"Mention of the Lakshman Rekha can nowhere be found in any versions of Ramayana, before the cult television series of the 80s, and certainly Valmiki didn't write it originally!"
Author Amish Tripathi shared many such mind-bending facts with his fans at a serendipitous encounter in Manchester earlier this month.
The Director of the Nehru Centre in London and the Culture & Education Minister at the Indian High Commission in the UK was at Manchester Museum for a literary event in association with Harper Collins for 'War of Lanka' – the latest final instalment of his bestselling Ram Chandra series.
In Manchester, as in other cities since its UK launch earlier this year, the author drew an impressive crowd, with fans and book enthusiasts from across the city and north-west England gathering to catch a glimpse of the celebrated author.
The event highlighted Tripathi's candid camaraderie with his fans and insightful conversation with two other British Indian authors from Manchester, Reshma Ruia and Swapna Das, exploring the themes and inspirations behind the Ram Chandra Series.
In response to Ruia's question on his reason for changing his career from finance to becoming an author, Tripathi shared that his first job was with a Life Insurance company in India. He also informs that he comes from a religious and spiritual family background in Varanasi.
"I belong to a liberal academic family also. Actually, if you read our ancient scriptures, you automatically become liberal," he said.
"I grew up in a spiritual and religious atmosphere, and that's how I got knowledge of our ancient traditions. But how they get converted into such stories of adventures that I cannot explain. It's a blessing of Lord Shiva. When I open my laptop, I can visualise a parallel universe, and that's all I share with you all," the talented author added.
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Attendees were treated to fascinating anecdotes about the extensive research, creative process, and the author's personal connection to the ancient epics that served as the foundation for his captivating narrative. His books are among the most popular picks not only in our diaspora but also amongst non-Indian readers, according to the author's own admission.
"I'm getting very good feedback from the non-Indian readers through my publisher, Harper Collins. It makes me very happy because these are from people who have no idea of our culture. I genuinely believe our culture has a universal message.
"We, as the British Indian diaspora, are doing so well in every way – academically, economically, and politically also! But we're a little diffident in speaking about our culture. We've to talk more about our culture in a way that even non-Indians can understand. And that's what I want to do with my books," he said.
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In the Q&A section with the audience, Tripathi graciously engaged with each person, taking the time to connect on a personal level and showing genuine interest in their thoughts and opinions. And finally, to the delight of fans, signed copies of the novel, 'War of Lanka' were made available. And they flew off the shelves faster than anticipated.
"Many English people at the Museum were asking me who is this man! I guess not every day they witness 53 copies of a book getting sold within 20 minutes," shared event organiser Rahul Laud.
Avid fan and entrepreneur Ravi Kumar, Chair of CyberLiver Ltd and Zanec Inc added: "There are not many people who can bring the cross-sections of our diaspora together the way this man can!"
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Amish Tripathi's ability to seamlessly blend history, mythology, and philosophy and to reinterpret them in modern-day context strikes a chord with the readers. It was evident from the Manchester book launch event how Amish Tripathi's books reinforce diaspora strength by bringing them together.
*Info: ‘War of Lanka’