Table Of Contentwestland publications ltd
IMMORTAL INDIA
Amish is a 1974-born, IIM (Kolkata)-educated, boring banker-turned-happy
author. The success of his debut book, The Immortals of Meluha (Book 1 of the
Shiva Trilogy), encouraged him to give up a fourteen-year-old career in financial
services to focus on writing. He is passionate about history, mythology and
philosophy, finding beauty and meaning in all world religions.
Amish’s books have sold more than 4 million copies and have been translated
into over 19 languages.
Amish lives in Mumbai with his wife Preeti and son Neel.
www.authoramish.com
www.facebook.com/authoramish
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Other Titles By Amish
SHIVA TRILOGY
The Immortals of Meluha (Book 1 of the Shiva Trilogy) 1900 BCE.
The inhabitants of that period know the land of Meluha as a near
perfect empire created many centuries earlier by Lord Ram, one of
the greatest monarchs that ever lived. Now their primary river
Saraswati is drying, and they face terrorist attacks from their
enemies from the east. Will their legendary hero, the Neelkanth,
emerge to destroy evil?
The Secret of the Nagas (Book 2 of the Shiva Trilogy) The sinister
Naga warrior has killed Brahaspati and now stalks Sati. Shiva, the
prophesied destroyer of evil, will not rest till he finds his demonic
adversary. Fierce battles will be fought and unbelievable secrets
revealed in this second book of the Shiva Trilogy.
The Oath of the Vayuputras (Book 3 of the Shiva Trilogy) Shiva is
gathering his forces. He reaches the Naga capital, Panchavati, and
Evil is finally revealed. The Neelkanth prepares for a holy war
against his true enemy. Will he succeed? Discover the answer to
these mysteries in this concluding part of the bestselling Shiva
Trilogy.
RAM CHANDRA SERIES
Ram—Scion of Ikshvaku (Book 1 of the Series)
3400 BCE. India. A terrible war has taken its toll and weakened Ayodhya. The
damage runs deep. The demon King of Lanka, Raavan, does not impose his rule
on the defeated. He, instead, imposes his trade. Money is sucked out of the
empire. Through the suffering that people endure, they do not realise that a
leader is among them. An ostracised prince. A prince called Ram. Begin an epic
journey with Amish’s Ram Chandra Series.
Sita—Warrior of Mithila (Book 2 of the Series)
An abandoned baby is found in a field. Protected by a vulture from a pack of
murderous wolves. She is adopted by the ruler of Mithila, a powerless kingdom,
ignored by all. Nobody believes this child will amount to much. But they are
wrong. For she is no ordinary girl. She is Sita. Continue the epic journey with
the second book of the Ram Chandra Series: A thrilling adventure that
chronicles the rise of an adopted child, who became the prime minister. And
then, a Goddess.
For those who want perspective to some current debates that make
breaking news, Amish writes with an ease and depth that makes this a must read.
Amish negotiates through the most controversial and topical of issues with an
unaffected clarity. From LGBT rights to the Uniform Civil Code, he pierces
through to the nub of the issue. Not only is he the most fascinatingly innovative
interpreter of Indian myths, but also one of the most original thinkers of his
generation.
—Arnab Goswami
I’ve been familiar with Amish for years watching his books fly off the
shelves at airports. Getting to know him lately has revealed to me a deeply
thoughtful mind with an unusual, original, and fascinating view of the past.
—Shekhar Gupta
Amish Tripathi is one of the most authentic voices of the new, young and
self-confident India. His novels, including a retelling of the Ramayana story,
have made a huge impact. Now he explores some of the contemporary issues
confronting India. He does it with remarkable lucidity and Indian-ness. To
understand the New India you need to read Amish.
—Swapan Dasgupta
One of India’s best storytellers looks at today’s burning issues and clarifies
the arguments by blending reason and history into an extremely readable
collection of essays.
—Vir Sanghvi
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First published by westland publications ltd, 2017
Copyright © Amish Tripathi, 2017
All rights reserved
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Amish Tripathi asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
ISBN: 9788193432006
Cover Concept and Design by Quotient Communications This book is sold
subject to the condition that it shall not, by any way of trade or otherwise, be
lent, resold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the author’s prior written
consent, in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published
and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the
subsequent purchaser and without limiting the rights under copyright reserved
above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced
into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written
permission of the copyright owner, except in the case of brief quotations
embodied in critical articles or reviews with appropriate citations.
www.authoramish.com
To Bhavna Roy
My sister,
A gyan yogi, a philosopher,
A proud inheritor of Indian wisdom,
A seeker of knowledge from around the world,
One who has often lit my path,
And more importantly, walked with me
CONTENTS
START READING
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
INTRODUCTION TO IMMORTAL INDIA
Religion & Mythology
LORD SHIVA: THE GOD OF CONTRADICTIONS
PLAYING IT BY THE RULES; LORD RAM’S PATH
HAPPILY RELIGIOUS & LIBERAL
INTER-FAITH DIALOGUE
LIVING MYTHOLOGY
UNBRIDLED SHAKTI
THE PURPOSE OF GOD
RECASTING MYTHOLOGY
THE MASCULINE/FEMININE WAY & OTHER QUESTIONS
HOW THE SHIVA TRILOGY ENDED & OTHER QUESTIONS
Social Issues
LGBT RIGHTS & SECTION 377
ON RELIGIOUS CONVERSIONS
RELIGIOUS VIOLENCE IN INDIA
ARGUING AMICABLY
BANE OF CASTEISM
CORRUPTION FAULT LINES
REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT & THE WILL OF THE PEOPLE
ONE THING AT A TIME
THE AGE OF MONEY
THE ANCIENT INDIAN APPROACH TO CHARITY & INCLUSIVENESS
THE VOICE OF THE RELIGIOUS LIBERALS
History
THE MYTH OF THE ARYAN INVASION THEORY
YOUNG, INDIAN & INSOLENT
BRITISH BOMBAY, AAMCHI MUMBAI
DIVIDE AND RULE LAWS IN MODERN INDIA
FORGIVE. . .DON’T FORGET HISTORY
STATES VS CENTRE
MAY SHAKTI BE WITH YOU!
VEDIC LEARNING
WAJID ALI SHAH: THE VIRTUOSO
WHERE THE SPEECH IS WITHOUT FEAR. . .
A CALM REBELLION
Musings
WHY I WRITE
SCIENCE, SPIRITUALITY & MY SON, NEEL
THE THREE WISE WOMEN
A PATRIOTIC MANIFESTO
Om Namah Shivāya
The universe bows to Lord Shiva.
I bow to Lord Shiva.
Janani Janmabhoomischa Swargadapi Gariyasi
Mother and Motherland are superior to heaven
—Lord Ram, in the Ramayan
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This is my first non-fiction book. It is, essentially, a collection of my thoughts on
various subjects, crystallised through articles that I wrote, speeches that I made,
and debates that I participated in.
There are many who have helped cement, and at times temper, my
thoughts. And there are others who have helped bring these thoughts on to public
platforms. I’d like to acknowledge some of them.
India, my country, and the land of my karma. I am defined to a great
degree by my Indian heritage. My thoughts, my values, my way of life, are
moulded by the culture and the heritage of my land.
Neel, my son, my blessing. And in some aspects, my teacher; as I explain
in an article in this book.
Preeti, my wife, and one of my closest advisors. Bhavna, my sister;
Himanshu, my brother-in-law; Anish and Ashish, my brothers; for all their
inputs to my articles and speeches. My sister, Bhavna deserves special mention
for the time she invests in reading every article of mine in minute detail, along
with her deep advice. My brother-in-law, Himanshu and my elder brother,
Anish, also deserve special mention. Often, they advise me on the broader
aspects of the topic, at times tempering my emotional enthusiasm with their sage
wisdom.
The rest of my family: Usha, Vinay, Meeta, Donetta, Shernaz, Smita, Anuj,
Ruta. For their consistent faith and love.
Gautam, the CEO of Westland, my publisher. A rare combination of
efficiency, politeness and old-world manners.
Abhijeet, who has driven the marketing for this book. I have known him
for years and he’s one of the finest marketing minds I know. It’s a delight to
receive his support for this book. And Neha, my Relationship Manager at
Westland, who manages all my activities there; multi-talented, enthusiastic,
hard-working.
Sudha, my editor. This is the first time I’ve worked with her. She’s a calm,
dedicated and meticulous editor. It has been a pleasure and I hope that we get a
