JAIPUR: In a wide-ranging conversation, bestselling author Amish Tripathi drew from history, mythology, politics, and philosophy to reflect on his recent book ‘The Chola Tigers: Avengers of Somnath,’ unity, historical memory, and the idea of a dharmic India.
Presented by The New Indian Express, the session featured Tripathi in conversation with Viveka Kumari—writer, designer, and former theatre professional. The conversation began with Tripathi addressing why he chooses not to use his surname in his books.
“My legal name is Amish Tripathi. Tripathi is a caste surname. Judge me as Amish, not where I was born,” he said.
The conversation soon moved to the historical foundations of his latest novel, set during the Chola period. Tripathi explained that it stemmed from both a love for history and a commitment to dharma.
He expressed frustration with how Indian history is taught in schools. “Our education system does not give us an adequate understanding of how truly special this land is, and I try to explore that through my books,” he said. “South India gets a ‘meanwhile in the South’ in textbooks.”
Highlighting Raja Raja Chola’s empire, Tripathi argued that Indian history has been flattened into a narrow geographical narrative centred on North India. He also challenged the framing of the last thousand years of Indian history as a story of repeated defeat. Instead, he called it “the greatest resistance in human history.”