Diplomat. Author. Mythologist. Philosopher. All of these words — and more — sum up Amish Tripathi, a man with as many feathers in his cap as there are facets to the tales of ancient Indian culture he writes about. Currently creating a furore in the Indian literary world, with 11 books written in the course of 14 years, Amish has, for the last decade, been quite literally taking the mythology scene in the country by storm. And the numbers speak for themselves. Over seven million copies sold worldwide and translated into 20 languages, Amish is among the fastest-selling authors in Indian publishing history, and the people who speak highly of him and his prolific pen range from Amitabh Bachchan to Shashi Tharoor. Yet you wouldn’t know it when you saw him. There is a grounded, matter-of-fact humility in the way he addresses the people around him, an enthusiasm that encourages interaction in how he speaks to school children, and an endless ability to draw his audiences in merely by words alone that makes you sit up and take notice of the bright, profound wisdom that falls off his gaze.
“I’m only 5’7,” Amish tells us conspiratorially, smiling a little when asked why he thinks he’s amassed such a massive fan following over the years. “It can’t be because I’m this big, strong hunk of a guy! And I had a very normal childhood and a very normal education growing up. I’m not ashamed to admit that; in fact, I’m very proud of it. So it must be because of the power that lies in our stories. Our own stories, of our own culture. I merely tell those stories; the stories themselves have existed since long before you or I have. People are slowly starting to realise that the age of the West is over. Gone are the days when being Anglicised, so to speak, was a symbol of elevated status. We have started to reclaim our own identities as Indians. That is why our stories continue to be relevant. And that is why perhaps people have been so kind to me.”
When we catch Amish — at the third Founder’s Memorial Talk held at the SAI International School in Bhubaneswar on November 9, to honour the school’s founder, the late Bijaya Kumar Sahoo — it is well past 10 in the morning, with students swarming about everywhere and a pleasant nip in the crisp November air. The man in question himself is in a dapper Nehru coat that substitutes a blazer over formal work wear; take a cursory glance and you would think he was off to some mundane, inane task so typical of the middle of the working week. Not so when he clambers on stage to address the crowd; some 5,000-odd students of the SAI International School network staring up at him with wide eyes, very visibly hanging on to every word he says. On stage, Amish owns the reputation he has built so painstakingly for himself. Sharp as a needle and just as quick, the former banker starts off at once to discuss the four pathways to success, as described in our epics and puranas, and soon enough, we’re all drawn back into that mystical world of our mythology that Amish is so famous for recounting, just like that.
“The thing about the stories of the Indian itihasas — our Ramayana-Mahabharata and our puranas — is that they are all timeless, in a way,” Amish tells us later, when we finally push our way forward to him. “And, of course, it’s true that one does get lost in the sheer wonder and beauty of the stories, but they’re also lessons in philosophy and how to live your life better, which is what makes them timeless in the first place. That’s why these stories are still so captivating… and this is applicable not only for Indians but indeed for people around the world.”
Fair logic, one would argue. Take Amish’s books, for example; they’ve received international recognition and a number of awards. If cosmopolitanism had a name, a possible volunteer for the position would be Amish’s — indeed, there are few contemporary writers in the modern Indian literary scene who can claim such varied names and numbers. There are fewer still who can say that they have made space for Indian writing to step out from the darkness of the shadows into the light, encouraging a new generation — and indeed, a new school — of Indian writers to take centre stage on the global literary scene.
It is not only Amish’s diverse capabilities as a writer, narrator and mythologist that have put him in this position, however. It is also his commitment to excellence, to exploring, to encouraging more when it comes to the Indian literary landscape. We ask him about the IGF Archer-Amish Award for Literature, announced in September at the 6th India Global Forum in London, which is a collaboration with another doyen in the literary scene — Lord Jeffrey Archer. The award is a $25,000 monetary prize that aims to celebrate authors whose work in contemporary Indian fiction stands out as ‘a remarkable contribution to the India story.’ Essentially meant to nurture talent in the genre and encourage young writers to step forward and showcase their writing to the world, the award has been announced in the hope to uncover diverse new voices and foster a vibrant, thriving literary landscape in India for years to come.
While the winner of the Archer-Amish award will be announced at the next IGF London summit in 2025, it’s no crime to be a little curious about it already. We ask Amish how preparations are faring, and are hit with a barrage of enthusiasm that only tells of his passion for the project. “We’ve been working out the modalities, but you’ll see an announcement by the India Global Forum very soon,” Amish tells us. “Both Lord Jeffrey Archer and I have given our broad approval to the structure that has been proposed, and we both hope that this award will encourage a new stream of storytelling in India.”
More effervescent is his admiration and respect for Archer, who, even to the non-reader, is a name not to be trifled with. A veritable giant in the English fiction scenario, the former Member of Parliament of the United Kingdom has been on everything from ISC textbooks to an innumerable number of global bestseller lists, with his Kane and Abel and Clifton Chronicles being books seasoned readers still swear by.
“There’s a reason why Archer is considered one of the greatest writers ever,” Amish affirms. “It’s not just the fact that he’s sold some 250 or 300 million copies — numbers that I would die for, just by the way — and he is such a fantastic storyteller, but also — and this is what I like most about Jeffrey — the fact that he is of very fine character. There are a few qualities in him that I really admire, first of which is his kindness and encouragement to other writers, or those whose stories or books he may like. He has been very kind to my books too… he’s written blurbs for my books and supported my stories, which is very kind and gracious of him, since he’s such a senior writer. Second, I really respect the fact that he’s so hardworking and competitive, even today, when he’s at the age he’s at. He’s more than 80 and he’s still pushing hard, writing new books and competing to do well. I find that very inspiring.”
Speaking of inspiration, however, what Amish is doing with his literary platform all by himself is no less inspiring, we tell him. Apart from his books, Amish not only hosts a thriving podcast channel, Immortal India with Amish available on both YouTube and Spotify, but also has his work spilling over into films, documentaries, and an upcoming gaming universe — Bharatvarsha: The Age of Bharat, set to release in 2026. What keeps Amish the author creatively separate from Amish the podcaster, or Amish the documentary host, or even Amish the giver of awards, we wonder? Is there a marked difference in the way each of these platforms inspires him to tell his tales? And if so, does Amish the storyteller have a favourite medium through which to address the world? Surely each platform must come with a different feel to it; on which does Amish thrive the most? Where does he feel most inspired?
He goes quiet then, taking a moment to mull over the question. “Look, my preferred medium of storytelling is obviously books. That is what I naturally like, but having said that, the way I see it, no storyteller should get addicted to just one medium,” he says finally, tone serious. “As a storyteller, you need to be open to different kinds of media, because a story is a story regardless of how one wishes to tell it. A story can be communicated through the online media, through audio-visual media or films or OTT, or YouTube, through the kathakar — which is the oral tradition of storytelling that we have — and of course through books. It doesn’t matter what media you use as long as you communicate the beauty of the story and the philosophies you’re trying to communicate through that story. That’s essentially what matters. That’s the crux of it all.”
We eventually find out we’re out of time and must take our leave, but there’s still a question we’re dying to ask. And that is, of course, how it goes with the last — and fifth — part of the Ram Chandra series, Amish’s immensely popular serialisation of the story of The Ramayana. The fourth book, War of Lanka, generated quite a buzz when it was published in 2022. It’s been a while since; what, we ask, can readers look forward to reading in the last book? (For the unseasoned, the Ram Chandra series is the prequel to Amish’s Shiva trilogy, the first book of which — The Immortals of Meluha — received widespread acclaim and essentially catapulted Amish into literary stardom in 2010.)
Like all good authors who know their work will move the masses, Amish is elusive with his answer this time. He laughs at our question and wags a finger in front of our face. “I’m allowed to tell you very little about the book just yet,” he smiles, not unkindly, and we must subdue all other curious book-related queries we might have for the moment. “You’ll just have to wait like everyone else, I’m afraid… but what I can tell you is that this book will connect my Ram Chandra series with my Shiva trilogy. That’s something I’m excited about. Other than that, if you’re looking forward to some other fun stuff I’m involved in, there’s the shooting for a film on Lord Krishna that’s going to start very soon (Amish is leading the creative direction for Hardik Gajjar’s 2026 movie Shri Radha Ramanam), a documentary on Lord Shiva that will air on Discovery TV next year, and there is also a book on Emperor Rajendra Chola slated to be out next year. That’s all I can tell you at the moment!”
When we finally wrap up our interaction, it is with reluctance on our part. Amish heads off immediately to sign some books, and from afar, as we reflect on our conversation, it becomes clearer than ever that Amish Tripathi is much more than the sum of his many titles. At his core, most importantly, he is a storyteller who knows how to implement his narrative in the right ways — a modern-day kathakar unwavering in his mission to celebrate the stories that define us. As he turns to greet another group of eager young readers, there’s a certain energy about him — an infectious enthusiasm for life and learning that you can’t help but admire.
