Immortals of Meluha by Amish Tripathi (review)

                                  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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Movie Skyscaper (review)

                          The movie subtly portrays the itch among Chinese to showcase their newly acquired wealth and strength laced with technological prowess. The actor with an amputated leg (Dwayne Johnson) represents present-day battered and bruised the USA who's looking to seek favor from Chinese. It shows the present phase of the USA, where China has emerged as the major competitor and adversary. Implicitly, the movie displays the softer image of China which is accommodating, tolerant but posses a degree of arrogance. In this movie, China has become affluent and emerged in a position to provide the most important thing to Americans 'Jobs' after of course the 'Mexican wall' which I am particularly unsure about😁

                                                     Audience after watching the movie 

                      Like the earlier feeble attempts to make an epic movie like 'The Great Wall' which was ludicrous, unfortunately, sky-scrapper falls in the same zone and is the notoriously similar and modern version of 'Die Hard'.  The story can be summarized as - there are few people who are trapped in the world's tallest building in Hong Kong and need to be rescued against all odds which includes  Dwayne Johnson's family. To add some spice, mercenaries were accommodated who sought money from the owner of the building (Chinese). There's nothing extraordinary in the story, that is a blatant case of plagiarism but then China is a synonym of copyright infringement. A remarkably silly attempt to make a lavish movie, Complete Avoid 

Challenging Times Ahead

                                 It is heartening to witness a Dalit Mahamandaleshwar Kanhaiya Prabhunand Giri preaching equality and encouraging ghar wapsi of Dalits, tribals etc from the sidelines of auspicious Kumbh at Prayagraj. For long Hindus are a divided lot, giving a free run to unscrupulous politicians who find it convenient to cater to targeted groups(segregated castes) to further their own carriers. Interestingly, the politician's lounge for religious minorities also, as they believe it (caste+minority) is an irresistible Operandi to usurp power by catering to the group.

                             A secular constitution and a proud tolerant Indian society are lately scarred by allegations by a bunch of wicked intelligentsia who are influential and powerful. They have spun the facts in the past, and have created the narrative that hate-filled Hindus are rampaging the society, supported by media and vested organizations within and outside the country. The mass hysteria created an atmosphere where Hindus have begun to doubt themselves. Our education system is marred with the glorification of barbarian invaders while obliterating the native warriors. By cajoling and controlling the young minds of impressionable age, the dice was overloaded against the truth from the beginning. They control the narrative, control the media, control the universities and the popular discourse.

                             Unfortunately, after independence, the throne of India was grabbed by people who had to 'Discover India'. Drawing parallel with the Bolshevik revolution, the Communists in particular, and Congress, in general, have adopted the same strategy in India, the only difference being USSR was an authoritarian state while India a democracy. The afore-mentioned policy was to divide Hindus into castes(creating fissures) thereafter align with disgruntled castes and religious minorities to wrest power. In the meantime push for agenda to weaken Hindus, convert them, etc.

                             Media has been largely compromised, which implicitly supports the questionable conduct of a few for monetary benefits. In 1999, when the Pope announced in India that the Church would establish Christianity fully by the 21st century, media presented it as a simple incident, explaining that the duty of the Church was to spread it and by doing so the Pope is following his duty. However, attempts by religious/social organizations to reconvert them back to Hinduism fold is showcased as a communal event, debated for days by media on primetime. The recent successful attempts by Communists in league with radical feminists to desecrate Sabrimala shrine remained a political hot-potato for media who shamelessly supported such misadventures in the garb of fundamental right to pray, overlooking tradition, culture, and sanctity of shrine.

                        It seems Hindus have conceeded too much ground to forces that are now belligrant, powerful, unreasonable and, above all, extremely intolerant towards Hindu religion, culture, sensitivities etc. Challenging times lie ahead, it is abattle of survival & revival of Hindu identity against forces that bear more than a resemblance to the mediveal invaders. Since independence, anti-Hindu forces have left no stone unturned to destroy Hindu civilization.The present situation reminds me of famous quote from Alain Botton "The secular world is full of holes. We have Secularized badly". 

Dear God

                                In earlier days, people had more faith on God, good deeds and destiny, that perhaps prompted them to follow righteous path . They were driven by the desire to do good to others, positively shaping their outlook. As times changed, with economic progress, we got entangled in our jobs, our lives got more complicated, we lost the grip on religion. At times, even with intent to perform puja, we often find ourselves short of time.

                            For long i was an atheist, more inclined towards science rather than god, even enthusiastically debated with friends and colleagues about the veracity of the supreme being. Never shied away from questioning the belief of myself or others. But as time elapsed, i found refuge in religion from the vagaries of life, i am not sure whether the events unfolded shaped my outlook, or was oriented since beginning. It took me long time, patience and sorrows to re-investigate my theories of life, to rescue myself from the miserable darkness i was treading for too long. It took me eons and after wasting precious time, that i could acknowledge the difference between science and faith. Well science tells us the air i breathe in is oxygen, while exhale out carbon dioxide, but its faith, that tells me the rhythm is maintained by god and one will continue to maintain it as long as he wishes, science can't prolong it.

                          In today's age of commercialization, where almost all relationships are smudged in trade, can relationship with god be free from this trait? Here, i am only speaking from my personal experience. I am only trying to provide a sneak peek into my mind, what transpired in my thought process, that compelled me to lounge for his(god) refuge. Under the influence of society, peer pressure, my only concern was to secure materialistic wealth, never gave prudence to the idea of contentment. I was under the impression that i understand happiness, understand god. I could only visualize my relationship with god as a two way trade, one is a sort of investment, where i would be able to reap benefits in long term by praying, the second one is more direct, an exchange a kind of barter trade, where i pray to get benefits in short term as if we both are into trade where my prayers are directly proportional to the returns in short time.

                         Never did i realize the bond between the devotee and the god is beyond the paradigm of a commercial transaction. In establishing your bond, what one should seek is his patronage, his blessings, the investment is your devotion and the returns one should look for is his acceptance to your prayers. One must not seek returns in your relationship with almighty rather unconditional trust and entrusting yourself to the divine will is paramount, let god be your swing while you enjoy the ride.