The novel 'Immortals of Meluha' by Amish Tripathi is the first book in the series of Shiva Trilogy. The author treads a fine line between mythology and creativity quite ingeniously. A story woven with mythological figures along with with historical facts(Indus Valley civilization) is imaginative and truly remarkable. This book reminds me of "The Great Indian Novel" which has similar semantics although of different genres, but Amish has produced something extraordinary, and a reader is glued from start till it leaves us, craving with an insatiable hunger for more.
The story starts with a battle between two Tibetan tribal groups one headed by the protagonist 'Shiva', leader of the Gunna tribe, near Mount Kailash. Shiva efficiently outmaneuvered his adversary but is now battle-weary as he couldn't contemplate the futility of continuous conflict, loss of livelihood, etc. Meanwhile, Captain Nandi who belonged to Meluha kingdom successfully persuaded Shiva to accompany him along with his tribe to migrate to Meluha(some characters and situations are not fully explained). Meluha is an advanced city belonging to the Suryavanshi tribe, where the people are immortals because of Somras, an elixir that keeps them alive and healthy.
As the events unfolded, Shiva was proclaimed 'saviour of Meluha by one and all, the 'Neelkanth' who, according to prophecy could stop the annihilation of Meluha at the hands of their sworn enemy the 'Chandravanshi' tribe. As Shiva was drawn into conflict rather hesitantly, he met his eternal love 'Sati' the princess of Meluha, daughter of Daksh. By the time 'Chandravanshi' kingdom was defeated, Shiva was again at crossroad questioning his wisdom to be influenced by others and sucked into the war. The author gave ample hints about a larger conspiracy at play, the deceiving terror tactics of 'Nagas', a fierce tribe of warriors who were up to something sinister.
The depleting water level of river Saraswati(one of the ingredient of Somras), constant pressure tactics of Nagas promises mystery, drama, adventure laced with spirituality in his next novel. Amish has portrayed his incredible ability to craft a story diligently, keeping readers engrossed for the entire duration of the book. When it comes to a series, it’s extremely important that author finishes each book with reader in guessing mode.This book ends with a sense of intrigue and mystery that leaves one eager to lay his hands on the next book in the series. The book 'Immortals of Meluha is refreshingly simple and skillfully written, a must read for fiction lovers and others.
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