Jaipur, Jan 27 (IANS) Controversies in India are given greater prominence than pressing issues like the oppression of women that need to be brought out in public, says best-selling author Amish Tripathi, who "approaches the subject with a heart" to avoid unnecessary trouble while writing on religion.
"Please don't misunderstand me... but I fear that we don't focus on real issues that I have spoken about many times, and it is the subject of women's oppression," Tripathi told IANS in an interview on the sidelines of the Jaipur LitFest.
"Our society behaves in a horrendous manner with women. I am not just talking about rape, but about mass murder through foeticide and systematic malnutrition," he added.
Religion is a dangerous territory to tread in any country, but the author of the "Shiva Trilogy" has been successfully retelling mythologies without getting into controversies.
"Let's be honest...95 percent of the controversies are generated and are not genuine controversies. They are generated with a hope of creating publicity to sell books and movies or anything," he said.
"If you write from a position where your heart is approaching the subject with respect, it will show in your work and would reflect what you believe in," he added.
Tripathi, 40, announced at the recent Jaipur Literature Festival that his next series of books will be on Lord Ram and the first one, "The Scion of Ishkwaku", will be released in October.
According to the banker-turned-author, he had signed a deal with his publishers (Westland) in 2013 but wasn't sure about the subject till a woman at a literature festival spoke bitterly about Lord Ram.
"The way that girl spoke about Lord Ram was deeply disrespectful and that upset me greatly. And this is how I decided to write on this subject," recollected the author of "The Immortals of Meluha", "The Secret of the Nagas" and "The Oath of the Vayuputras".
"I would like to look at him holistically and completely. Practically all Indians love and respect him for what is known as 'Rama Rajya', but I wonder how many people would have actually thought through what 'Rama Rajya' is. That is the thing I want to write about and how he built that society," he said.
But aren't the characteristics of Ram and Shiva different? If Shiva's dynamic personality has many layers to be discovered, Lord Ram's character doesn't offer many shades of the rainbow.
"Through Lord Ram, we might learn that it is cool to follow rules. And that is something I think modern Indians might need to learn," he said.
Tripathi doesn't like to be labeled as the "pioneer of retelling mythologies". He said myths and other such stories have been popular for over 1,000 years in India, but the mainstream publishers never took serious note of this.
But things have changed now and in the Indian literary landscape, the retelling of mythologies has become extremely popular. Writers are approaching the topic by reinventing the story for modern readers.
"Mythology in the Indian language publishing space never ran out of popularity, but it came a bit later in English literature. It was probably because people making decisions had a westernised way of outlook," he concluded.
Recommendation to install small 5G equipment on electric poles and traffic signals, the suggestion to eliminate the need for approval
Telecom regulator Trai has recommended the installation of small equipment for 5G services on electric poles, bus stops, and traffic signals, as well as suggested doing away with the need for approval
The budget segment's strong smartphone is the new Nokia C3, a direct competition from this phone
In the budget segment, Nokia (HMD Global) has launched its new smartphone Nokia C3 in India. At this time you will find many smartphones worth less than 10 thousand in the market, but the new Nokia C3
Will a world war start today? Iran can attack Israel, Netanyahu is also ready after America's warning
Iran can attack Israel Iran is furious after the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. Iran has spoken of taking revenge after Israel's attacks on its soil and it can target Israel today itself.
Crimes against minorities issue raised in Lok Sabha
New Delhi, March 17 (IANS) Opposition parties, led by the Congress, on Tuesday raised in the Lok Sabha the issue of crimes against minorities, especially the attack on a church in Haryana and the
Manipur violence: The fire of violence burning in Manipur, how the violent clash between two communities started
Manipur is burning in the fire of violence. Violent clashes are still visible today in Manipur between two communities Meitei and Kuki. Whereas, in the past, two women of the Kuki community were
Radhe Shyam earned 200 crores even before its release, now there will be a storm at the box office
Prabhas and Pooja Hegde's starrer film 'Radhe Shyam' has been released at the box office on Friday. People were waiting for the film for a long time, but due to Covid, this much-awaited film was
Cabinet nod for fuel, freight subsidy extension till fiscal-end
New Delhi, March 4 (IANS) The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on Wednesday approved extending the public distribution (PDS) kerosene and cooking gas (LPG) subsidy scheme and the
Airline companies in India will buy more than 1100 aircraft, Indigo alone has ordered about 500 aircraft
The order of 470 aircraft by Tata Group-owned Air India is being discussed all over the world but Air India is not the only company in India to buy a record number of aircraft. Various domestic
Duminy hat-trick cripples Sri Lanka
Sydney, March 18 (IANS) South African all-rounder J.P. Duminy on Wednesday clinched a hat-trick in the first cricket World Cup quarterfinal against Sri Lanka at the Sydney Cricket Ground.Duminy
G-20 Summit: India trying to agree on statement by including Russia's views on Ukraine
India has proposed that the views of Russia and China be included in the G-20 statement condemning the Ukraine war to avoid a deadlock. Officials gave this information on Thursday. A two-day summit of
