The Shiva Trilogy – By Amish Tripathi HARBINGER OF A FALSE REVIVAL If Tripathi’s wares had not been such a phenomenon among modern Indian readers, one could have succinctly summarized his three books as the work of a wannabe Dan Brown. However, that is not to be. The three instalments supposedly mapping the legend of Shiva, the most potent and volatile of the Hindu Trinity, have been lapped up book lovers across the country. The popularity of the books perhaps hints at certain desperation among Indians – at least urban – for rejuvenation of their sagging spirits by harking back to an age of mythological glory. Sad that this is the kind of stuff that we Indians are using to quench the thirst of insecurity. Beyond The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown himself was unbearable. But at least he had the flair for the genre. Here’s a man who seemingly claims to have “understood” India, but wallows in schoolboyish prose that borders on the naïve. If Tripathi’s attempt at pop-mythology is the rage of the day, then god save Indian mythology. If a Shiva speaking American slang, supposed use of nuclear physics in ancient India and weird superimposition of ancient concepts on modern day realities is what Hindu revivalism is all about, then god save Hinduism As usual, my annual experiment with fiction ends up as a sign-board: DO NOT RETURN!
Posted on: Sat, 08 Jun 2013 19:09:29 +0000