but i am not eager to do so.

I agree. I'm a bit of a mythology buff and therefore felt compelled to read all three books but I don't even know why there are 3 separate books in the first place. This is just one story, broken up into three parts, each part ending abruptly at some climactic moment, and ultimately ending very lamely.

The dialog is amateurish and listening to these ancient characters bantering using modern day collquialisms is jarring. Other parts which jarred: all that talk of molecules, free radicals, radio waves, radiation, fission vs fusion etc. And the use of Hindi. Surely the war-cry Har Har Mahadev didn't mean everyone (`har') is a Mahadev.

But given the dearth of talent in English fiction-writing in India, Amish is a welcome addition.

Merlot Daruwala wrote: The dialog is amateurish and listening to these ancient characters bantering using modern day collquialisms is jarring. Other parts which jarred: all that talk of molecules, free radicals, radio waves, radiation, fission vs fusion etc.

precisely. that is exactly what was off-putting for me. the language spoken by the characters.

some of the jokes are lame too. i mean rohit shetty lame. (for instance shiva answering "for you i am, but i charge others" (or something to that effect) when that lady asks "are you free?") ugghh.

Amitabh Bachchan grace Amish Tripathi's book Shiva Trilogy:
 

thanks. now that i know the bhachchchchchan has had something to say about it, i will never pick it up.

you men are so pretentious

 eating high class food, drinking high class beer, dissing local beer, talking about movies which came out before the beginning of time, dissing every other genre of music other than black and white JAzz and CM rendered by artists unheard of, painting art forms which mean nothing but promise to "mean something"....shhh pa...too much to keep up with:-)

this author is like Dan brown. His books should be read with a pinch of salt. who cares as long as the plot is interesting? who freakin cares if it is mythological hogwash or "realistic fiction"? any sensible reader would know the difference between "portrayals" and "characterization".

the books were written with one and only intent - making it into a bollywood movie. mission well accomplished.

Impedimenta wrote:you men are so pretentious

 eating high class food, drinking high class beer, dissing local beer, talking about movies which came out before the beginning of time, dissing every other genre of music other than black and white JAzz and CM rendered by artists unheard of, painting art forms which mean nothing but promise to "mean something"....shhh pa...too much to keep up with:-)

this author is like Dan brown. His books should be read with a pinch of salt. who cares as long as the plot is interesting? who freakin cares if it is mythological hogwash or "realistic fiction"? any sensible reader would know the difference between "portrayals" and "characterization".

the books were written with one and only intent - making it into a bollywood movie. mission well accomplished.

 
That’s all very good.
 
But the problem is that by using the names and stories related to Shiva and Parvati et al. (the Hindu Puranic deities) for major characters in his novels, this author not only achieved the goal of earning a lot of money through sale of his books, but he also invited the scrutinizing and critical examination of his works by those seriously interested in religion, philosophy, history, mythology and culture etc.

Hence these questions and comments.

Seva Lamberdar wrote:

Impedimenta wrote:you men are so pretentious

 eating high class food, drinking high class beer, dissing local beer, talking about movies which came out before the beginning of time, dissing every other genre of music other than black and white JAzz and CM rendered by artists unheard of, painting art forms which mean nothing but promise to "mean something"....shhh pa...too much to keep up with:-)

this author is like Dan brown. His books should be read with a pinch of salt. who cares as long as the plot is interesting? who freakin cares if it is mythological hogwash or "realistic fiction"? any sensible reader would know the difference between "portrayals" and "characterization".

the books were written with one and only intent - making it into a bollywood movie. mission well accomplished.

 
That’s all very good.
 
But the problem is that by using the names and stories related to Shiva and Parvati et al. (the Hindu Puranic deities) for major characters in his novels, this author not only achieved the goal of earning a lot of money through sale of his books, but he also invited the scrutinizing and critical examination of his works by those seriously interested in religion, philosophy, history, mythology and culture etc.

Hence these questions and comments.

err? you are giving him more importance by extending your "national scrutiny services" on a book which is deemed as realistic fiction. whose problem is that?

Impedimenta wrote:

Seva Lamberdar wrote:

Impedimenta wrote:you men are so pretentious

 eating high class food, drinking high class beer, dissing local beer, talking about movies which came out before the beginning of time, dissing every other genre of music other than black and white JAzz and CM rendered by artists unheard of, painting art forms which mean nothing but promise to "mean something"....shhh pa...too much to keep up with:-)

this author is like Dan brown. His books should be read with a pinch of salt. who cares as long as the plot is interesting? who freakin cares if it is mythological hogwash or "realistic fiction"? any sensible reader would know the difference between "portrayals" and "characterization".

the books were written with one and only intent - making it into a bollywood movie. mission well accomplished.

 
That’s all very good.
 
But the problem is that by using the names and stories related to Shiva and Parvati et al. (the Hindu Puranic deities) for major characters in his novels, this author not only achieved the goal of earning a lot of money through sale of his books, but he also invited the scrutinizing and critical examination of his works by those seriously interested in religion, philosophy, history, mythology and culture etc.

Hence these questions and comments.

err? you are giving him more importance by extending your "national scrutiny services" on a book which is deemed as realistic fiction. whose problem is that?

Basically yours.
You think he is Dan Brown.
Moreover, you repeatedly talk about him, even here, in terms of Brown. Ask him (Tiwari) how much research he did for his books? Probably nothing more than the stories he had heard at home as a child about Shiva and Parvati et al. from his brahmin parents / grandparents.
That's not like Dan Brown.

dan brown is definitely a pulp fiction writer. if this guy is like him, impy is not off the mark describing him as dan brown like.

Seva Lamberdar wrote:Ask him (Tiwari) how much research he did for his books?

will you eat your bata chappal and post pics here if i show you that he did much research for his books? notwithstanding the fact that his book remains historical fiction.

Huzefa Kapasi wrote:

Seva Lamberdar wrote:Ask him (Tiwari) how much research he did for his books?

will you eat your bata chappal and post pics here if i show you that he did much research for his books? notwithstanding the fact that his book remains historical fiction.

What is historical fiction ... the author pulling a fast one to popularize his fiction by using historical names?

What kind of "research" goes into or is required to write / create historical fiction? Hardly any, as long as a person (author) knows or has heard (even as a child) historical names and stories to which he can add his own spin (fictional tales etc.).

i cannot argue with someone who thinks Dan brown is legit.

Seva Lamberdar wrote:

Huzefa Kapasi wrote:

Seva Lamberdar wrote:Ask him (Tiwari) how much research he did for his books?

will you eat your bata chappal and post pics here if i show you that he did much research for his books? notwithstanding the fact that his book remains historical fiction.

What is historical fiction   ... the author pulling a fast one to popularize his fiction by using historical names?

What kind of "research" goes into or is required to write / create historical fiction? Hardly any, as long as a person (author) knows or has heard (even as a child) historical names and stories to which he can add his own spin (fictional tales etc.).

let me try one last time:

will you eat your bata chappal and post pics here if i show you that he did much research for his books? notwithstanding the fact that his book remains historical fiction.

was titanic movie a historical fiction? by and large, people loved it. historians slammed it. yet other small minority found it too cheesy and mediocre.

Vidya Bagchi wrote:was titanic movie a historical fiction? by and large, people loved it. historians slammed it. yet other small minority found it too cheesy and mediocre.

Historical fiction, the term Huzefa Kapasi proudly uses for Tiwari's book, sounds like an oxymoron. How much serious research / investigation can be there for a work which falls in the category of oxymoron?

Vidya Bagchi wrote:was titanic movie a historical fiction? by and large, people loved it. historians slammed it. yet other small minority found it too cheesy and mediocre.

it was cheesy, but kate winslet (definitely not cadaverous - hellsu take note) is yummy. so all is forgiven.

Seva Lamberdar wrote:

Vidya Bagchi wrote:was titanic movie a historical fiction? by and large, people loved it. historians slammed it. yet other small minority found it too cheesy and mediocre.

Historical fiction, the term Huzefa Kapasi proudly uses for Tiwari's book, sounds like an oxymoron.  How much serious research / investigation can be there for a work which falls in the category of oxymoron?

one last last last last time:

will you eat your bata chappal and post pics here if i show you that he did much research for his books? notwithstanding the fact that his book remains historical fiction.

historical fiction is a absolutely a genuine category. kalki's ponniyin selvan, a tamil novel is very well researched, but is a work of fiction. kalki basically takes the known facts about prince aruLmozhi varman (later known as rAja rAja chOzhan) and narrates them as a novel, filling in missing facts with a fictional account.

NPR has a whole page on it:

http://www.npr.org/books/genres/10113/historical-fiction/

MaxEntropy_Man wrote:historical fiction is a absolutely a genuine category.

Of course, it is a genuine category (i.e. historical fiction). The question really is on the type / quality of research / investigation involving the historical fiction or the fictionalized history?

I think the comparison with Dan Brown is right on. These guys take esoteric stories from religious traditions, and present them in a contemporary narrative. Defenders of Hinduism need not worry much about this Shiva trilogy; if anything, it makes the gods more accessible to today's young people, and brings them up to date with their imaginations. It will therefore strengthen rather than weaken the religious identity of the Hindu readers. 

Question for Sevaji. What would you rather have twenty-somethings in India read: fictional stories about Shiva or fictional stories about Harry Potter and Jesus Christ?

the immortals of meluha is a fantasy series about hindu gods. how cool is that? :-)

http://illiteratibookclub.wordpress.com/2011/12/18/the-immortals-of-meluha-by-amish/

Impedimenta wrote:the immortals of meluha is a fantasy series about hindu gods. how cool is that? :-)

http://illiteratibookclub.wordpress.com/2011/12/18/the-immortals-of-meluha-by-amish/

i read a couple of pages of part#1 at a bookstore and found it utterly uninteresting. it reminds me of ashok banker's books based on ramayana which were quite unbearable too. guess churning out potboilers based on mythology is the latest trend - fiction based on fiction.

bw wrote:

Impedimenta wrote:the immortals of meluha is a fantasy series about hindu gods. how cool is that? :-)

http://illiteratibookclub.wordpress.com/2011/12/18/the-immortals-of-meluha-by-amish/

i read a couple of pages of part#1 at a bookstore and found it utterly uninteresting. it reminds me of ashok banker's books based on ramayana which were quite unbearable too. guess churning out potboilers based on mythology is the latest trend - fiction based on fiction.

Exactly my point. Moreover, to call it a well-researched 'historical fiction' (which is oxymoron anyway) and to think the author is like Dan Brown (who at least creates some real suspense / intrigue in his writings) makes no sense at all.

MaxEntropy_Man wrote:
it was cheesy, but kate winslet (definitely not cadaverous - hellsu take note) is yummy. so all is forgiven.

That is coz you are a sucker for the British accent, Il Professor-ai.

Idéfix wrote:I think the comparison with Dan Brown is right on. These guys take esoteric stories from religious traditions, and present them in a contemporary narrative. Defenders of Hinduism need not worry much about this Shiva trilogy; if anything, it makes the gods more accessible to today's young people, and brings them up to date with their imaginations. It will therefore strengthen rather than weaken the religious identity of the Hindu readers. 

Question for Sevaji. What would you rather have twenty-somethings in India read: fictional stories about Shiva or fictional stories about Harry Potter and Jesus Christ?

You haven't watched Battlestar Galactica, have you? About Mitochondrial Eve? Maybe the Devas and Asuras were advanced alien civilizations who left earth alone as the human race progressed.

Perhaps the Asuras were Klingons and maybe the Devas were Vulcans.

Seva Lamberdar wrote:

bw wrote:

Impedimenta wrote:the immortals of meluha is a fantasy series about hindu gods. how cool is that? :-)

http://illiteratibookclub.wordpress.com/2011/12/18/the-immortals-of-meluha-by-amish/

i read a couple of pages of part#1 at a bookstore and found it utterly uninteresting. it reminds me of ashok banker's books based on ramayana which were quite unbearable too. guess churning out potboilers based on mythology is the latest trend - fiction based on fiction.

Exactly my point. Moreover, to call it a well-researched 'historical fiction' (which is oxymoron anyway) and to think the author is like Dan Brown (who at least creates some real suspense / intrigue in his writings) makes no sense at all.

According to a news clip, Bachchan (after being invited to promote these books) said a smart thing during his  presentation, in paraphrased form,  "although I am part of their promotion, I haven't read them."

Seva Lamberdar wrote:
According to a news clip, Bachchan (after being invited to promote these books) said a smart thing during his  presentation, in paraphrased form,  "although I am part of their promotion, I haven't read them."

AB is part of every promotion in India it seems. He has Brand Equity.

Hellsangel wrote:

Idéfix wrote:I think the comparison with Dan Brown is right on. These guys take esoteric stories from religious traditions, and present them in a contemporary narrative. Defenders of Hinduism need not worry much about this Shiva trilogy; if anything, it makes the gods more accessible to today's young people, and brings them up to date with their imaginations. It will therefore strengthen rather than weaken the religious identity of the Hindu readers. 

Question for Sevaji. What would you rather have twenty-somethings in India read: fictional stories about Shiva or fictional stories about Harry Potter and Jesus Christ?

You haven't watched Battlestar Galactica, have you? About Mitochondrial Eve? Maybe the Devas and Asuras were advanced alien civilizations who left earth alone as the human race progressed.

Perhaps the Asuras were Klingons and maybe the Devas were Vulcans.

No, I haven't watched either. If someone wants to portray the devas and asuras as advanced alien civlizations, what's wrong with that? If a lot of young Indians read it, that will only increase the mindshare of Hindu gods in that segment.

Seva Lamberdar wrote:

bw wrote:

Impedimenta wrote:the immortals of meluha is a fantasy series about hindu gods. how cool is that? :-)

http://illiteratibookclub.wordpress.com/2011/12/18/the-immortals-of-meluha-by-amish/

i read a couple of pages of part#1 at a bookstore and found it utterly uninteresting. it reminds me of ashok banker's books based on ramayana which were quite unbearable too. guess churning out potboilers based on mythology is the latest trend - fiction based on fiction.

Exactly my point. Moreover, to call it a well-researched 'historical fiction' (which is oxymoron anyway) and to think the author is like Dan Brown (who at least creates some real suspense / intrigue in his writings) makes no sense at all.

Sevaji, you are getting really confused now. You call historical fiction an oxymoron, then a genuine category, and then an oxymoron again. Is your problem with this Shiva trilogy that it doesn't have suspense and intrigue? If not, what are you now changing the conversation to suspense and intrigue? 

My heuristic on books regarding religion: if it makes the self-appointed defenders of that religion uneasy, then the book must be doing something right. This is why I read Da Vinci Code and Satanic Verses, and I will now read this guy.

Idéfix wrote:

Seva Lamberdar wrote:

bw wrote:

Impedimenta wrote:the immortals of meluha is a fantasy series about hindu gods. how cool is that? :-)

http://illiteratibookclub.wordpress.com/2011/12/18/the-immortals-of-meluha-by-amish/

i read a couple of pages of part#1 at a bookstore and found it utterly uninteresting. it reminds me of ashok banker's books based on ramayana which were quite unbearable too. guess churning out potboilers based on mythology is the latest trend - fiction based on fiction.

Exactly my point. Moreover, to call it a well-researched 'historical fiction' (which is oxymoron anyway) and to think the author is like Dan Brown (who at least creates some real suspense / intrigue in his writings) makes no sense at all.

Sevaji, you are getting really confused now. You call historical fiction an oxymoron, then a genuine category, and then an oxymoron again. Is your problem with this Shiva trilogy that it doesn't have suspense and intrigue? If not, what are you now changing the conversation to suspense and intrigue? 

My heuristic on books regarding religion: if it makes the self-appointed defenders of that religion uneasy, then the book must be doing something right. This is why I read Da Vinci Code and Satanic Verses, and I will now read this guy.

majorly confused.

to the comment "(it is) fiction based on fiction" sevaji says "exactly my point." so he agrees mythology is fiction and not fact.

upthread he says exactly the reverse:

"But the problem is that by using the names and stories related to Shiva and Parvati et al. (the Hindu Puranic deities) for major characters in his novels ... he invited the scrutinizing and critical examination of his works by those seriously interested in religion, philosophy, history, mythology and culture etc."

sevaji, amish is as seriously interested in fiction as you are... ok? the puranas are replete with tales of the same events told in different and sometimes conflicting  ways. if the authors of the puranas had poetic license, so does amish. you are a kombolete idiot.

Huzefa Kapasi wrote:

Idéfix wrote:

Seva Lamberdar wrote:

bw wrote:

Impedimenta wrote:the immortals of meluha is a fantasy series about hindu gods. how cool is that? :-)

http://illiteratibookclub.wordpress.com/2011/12/18/the-immortals-of-meluha-by-amish/

i read a couple of pages of part#1 at a bookstore and found it utterly uninteresting. it reminds me of ashok banker's books based on ramayana which were quite unbearable too. guess churning out potboilers based on mythology is the latest trend - fiction based on fiction.

Exactly my point. Moreover, to call it a well-researched 'historical fiction' (which is oxymoron anyway) and to think the author is like Dan Brown (who at least creates some real suspense / intrigue in his writings) makes no sense at all.

Sevaji, you are getting really confused now. You call historical fiction an oxymoron, then a genuine category, and then an oxymoron again. Is your problem with this Shiva trilogy that it doesn't have suspense and intrigue? If not, what are you now changing the conversation to suspense and intrigue? 

My heuristic on books regarding religion: if it makes the self-appointed defenders of that religion uneasy, then the book must be doing something right. This is why I read Da Vinci Code and Satanic Verses, and I will now read this guy.

majorly confused.

to the comment "(it is) fiction based on fiction" sevaji says "exactly my point." so he agrees mythology is fiction and not fact.

upthread he says exactly the reverse:

"But the problem is that by using the names and stories related to Shiva and Parvati et al. (the Hindu Puranic deities) for major characters in his novels ... he invited the scrutinizing and critical examination of his works by those seriously interested in religion, philosophy, history, mythology and culture etc."

sevaji, amish is as seriously interested in fiction as you are... ok? the puranas are replete with tales of the same events told in different and sometimes conflicting  ways. if the authors of the puranas had poetic license, so does amish. you are a kombolete idiot.

H.K., if you think that I accept the writings in the Puranas literally and as supported by history, then you are a complete idiot.

Seva Lamberdar wrote:
H.K., if you think that I accept the writings in the Puranas literally and as supported by history, then you are a complete idiot.

then what do you "accept" it as? what exactly is your beef with the book?

*dr. seva has left the building*

Seva Lamberdar wrote:Amitabh Bachchan grace Amish Tripathi's book Shiva Trilogy:
 

 
Btw, is that Shiva shown dancing in the video before Bachchan starts to speak during the promotion of Shiva trilogy book?