I just finished 'Immortals of Meluha' written by Amish, and I was so taken by the book that I actually thought of putting down my thoughts about it on paper, in a sort of book-review, if you will. The guy is an IIM graduate, just like Chetan Bhagat. And though he doesnt have a way with words like Chetan, what he lacks in writing skills, he more than makes up for it in his striking imagination power.
The book has a *strange* theme, to put it mildly. It humanises gods. Initially I was taken aback by the audacity of the auther to put the gods through human motions. In India, it's equivalent to stirring a hornet's nest. And besides, I wasn't sure whether he will be able to pull it off. As far as I know, this is the first fiction which handled this out-of-box topic. But despite his comparatively unimpressive writting style, Amish delights the readers with his imagination power, racy plot, philosophical theme and political undertones. The way he intertwines mythology/folklore with historical, archeological and geographical facts and produces a saga of human emotions, is awe inspiring. Even the hues of contemporary politics are clearly evident in the way the fiction unfolds. In short the book has everything in it. Including some masala.
The book is also rich with striking interpretations of different words and sayings that I have come to hear since my childhood but never knew the meaning of. 'Har Har Mahadev' is one such, which the author interpretes as 'every one is mahadev' and makes a huge lot of sense.
On the flipside, the book does over-dramtize some sequences, as if the author was dreaming up a movie sequence. One that specially comes to mind is when Sati leaps in air to get hit by an agnibaan which was aimed at Shiva. The events that follow seem artificial and make you feel like the author is looking for a movie endorsement of his story. ;)
Besides, the character introdcution of the leading ladies like Sati and Anandmayee are a bit too raunchy for one's taste, especially in the context of the 'godly' theme. Apart from these, some sequences like Shiva's dreams and nightmares involving those cries of help are a bit too detailed on anatomy as well. And rather than supporting the storyline, I think the raunchy anatomy details actually distract the readers (like me). ;)
Overall, the distractions notwithstanding, The Immortals of Meluha is a good, pacy read. The time-machine imagination which weaves events and things that existed at different points in time, over thousands of years, in a timeless fashion, will definitely take you to a different world. It's imagination on steroids. Enjoy it!
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