Speaking at India Today Conclave on Saturday, best-selling author Amish Tripathi said that many times religion is misused in India for the wrong reasons by groups of men. He said religion can and has been used for good.
“The task before religious liberals is to speak up and fight against the misuse of religious texts by extremists,” Tripathi said. “Philosophy of religion depends on the intention of the people driving it. Religion can be used for the purpose of good and bad.”
Tripathi said a good society with values can help a man reach a state of divine consciousness. He also said that God lies with a human being no matter in which name you are calling.
“God and every human being is one. So know your true self and be free. Purpose of God in ancient India was to help people attain a state of divine consciousness”
On god Shiva, the Shiva-trilogy writer said, “Lord Shiva is a very cool God. He is the dude of gods.” “democratic god who treats his wife with respect, dances, sings, battles evil, rebels and drinks bhang. Due to the grandeur of his personality, Shiva will continue to live and inspire.” he added.
“Women are the most oppressed section of society in India,” Amish said, “Men could learn a thing or two on how to treat women from ancient scripts.”
Encouraging the young authors Amish said, “If a creatively challenged person like me can write, then anyone can write.”
On a positive note Amish Tripathi stated, “No better country than India to localise and modernise tradition. We have a history of questioning and seeking new answers.”
Tags: Amish Amish Tripathi Amish Tripathi book India Today Conclave Shiva Shiva books Shiva trilogy