Enemy of the state

The third book in Amish’s Ram Chandra series, Raavan-Enemy of Aryavarta, is yet to hit the bookstores. But it is already a best-seller on the pre-order list. It is with much anticipation that we gulp down the story of Raavan. Without giving spoilers, this book gives us a far more nuanced picture of Raavan. Ahead of his visit to Pune for the book launch, we catch up with Amish and the author says, “I was not in a good place emotionally when I started writing the third part of the book. I was going through some personal troubles, and writing the story of this dark and angry character aggravated my mental and emotional state. I am happy that my part in writing the book is over now.” 

Clues and symbols
The symbol on the spine of the book, which is also used as the page breaker, is quite intriguing to say the least. When asked what does the symbol mean, Amish replies, “The symbol is Raavan’s name as spelled in the Brahmi script. The other word is a clue for the fifth book. All my books have some clues and messages for my readers, who then debate over them and discuss.”

There were discussions over the title of the aforementioned book in the virtual world with memes adding to the merriment. At one point, the author had thought of calling the book Raavan — Orphan of Aryavarta. However, it is being released as Raavan – Enemy of Aryavarta now. “My impression of Raavan, before I started writing the book, was that his motherland had given him up. As I wrote more, I realised that it was not his motherland that gave him up, but it was Raavan who rejected his motherland. It was his anger that made him reject it. So I thought ‘enemy’ sounds better,” he says.

Sibling, seers and society
In the popular domain, Kumbhakarna is known for his sleeping disorder. But in Raavan...his character has been fleshed out really well. In fact, he can be seen as a foil to Raavan’s persona. Amish says, “Kumbhakarna is a good man, the nicest character in the Ram Chandra series. He is in love with his brother, he worships Raavan, who in some ways, is a monster. Kumbhakarna is an intelligent man and is aware of his brother’s shortcomings. That is the dilemma of his life.” 

Those who have read the previous two books, Ram — Scion of Ikshvaku and Sita — Warrior of Mithila, are familiar with the role of the Gurus — Vishwamitra and Vasishtha. In the third book, Vishwamitra is setting Raavan up as a villain so that the hero comes out looking better. One wonders what’s the role of our seers and in what light should we see them? 

“Our Vedic society had men and women as seers — there were rishis and rishikas. Their objectives were always noble. They were always thinking of the welfare of their motherland. They differed on how to achieve this goal. Some rishis and rishikas were of the view that the destination and the path to it had to be correct. Whereas some believed that they will take whichever path necessary to achieve the welfare of their country. This is the central debate between the devotees of Lord Ram and Lord Krishna. So look at Guru Vishwamitra and Guru Vasishtha in the same way. They never did anything for their selfish interests. They always thought about the people, the nation and they wanted to make their ancestors proud by helping achieve Aryavarta its lost glory,” explains Amish, who has also written The Immortals of Meluhas and The Secret of the Nagas.

In Raavan, the author also broaches the subject of Sabrimala with hints to what is unfolding now. What’s his take on the crisis? Amish replies, “My views on Sabrimala are stated in the book. It’s not a gender issue, but it’s about the sanyasa route, art of monkhood. For eg, in Buddhism, Dalai Lama’s monks, male monks have a different order and the female monks have a different order. Is it fair to go tell Buddhist monks that women have to be allowed in their male monastery? Similarly, you can’t go to a female Buddhist order, or a female Hindu sanyasa order and say, ‘Allow males in’.” 

Books and web series
Amish says that he will finish writing the fourth installment in about a month. But he also observes that the multi-linear narrative approach for the Ram Chandra series was too complex. Says he, “It was difficult keeping track of multiple narratives and twists and turns in the series. It was fun, yes, but it was tough. From the fourth book, it’s going to be a common narrative. I will complete fourth book within a month.” 

When asked about the film rights for his Shiva trilogy, the author says, “There was a tie-up with Bollywood production house, but the rights have come back. Now, we have tied up with a Hollywood producer for a web series. So, let’s see how that goes.” 

ST Reader Service
Amish to launch his Raavan — Enemy of Aryavarta on July 6, 6.30 pm at Crossword, Aundh