Mythologist | Author | Speaker | Illustrator
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Articles
Decoding Ganesha’s Parenthood
Ganesha’s arrival, in the latter half of the monsoon, marks the transformation of Shiva, the hermit, into Shankara, the householder. …
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Articles
Sons Who Kill Their Fathers
A recurring theme in Greek mythology is of sons killing their fathers…
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Articles
Aging Parents as Cost Centre
In the old days, children were an investment centre, as their success ensure improvement in parents’ lifestyle. Poor parents rejoice in success of children, in whom they invested money and education. But now children have become a cost centre, you can send them to the best schools, best colleges, but you do not expect them…
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Articles
Hill Fairies Who Abduct Men
The idea of enchanting magical women abducting men is a recurring idea around the world. …
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Articles
Why Stories of Floating Idols Crashing Ships Continues to Endure
The idea of a temple or a deity attracting ships, forcing them to move off course and causing shipwrecks by their magnetic power is also found on the western coast of India…
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Articles
The Goddess Came Later
We can argue that goddesses have been integral to Hinduism since Vedic times. But of the 1,000 hymns of the Rig Veda only the maximum number of hymns dedicated to a goddess as the 21 hymns for Usha, the dawn-goddess…
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Articles
Which Game Are You Playing Today?
Increasingly, modern society is trying to turn every game into a competitive game, where someone has to be defeated to win. The dopamine rush comes only when you triumph over others. This is the value that we are giving people. …
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Articles
Origins of the Rice Goddess
The oldest Indian mythology of rice can be found among the Bonda tribal people, who live in Odisha, who are linked to the Munda and Austroasiatic communities who entered India from the Southeast, and brought rice growing technology with them over 4,000 years ago…
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Articles
Capitalism and the Alpha Predator
In nature, the predator eats the prey, the hound hunts the hare. But in culture, the prey will fight back and will not be reduced to food…
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Articles
Surpanakha’s Shambuk
It’s great fun to read Ramayan by politicians and activists. Right-wing Hindutva folks will go …
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BooksFeaturedFeatured Books
Tales From the Land of Jagannatha
There are 30 short essays in this book. They were written by renowned mythologist Devdutt Pattanaik over a ten-year period and published in various publications…
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Articles
Shaped By the Rains
Aryans came from lands north of the Himalayas where there was no monsoon rains. They focused on four quarters of the year, based on the solstices, and equinoxes. Balgangadhar Tilak pointed out how Vedic hymns refer to long days without sun. He pointed out how great importance was given to dawn, Ushas, who appeared in…
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Articles
Krishna’s Sister and the Varying Interpretations Of Her Image
One of the oldest caves (number 27) in Ellora in Maharashtra, has the image of a goddess holding a lotus flower, flanked by two gods…
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Articles
Who are the power-broking landlord monks of Tamil Nadu?
Sengol is a staff of royal authority. We can call the symbol of justice in the spirit of wordplay, when a symbol of monarchy is made the symbol of democracy. …
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Articles
How Hinduism Reached Manipur and Remains Entrenched
Published on 22nd May, 2023, in Times of India. Manipuri dance is a popular classical …
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Articles
Swallowing Gods
Published on 21st May, 2023, in Mid-day. In Hindu mythology, during the battle between the …
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Articles
Amrit and the Terror of Impermanence
Published 13th May, 2023, in the Economic Times. As the stock market rises and falls, …
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Articles
What Is Common Between Gandhi, Draupadi and Chanakya?
Published on 7th May, 2023, in Mid-day. Gandhi, Draupadi and Chanakya, all stood up to …