A Matter Of Faith | Verve Magazine
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April 10, 2013

A Matter Of Faith

Text by Neha Gupta.

Successfully completing his trilogy with The Oath of the Vayuputras, author Amish Tripathi, who bagged an advance of crore for his next literary series, speaks about his philosophy and its calming effect

  • The Oath of the Vayuputras, Amish Tripathi
  • The Oath of the Vayuputras, Amish Tripathi

How did it feel to complete the Shiva trilogy?
The series will always be close to my heart. It is not as if Lord Shiva has abandoned me at the end of the trilogy. This book series has changed my life by 180 degrees; I’m not a banker now and I have more time for reading, music, and more importantly, my family. I also think I’m a calmer person – I was extremely aggressive and competitive. I’m sure I still have some of that competitive spirit inside me, but with a reduced intensity. For someone like me to get this blessing, it’s a privilege.

What does spirituality or religion mean to you?
The best way to answer this is the way yoga has been explained to us in the Upanishads. There are different routes to it. Across the world, the entire point of spirituality is to discover the divine within you. Unity with God – that’s what spirituality means to me. If by religious you mean ritualistic, I am not ritualistic. But if by religious you mean having faith and belief, then I am religious. Rather than using the term religious – I’m not ritualistic but I’m spiritual.

Did you feel mounting pressure to complete the trilogy with the success of the first two books – The Immortals of Meluha and The Secret of The Nagas?
When I write, I am cut off from the opinions of others. I am open to feedback but I only accept feedback that makes sense to me. I don’t bother where that feedback comes from. My only thought is to be true to the blessing of the story. So in that case, there is obviously no pressure because I’m not thinking what others will think of it.

What part of writing do you enjoy the most?
I love writing philosophical sections the most. That for me will always be the core of my book. And if not philosophical writing, I like penning war scenes and battles.

With your unprecedented book deal, have you blueprinted your next series?
I have a few ideas. Four of them are reasonably well developed. But I haven’t made up my mind yet. What we have with Westland is a pre-empted contract – whichever one of these four I pick, will be the next book series.

So, can one say with no shadow of doubt that Amish Tripathi has left the investment banker far behind?
Never say never! What if my book series flops? I’ll have to move back to banking then. I don’t come from a wealthy background, so I do need to keep earning a living. I’ll be a writer as long as my books sell. If they stop selling, I’ll return to banking.

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