On Wednesday evening, on the terrace garden of the Taj Mahal hotel, Delhi’s beautiful and powerful gathered on to celebrate the launch of Ravi Shankar Etteth’s book The Book of Shiva, published by Harper Collins India. The evening began with Shiva chants by Vidya Shah that pierced through the pleasant March winds. When she was done, Yogi Ashwini, spiritual head of the Dhyan Foundation did the launch along with Yuri Afanasiev, the UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in India.
Lending to the sanctity was an enchanting sculpture of Shiva-Parvati made by contemporary artist Jayasri Burman, which was placed on the stage. Drawing on fables and myths from Eastern and European cultures, The Book of Shiva is a spiritual novel filled with extraordinary tales of freedom, serenity, loss and, most of all, wisdom. Post the launch, marketing maven Suhel Seth read out excerpts and a discussion ensued between him and the author.
They talked about the eternalness of Shiva, whether Shiva is the question or the answer, and the key philosophical questions the book raises and answers. The event was supported by the Art Alive Gallery, New Delhi and hosted by the Taj Mahal hotel, New Delhi.