The Immortals of Meluha - The book I just read!

I am not an avid reader. However, being surrounded by ultra passionate readers is always an advantage. One of such avid reasons and a treasured friend recommended the book to me. 

There is something different about this book. As far as the premise of the book goes, it simply is based on the belief that the Gods we worship as per our mythology aren't some fictitious characters imagined by some great writer of the past. This book says they existed, and lived on this very earth as mortals. Like you and me. They got elevated to Godhood because of the extraordinary deeds and accomplishments they carried out.

Now wait. Before you start rolling your eyes and cringing your nose, let me mention that the story is no typical philosophical ramble and NOT AT ALL BORING. Our generation is born in an era where philosophical and spiritual content is simply taken as the next worst thing to read after our Course books for exams. But this book is not about any "gyaan". Trust me the language is so simple and modern that I actually took time to imagine lord Shiva using the expression: “Dammit”! So now you know how easy the book actually is to go through.

Basically it's a work of fiction, several mythological beliefs put together weaved into a story. But the way they're brought together is what I was impressed by. 


The book is a story of a tribal, Shiva, who lived on Mount Kailash in Tibet. He comes to the land of Meluhans, the empire of Ram. The book describes his journey as to how he is led towards his Karma, as he becomes The Mahadev, The Neelkanth! 

A splendid story, this book showcases each and every aspect of Lord Shiva we know, a ferocious warrior, an ardent lover and a skillful strategist. I couldn't help smiling every time the time Lord Shiva's character unfolded as this carefree person with a wonderful sense of humor, tremendous strength in his personality and a big heart. Not forgetting how the author intertwines all our mythological character right from Nandi, Veer Bhadra, Sati and carves out the story!

The story is really fast paced. Once you start to read, you can't wait to know the rest of it. Every now and then, you come across a fact and you immediately relate it to some mythological aspect that you have heard about earlier.

Now it's not about justifying if the faith in Shiva is absolutely right and other faiths aren't. No. It's about getting our minds open to the fact that the lords we worship today are worth worshiping because of the rarest of strength, power, and greatness they showed.

I am not really a religious person. I don't believe in worshiping idols either. But I do believe, that supreme power exists somewhere which leads us all towards the path that is right. 

The story goes on to tell you that several 'Avatars" of Lord Vishnu and Lord Mahadev were actually titles given to people who rose to supreme levels of excellence. As per the author on the website “I believe that the words Vishnu and Mahadev are not individual names. They are in fact titles, given to those persons who are the greatest of leaders, who become god-like." After reading the book it dawns upon you that the near perfect empire of Meluha – the Ramrajya is actually the Indus Valley Civilization that we know. Every fact is simple and so believable.

It actually tells you every one can become God. Each one of us can be a Mahadev. Yes, there is where “Har Har Mahadev” phrase actually emerges in the book. “Har ek mein hai mahadev”. Nice!

The author, Amish, struck a chord somewhere in my head through this book. May be because his beliefs are absolutely like the ones I have. I am happy I was forced to read this book. Thanks Irfan! :)