Karan Johar launches the Cover of Amish’s eagerly anticipated 3rd book in the Shiva Trilogy, The Oath of the Vayuputras
Renowned filmmaker Karan Johar, and Amish, the bestselling author of The Immortals of Meluha and The Secret of the Nagas, unveiled the cover of the much anticipated 3rd book of the Shiva Trilogy, The Oath of the Vayuputras. The concluding book of the Shiva Trilogy is set to be released in early March, 2013.
Also gracing the occasion was Gautam Padmanabhan, CEO, Westland Ltd, the publishers of Amish’s books, and Rashmi Pusalkar, the designer of the cover of The Oath of the Vayuputras.
The Shiva Trilogy (comprising The Immortals of Meluha, The Secret of the Nagas and the yet to be released The Oath of the Vayuputras) has been one of the most successful book series in the history of Indian publishing. It has sold almost a million copies within a short period of two-and-a-half years, with gross retail sales of approx Rs 22 crores. The books have been released across the Indian subcontinent in various languages, including English, Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati and Telugu.
The Shiva Trilogy is a compelling, fictional tale of a Tibetan tribal called Shiva, whose adventures nearly 4000 years ago, morphed into the mythical legends of the Hindu God Shiva.
Speaking on the occasion, Karan Johar said, ‘Amish’s books have always had a fantastical visual element to them and his book covers reflect that beautifully. They are rich in symbolism and meaning, while remaining stunning to look at.’
Amish added, ‘I think Rashmi, the designer, has done a superb job with the cover of The Oath of the Vayuputras. She has managed to bring in many symbolic elements seamlessly, while ensuring that this cover maintains the high standards of visual appeal that she set with the covers of my earlier books. I’m lucky to have her as the cover designer of my books.’
Mr. Gautam Padmanabhan – Chief Executive Officer, Westland Limited (Publishers of The Shiva Trilogy) – said, ‘Westland is delighted to be publishing Amish’s Shiva Trilogy. It mines our grand Indian heritage and makes our ancient philosophies and stories relatable to a whole new generation.’
About Amish:
Amish is a 1974-born, IIM (Kolkata)-educated, boring banker turned happy author. The success of his debut book, The Immortals of Meluha (Book 1 of the Shiva Trilogy), encouraged him to give up a fourteen-year-old career in financial services to focus on writing. He is passionate about history, mythology and philosophy, finding beauty and meaning in all world religions.
Amish lives in Mumbai with his wife Preeti and son Neel.
About The Immortals of Meluha:
1900 BC. In what modern Indians mistakenly call the Indus Valley Civilisation. The inhabitants of that period called it the land of Meluha – a near perfect empire created many centuries earlier by Lord Ram, the greatest monarch that ever lived.
This once proud empire and its Suryavanshi rulers face severe perils as its primary river, the revered Saraswati, is slowly drying to extinction. Its people also face devastating terrorist attacks from the east, the land of the Chandravanshis. To make matters worse, the Chandravanshis appear to have allied with the Nagas, an ostracised and sinister race of deformed humans with astonishing martial skills.
The only hope for the Suryavanshis is an ancient legend: ‘When evil reaches epic proportions, when all seems lost, when it appears that your enemies have triumphed, a hero will emerge.’
Is the rough-hewn Tibetan immigrant, Shiva, really that hero? And does he want to be that hero at all? Drawn suddenly to his destiny, by duty as well as by love, will Shiva lead the Suryavanshi revenge and destroy evil?
This is the first book in a trilogy on Shiva, the simple man whose karma re-cast him as our Mahadev, the God of Gods.
About The Secret of the Nagas:
Today, He is a God. 4000 years ago, He was just a man.
The hunt is on. The sinister Naga warrior has killed his friend Brahaspati and now stalks his wife Sati. Shiva, the Tibetan immigrant who is the prophesied destroyer of evil, will not rest till he finds his demonic adversary. His vengeance and the path to evil will lead him to the door of the Nagas, the serpent people. Of that he is certain.
The evidence of the malevolent rise of evil is everywhere. A kingdom is dying as it is held to ransom for a miracle drug. A crown prince is murdered. The Vasudevs – Shiva’s philosopher guides – betray his unquestioning faith as they take the aid of the dark side. Even the perfect empire, Meluha, is riddled with a terrible secret in Maika, the city of births. Unknown to Shiva, a master puppeteer is playing a grand game. In a journey that will take him across the length and breadth of ancient India, Shiva searches for the truth in a land of deadly mysteries – only to find that nothing is what it seems.
Fierce battles will be fought. Surprising alliances will be forged. Unbelievable secrets will be revealed in this second book of the Shiva Trilogy, the sequel to the #1 national bestseller, The Immortals of Meluha.
