On the cover of Amish Tripathi’s latest book, Raavan: Enemy of Aryavarta, the author’s last name does not appear because he wants readers to judge his books by his stories and not by his caste.
In fact, Amish, who often retells stories from Indian mythology, argues that in ancient times people’s varnas (castes) were defined by their karma (deeds) and not by birth.
While this may not be the common view of the Hindu caste system, Amish have rarely adhered to “popular narratives” of Hinduism. Through his fantasy novels, the author has always explored subaltern perspectives to approach religion and produced a rich, liberal and pluralistic history of Hindu culture, which is sadly ignored amid the cacophony of rigid Hindutva adherents these days.
Speaking to News18.com, Amish said, “I’ve had readers come to me with different interpretations of mythology and religious texts, and I think it’s very natural.”
“However, it is not just my version, there are many ancient versions of Hindu texts, which vary. For example, the Ram Charitra Manash is different from Valmiki Ramayan. In the original Valmiki Ramayan, Lakshman rekha is not mentioned, but it finds a place in Ram Charitra Manash, which is a more modern version of Ramayana.” he added.
Earlier this week, Amish . launched Raavan: Enemy of Aryavarta, the third installment in his wildly popular Ram Chandra series. Unlike the previous two books, which center on protagonists such as Ram (Ram: Scion of Ikshvaku) and Sita (Sita: Warrior of Mithila), who are considered human incarnations of gods, this book tells the story of Raavan, the notorious villain of Ramayana.
However, the author believes that Raavan holds more than his villainous traits as he delves deep into the mythological character, who is generally portrayed in a negative light in most adaptations of the Hindu epic.
“What makes Raavan interesting is the fact that he’s not just another criminal,” Amish said. “He’s not a wild man, unlike many of the villains we see in modern stories. He was a scholar and a brilliant musician. He was a really deep and complex character, which makes him an intriguing protagonist to write about.” Flawed, complex characters make for great stories, don’t they?” the author asked. Amish’ Raavan is a well-read and experienced man, but he too has violent tendencies and a huge ego.
After he wrote his first book, The Immortals of Meluha (2010), most Indian publishers rejected it because books on mythology do not appeal to the youth, the main target audience of the book market. But over the past decade, Amish and his legions of young fans have proven that theory wrong.
“We often tend to underestimate Indian youth,” says the author. “The general perception is that they don’t want to be connected to their culture, but that’s not true. I believe that the young people want to be deeply connected to their roots, but nobody gives them the tools, because our education system today is still very Europe focused rather than India,” he added.
Amish pointed out that it doesn’t help that there aren’t many points of reference in popular culture about our history and ancestors to follow. “The shortcomings are not those of the youth, but those who run the education system in India and those who shape public perception,” Amish said.
“Essentially, there was always a demand for reading books related to ancient India, the supply was never there. I am lucky enough to be able to supply it to them,” added the author.
Amish, as an Indian English writer, also appeals to a large international audience, who learn about Indian mythology and history through his books. “The messages of our ancestors are so wise, you will find that people all over the world are listening,” said the writer.
“In the West, there is a false dichotomy. You have to choose between traditionalism and liberalism. As a result, people in the West, or in the Middle East, are either very rigidly traditional (sometimes even fanatical), or they are so liberal that they don’t have traditions to root them. But in India we can be traditional and liberal at the same time. You don’t have to make a choice and that gives you the best of both worlds,” he added. It is this mix of traditional and liberal values of Hindu philosophy that makes his work attractive to many in all age groups and countries.
While religion is a touchy subject in India and any comment about Hinduism that doesn’t sit well with the Hindutva brigade on social media platforms could spark arguments and debate, Amish has somehow managed to get over the past decade. circumvent controversies and contradictions. The author believes that the main reason for this is that everything he writes about religion is well researched and borrowed from ancient Indian texts.
“The philosophies I speak of are based on texts I’ve read written by our own ancestors. So I don’t see why there should be any controversy.” said the author.
Raavan, Enemy of Aryavarta, written by Amish, is published by Westland Publications. The book costs Rs 399.
