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European Journal of Business &
Social Sciences
Available at https://ejbss.org/
ISSN: 2235-767X
Volume 07 Issue 01
January 2019
Available online: https://ejbss.org/ P a g e | 213
Revisiting Indianness in Amish Tripathi’s Shiva Trilogy
Sujata
Research Scholar
Dept. of English &Foreign Languages
MDU, Rohtak
Email ID: sujatatabbu@gmail.com
Abstract: Amish had chosen mythology to assert Indianness in an era when other authors
largely highlight the theme of love and other household and moral values of modern-day. He
revisits this concept of Indianness by subverting the traditional tale of Shiva Purana in a
fascinating way. Amish Tripathi, an MBA educated from IIM Calcutta and a former banker, who
not only went beyond the traditional trend of writing novels based on the regular theme of love- stories but also restored the faith of readers in the mythological aspect of Indian fiction. Amish
had no initial ambition to pursue a career in writing, but was passionate about history,
mythology, and philosophy and that could be ascribed as the reason for his foray into the world
of creative writings which are embedded with fabulous, imaginary and legendary stories about
epic characters. The success of his Shiva Trilogy encouraged him to give up a fourteen-year old
career in financial services to focus on writing. It comprises The Immortals of Meluha (2010),
The Secret of Nagas (2011), The Oath of Vayuputras (2013) which ultimately reflects his
sensibility and passion not only for myths, but also for turning them into a hyper-reality where
people believe the present tales and try to relate them with the previous ones with suspicion. The
Rama-Series just like the Shiva Trilogy is steeped in Indian mythology and retell the ancient
classics for a modern readership. After Shiva trilogy, he also has shown his interest in the great
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European Journal of Business &
Social Sciences
Available at https://ejbss.org/
ISSN: 2235-767X
Volume 07 Issue 01
January 2019
Available online: https://ejbss.org/ P a g e | 214
epic, Ramayana and has embedded it with the greenery of his imagination in a new fictional tale
which is altogether different from the previous one but still has a touch of Indianness in them.
The Scion of Ikshvaku is the first book of Ramchandra - Series, which was released on 22nd
June, 2015. The book is succeeded by Sita: Warrior of Mithila and Raavan: Orphan of
Aryavarta. Amish Tripathi is the recipient of several awards including Distinguished Alumnus
Award (IIM- Calcutta) in 2017, Icon of the year Award (2017), Pride of India Award (literature)
in 2014-2015, Communicator of the year by PR council of India (2014), Society Young Achievers
Award for literature (2013). He has been awarded Raymond Crossword Popular Fiction Award
for his book Scion of Ikshwaku and the Dainik Bhaskar Readers Choice Award. Apart from this,
Forbs Magazine has listed Amish among 100 most famous personalities in India in the year
2013, 2014, and 2015. Amish has reshaped the epics in a very logical way. There is whole new
logic to mythology when we read and think from his perspective. The notion of his creative
writing is based on the mythical, ethical and cultural values of India that helped him to gain a
renowned place among Indian English mythological writers. He revisits this concept of
Indianness and his aim is to revitalize the ancient knowledge of Hindu scriptures for literary
readers across the globe and make the younger generation aware of this rich cultural and
mythological heritage.
Keywords: Indianness, mythology,
Literature is a projection of reality as it reflects the cultural, social and political scenario
of a society. Indian English literature is the outcome of the confrontation of two different
cultures i. e. the east and the west, which projects the ideas of indigenous culture within the
framework of a foreign language. The abundance of Indian English literature depicts the creative
and intellectual reflection of this cultural phenomenon. This age-old edifice of Indian English
literature gives us a glimpse of Indian culture, customs and religion. The Indianness is found in
every literary creation of the artists of Indian origin. The Indian writers, whether poets or
novelists, often write their genres for both, the Indian and the western audience. These creative
writings place them in the class of the writers who have Indianness in their works. The diasporic
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European Journal of Business &
Social Sciences
Available at https://ejbss.org/
ISSN: 2235-767X
Volume 07 Issue 01
January 2019
Available online: https://ejbss.org/ P a g e | 215
writers are not left behind in presenting the theme of Indianness. These writers present the theme
of Indianness in various forms which shape the Indian culture and customs. The Indianness can
be understood by bringing together the different civilizations of India and their cultures. The
total mixture of cultural, religious and spiritual beliefs, rooted in the nation is the factor that
forms the mind of the nation. Indianness of India lies in our diversity of culture and religiosity.
Though the author may portray the actions and adventures of a well-known legend or hero from
the myths, folklore or tradition, he is often guided by the ideological framework of the Indian
philosophical and religious scriptures. A close analysis of the texts shows how the author frames
and offers an aura of Indian culture through the ideas, ideologies and mythologies of the past
which constitutes Indianness as well as he modify it to serve his purpose.
Myths are collection of ancient stories which basically talk about beliefs and
cultural traditions with historical facts. These stories are always exciting for young students and
the main reason for writing them is to inculcate values, unify the group’s identity, and explain
social and religious rituals. The polytheistic aspect of Indian religion serves as the source of the
vast treasure of myths and folktales. Myths are always an intrinsic part of Indian culture as they
are also found in other religions and civilizations. The theme of Amish Tripathi’s Shiva Trilogy
is the mythical aspects which are related to Indian culture and religion. This paper tries to
explore how he revisits this concept of Indianness in mythology based fictional work Shiva
Trilogy. The Indianness can be understood by bringing together the different civilizations of
India and their cultures. This Indianness deals with the political orientation and the needed ideal
for the composition of India. The total mixture of cultural, religious and spiritual beliefs, rooted
in the nation is the factor that forms the mind of the nation. Indianness of India lies in our
diversity of culture and religiosity. . This richness of religious diversity provides the best premise
to generate a thrilling story with twists and turns. But Amish has not deal with this concept mere
in the light of this vision. Rather while dealing with this concept of Indianness, he does not stick
to the customary dealing of myth rather subverts those tales to testify the changed values of
modern cultural scenario of India. He revisits this concept of Indianness in the light of the
discussion on this topic by Thakkazi Shivshankaran Pillai who considers:
