Amish Tripathi

Amish Tripathi (born 18 October 1974) is an author, former diplomat and broadcaster from India. He is among the fastest-selling authors in Indian publishing history, known best for The Shiva Trilogy and Ram Chandra Series.

His books have sold over 7 million copies and been translated into 20 Indian and international languages since 2010. He served as Minister (Culture & Education) at the High Commission of India in the UK and Director of the Nehru Centre, London from 2019 to 2023. In addition, he is a host for TV documentaries, most recently for Discovery TV, in Legends of the Ramayana, The Journey of India with co-host Amitabh Bachchan,  and Ram Janmabhoomi: Return of a splendid sun.

Early life and education
Amish Tripathi was born in Mumbai and grew up near Rourkela, Odisha. He is an alumnus of The Lawrence School, Lovedale, Cathedral & John Connon School; St. Xavier's College, Mumbai; and Indian Institute of Management Calcutta.

Banking
Amish studied at IIM-Calcutta. Following graduation, he worked in the financial services industry for fourteen years, in organisations including Standard Chartered Bank, IDBI Bank, Development Bank of Singapore and IDBI Federal Life Insurance.

Writing
The Immortals of Meluha, Tripathi's first novel and first in the Shiva Trilogy, was published in February 2010. The second book in the series, The Secret of the Nagas, was released in August 2011, and the third and final installment, titled The Oath of the Vayuputras, was released in February 2013.

The Scion of Ikshvaku was released in June 2015. It is the first book in the Ram Chandra series. It follows the story of Ram and is a prequel to the Shiva Trilogy. The Scion of Ikshvaku won the Crossword Book's "Best Popular Award". Sita: Warrior of Mithila, the sequel to The Scion of Ikshvaku, was released in May 2017. It became the highest-selling book of 2017. Raavan: The Enemy of Aryavarta, the third book in The Ram Chandra series, was released in July 2019. The fourth book in The Ram Chandra Series, War of Lanka, was released on 3 October 2022. Legend of Suheldev: The King Who Saved India, his first historical book and first book in Indic Chronicles, was released in June 2020. Tripathi released his first non-fiction book, Immortal India, in August 2017. He also released Dharma: Decoding the Epics for a Meaningful Life in December 2020.

Amish's literary works have been translated into nine regional languages, including Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada, as well as four international languages, including French and Polish.

Speaking to News4masses in an interview at the Kolkata Literary Meet in March 2022, Tripathi revealed his plans to come up with a book on Mahabharata soon.

Amish's new book is Idols, which he co-authored with his sister, Bhavna Roy.

In June 2024, Amish, in collaboration with bestselling author Jeffrey Archer, announced the launch of the IGF Archer-Amish Award for Literature at the 6th annual India Global Forum (IGF) in London. The award, with a monetary prize of $25,000, aims to nurture talent in contemporary Indian fiction and celebrate storytelling that makes a significant contribution to the India story.

Film producer
In September 2020, he announced that he is turning into a producer with an adaptation of his novel, Legend of Suheldev: The King Who Saved India, under the banner Immortal Studios, with Wakaoo Films and Casa Media.

Broadcaster
Amish began his career as a documentary host with Warner Bros Discovery programme, Legends of the Ramayana with Amish. This programme, produced by Wide Angle Films, won the Digital Reinvent award for Best Documentary. Amish also hosted an episode on Faith for the Warner Bros Discovery documentary series The Journey of India, with co-host Amitabh Bachchan, where Amish paid homage to India's diversity of faiths. On 25 January 2024, Amish's latest documentary on the history of the Ram Janmabhoomi and the life of Lord Ram titled, Ram Janmabhoomi: Return of a splendid sun premiered on NDTV and is available on JioCinema. Amish has hosted, conceptualised, and co-produced this documenarty with Dilip Piramal.

Diplomacy
Amish served as Director of Nehru Centre, London, and Minister (Culture & Education) at the High Commission of India in the UK from October 2019 to October 2023. Amish as the director of The Nehru Centre was the youngest and the first literary figure in that role. During his four years as director, he led a positive change, making the centre more influential and known globally. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Amish held a range of online events and virtual engagements which not only sustained cultural momentum but also expanded The Nehru Centre's reach beyond geographical boundaries, including the Midlands, Scotland, Wales, and beyond.

Awards and recognition

 * Dwarka Prasad Agarwal Award at the Jaipur Literature Festival (2024)
 * Aaj Tak Sahitya Jagruti Popular Writer Award (2023)
 * 21st Century Icon Awards, London (2021)
 * Golden Book Award - Legend of Suheldev (2022)
 * Listed among Top-50 Most Powerful People by India Today (2019)
 * Honorary Doctorate by Jharkhand Rai University for outstanding contribution to Art & Literature (2019)
 * Hello Hall of Fame Awards for Literary Excellence (2019)
 * Jashn-e-youngistan Award (2018)
 * Ustad Bismillah Khan Award (2018) for contribution to Indian culture
 * Kalinga International Literary Award (2018)
 * Distinguished Alumnus Award (2017) from IIM - Calcutta
 * Raymond Crossword Popular Fiction Award for his book Scion of Ikshvaku in (2016)
 * Selected as an Eisenhower Fellow (A prestigious American programme for young global leaders) (2014)

Shiva Trilogy

 * The Immortals of Meluha (2010)
 * The Secret of the Nagas (2011)
 * The Oath of the Vayuputras (2013)

Ram Chandra Series

 * Ram: Scion of Ikshvaku (2015)
 * Sita: Warrior of Mithila (2017)
 * Raavan: Enemy of Aryavarta (2019)
 * War of Lanka (2022)

Indic Chronicles

 * Legend of Suheldev: The King Who Saved India (2020)

Non-fiction

 * Immortal India: Young India, Timeless Civilisation (2017)
 * Dharma: Decoding the Epics for a Meaningful Life (2020)
 * Idols: Unearthing the Power of Murti Puja (2023)