A crude but efficient story. Review on The Immortals Of Meluha - Amish Tripathi

I am probably a very late entrant on this forum where countless reviewers have expressed their views on this book. For some time, I was sick of reading stories by some Indian authors. Chetan Bhagat entered the scene with some promise, but chose to follow the path of mediocrity and his subsequent novels(after debut) fell flat. Along came some impostors and some small time writers trying to create stories about their love affairs and escapades(rather, sexcapades) - the landscape became too bleak. Along came Mandar Kokate with his classic - Oh S**! Not again. The reading community were reduced to shocked horror at the new low that Indian writing had sunk to. Taken in that context, this work by Amish should come as a whiff of fresh air. This novel deviates from the normally trodden path of B-schools and romance and college damsels. Neither is this a mythological discourse where apsaras dance and impress meditating sages nor is this a documentary like stuff praising the lord. Giving credit where due, I must admit that the storyline has been well conceptualised and that considerable amount of research has gone into this book.

Oops, before I proceed further let me just give a gist of what the plot involves - the story in itself has been reviewed and read countless number of times - but as a review this must be complete, so here goes: Plot: Shiva is a tribal leader and leads the Guna tribes who are constantly fighting for survival from the hostile enemy who seem to surround them from all sides. Every day is a fight. Into this backdrop appears Nandi from the land yonder, Meluha - Meluha the kingdom of Suryavanshis, the perfect society where every citizen is well fed, is content and the kingdom appears to be a paradise. Shiva and his tribe are welcomed to Meluha. In Meluha, Shiva learns that he is destined to be the saviour of the Meluhans, that he is the legend in whose anticipation th entire suryavanshi clan lead their lives, that he shoulders the expectations of one of the finest societies to have ever lived. But the paradise that the Suryavanshis have built is marred by their fighting against Chandravanshis. How Shiva helps the Suryavanshis's war against the Chandravanshis, his philosophical views, the hurdles that he faces, the friends that he makes and the realisation of his fate forms the rest of the narrative. I proceed no further since there are enough reviews on this book and the story has already been told and retold so many times. The characters and their descriptions may not be apt in this review - hence not much is enumerated on the role play and characterization. Suffice it that many of the characters are well drawn and are assigned a proper role in the narration. Nadni with his unflinching devotion, Shiva - the neelkanth, Daksha the king, Sati the viskarma, Bhagirath the prince, the Naga and all such characters are well drawn.

Now, what makes this book click: Its simple prose for one, is the highlight. While this can be argued as one of the strengths of the book, this also has a flipside in that it meanders into the very mundane and nonsensical at places. The narrative is fast, the research and understanding is fairly deep. The conceptualisation and the picturisation is pretty good. But what appeals most is that this book is different from boy-meets-girl-falls-in-love, boy-goes-to-college stuff which every second Indian author seems to be churning out. In that aspect this book is a whiff of fresh air. There are some poignant scenes such as the scene where Shiva meets the beggar near the temple, the exchanges between Brahaspati and Shiva etc.

Then what does it lack in: For a character(though fictitious) that is modeled on the lines of Lord Shiva, the use of language borders on the ridiculous at many places. The use of words such as Basd, damn, gargantuan etc seem woefully out of place. For a book whose central character is modeled on the lines of a God considered amongst the most powerful, the dialogues seem out of place. The grammar and the editing could have been much better - the proof reader hs failed to do justice. There are some scenes where graphic description causes the flow of the story to ebb. The ending is abrupt - the author clearly says that he intends to attempt trilogy. But the ending seems as if its cut midway through an essay so as to keep the flow in the sequel. The ending, in short, is abrupt. Not the poised ending which some of the great series have in them. It jabs and stabs - the ending could have been much better.

My Verdict: I would rate it at 3/5. The author has tried something different which makes it a good read. The storyline is good. As one of the reviewers wrote, the author is a good story teller but a poor writer. The attempt is brave, the concepts are good, the philosophical narrative is good. But the book lacks humour, has an out of the world language at some places(a poor imitation of some Western works), maintains pace at most junctures, but not essentially a page turner. If you can ignore the mythological errors, the grammar errors, the fould language in parts of the book, then this is a light read, easy on the reader, flows well. But if you are in search of a unputdownable thriller, this is not the book. I spent around 4-5 hours to complete this book - the reading is light, the characters dont make a lasting impression. But the author has made his mark and shows some promise - recommended for a one time read - this is different from some stupid love stories. Go for it, for a good one time read.

Cheers.