The Oath of the Vayuputras, the third and final installation of bestselling author Amish’s Shiva Trilogy hit the stands last week. Having waited tolerantly for two whole months after pre-ordering it, I received my copy on the morning of its release date, and completed it in three days, given my demanding schedule. It would've taken just a couple of hours if I wasn’t a regular college-going kid. But alas! The hectic time-table at IIT Bombay lets me have just a handful of hours’ worth of time-out, most of which are required to catch sleep. It’s been a few days since I completed the book, and today I finally get the time to blog about it.
Why I like the Shiva Trilogy
It is not a period drama, it isn’t mythology either. Amish has shaped a different world altogether. He has fused them both to create a fascinating pastiche, which gets the reader to think. For example, I found myself asking, did the Yamuna actually flow into the Saraswati before? Or did the Hindi word ‘maayka’ originate from the name of the city where womenfolk delivered their babies?
The trilogy tells the story of Shiva, the Mahadev, who is depicted, not as an almighty deity but as a simple mortal, flesh and bone. In the prologue, Amish explains how it is one’s karma which makes him a God. And that is exactly what Shiva’s journey through the country embodies him into. There are no thunderbolt throwing or fire spewing super humans, but simple men (and women), firing arrows and swinging swords. It is that rawness of the action that appeals to me.
The trilogy is a grand journey, one that provokes some questions and answers some others. It makes one glad that he chose to be a part of the voyage.
A befitting finale, Vayuputras
Don't worry, no spoilers here!
The third book in a trilogy would be prone to some pretty high expectations. Questions need to be answered; the buffs must be able to find some closure. And delivering amidst such hype is one hell of a task. But Vayuputras does not disappoint.
Starting off just where the previous book The Secret of the Nagas ends, the reader comes across a startling revelation at the very beginning. Evil is at large, and according to the prophecy, the Neelkanth has to stop it. But when the great Evil is so deep rooted, so largely prevalent, how can one get rid of it without causing the outbreak of anarchy? And moreover, spearheading Evil's cause is someone highly powerful and highly influential. Against towering odds, Shiva undertakes the enormous task of wiping the said Evil from the face of the earth. And the great war has consequences even before the first arrow is fired. People face tough choices. Whether to choose between something one knows is right and something one is meant to do was never an easy decision.
The third book in a trilogy would be prone to some pretty high expectations. Questions need to be answered; the buffs must be able to find some closure. And delivering amidst such hype is one hell of a task. But Vayuputras does not disappoint.
Starting off just where the previous book The Secret of the Nagas ends, the reader comes across a startling revelation at the very beginning. Evil is at large, and according to the prophecy, the Neelkanth has to stop it. But when the great Evil is so deep rooted, so largely prevalent, how can one get rid of it without causing the outbreak of anarchy? And moreover, spearheading Evil's cause is someone highly powerful and highly influential. Against towering odds, Shiva undertakes the enormous task of wiping the said Evil from the face of the earth. And the great war has consequences even before the first arrow is fired. People face tough choices. Whether to choose between something one knows is right and something one is meant to do was never an easy decision.
New characters come in. The Vayuputras are a tribe settled in the West, who are obliged by oath, to help the Neelkanth but are not certain about the genuineness of Shiva. Vasudev Gopal, the chief of the Vasudevs stands by Shiva, providing unflinching support. All the characters, the new as well as the old, are written with impeccable understanding. Action sparks off from every page.
I found myself rooting for characters, flinching when they were stabbed, and shaking off tears when they died. The trivia about tribes like the Aten and the Lamas, the reverse definitions of good and evil in the west, etc. was stuff I particularly enjoyed reading about. Once through with the 570 pages, I was left with a melancholy feeling, overwhelmed by the turn of events nearing the climax.
The Oath of the Vayuputras was an epic in itself. Living up to the hype, it was one thrilling page-turner. There were times I read a hundred pages in one go, without stopping for pee-breaks.
With renowned writers like Deepak Chopra and Sandipan Deb praising the book, it won’t be long before Vayuputras too sells a million copies. The trilogy is more than worth a read.
Har Har Mahadev!
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