WRITER’S BLOCK

Mythologist and author Devdutt Pattanaik tells Anand Raj OK myths actually help define a particular society

Mythologist and author Devdutt Pattanaik believes myths are important as they fuel imagination.

With close to 40 books to his credit and scores of articles and essays, the presenter of the hugely popular Indian TV show, Devlok – now in its third season – is clearly strapped for time. A request for a telephone interview with Devdutt Pattanaik is politely turned down. ‘We can do an email interview instead,’ says an email. A medical doctor-turned-author known for his popular books on myths, culture and even business, Devdutt uses his prolific pen to throw light on Indian myths and philosophy while attempting to make them more easily understandable to even the lay reader.

The author of, among others, Myth = Mithya: A Handbook of Hindu Mythology, My Gita, Devdutt is arguably the leading mythologist in India, and his latest book, My Hanuman Chalisa, attempts to demystify the ancient Indian hymn for the modern reader. ‘It is a hymn filled with positive feelings and each line has a world of Vedic wisdom in it. I was keen to share that with my readers,’ says the author who wrote his first book – Shiva: An introduction – 20 years ago.

A firm believer that a myth is ‘somebody’s truth’, he feels for that reason every myth needs to be respected. ‘The fact that different people follow different myths explains diversity of human behaviour around the world,’ says the 46-year-old writer who will be attending the Sharjah International Book Fair.

Although myths and ancient legends interested Devdutt during his youth, he did not expect them to take over so much of his life. ‘Medicine is my formal training,’ he says. ‘[But] our lives are not just a function of formal training. We all have interests and hobbies [and] mine was mythology. It bloomed into something bigger than my formal training,’ he says. Was it easy moving from medicine to mythology?

‘It was not movement from one to another. That linear thought is a classical Western myth,’ he says. ‘It was all simultaneous, with some aspects dominating at some times, and others at other times. This is the Indian way.’

Devdutt, who encourages people to view Indian mythology using frameworks that are not dependent on western paradigms, says that a reason mythological stories and books are seeing a spike in popularity is because they offer a flip side to science and technology. ‘Science, technology and secularism have dominated the world,’ he says. ‘They strip the world of enchantment and meaning making everything mathematical and rational, thus denying the essence of the human condition – imagination. This [books on myths] is a push back to the terror of rationality, control and the horror of materialism.’ How does he define myths?

‘Myths form as humans make the journey from animals – who live by instinct – to humans, who grant their life meaning, purpose and structure. Myths are full of stories, symbols and rituals that help us make sense of life; ideas of how the world came into being, what happens after we die and why we live. Transmitted over generations, they are deemed sacred. They can contain oral histories, the wisdom of our ancestors and lessons of life. But essentially, myths provide the assumptions and frameworks that define our life. They reveal our fear of death and our search for the meaning of life,’ says Devdutt, who also illustrates the books he writes.

The mythologist, who worked in the pharmaceutical industry for more than a decade before turning to writing, is convinced that myths are extremely relevant today. ‘Different people follow different myths,’ he says. ‘Why are some people obsessed with money or technology? Why do some people justify cruelty? Why do some men treat their women so badly?

The fact that different people follow different myths explains diversity of human behaviour around the world

If we were to analyse all this, we would be able to trace it to the myths that define a particular society,’ he says.

Devdutt writes several books simultaneously. ‘At one time I might structure a book, edit another, illustrate a third… But the deadline of a manuscript will depend on my publisher’s need and market demand.’

Have market demands – tastes of the reading public changed – over the years?

‘I’m more interested in mythology than market demands or tastes,’ he says. ‘I write what makes me happy and share what I enjoy writing and drawing.’