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The Immortals of Meluha is the first book in the Shiva trilogy. This series lays emphasis on the human form of a God, Lord Shiva. This is an interesting and contemporary take on Hindu mythology (Puranas). The series is a journey of a man who starts as the leader of his tribe and later becomes a Mahadev (God of Gods). The story revolves around Shiva, an ordinary man with an extraordinary destiny.
We associate Lord Shiva with anger, destruction and rage. But, in this series, Shiva is the ideal man and leader. He treats everyone around him with dignity, equality and respect. He is against war and articulates clearly the negative impacts of war on society. He leads his clan from the front and constantly guards them from danger. Within his tribe, he removes any caste divisions and articulates why the kingdom that offers his tribe asylum should also do the same. Lord Shiva is also the contemporary "cool dude". He swears, smokes weed, and breaks the bureaucracy when interacting with his subordinates. He does not mind getting his hands dirty. He is the people's leader and constantly tries to lead from the front.
The sequence leading to winning the heart of the woman he loves - Sati, the Suryanshi princess - also shows Shiva in good light. The concept of love at first sight makes him somehow more human than God. A man understanding that a woman needs respect first before love is a well narrated section of the book. The love story is also an undercurrent in the storyline, never really the core of it.
I knew the book is part of a trilogy. So, I was expecting the book to end on some sort of a cliffhanger. The ending is interesting and definitely would make the reader want to grab the second book of the trilogy, The Secret of the Nagas.
In all, the book is a great read. It is a refreshing twist to a Hindu mythological character and story. I can't wait to read the next book in the trilogy.
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