Amish Tripathi’s twists to 'puranas' make going back to roots easier, say Gen Z readers

Bengaluru, Sept 3 (PTI) Data scientist Rounak Shetty sits engrossed in his work, seemingly oblivious to the buzz around him. He fits in perfectly in the bungalow that is now flipped into a bookshop named after a flower, in a tony neighbourhood of Bengaluru that often provides fodder for #peakbengaluru moments.

But all that studied indifference disappears in a jiffy when bestselling author Amish Tripathi steps in for the book signing session, as part of his ‘The Chola Tigers’ promotional tour, at the appointed time.

Shetty grabs the dog-eared copy of ‘Scion of Ikshvaku’, the fourth book in ‘Amishverse’, and rushes to join the people waiting to get an autograph. When his turn comes, the 26-year-old shyly pushes his sleeve to reveal a tattoo of ‘Hanuman Chalisa’ on his forearm, thanking Tripathi for giving him the confidence to wear his religion literally on his sleeve.

Much later, after the celebrated author leaves, sipping on his drink, Shetty tells PTI how Tripathi’s books found him at a time when he was struggling to come to terms with all those fantastic stories that are part of his religion.

“The science student in me found it hard to reconcile with all that mythology. But Tripathi’s books sort of bring science into the myth, making you think that it is OK to believe in them as well,” said the data scientist, who hails from Mysuru.

For 26-year-old Anarghya S R, a quality engineer who has made Bengaluru her home for the last three years, Tripathi’s layered portrayal of mythological figures, who were often seen through a very rigid prism of religion, eventually led her to question the unquestionable.

For instance, in her native village in Udupi, caste is something that is strictly defined by birth.

“But Tripathi’s definition of the system in ‘The Immortals of Meluha’ -- where people are sorted based on skill and education -- is something that I could live with. It’s a reformative way of looking at caste system,” said Anarghya, who started reading Tripathi in school when her brother introduced her to his Shiva Trilogy.

Because he gave a twist to puranas in his books, Anarghya said it was possible for her and her brother to often engage in deep conversations with the elders in their family.

“We could debate with them about the possibility of other angles to a story that they think they know very well. After all, isn’t the very essence of Hinduism is syncretism?” said the 25-year-old.

Purvita Bothra, who had come to the signing session with her “just turned one” son strapped on to her, said books for her is a form of escapism from the real world.

“I could pretty much read anything, as long as it is entertaining,” said the new mother.

She picked up ‘The Immortals of Meluha’ because she was “quite intrigued” by the jacket blurb, she said.

“There was no looking back after that. I finished the entire Shiva Trilogy and moved on to Ram Chandra series in no time. In fact, I have read them six or seven times now,” said 37-year-old Bothra.

Not only she found the plot line engaging, but thanks to the twists Trivedi gives to his characters that are loosely based on age-old mythological characters, stories are “never boring”.

“I mean, Sita is not just a princess, but a warrior princess in Amish’s world, with a story of her own and not just an accessory to Ram,” said Bothra.

Thirty-year-old Janani who caught the “Amish” wave the very day he launched his first book, said she is extra thrilled with ‘The Chola Tigers’ as she is originally from Coimbatore.

“I am hoping to finish the book by tonight, usually I am unable to stop reading his books once I start,” said Janani to PTI.

Initially, she was drawn to his fictional world of Meluha as she feels a connection towards Shiva, she said.

“I would say he made Shiva more accessible to me. Instead of putting him on a pedestal, he made him human, who grapples with moral ambiguities, just like most of us do,” said Janani.

Sitting by her side, 25-year-old Shivangi, a finance associate from Bihar who has been living in Bengaluru for the last two years, supplies Janani with “right words” whenever she gets stuck describing her favourite author.

They may finish each other’s sentences like seasoned friends, but they just met at the bookshop, they tell you.

“I literally bumped into her when I walked in, but when I saw her holding a copy of ‘The Chola Tigers’, we started chatting. It’s been like 30 minutes now, but I get her because I too, a Shiva bhakt, fell in love with Tripathi’s very humanised version of Shiva,” said Shivangi.

Shivangi said she is into “mythological stuff”, but recently decided to open herself to other genres.

“Paul Coelho and Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni are the other authors that I enjoy reading, but I find myself coming back to Tripathi, especially his Shiva Trilogy and Ram Chandra series,” said Shivangi.

For her, just the way Tripathi connects his fictional world to the original source is enough to go back to his books.

Shetty too points out that this is something that Tripathi has mastered well.

“He is so fluent in this that it makes it easier for people like me to get back to our roots,” added Shetty. PTI JR ROH