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Our society behaves horrendously with women: Author Amish Tripathi

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Jaipur: Controversies in India are given greater prominence than pressing issues like the oppression of women that need to be brought out in public, says best-selling author Amish Tripathi, who “approaches the subject with a heart” to avoid unnecessary trouble while writing on religion.

“Please don’t misunderstand me… but I fear that we don’t focus on real issues that I have spoken about many times, and it is the subject of women’s oppression,” Tripathi told in an interview on the sidelines of the Jaipur LitFest.

“Our society behaves in a horrendous manner with women. I am not just talking about rape, but about mass murder through foeticide and systematic malnutrition,” he added.

Religion is a dangerous territory to tread in any country, but the author of the “Shiva Trilogy” has been successfully retelling mythologies without getting into controversies.

“Let’s be honest…95 percent of the controversies are generated and are not genuine controversies. They are generated with a hope of creating publicity to sell books and movies or anything,” he said.

“If you write from a position where your heart is approaching the subject with respect, it will show in your work and would reflect what you believe in,” he added.

Tripathi, 40, announced at the recent Jaipur Literature Festival that his next series of books will be on Lord Ram and the first one, “The Scion of Ishkwaku”, will be released in October.

According to the banker-turned-author, he had signed a deal with his publishers (Westland) in 2013 but wasn’t sure about the subject till a woman at a literature festival spoke bitterly about Lord Ram.

“The way that girl spoke about Lord Ram was deeply disrespectful and that upset me greatly. And this is how I decided to write on this subject,” recollected the author of “The Immortals of Meluha”, “The Secret of the Nagas” and “The Oath of the Vayuputras”.

“I would like to look at him holistically and completely. Practically all Indians love and respect him for what is known as ‘Rama Rajya’, but I wonder how many people would have actually thought through what ‘Rama Rajya’ is. That is the thing I want to write about and how he built that society,” he said.

But aren’t the characteristics of Ram and Shiva different? If Shiva’s dynamic personality has many layers to be discovered, Lord Ram’s character doesn’t offer many shades of the rainbow.

“Through Lord Ram, we might learn that it is cool to follow rules. And that is something I think modern Indians might need to learn,” he said.

Tripathi doesn’t like to be labeled as the “pioneer of retelling mythologies”. He said myths and other such stories have been popular for over 1,000 years in India, but the mainstream publishers never took serious note of this.

But things have changed now and in the Indian literary landscape, the retelling of mythologies has become extremely popular. Writers are approaching the topic by reinventing the story for modern readers.

“Mythology in the Indian language publishing space never ran out of popularity, but it came a bit later in English literature. It was probably because people making decisions had a westernised way of outlook,” he concluded.

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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma

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World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.

Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.

During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.

On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”

Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.

It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.

Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.

Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”

On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”

The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.

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