Here is someone, whose magnificence cannot be described in mere words. However this is my feeble attempt to do so. Mine is a character review on Amish Tripathi's Shiva Trilogy; of which 'The Immortals of Meluha' and 'The Secret of The Nagas' has been released and 'The Oath of The Vayuputras' will be in no time. For someone who hasn't read them yet, there are spoilers in my review. So do read the book before reading this post.
The title is obvious to any
Hindu grown up listening to various stories about an endless list of Gods and
heroes. I grew up on Amar Chitra Kathas and stories by my grandmother. She
would always tell me stories of Krishna, Murugan, Ganapati and many others,
which intrigued me and born within me was a fascination for Indian mythology.
Though I went from a God-worshipping childhood, to an agnostic adolescence and
ended up starting my adulthood as an atheist, my interest in these heroes never
faded. If anything, I became more curious about them.
I belong to a Vaishnavite
family; I was particularly inspired by Lord Shiva. His character is one of
immense passion, valour and beauty. He has a focus of a Hawk, strength of a
Bull, courage of a Lion, glamour of a Peacock and the grace of a Swan. He can
be calm as the sea; furious as the fire and excited as a butterfly. His name by
itself means pure. He plays the role of the destroyer in the holy trinity. He
destroys all things, evil and good to make place for new. While Brahma is white
and Vishnu is shades of grey, Shiva is black. He observes all the evil hence
cleansing the universe.
Amish Tripathi illustrates
the Neelkanth in a more humane form in his Shiva Trilogy. His portrayal has
added a touch of charm and elegance to our beloved Lord. He shows him as an
ordinary human with an extraordinary journey of life. ‘Har Har Mahadev’ or ‘Har
Ek Hai Mahadev’ is used often in the story, implying that in each one of us,
there is a God. With the right amount of courage, enthusiasm and determination,
we can accomplish great feats in life. The Shiva Trilogy is a story of the expedition
of the Lord, passed on from generations, seen by a contemporary eye.
Shiva is shown as a tribal
Lord, born in an environment so raw and innocent to civilized way of life. He
has grown up on the mountains, which makes him closer to the skies as well as
Mother Earth, and hence the universe. This is the reason he is always down to
Earth and in one with the nature. The needs and rules were basic on the
Himalayas and all people cared about was survival. As he takes his subjects to
Meluha, he mixes his raw intelligence with their established system to further
improve the picture perfect kingdom. We often forget the creative side of
Shiva. He blends creativity and logic in a perfect way to make himself one of
the most efficiently intelligent personalities. He stands for raw and untamed
energy.
Shiva is someone who cares
for all his loved ones. He will sacrifice his own life for the safety of theirs.
Anyone who harms the one he loves shall face his wrath. He does not give up on
Sati, even when she virtually lives under the shadows of death. On losing
Brihaspati, he gets enraged on the Nagas. He also holds Nandi and Veerbadra as
important people and trusts their advice. Shiva’s love for Sati is intense; he
does not give up on the hope of marrying her. She is his strength and his
weakness.
Another attribute to the
Neelkanth is his passion. He is ardent about dancing. He prays before his
dance, a tribute to Lord Nataraja and a way to absorb all the energy around.
While he dances, he gets lost in the art. The steps come to him effortlessly.
He doesn’t do dance, he feels it. His entire body is synchronized to the rhythm
of the universe. His hands and legs find their own movements. His mudras are
perfect and posture is balanced. Being a Bharatnatyam dancer, I have always
visualized him doing the Anand Tandav and Rudra Tandav. Whenever we were taught
a dance based on Shiva and Parvati, it’s a total class act, upbeat, energetic
and graceful. This is the reason I started admiring Shiva before Amish Tripathi
decided to reveal him in a different light.
He is a person of strong
morals and principles and anyone with the same attracts him. He thinks high of
Parvateshwar who shuns him at first, for his loyalty to Lord Ram. Sati’s strong
character and headstrong virtue attracts him. He also loses admiration for
Daksha, who is shown to be timid and of weak mind. He gets angry with Daksha
and Nandi when they feed him and his folks the Som, without their consent. He
is against lying and someone who will not entertain cowardice.
The trait that earned my
absolute respect is something else though. It was the way he treated everyone,
as an equal. His eyes were the most just. He is against the vikarma law. He
touches the feet of a certain vikarma and takes his blessing, creating a bit of
blasphemy in Meluha. However, he uses his power and influence over the king to
remove the law. He believes in fair play and equality. He shows confidence in
Sati, Ayurvati and other women; something which men often fail to do. Rather
than discouraging Sati from fighting, he admires her for standing up to herself
and her principles. As the first book ends, he comes in terms with the fact
that the Chandravanshi way of living is as fair and right as the Suryavanshi
way. He sees feminity as a force complementary to masculinity, neither inferior
nor superior. He is open to a new perspective, and opens up the public’s mind
to a new way of thinking. He is ready to listen to the other side of the story
before passing a judgment on a person. Despite of all people said about
Parshurama, he listened to his reasons of acting the way he did, and sympathized
with him. His open mind is the reason he can communicate with the Vasudevs as
well.
We all have fictional
characters who have inspired and shaped our own thoughts and beliefs. Reading
about the Neelkanth found me a role model. I aspire to be like him. If I can
even be a percent like him, I will be have consider my life well lived and
worth. Also a cue to all the boys, I would love to find a soul mate with
qualities possessed by the Blue Throated Hero.