There’s something about the Legend of Mahadev which never ceases to fascinate us. Even when it doesnt lend itself to quick revelation, it keeps us glued to the cause of discovery. It is precisely this quality that makes agnostics like me want to be theists.
The Immortals Of Meluha (TIOM) is the first part of a Trilogy on Lord Shiva by debutante author Amish Tripathi. The cover itself is extremely well conceptualised with Shiva standing in front of Mansarovar Lake with his back towards us. The usual trademarks like the trishul (trident), the Jata (dreadlocks), the sinewy torso, sewn skin (a la John Rambo), etc are all here. Diehard Shaivites like me dont need any more invitation, do they ?
The first reaction after having read the Book is that of disappointment and annoyance. Not because its a badly written book but because it isnt as good as it could have been, given the promising cover/concept/video. To the credit of the author, the books makes for interesting read in parts, especially the beginning and towards the end. Isme Romance hai, Drama hai, Tragedy hai, Comedy hai. Aur agar itna kaafi nahin to isme Mausi bhi hai. Aur woh bhi do-do. Mausi... Mausiji...
Shiva is depicted as a simple tribal chief who is doing his best to protect and further the interests of his tribe, the Gunas. The tiger skin clad Mahadev spends his time playing ducks and drakes, smoking chillum (marijuana), and reliving the Ghosts of his past. But destiny has other plans in store for him as he is called upon to lead the "Good" in their fight against "Evil".
The language is extremely lucid and you could finish the book in 6-10 hours if you wanted to. The book even has a Glossary at the end for benefit of readers who may be foreign to Indian Mythology. I’d rather have the Glossary in form of footnotes though as one rarely bothers to consult a separate Glossary unless for detailed academic purposes.
A bit of humour is thrown in especially towards the end. King Daksha being referred to as a "sincere madman" by people of Ayodhya and indiscretions by mother-daughter duo in p.420 ("As he turned, he felt a hand on his backside again, this time more insistent and aggressive. He turned around and was shocked to find the mother smiling sensuously at him..."), leave us with a feeling of being underfed. Dont know if its probably a case of too little too late. The book has its share of Bollywood style dialogues too like - "No idiot who smokes this is scared of forgetting." (p.186, Shiva referring to the chillum a la Yousuf Khan in Devdas - "Kaun kambakht bardasht karne ke liye peeta hai ?”)
The basic appeal of the legend of Shiva lies in the fact that its not as hackneyed and banalised as that of other popular Gods. At the same time the relative obscurity of the legend throws open multiple possibilities of fictionalising or shaping the storyline. With a phenomenal plot such as this, you’d expect much more than straight-jacket story-telling. You’d expect riveting yarns, you’d expect engrossing sub-plots, you’d expect suspense, you’d expect interlacing, you’d expect layered storytelling. Sadly none of it is here.
For a book this long (430 odd pages), and thin in storyline, there is a serious shortage of subplots/suspense to keep you hooked, especially during the middle part where the pace of the book starts rivaling that of the tortoise. For example the only suspense that the book builds upon is related to the Shiva’s Ghosts from past which when finally revealed is done so tamely in a few paras towards the second half of the book.
Another example, as against Mythology where Shiva became a Neelkanth after drinking Halahala (poison), Amish’s Shiva is already a Neelkanth before he even meets Sati. What could have been a riveting sub-plot, seems to have been squandered (unless there’s a writeup coming in Part 2/3). Shiva’s fiery speech to Meluhans before the Final War gives us the key to the popular phrase "Har Har Mahadev". This is the kind of popular folklore that can go a long way in build a legend. The book could have benefited immensely with more of this.
In short, perhaps the biggest malady afflicting the book is lack of research, something which is an absolute must in books with historical/mythological themes. A case in point is "Red Earth & Pouring Rain", also a debut book but well researched to the extent that it is difficult to separate fact/mythology from fiction.
That said, I’ll concede that perhaps I have been a tad too strict in my criticism of the book. But if its so, its so because I have expected a lot from it. All said, I enjoyed reading it and eagerly look forward to the second instalment, which I believe, should be round the corner.
Hopefully the author will come up with much more of the stuff that makes Shiva the enigmatic Mahadev he is...