The Mind Of Amish
Swarajya Mag|July 2017

AMISH’S INFLUENCE GOES BEYOND HIS BOOKS, HIS BOOKS GO BEYOND LITERATURE, HIS LITERATURE IS STEEPED IN PHILOSOPHY, WHICH IS ANCHORED IN BHAKTI, WHICH POWERS HIS LOVE FOR INDIA.

Gautam Chikermane
The Mind Of Amish
IS AMISH a philosopher evangelising his ideas through the medium of the novel? Or, is he a storyteller powering his novels with ancient Indian philosophies? If neither, is he a columnist tracking the Indian landscape and its flood of problems, using the Ramayana as his narrative and Ram and Sita as his voice? To rephrase, is he rewriting an ancient story, using epics to mirror a present or nudging social reforms for a future he visualises by leaning on familiar characters and using their familiarity to push home his messages? Is he violating the spirit of the epics by reinterpreting them or is he simply contemporising them in the language and the sensitivities of the mass readers of 21st century India? Finally, is he the product of sharp marketing that has found a sudden—and enviable—readership that has turned him into what filmmaker Shekhar Kapur calls India’s “first literary popstar”?

If your answer is that Amish is some of all the above, you would be right. But if you said he is all of these or none, you would be right too. His disarming smile hides the intense and complex mind powering the man. His capacity to read is huge, his reading of those readings deeply internalised, all of which show up easily, almost unconsciously in his stories. The culture, the rituals, the weapons, the strategy…all flow like water—not the calm, warm stream of the Yamuna but of the fast-moving, cold Ganga, his scenarios cutting through your mind, his characters carving paths unseen.

This story is from the July 2017 edition of Swarajya Mag.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the July 2017 edition of Swarajya Mag.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM SWARAJYA MAGView All
Refuging Progess
Swarajya Mag

Refuging Progess

There is a well-orchestrated global conspiracy to deny scientific and technological developments from the West to Third World countries.

time-read
6 mins  |
April 2017
The Monk Of Science
Swarajya Mag

The Monk Of Science

Vivekananda believed that Religion should be subjected to scientific methods of investigation. The third and concluding part of our series on the Swami and his views on science.

time-read
10+ mins  |
April 2017
Swarajya Mag

The Next Step

Indian technical manpower can be trained for high-value-added emerging services in the era of mass commoditisation of hardware.

time-read
6 mins  |
April 2017
Swarajya Mag

The Threat Of Autarchy

The force of globalisation is an irreversible reality, and it is countries like India and China that will nurture it going forward.

time-read
8 mins  |
April 2017
Neanderthals: The Womb Of Caves
Swarajya Mag

Neanderthals: The Womb Of Caves

Recent discoveries indicate that Neanderthals may have had a rich inner life, including symbolic thought. Indeed, they may have been the progenitors of human religions.

time-read
10+ mins  |
March 2017
Getting India's World Right
Swarajya Mag

Getting India's World Right

Incremental concessions will get India nowhere with Pakistan and China. What we need is a classically conservative foreign policy, based on realism.

time-read
10+ mins  |
March 2017
The Hesitant Orbit
Swarajya Mag

The Hesitant Orbit

In order to march boldly ahead into the deep space, New Delhi must work towards building a station, boost its techno-economic planning and use the Indian Space Research Organisation smartly.

time-read
4 mins  |
December 2017
Nudges And Narratives
Swarajya Mag

Nudges And Narratives

The debate surrounding Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Padmavati brings India a complex network of portraits within a cultural world-system.

time-read
8 mins  |
December 2017
The Spell Of Specialisation
Swarajya Mag

The Spell Of Specialisation

THE INDIAN ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICE NEEDS AN URGENT REJIG. THE KEY TO SPEED AND EFFICIENCY LIES IN PUTTING AN END TO A GENERALIST APPROACH AND IN GOING FOR A NEW SERVICE.

time-read
7 mins  |
December 2017
Swarajya Mag

The Great Gamble

With demonetisation, the prime minister has taken a huge risk— both economic and political. He must succeed, because this move could transform both our economy and our society.

time-read
10+ mins  |
December 2016