Honestly, Indian authors are incredibly underrated.
The Shiva Trilogy written by banker turned author Amish Tripathi is hands down my favorite book series of all time. As the title suggests, the three books follow the adventures of the revered blue-throated Hindu god, Shiva. The story, however is a little different compared to the ones you heard from your grandparents growing up. In Amish’s version, Shiva is a humble tribal man hailing from the land of Tibet who while working manual labor finds himself in Devagiri, the land of gods. On drinking the holy drink of Somras, which is said to prolong one’s life- his throat turns blue. He goes from Shiva to the Lord Neelkanth. The three books uncover horrifying truths ranging from a father’s obsession with his daughter and the story behind the ostracized Nagas, is filled with cheesy romance- my favorite ship being Parvateshwar and Anandmayi and will make you cry. The author’s potrayal of Lord Ganesh and Karthikeya still has me reeling three years later.
I am a visual reader and the visual imagery in these books is insane. From majestic palaces, huge battlefields to describing Hindu rituals, it is nearly paradise.
I got my hands on the first book when I was seventh grade. My dad loves reading as much as I do. The cover and the title, ‘The Immortals of Meluha’ caught his eye and mine too. A few days after he bought the book I stole it from his desk and spent the entire day in school reading. I could not put that book down. The best and worst part about the books were the cliffhangers. The wait between the second and third was the most agonizing year of my life. But boy, was it worth the wait. I laughed, sobbed and every time I read it feel like I am a part of the family, sitting up there in Kailash celebrating the full moon night.
If you want a fix of Hindu mythology and fiction, Amish’s books are for you. Apart from the Shiva trilogy, three of the five books from the Ram series are out now. Each one better than the other. All said and done, there is a reason Amish is known as the Paulo Coelho of the East. On that note, happy reading and go check out Indian authors.
