Mythologist | Author | Speaker | Illustrator
-
Articles
How Mythology Impacts Notions of Social Justice
It is important to understand how mythology impacts our notions of social justice. Modern social justice has its roots in monotheism, not in atheism…
-
Articles
Kubera, the Refugee From Lanka
When the Constitution of India was first published, over 75 years ago, it included many artworks. Amongst them was one showing Kubera, Ravana’s brother and the king of wealth and yakshas (nature spirits), fleeing from Lanka. It is often mistaken for Hanuman burning Lanka, but there are no flames of a burning city or a…
-
Articles
ASAP In Eternal Time
ASAP is a popular acronym for ‘as soon as possible’. But more often than not it is used to mean ‘immediately’ in corporate circles. In political, bureaucratic and judicial circles, it depends on the relationship of the beneficiary and the benefactor…
-
Articles
The Many Horse Invaders of India
India has been invaded several times, for over 3,000 years, by horse-breeding tribes from the steppes, grasslands north of the Himalayas, the last of whom were the Mughals, and the Mughals came only 500 years ago…
-
Articles
12 Children In 12 Castes
Caste (jati) is a reality in India. People in India for at least 1500 years could not change vocation or marry outside caste. This led to social stagnation…
-
Articles
Flames of Fidelity
No one knows when the pan-Indian practice of warrior widows burning themselves with (sahagamana) or without (anugamana) the corpse of their husband came to be known as ‘sati’ — a word that means the chaste wife. The inhuman practice was strongly linked to the belief in fidelity-magic; that a woman who thinks of no one…
-
Articles
Now an Angry Parashuram?
A film poster on Parashuram appeared on social media. And he looked terribly angry. Why? The answer in all probability will be revenge…
-
Articles
The Stench Of Flesh
By eating vegetarian food, one supposedly becomes a kinder person or gains positive karma, which leads to moksha. And yet, in the Mahabharata, there is the Vyadha Gita, or the Butcher’s Gita, where a butcher teaches dharma to a mendicant and says that taking care of parents and family and strangers is greater than renouncing…
-
Articles
The Happiness of Gay Lovers
Not everyone in India or Bharat views gays as terrifying threats to nature and culture and dharma, to be denied marriage rights. This invisible majority needs a voice…
-
Articles
A Tale of Two Weddings
In India, we find two types of weddings: the lavish and the simple. Lavish weddings are typically seen in those who follow the Shaiva or Vaishnava path of householders. Simple weddings are typically seen in those who follow the Buddhist or Jain path of hermits…
-
Articles
Are the People of Punjab and Haryana the Original Aryans?
It is only in the Sindh, Rajasthan, Punjab and Haryana region that the ancient Aryan tradition of pastoral communities thrived, giving rise to communities like Rajputs, Jaats (or Jutt) and Gujars…
-
Articles
Insulting Ravan, Bollywood Style
Bollywood has been trying hard to outdo Valmiki’s genius. However, Valmiki was a great sage who aimed to communicate profound truths through the Ramayana, often referred to as the fifth Veda…
-
Articles
World Is a Playground, Life Is a Sport
In mythological tales, gods and heroes do play games and sports…Games and sports were invented by human beings for various reasons…
-
Articles
Nun With Shaved Head
A new-age guru has been establishing a monastic order for women, encouraging them to wear simple clothes, shave their heads, and break all ties with their families, as they seek union with the divine through the guru. This practice has ancient roots, as men and women who wished to renounce the world were often encouraged…
-
Articles
Was Hanuman a Dravidian, a Brahmin, or a Dalit?
Many politicians, during election time in North India, have argued that Hanuman was a Dalit, strong but subservient. The bell was used in mediaeval times to announce the presence of the ‘low’ caste in many villages, so people of ‘high’ caste could step away from the ‘pollution’…
