Amish Tripathi with his bunch of amazingness; Image Source: Times of India

large_71632602.jpg

medium_71632602.jpg

small_71632602.jpg

thumbnail_71632602.jpg

71632602.jpg

One fine day, King Janak and his wife Sunaina of Mithila went on a trip for some official work. On their way back to Mithila, they found a child on the road. She was protected by a huge vulture. After adopting her, they named her Sita, as she was found in a furrow. Growing up in the ashram of Rishi Shvetaketu, Sita learned various forms of martial arts and knowledge about a variety of subjects like astronomy, physics, arithmetic, and many more. During her stay, she forms a close bond with Radhika and her cousin, Hanuman, and also gains the trust of Jatayu.

One day, Maharishi Vishvamitra arrives in the *ashram* and meets Sita. Finding a strange connection with her and seeing her skills and knowledge, he declares her as the seventh Vishnu but asks her to keep this a secret.

When Sita returned to Mithila, she was shocked to hear about her mother’s death. With her father being depressed to such an extent that he took the religious path and left the kingdom, she had the entire responsibility of Mithila on her shoulders. She was elected as the Prime Minister and her ability to take tough decisions, made her the perfect ruler of Mithila. Along with her best friend Samichi, Sita went on to change Mithila bit by bit, ultimately making it one of the most stable kingdoms in the world.

Meet the real Wonder woman of India; Image Source: Talenthouse

yllaqvnihdeoi7lbj9cs.jpg

She then went to the Malayaputra capital city of Agastyakootam to receive her training to become the next Vishnu. But at the same time, she got to know from Radhika that Prince Rama of Ayodhya too was being trained to become the seventh Vishnu. Deciding to tie a strong bond between the kingdom of Ayodhya and Mithila, she decided to marry Rama by conducting a Swayamvar.

But everything did not go as planned. Enraged at the arrival of King Raavan and his brother Kumbhakaran, she manipulated the situation in such a manner that Sita ultimately married Rama. The next day, Raavan attacked Mithila with 10,000 soldiers, but Rama used the *Asurastra* to save Mithila, even though its use was forbidden by Lord Rudra. When all of them returned to Ayodhya, they had to embark on an exile for 14 years. Before venturing on the journey, they drank *Somras* to protect themselves from the upcoming dangers.

Numerous incidents took place throughout their journey. But one day, when Rama and Lakshman went out hunting, Raavan and his soldiers attacked their camp. When Sita jumped in the middle to save Jatayu, Raavan captures her and takes her with him to Lanka in his Pushpak Viman. After gaining consciousness, Sita finds that a woman had put a knife near her throat, and when she turned to see the face, she went into a state of shock on seeing her best friend Samichi.

> Well, the story doesn’t end here as Amish Tripathi takes you on a new journey to Lanka on Raavan’s Pushpak Viman. Sita: Warrior of Mithila has been described as one of the most anticipated books of 2017, with Rosheena Zehra’s beautiful review that says-
> 

**Reviewing a writer like Amish is always a challenge. It is easier to write off trashy books, but admiration takes time. Praise demands an investment of thought, or so I conclude from personal experience. With this book, Amish has given us a Sita who is fielding armies single-handedly, is a champion archer, an efficient queen, and an able administrator. Additionally, it is refreshing to find a female protagonist in mainstream art whose physical appearance is not prioritized in her portrayal. Amish's book talks about philosophy, uses proper grammar, and yet appeals to readers.**

With his unique style of twisting and turning the plots and presenting the character in a way that is quite different from our usual notion, Amish Tripathi’s books are one of the anticipated ones among the Indian readers. But this was not a simple journey.

Born in Bharat’s *Mayanagri*- Mumbai, and growing up in the State of Temples- Odisha, his life was a mix and match of different cultures and traditions. Though driven to become a successful banker, he did have a knack for writing. Working as a banker for 14 years, his passion for writing and love for mythology finally overtook him.

Amish published his first novel named *The Immortals of Meluha* which was a part of his Shiva Trilogy in 2010. This had created a buzz among the young readers and soon, the second part, *The Secret of the Nagas* was released in 2011 along with the third book titled, *The Oath of the Vayuputras*, which was released in 2013. In the Shiva Trilogy, he has tried to bring out an aspect of Lord Shiva as a human being. When asked about his inspiration, Tripathi replied-

> "**And then this story happened. It wasn’t one defining moment of epiphany. It sort of just crept up on me. Slowly, first the philosophies, and then the story to convey the philosophies. This experience has changed me. My outlook on life. My attitude. And my belief in God.**"
> 

> When the entire Shiva series was released, it became one of the fastest-selling books in the history of Indian publishing, earning around 60 crores in sales.
> 

On seeing such an amazing response from the Indian audience, he went ahead to explore the untouched waters of Ramayana. He released the first book in the Ram Chandra series entitled *The Scion of Ikshvaku* in 2015. This book won the **Crossword Book’s “Best Popular Award.**” The year 2017 again saw an enormous rise in the sales of *Sita: Warrior of Mithila*, the second book in the Ram series, and *Raavan: The Enemy of Aryavarta*, the third book in the series in 2019.

> Tasting the waters of being a writer of so many popular books, Amish announced that he would be producing a film adaptation of his novel, *Legend of Suheldev: The King Who Saved India*.
> 

With every passing day, a new idea brews in the mind of Amish, and with every passing year, he makes sure to surprise his fans with his amazing books that amalgamate the mythology and modernism in the most perfect proportion.

The stories of Ramayana and Mahabharata from our grandma’s treasure troves have always fascinated us. With every new story, the twist and turn of various characters put us on the edge of our adventure seats. Imagine someone presenting these stories of your childhood in a twisted way that you had never expected.