One of India’s favourite, bestselling authors Amish Tripathi says the core philosophy of his Ram Chandra series explores the answer to the question of what an ideal society is.
“I believe any story which does not have some philosophy at its heart, is like a body without a soul. All my books have a core philosophy which I try to convey through the wrapper. The core philosophy of the Shiva Trilogy was the answer to the question of what is evil,” says Amish.
“In the Indian way, even spirituality is essentially about learning from philosophies which you can apply in your own life,” adds the author, who is all set to visit Bengaluru for the launch of his latest book — Sita – Warrior of Mithila.
“Bengaluru is the biggest market for my books. It is a pleasure coming here.” His latest book, Sita... , which is all set to be launched on May 29, is the second in the Ram Chandra series.
While the first book narrated the story of Rama’s birth until the kidnapping of Sita, the second narrates the story of Sita until her kidnapping. But, unlike the popular depiction of a pining, demure Sita, Amish has chosen to showcase her as a strong figure.
“Ancient versions of the Ramayana , particularly the Adbhut Ramayana , portray her as a warrior. In fact, in one of them, there are two Ravanas, and Sita is the one who kills the prominent Ravana.”
Amish says his Sita is an imagined character, largely inspired by his pride in the ancient culture of India. “Ancient India was deeply respectful of women and their rights. But if you look at the way modern India treats its women, it seems like we have lost our way down the line. Perhaps, we need to revive our ancient ways.”
Another grand Indian tradition the book celebrates, by its very existence, is the presenting of various perspectives and interpretations of one story, encapsulated in the quote from the Vedas “Ekam sat vipra bahuda vadanti”.
“It means ‘truth is one, wise men speak it as many’. We have always been comfortable with multiple truths. What is important is to present the truth that resonates with us in a respectful way. I write my books respectfully, I worship the gods I write about.”
Amish’s representation of god is not of a distant, mystical force but of something that is present and within the grasp of human life.
“The scriptures have various concepts of divinity, one is nirakar or the formless, called ‘Brahman’; another is sakar , present in various forms in order to be close to human life and yet another is avatar , where the divinity takes the shape of a living being to perform specific actions,” he explains.
“The fourth concept,” says Amish, is one he represents in his books, “is the one that represents a human soul discovering the divinity within.”
Amish offers a scientific explanation for every apparent ‘magical’ occurrence, he believes magic is often just a science waiting to be discovered.
Any such occurrence in his story will often have a concept behind it. It is also perhaps why his characters are never perfect.
“These days it has become fashionable to criticize Ram if you want to respect Sita (because of the banishment). I find this unnecessary because I respect and worship both, there is something to learn from both. That is one of the key aspects I have tried to express.”
Amish believes the way to approach gods is to see them as role models and learn from both their strengths and their challenges.
