Mythologist | Author | Speaker | Illustrator

2014

  • Mythology of conversion

    Mythology of conversion

    Why Hindus never converted but now want to reconvert…

  • Who’s That King?

    Who’s That King?

    The legend of Prester John, apart from its curiosity value, really helped stimulate exploration of the far east and Asia…

  • Delightful truths of cult leaders

    Delightful truths of cult leaders

    To be a cult leader you need to have fans who believe everything you say, evidence notwithstanding, and are willing to attack, sometimes violently, those who criticise you or your ideas…

  • For the entrepreneur, wealth, fame and size don’t come cheap

    For the entrepreneur, wealth, fame and size don’t come cheap

    Companies are trying hard to shed this image and becoming polis through processes, technology and the idea of the institution, where all people are equal and where processes and systems ensure work gets done…

  • Tale of the dragonfly

    Tale of the dragonfly

    I wondered what prompted the great astrophysicist, who spent his entire life studying the sun, to tell the tale of the dragonfly…

  • Knights in saffron armour

    Knights in saffron armour

    The unique feature of Hinduism is its diversity and fluidity…

  • In a Traditional Relationship With Shiny Surfaces

    In a Traditional Relationship With Shiny Surfaces

    The greatest tragedy in the world is not to be able to see oneself…

  • Making Gita a Rashtriya Granth may confuse the world

    Making Gita a Rashtriya Granth may confuse the world

    From being Gandhi’s moral basis for non-violence to capturing essential mystical truths for Aurobindo, the text means different things to different people…

  • Self-styled saints and registered saints

    Self-styled saints and registered saints

    To be a saint, one not only needs to be holy (that can be disputed) but also have followers (that can be proved)…

  • Legal share of mummy’s love

    Legal share of mummy’s love

    What is fair share in life?…

  • Competitors and Collaborators

    Competitors and Collaborators

    What is better? To be collaborative or competitive?…

  • The Idea of the Indian City — a conversation with Devdutt Pattanaik

    The Idea of the Indian City — a conversation with Devdutt Pattanaik

    In conversation with Devdutt Pattanaik, and how he interprets the Idea of the Indian City in context of the rapidly urbanising contemporary India of today…

  • Vegetarianism and the idea of untouchability

    Vegetarianism and the idea of untouchability

    The simple act of eating vegetarian food has become more political than it ever was…

  • Pashu: Animal Tales from Hindu Mythology

    Pashu: Animal Tales from Hindu Mythology

    With over 75 gorgeously illustrated anecdotes, Devdutt Pattanaik reveals how our ancestors imagined the animal kingdom and the key role animals played in human lives…

  • Love in the time of hate

    Love in the time of hate

    Young India needs to find the strength and patience to face the volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity of India, find innovative ways to live together in diversity, and not be afraid of rapidly changing ecosystems…

  • On Insecure Arjuna

    On Insecure Arjuna

    Mahabharata, itself does not paint a flattering picture of Arjuna…

  • Sacredness has an Expiry Date

    Sacredness has an Expiry Date

    Muhurat may end but it also eventually, inevitably, comes back…

  • Divinity in the food chain

    Divinity in the food chain

    Who does God care for: the predator or the prey?…