I have read all of Amish Tripathi’s books and have heard him speak couple of times. So when he announced the release of his new non-fiction book Immortal India, I was very excited as I am fascinated by Indology. But I have figured that I am a tsunduko, my to-be-read list is always longer than read, and these days with more and more reading done on Kindle, this book though arrived within a week of its launch was lying on the bedside waiting for it to be read.
Though I did pick it up few times and had read the intro, I was little disappointed in it being a collection of articles published earlier by the author. And as I flipped through the book, they were only few pages each and that too in not small font.
But since a book that has been started needs to be finished before a new lot takes its place on the bedside table I finally picked it up.
As the author pointed out in his very first article in the book on Lord Shiva that he is God of contradictions, so is India. And inspite or because of that, India has survived through the centuries and continues to do so. We have adapted to times, assimilated various cultures and religions either brought by invaders or evolving through demands of Time.
Immortal India and its timeless civilisation is brought alive by the author through discussions on religion & mythology, social issues and history but in very brief formats. Amish is known to have read original Sanskrit texts, he has read reams on India – its history and culture, mythology and religion, beliefs and social evolution; I was expecting more in-depth stories, narratives and discussions on India and its evolution since Vedic times. I am left wishing for more after having read the book, no book can be a definitive book on India but I would have loved a more detailed interpretation of India’s story in the modern context.
However, what the book delivers on is reinterpreting the history and religious narratives for young Indians. It asks relevant questions, makes people think and ponder on why India is what it is. I feel this is an excellent book that should make way into high-school curriculum of various boards giving the children an opportunity to understand the country a little better. Perhaps this would make them question their own role in what they can do to make India a better place for them and their future generations, so that this ancient civilisation makes its journey well into the future making this an Immortal India.