Raavan: Enemy of Aryavarta was launched by author Amish Tripathi in the city on Tuesday. The book is third in a series called Ram Chandra by the author. “Is Raavan evil. No. There was no concept of evil at that time. As a culture, we could see things in a nuanced way. We didn’t see things as just either good or bad, but with shades of grey,” said Mr. Tripathi making a case for learning from books on Indian civilisation.
When asked a hypothetical question about Raavan’s career if he lived today, Mr. Tripathi dodged a direct answer saying, “I don’t want to get into trouble with trolls. But surely, he would not have been an author”. He described Raavan as a man having anger management issues who did not respect women, except one whom he obsessively respected. “He wrote Tandava Stotra, which is even now used by tantriks during puja. For the launch of my first book, that stotra was set to music by Taufiq Qureshi,” informed Mr. Tripathi.
On perspective
As he was mobbed by dozens of youngsters waiting to get their copies autographed, Mr. Tripathi said: “There is no universal truth except in math. Truth depends on perspective. There is observer bias. Winston Churchil might be a hero for the British, but in India, he was responsible for the death of millions who died because of his administrative decisions. We need to understand this nuance. We have to make peace with our history if we have to prosper as a country”.