BITS Pilani welcomed an international celebrity to Oasis 2016, of Gods and Men, a notable authority on Gods himself. A critically acclaimed author, Amish Tripathi is a man who has many feathers in his cap. In this interaction with students, Amish spoke at length about his journey of self-discovery. During the days of writing his first novel, he transformed from an atheist to an ardent devotee of Lord Shiva. On being questioned on his choice, he spoke with passion about the qualities of the Mahadev. Amish’s patriotism and nationalism were evident from his dialogue. He insisted that India was the best place to live and write in, despite censorship and controversy over sensitive issues.

He explained the qualities of a good author, emphasizing the necessity of having a steady job to fall back on. He admitted to having worked in his banking career for its monetary benefits, quitting only when his writing dividends began to exceed his salary. He insists that he became a writer by ‘accident’, and that the writing Muse was somehow imbibed by him during his boring job days, a rather fortunate accident for his readers.