The Immortals of Meluha follows the story of a man named Shiva, who lives in the Tibetan region – Mount Kailash. Because of a sudden disturbance in his place, he shifts to Meluha.
The silent and serene atmosphere is new for Shiva. He is not used to the peace and the morals that they stand by. The Suryavanshis stay in the regions who are the followers of Lord Ram.
He was the kindest and mightiest leader that Meluha ever saw. There, he sees Sati, falls in love with her and unfolds secrets related to her. The enemy clan, Chadravanshis, often attack the Suryavanshis. That is why they must find their savior.
Things get worse when Chandravanshis join hands with Nagas – the Mighty warriors. Now, the Suryavanshis are in desperate need to find their hero to save their necks.
That’s when Shiva steps in, and they recognize him as the ‘Neelkanth’ that they are looking for. Emperor Daksh, the father of Sati, declares war against the Chandravanshis and Nagas.
The terrorist attacks don’t seem to stop from the East (Chandravanshi land). Shiva hailed as God, now decides to lead the army. But, there are always two sides to a story.
Unaware of the Chandravanshi’s story, Shiva, stands by the Suryavanshis. Yet Shiva has a long way to go. As different truths unveil, Shiva discovers more about Meluha and himself.
It takes more than your eyes to see the reality. And Shiva, changes the scenario of Meluha, changing himself – for the better – in the process.
Table of Contents
Author: Amish Tripathi
Amish Tripathi was born on 18th October 1974 in Mumbai. Grew up in Rourkela, Odisha and Tamil Nadu. Graduated from the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Calcutta.
He opted for working as a banker in the Finance Industry. Worked there for about 14 years before turning into a full-time author. His wife was married Preeti Vyas (now divorced), and both of them have a son together (Neel Tripathi).
The author belonged to a conservative family that believed in the Divine. The lessons of his grandfather, a Benaras Pandit, has a lot to do with his interest in Indian Mythology. Their dinner table conversations centered on the Indian Gods and their emotions.
He published his first book – The Immortals of Meluha – in 2010. In the beginning, 20 publishing houses rejected him. He chose to release the book on his own along with his agent.
After release, the Immortals of Meluha turned out to be a massive hit. It was the fastest-selling book of Indian history. He then wrote the sequels – The Secrets of Nagas and The Oath of Vayuputras.
His next series – The Ram Chandra series became a success too. His six books were a part of the Top 10 of HT-Nielsen Bookscan national bestsellers for four weeks straight.
Amish Tripathi is the first Indian author to achieve that. He also writes columns, articles and participates in debates. Also, he ranks as one of the Top 100 celebrities in India. The Jharkhand Rai University gave him an Honorary Doctorate for contribution to ‘Art and Literature’.
Check out Amish Tripathi website.
Other books of Amish Tripathi
- The Secret of Nagas
- The Oath of Vayuputras
- The Shiva
- Ram
- Sita
- Suheldev
The Immortals of Meluha– Book Review
Certain aspects of the Indian past play an essential role in the story. The author must be very knowledgeable about weaving a story along those lines.
It has a heavy dose of Hindu believes and principles. Even if you are not aware of Hinduism, you will follow the story quite well.
The God with long locks, moon on his head, and ‘Ganga’ flowing down – becomes a man with a carefree attitude here.
That’s how he starts. Then at a slow pace, the others walk into his life. You’ll go, ‘Hey! That’s him/her!’ whenever a known character from the Mythology enters. You will be eager to see how a particular person becomes a part of Shiva’s life.
Though the same characters, the story is not the same. Remember? It’s a fictitious story with minimal resemblance to the actual Mythology.
You cannot compare it to the actual tale of Lord shiva. But, the morals, lessons, and principles that Shiva stands by – that’s how God is in the mythology too.
Not transforming the characters much, the author succeeds in developing a modern outlook. You have to read it to understand.
The Story Set up
No, the Immortals of Meluha is not the 20th-century story. That’s impossible, seeing how the author adds so many ancient ingredients to the recipe.
It is a tale of the Indus value civilization, around 1900 BC. The tribes and people resemble the ones that existed then. Even their thought process and believes reflect that Era.
You can see the flavor of the old times whenever they talk about prophecies. The author introduces modern ideas to these people through Shiva.
That’s an attempt to say that the ‘superstitions’ need to change. And, seeing how Shiva is the God for them, they consider it. Even the description of the dressing, houses, and the ‘possible’ villains are old style.
Then Shiva walks in like a modern mascot ready to bring a change. Well, how far he goes with that is something you need to find out by reading.
In certain instances, Shiva appreciates the people of Meluha for their policies. Though not a fan of their peaceful existence at first, he understands them later.
His problems sent him to Meluha and he becomes their ‘Savior’ unexpectedly. Meluha has a lot to teach the present generations. The choices they make and the type of living that they have made us question our habits.
That’s an excellent way to ignite questions in the reader’s mind. The author did an excellent job of preaching nice habits through his story. Those lessons hide in the pages and you need to uncover them.
The character of the Immortals of Meluha
Shiva is your ‘dream role model.’ Most of us often think about living a carefree life with a better perspective of things. That’s how he is.
He has a sense of responsibility but is not scared of the burden they bring. Shiva is ready to fight for his tribe if needed. They are his priority.
Then he comes to Meluha. There, he starts as a common man – A refugee. When the people hail him as ‘Neelkanth,’ he refuses to believe the prophecy.
He is not ready to accept that such a big responsibility. He always thought about himself and his tribe. Now, that scenario has changed completely.
Whatever he says becomes the ‘order’ for the people of Meluha. The love and belief that they have in him create tension within Shiva. He is not used to the Meluha lifestyle.
Shiva was not given much attention before. But, that’s how life is and Shiva discovers a lot about himself in the process. Knowing the story of Meluha, revisiting his past, he learns a lot of things.
There are his lady love and the whole struggle to win her heart. Balancing his personal life and duties, Shiva rediscovers himself.
Though, hard to break ties with his past, he attempts to do it. But, the first book is not the end, and Shiva has a long journey to cover.
The Story Flow
You don’t want to sit with a book that bores you. The Immortals of Meluha is not one of them. Though you find the story to be similar, it won’t lose your interest.
Rediscovering the ancient beliefs, the author adds twists and turns to the story. You will also find the ‘hard to get’ love tale between Shiva and Sati. But for a change, the female lead has a solid reason to avoid her man.
It has nothing to do with Ego and ‘Why should girls go first?’. The story is smooth and flows well. The characters are not rushed into the plot, and you will see they have a hidden interconnection.
No one is here without a prominent role. The ‘Shiva Party’ includes Nandi, Gunas and yes, Daksh is Sati’s father – The Mighty Emperor.
The characters maintain relations in the same way. But their nature and their decisions carry the story on a different boat.
The author leaves the book with a ‘Cliffhanger.’ That got me saying ‘what!? It’s done?’ He drops the bombs when you least expect it. And yes, that’s the trick to keeping the readers hooked.
Some chapters have a plain ending, while the others bring a twist to the tale. Even if you are unaware of the original mythology, you will still enjoy the flow of the story.
The author explains every aspect in a proper manner. Thank God, he didn’t think ‘They’ll know this from the Original Mythology anyway.’
What I Like the Most in Immortals of Meluha
It’s fascinating to see how the author manages to keep you hooked with an age-old story. We all grew up listening to the tales of Lord Shiva. We are aware of his breathtaking love story with Sati.
People know the disconnection to the mundane world. The author weaves a story along the same lines, but with a twist.
The characters unfold without any literary disturbance, and the story is not rushed. You feel the emotions and the words used to hit your heart.
Also, the author surprises you by including modern tactics with ancient characters. You see the journey of a common man becoming ‘The God.’ He introduces you to the concept of Prophecies.
The story focuses on the point that ‘Your actions will bring you the results.’ That’s a beautiful message to give to the world.
The female lead of the book has a lot to contribute to the story. Different social evils that still prevail in our society are ‘low key’ emphasized.
The best part about the Immortals of Meluha is the story! Meluha succeeds in trapping you with its enchanting beauty. It is a redefinition of Mythology in its best form. In this case, the story is the King!
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
There is not much to say about the negative points. I had to read the book twice to spot any loopholes. The story might seem unbelievable for a few. But the author backs it up with facts and theory.
But, you cannot miss how he also drags the story. It seems like he is emphasizing the same point many times. That is unnecessary.
That can be an attempt to increase the word count. If you read it the first time, it’s not very conspicuous. But if you do it the second time, you’ll see how he tries to drill the point into your heads.
That’s not a bad thing unless you realize it on the first read. Not everyone likes the ‘repeated emphasis’ game.
You might feel a little irritated with a few characters of the Immortals of Meluha. The choices they make can be annoying. But, in reality, that’s how the world works. The author knows how to keep the reader occupied with the story.
But I won’t say the same about the writing. It might bore you in places, but you won’t put the book down. You feel familiar with the characters, and that’s a huge plus that outweighs any other minus.
Conclusion for The Immortals of Meluha
If you are an ardent fan of Indian Mythology, this book is for you. For all the Shiv Bhakts, this book is a treat.
Your favorite God is the ‘Hero’ here and the author does everything to elevate his character.
It is more about the journey than the destination. You get to learn new things. Though it is a mythological fiction, the book is motivating refreshingly.
It is suitable for all age groups – Young adults, teens and elders. It is the best from an Indian author and ideal for your pleasant evenings with the cup of ‘Chai.’
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