Atheist to a Shiva bhakt

By day a control freak boss and by night a writer, he has faced many rejections by publishers in the last few years. Today, he is the best-selling author of The Shiva Trilogy.

I call him up at 9 pm, quite late by industry standards for calling up people for interviews. He picks up at the first ring sounding pretty excited. “I hope this is only for transcript not a podcast because I have just downed a glass of wine, we’re celebrating the success of The Secret Of The Nagas, it has only been a week and the book has gone into reprint.”

He warms up to the theme. “You know, I faced a lot of rejections from publishers who wanted me to change a bit of the story, asked me to drop philosophy as it seemed like a gyan session but I was adamant.”

The story reads like an adventure of the characters with an underlying philosophy. So did he find himself compelled to give his book a Dan Brown treatment?

“When I wrote the book, it read like a philosophy thesis, my friends and family suggested that I write it in the form of an adventure story as people will then at least give it a chance. This has been done a million times before, Ved Vyasa wrote Mahabharata to convey the philosophy of Vedas as they can become intense for most people. I didn’t do anything wrong. As a writer it’s important to stay true to your story without giving a hoot about publishers, critics and readers. You should do your karma as an author – the way you want to and rest is up to God.”

Full report here Hindustan Times 

Jeffrey Archer of India

Amish Tripathi, bestselling author of The Immortals of Meluha, the first installment of the Shiva Trilogy, launched his second offering, The Secret of the Nagas, at Starmark, South City Mall, in association with Westland, recently in town. Actor and producer, Arindam Sil, was there to launch the book, while Rimi B Chatterjee, writer and academic, steered a discussion over the author, his inspiration and his works.

“I am deeply passionate about history, had it been a lucrative career, I would have taken it up. Coming from a quintessentially argumentative Indian family and growing up in a liberal atmosphere, procurement of knowledge was always a part of life. But I was a sports guy and then a hyperactive banker, writing came to me as divine inspiration,” said Tripathi. He added, “I approached the story with the humility of a witness rather than the arrogance of a writer. It was all due the blessings of Lord Shiva.”

The book launch was preceded by an innovative trailer of the book, which Gautam Jatia, CEO of Starmark, termed as ‘a novel way to launch a book’. During the better part of the evening, the author indulged in a question and answer session with the select gathering of enthusiastic readers. “Amish is involved at every stage of the book, from the writing process to the marketing procedure,” commented, Biswa Bandhu Mukherjee, representative of Westland.

Termed as the ‘Jeffrey Archer of India’, by Arindam Sil, an avowed fan of the books, Tripathi engaged the audience in an informative and enjoyable session. He talked about the genesis of his philosophy, the ‘divine inspiration’ behind his creations, his writing process and much more from history to mythology to contemporary issues of India.

Full report here Education Times

Banker-turned-author launches new book

Banker-turned-author Amish Tripathi on Monday launched the sequel to his national bestseller, “The Immortals of Melluha”, at Starmark, South City Mall in Kolkata.

The 2nd book in the Shiva trilogy is called The Secret of The Nagas furthers the tale of a fictional man called Shiva who through his deeds becomes a legend and is eventually heralded as the god “Mahadev”.

The book entwines mythology with history and philosophy but delivers all that hidden beneath a veil of believable characters including Shiva who embarks on a riveting adventure.

The 36-year-old Indian Institute of Management (Kolkata) passout commented on his book by saying, “I have tried my best to combine everything I have learned. I didn’t write the book myself and rather I just surrendered to the flow and let the characters develop on their own.”

Tollywood actor Arindam Shil praised Amish by calling him “The Jeffrey Acrher of India”.

“The best part I think was that, here I could see characters whom we have personified but they are so flesh and blood,” he said.

Full report here Indiablooms

Intriguing pages

Avid readers quizzed Amish Tripathi on his writing and philosphy during the launch of The Secret of Nagas

The launch event of Amish Tripathi's second book, The Secret of the Nagas at Landmark recently was absolutely packed with fans of his Shiva Trilogy.

It wasn't just that every seat was taken, or that shoppers paused to listen to the author speak; it was how knowledgeable the audience members were about the books, and how vociferous they were in their praise of the series.

The book, which is a sequel to Amish's hit debut novel the Immortals of Meluha (2010), has already climbed to the top of Indian bestseller lists, and the two books between them have had a print run of three lakh. The trilogy is the author's take on Indian mythology, based on a simple premise — what if Lord Shiva had once been one of us, a tribal living 4000 years ago? — and it's clear that it has struck a chord with Indian readers.

“Thanks for creating a Shiva I can identify with,” said one fan. Another thanked the author for openly opposing the Aryan invasion theory: “I'm so happy to find someone in the mainstream willing to proclaim the fact.” (Amish called it a “nonsense theory” during the event.)

Full report here Hindu

Review: The Secret Of The Nagas

review

The Secret Of The Nagas
Amish Tripathi
Westland
396 pages
Rs 295
ISBN 9789380658797
Paperback

About the book
Today, He is a God.
4000 years ago, He was just a man.

The hunt is on. The sinister Naga warrior has killed his friend Brahaspati and now stalks his wife Sati. Shiva, the Tibetan immigrant who is the prophesied destroyer of evil, will not rest till he finds his demonic adversary. His vengeance and the path to evil will lead him to the door
of the Nagas, the serpent people. Of that he is certain.  The evidence of the malevolent rise of evil is everywhere. A kingdom is dying as it is held to ransom for a miracle drug. A crown prince is murdered. The Vasudevs – Shiva’s philosopher guides – betray his unquestioning faith as they take the aid of the dark side. Even the perfect empire, Meluha is riddled with a
terrible secret in Maika, the city of births. Unknown to Shiva, a master puppeteer is playing a grand game. In a journey that will take him across the length and breadth of ancient India, Shiva searches for the truth in
a land of deadly mysteries – only to find that nothing is what it seems.
Fierce battles will be fought. Surprising alliances will be forged. Unbelievable secrets will be revealed in this second book of the Shiva Trilogy, the sequel to the #1 national bestseller, The Immortals of Meluha.


Reviews:
Full review here DNA

Amish Tripathi’s Immortals Of Meluha evoked two distinct reactions from this reviewer: lots of eye-rolling at the amateur writing, but also an irrepressible urge to keep turning the pages.

So when the second book in the Shiva Trilogy, The Secret Of The Nagas, arrived in all its glossy, muscle-rippling, fang-baring glory, much the same was expected. And Amish, as he likes to be called, delivers spectacularly — on both counts.

We’re thrust into the narrative, mid-action, exactly from where the first book ended. And the breathless pace of the action hardly ever lets up. Shiva, the Tibetan warrior, and his wife Sati chase the mysteriously-hooded Nagas all across ancient India to find their secret.

There are more twists and turns than in a Gordian knot, and at least two revelations of the ‘Luke-I-am-your-father’ variety.

The Secret Of The Nagas is impressive in its conception. But it is executed poorly. And it really rankles, because there is so much scope for flair, adventure and wonder in the world Tripathi has imagined.

Take this description of a sun rise on the Ganga: “The sun had just risen over the Ganga, tinting it a stunning orange.” It evokes a particularly unimaginative scribble by a six-year-old at best. When Shiva enters the impenetrable city of Branga, this is how Tripathi describes the buildings and temples. “…their buildings were superbly built and maintained, while their temples were lofty and grand.”

-=-=-

Tete-a-tete with Amish Tripathi

Now, Lord Shiva has been the muse for several authors. So, as I was gifted the 'Immortals of Meluha' a few months ago, I turned to read the authors profile. Amish Tripathi, an IIM alumnus and a banker, hmmm, the cynic in me rolled eyes, "now where have I heard that before?!"

Little did I know that not only would I end up reading it in one go, but would also pick up the second offering in the trilogy, 'The Secret of the Nagas' on the first day of its release! The icing on the cake? Well, I got to meet the storyteller, Amish Tripathi at a book reading session in Hyderabad and must say he did better than just wiping away my cynicism over Bankers-turning-Authors. Here are some excerpts:

Mythology and religion have been issues that are perceived to be sensitive. You chose to weave your debut novel around these topics… did u apprehend any brickbats, controversies?
You know a lot of people told me not to write on Shiva or god or religion. But I think there is no better place than India to actually write on these. We have always been open to interpretations. Ramayana has a 1000 versions, with some even suggesting that Sita was the one who actually killed Raavan!

Your characters, be it Shiva or Sati or even the warrior Parvateshwar have this very real-life character to them. Was it a conscious effort to not place any of them on a pedestal?
All my characters reflect people I have met in my life. Like the warrior Parvateshwar is actually based on my brother-in-law, who is a cop and I respect him immensely…

Full interview here IBNLive

Pop fiction is a great leveller

Whatever your stand on the Jan Lokpal Bill issue, the one heartening aspect of the 13-day circus has been a mass of people from different social strata coming together for one cause. We don’t see this happen often.

We are hyper-aware of how diverse India is. And this diversity is tricky business, in the cultural world especially. There is work created for the masses, like a Bollywood blockbuster or a Page 3-inspired newspaper supplement; and then, there are products we don’t expect will have a wide appeal. However, before Anna Hazare united the nation —  rather than a sliver of disgruntled intelligentsia — India had one great unifier: cheap pop fiction.

Chetan Bhagat’s first novel, Five Point Someone, has sold over 700,000 copies. Karan Bajaj’s debut novel Keep Off The Grass was a bestseller with sales of more than 500,000. Recently, The Secret of the Nagas by Amish is believed to have sold 70,000 copies within a few weeks of its release. All these authors have a few things in common. They are management students; critics rubbish their writing; their books are cheap; and given the sales figures, everyone except the critics (probably the same disgruntled lot who are appalled by Hazare) is buying their books.

Full article here Firstpost

Man of myths

The Secret of the Nagas, the second book in the Meluha trilogy, is out. Writer Amish Tripathi tells Harshini Vakkalanka the books have made him a believer

What was supposed to be a banker's first piece of fiction on the philosophy of evil, was shaped into something quite different and much more magnanimous.

“I was told by friends and family that something like an adventure novel incorporating my philosophy of evil would be much better. And I thought, who better to represent the philosophy of evil than the destroyer of evil himself,” says Amish Tripathi, author of the best-selling Shiva Trilogy.

He was in the city to launch The Secret of the Nagas, the second book in the trilogy. The first book, his debut novel, The Immortals of Meluha has sold more than 125,000 copies since its release in February 2010 and dominated most of the best-seller lists last year. “I'm a voracious reader and I love reading about history. Over the past 25 years, I have been reading about almost every aspect of Indian history from archaeology to research. Also my family is an argumentative liberal Indian one. We were always discussing Indian mythology. I grew up listening to tales of yore. These things were always there at the back of my mind, so when He willed it, I guess they came out,” explains Amish.

Full report here Hindu

Chetan Bhagat's Revolution 2020 becomes the fastest selling book online

Revolution 2020 is one of the most awaited books in recent times. Announced a couple of days ago, it has created ripples and is raring to go. Readers are eagerly awaiting the launch and online portals are gearing up with pre-order and freebies.

The launch date for Revolution 2020 by bestselling author Chetan Bhagat is finally out. Yes, the much awaited book will be launched in October. Sprucing up for a Diwali launch, it is much anticipated in the readers' circles. Revolution 2020 is set in small-town India and revolves around three friends. Gopal and Raghav are in pursuit of success but with different goals. They are in love with the same girl. Will Varanasi prove lucky for them? Ever since the new book was announced, Indian readers have shown an overwhelming response, proven by the way they have taken to online pre-order options.

Similar response was last seen for Amish Tripathi's The Secret of The Nagas. Online portals were abreast with contests, freebies and author signed memorabilia. Some even had ongoing contests where participants could get lucky and meet the author himself. Amish Tripathi, Rashmi Bansal and Chetan Bhagat are amongst the new age writers. They have changed the way an Indian reader looks at a bookshelf dedicated to Indian authors. New age readership has truly arrived and India is lapping up the literary boom like never before.

Adding to the euphoria surrounding the October launch is the pre-order option. Online marts like Infibeam and Flipkarthave started taking pre-orders with much gusto. According to sources, Infibeam offered a whopping discount in the first 24h and recorded over 3000 pre-orders, so much so that, it has become the fastest selling book on Infibeam and others. The sales figures are likely to touch over tens of thousands across portals.

Full report here SBWire

I was an atheist: Author Amish Tripathi

When author Amish Tripathi had an idea about eight years back — a theory to be more specific — to write a book on Gods, his family asked him to pen down his thoughts.

What followed was a ‘pure philosophical thesis’ and his family tagged it ‘boring’ and a ‘cure for insomnia’. But if Tripathi had sulked and stopped then, his book

The Immortals of Meluha wouldn’t have been an overnight literary sensation and his latest offering, The Secret of the Nagas, would have remained just another idea.

The MBA author, who self-published his book, says, “Every single publisher rejected my manuscript. I stopped counting after 20. All of them told me that book had no chance of success; it wasn’t a chick lit or a self-help book. They said it had no sex scenes, no romance and that I was trying to alienate every single segment of readers. Then I got an agent.” Tripathi took up the marketing himself through social media.

As a kid, Tripathi used to write poetry, but confesses that they were really “pathetic”. “I was a sports guy in school. I had no creative bone in my body. I bought many self-help books, which suggested the three-act structure to write a book. I made a plan on Excel sheet, made character sketches. It didn’t help at all, boss! Then my wife told me I was being my corporate self and asked me to stop controlling my story. My story eventually started flowing after I took the advice.”

Full report here DNA

Snakes on a plain

A new pulp phenomenon tells a great story, but is derailed by corporate-speak and sloppy editing

There are probably years to go before an Indian book series achieves the level of devotion (or the sales) of the Harry Potter series. We do not have costumed fans thronging book stores for midnight readings (which the Shops and Establishments Act would make impossible anyway), or websites dedicated to picking apart plot points and sneaky hints.

But the last month has shown that we’re capable of getting there, with the explosion of interest in The Secret of the Nagas, the second book in Amish’s Shiva Trilogy. The Shiva Trilogy brings two new things to Indian books. Commercially, it brought its publishers blockbuster sales in a new segment. Chetan Bhagat’s raging sales have been helped in large part by Rupa and Co. pricing his books at Rs.95, a tactic quickly adopted by other mass-market publishers such as Srishti. The Secret of the Nagas, though, is retailing at Rs. 295 (the first book, The Immortals of Meluha, which has sold more than 125,000 copies, is published in two editions, for Rs. 195 and Rs. 295).

Full report here Mint

For Old Times’ Sake

Some years ago, Chetan Bhagat did the unthinkable: he made young and restless Indians read his tales of urban India in conversational English. Soon, Indians were craving for stories of the country by home-grown authors. This need is now being met by writers who are giving Indian history and mythology a contemporary twist. The result has been rewarding — Ashwin Sanghi’s Chanakya’s Chant, Anish Sarkar’s Benaami, and The Immortals of Meluha by Amish rule the bestseller lists.

Though authors such as Devdutt Pattanaik, Ashok Banker and William Dalrymple have retold stories from Indian mythology and history, the trend of using these for commercial fiction seems to be a recent one. Sanghi believes that these stories establish an immediate connection with the readers and make for gripping backdrops. “The initial hook for a commercial fiction paperback in this genre must necessarily come from the ancient. Once the reader is hooked, then it does not matter if the story is history-oriented or not,” he says.

Full report here Indian Express

The gods are back

Modernizing mythology, a risky business? Do writers need an excel sheet of plans? Writer Amish Tripathi has the answers

His immortals have crossed the boundaries of Meluha and have taken the country by storm. When CT caught up with writer Amish Tripathi, who was in town for a day, he confessed that he had never done anything creative in his life, before his first novel.

"I had not even written a short story before in my life. In school, I was involved in sports and, during my IIM stint, I was the lead singer of the band Baror C (12C). I was an atheist, and at times, had even refused to enter a temple," Amish says. So, how did The Immortals of Meluha happen? "I was watching TV at home one day when I came to know that in ancient Persia, the gods were called Ahuras and the demons called Daivas.

Full report here Times of India 

Marketing a book is important: Amish Tripathi

Writing a book has converted an IMA Graduate into a believer of Lord Siva, from being an extremist non-believer

On the background of the stage of the Kovalam Literary Fest is a big board, half of which is filled with the name of one of the books discussed in the fest - ‘The Immortals of Meluha’. Manish Tripathi, the author, an IIM Graduate, is very much into the marketing of the book. “You can’t ignore the marketing part, it is very important,” he says, in conversation with the author of ‘The Great Indian Love Story’, Ira.

A non-believer for long, Amish has become a devotee of Lord Siva as he started writing his first book ‘The Immortals of Meluha’. Presenting his book at the Kovalam Literary Fest, Amish speaks about how he discovered Lord Siva as he wrote the book.

Stating some reasons why he ‘really should not be here as an author’ (‘I have written nothing but some poetry which only my wife liked’), Amish says that he started his book as a philosophical one. “The respect you get in life should come from what you do - karma - and not from what your religion is, or who your parents are,” he said.

Full report here Yentha