Why are book lovers devouring Lord Shiva's tales; what makes Him the most-sought after mythological figure?

Most wanted: Shiva

Why are book lovers devouring Lord Shiva's tales; what makes Him the most-sought after mythological figure?



Mythology has always been a writer's muse. Be it comic books, graphic novels, fiction or non-fiction, myth in India especially has always tempted a reader to go back to the mystical. Legends came back as illustrated stories in Amar Chitra Katha and Panchatantra. Authors Namita Gokhale's The Book of Shiva and Andy McDermott's The Vault of Shiva were instant hits. And even as Batman's adventures got lapped up, copies of The Immortals of Meluha went off book racks shooting the book straight to the top of bestsellers' lists. A pattern came into the picture. Myth lovers were devouring Lord Shiva's tales.

When Karan Vir Arora, CEO of Vimanika Comics, put up a poll on a social networking site to decide on the mythological figure for his next series, he got a unanimous answer. Lord Shiva was the chosen one! About 86 per cent votes went to Him. Karan's new series, Shiva — The Legends of the Immortal, will divulge facts that were hitherto unknown. "Shiva's charismatic, relatable, gets angry and is human, and that makes him flawed in a human sense while still having the aura and power of a God. He's handsome and his life is an adventure; his story has romance, drama, and action!" Karan explains. The first of the series will focus on the origins of
Shiva and his marriage to Sati. "While remaining true to the story, we are presenting Shiva in a traditional essence with trishul, damru et al with an international appeal for everyone from age 12-60," he says.
Author Amish Tripathi kissed success with his self-published book, The Immortals of Meluha. His second book, The Secret of the Nagas, in the Shiva trilogy is already a chartbuster. "He is a democratic God. He reaches out to the oppressed. He's an exciting figure too — a dancer, the originator of yoga, He respects women. The fact that he drinks bhang makes Him loveable. It's rare to find a God who you can be in awe of and adore Him at the same time," explains the author, adding that he believes every God is unique in His own sense.

Shiva's tales in comic book formats, courtesy Amar Chitra Katha, continue to remain well-read. Samir Patil, CEO of ACK Media, logics, "Shiva is immensely popular because of the character complexity. Also, I feel the current mood of public anger is reflective of the God's trait and hence makes Him endearing."
What most authors vouch for is that Shiva's popularity quotient is unlikely to take a dip. As Karan puts it, "He's cool and has got a killer attitude that makes Him tremendously popular."