Author, Speaker, Illustrator, Mythologist
Understanding Sacred stories, myths, rituals and their relevance in modern timesDr. Devdutt Pattanaik
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Index / 2005
Mr. & Mrs. Tarakki
Published in Times of India 'Consumer Edge' Delving Deeper on 17 December 2006 Privacy is a luxury in India. You are never alone. Crowds every where. At home. At work. In trains. You are expected to share everything. Your room. Your car. Your toilet. We can blame the population. Our obsession with marriage and children. [...]
Symbols of Security
Times of India, Mumbai Edition, Consumer Edge (Delving Deeper) on 26 November 2005
During the Savitri vrata, married Hindu women go around the Banyan tree. For centuries, the Banyan tree has been the symbol of permanence. It was there when you were born and it will be there even when you die, barely changing its [...]
Troy: From myth to history
Film review in First city magazine, Delhi
“The gods are conspicuous by their absence,” said a friend after he watched the recently released film Troy starring Brad Pitt. And it is true. No Aphrodite. No Zeus. No Apollo – except as an idol enshrined in a temple. No myth or magic. None of the fantastic [...]
Waves of Varuna
Published in First City magazine, Delhi, February, 2005
Change. It is a constant. But the rate of change is not. Nor is the direction of change. Sometimes things can change for the better. But when we talk of change we often think of change for the worse. Change is often slow. Giving us time to [...]
Why is Wednesday called Wednesday?
Published in First City magazine, Delhi, September 2005 From Saturn comes Saturday. From the sun comes Sunday. From the moon comes Monday. But what is the origin of Tuesday? Wednesday? Thursday? Friday? The answer takes us to the mythology – known variously as Teutonic, Norse, Viking and Germanic – that dominated North Europe for centuries [...]
When Prester John Ruled India
Published in First City magazine, Delhi, April 2004
Eight hundred years ago, Europeans believed that a Christian priest-king called Prester John ruled India.
Those were the days of the Crusades. Under the spiritual leadership of the Pope, Christian soldiers fought to reclaim the Holy Lands, especially Jerusalem, which had been under the control of Muslims since the [...]
He who rides Rats
Published in Times of India on Ganesh Chaturthi, 7th September 2005
Imagine walking into your house and finding a rat scurrying across your sofa. Or imagine opening your kitchen cabinet and a rat leaping right at you. Sharp teeth, red eyes. A painful bite. Open your desk and there are the gnawed remains of your text [...]
It’s Magic
Published in Times of India, Consumer Section, 8th October 2005
There are two types of magic in this world. The first one is called `imitative’ magic. The second one is called `contagious’ magic. In the first type of magic, you imitate what you want using symbols and rituals. In the second type of magic, you believe [...]
Waves of Renewal
Published in Bombay Times 31st October 2006 Walk along Marine Drive. Sit on Juhu beach. Watch the sea. That vast expanse of water. The limitless horizon. The tide rising and ebbing with the phases of the moon. The waves flirting with shore. This tide saw you as a child, searching for shells in the sand. [...]