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