Devdutt Pattanaik

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Devdutt Pattanaik
Devdutt Pattanaik
Born11 December 1970 (1970-12-11) (age 53)
Mumbai, India
NationalityIndian
EducationMBBS (Mumbai University)
Postgraduate Diploma Comparative Mythology (Mumbai University)
Occupation(s)Mythologist, writer, columnist, illustrator
Known forWorks on Indian mythology
Parent(s)Prafulla Kumar (father)
Sabitri Pattanaik (Das) (mother)
Websitewww.Devdutt.com
Signature

Devdutt Pattanaik is a mythologist and writer from Mumbai, India. He is also a speaker, illustrator and author, on Hindu sacred lore, legends, folklore, fables and parables. His work focuses largely on the areas of religion, mythology, and management. He has written books on the relevance of sacred stories, symbols and rituals in modern times; his more popular books include Myth = Mithya: A Handbook of Hindu Mythology[1] Jaya: An Illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharata[2] and Sita: An Illustrated Retelling of the Ramayana[3] and My Gita. Pattanaik has incorporated the Mahabharata and the Ramayana into human resource management.[4]

Pattanaik is a columnist for

Mid-Day,[5][6] Times of India,[7] CN Traveller,[8] Daily O,[9] and Scroll.in.[10] He hosted a radio show/podcast for Radio Mirchi,[11]
called The Devdutt Pattanaik Show.

Early life and education

Pattanaik was born brought up in

Career

Pattanaik worked in the pharmaceutical and healthcare industry (

Sanofi Aventis and Apollo Group of Hospitals,[15] respectively) for 14 years and spent his spare time writing articles[16][17] and books on mythology,[18][19] which eventually became his full-time profession. His first book Shiva: An Introduction was published in 1997.[20] Pattanaik illustrates most of his own books.[21]

He was a speaker at the first TED conference in India held in November 2009.[22][23]

Pattanaik has consulted Star TV network on mythological television series like Mahabharata and Siya Ke Ram; these serials have challenged conventional views of the narratives and opened up new avenues of interpretation.[24][25][26]

He has also been the story consultant at

Epic channel, where he presents Devlok with Devdutt Pattanaik.[30]

In 2015, Pattanaik presented the Hindi television series Devlok with Devdutt Pattanaik on the "EPIC ON" channel. In the show, he attempts to demystify and decode the folklore and traditions that accompanies Indian mythology. In December 2016, he made "his debut on the Forbes India Celeb 100 list, on the 93rd spot."[31]

Pattanaik worked on

Audible Originals (India)'s audiobook titled Suno Mahabharat Devdutt Pattanaik ke Saath and Revisiting Mahabharata with Devdutt Pattanaik.[32][33] In his show he talks about the details of the war in the Mahabharata, how it affected the world, and what happened to India after the death of the Pandavas and the Kauravas. He also communicates the Vedic tenets which describes karma and dharma.[33]

Art

Hanuman with Ram's banner

Columnist Koral Dasgupta mentions, "Pattanaik’s art follows a particular style and is dependent on expertly sketched lines but the focus is never the perfection of hands and limbs and props. The pursuit is clearly that of beauty and depiction; not the grammatical detailing of a photograph!"[34]

Views

Myth and Mythology

Pattanaik opines that "no society can exist without myth as it creates notions of right and wrong, good and bad, heaven and hell, rights and duties".[35] To him, mythology "tells people how they should see the world... Different people will have their own mythology, reframing old ones or creating new ones."[36] His desire is "to get Saraswati out of the closet. Saraswati belongs everywhere, she has to flow everywhere" and his body of work is aimed "to make knowledge accessible."[37]

In Shiva to Shankara: Giving Form to the Formless,

linga and the transformation of Shiva, the hermit, into Shankara, the householder by the Goddess. Culture: 50 Insights from Mythology contextualises mythology and proposes that myths are alive, dynamic, shaped by perception and the times one lives in.[39]

Western mythology, according to him, propagates the idea that the world is in need of changing, either by Greek heroes, or by Abrahamic prophets and kings, or by scientists, activists and capitalists. "Indic mythology presents the idea that the world is constantly changing, human intervention notwithstanding. There are no heroes or villains, no oppressor or oppressed, no saviour or martyr, just different ways of looking at reality...I do not claim objectivity; I am comfortable with subjectivity and well aware of my Indian gaze," he says.[40]

Business

In his book, Business Sutra: An Indian Approach to Management, "the central theme … is that when individual beliefs come into conflict with corporate beliefs, problems surface in organisations. Conversely, when institutional beliefs and individual beliefs are congruent, harmony is the resultant corporate climate. It is when people are seen as mere resources meant to be managed [read: manipulated] through compensation and so-called motivation; it is when they are treated like switches in a circuit board; it is then that disharmony descends causing disruption".[41]

Politics

Pattanaik is wary of the influence of "white saviours" on liberals as well as religious radicals. He has been rather contemptuous of the hyper-nationalism of a section of American Hindus who are clueless about Indian realities.[42][43] He also frowns on secularists and atheists who deny their own missionary zeal and mythic structure, and see themselves as "rational".[44] Devdutt says, "Unlike fiction or history, mythology is a pluralistic truth with many interpretations, all of which needs to be respected."[40] He further states, “For politicians, dates are important. For human beings and devotees, God is everywhere, every time.”[45]

Sexuality

Pattanaik has been frank about the LGBTQ revolution in India.

decriminalization of homosexuality in India, Pattanaik came out as gay in a televised interview.[46][47][48] He has written about the presence, and at several instances, the celebration, of the queer within the Indian mythos. Elucidating that karmic faiths can be used to affirm the dignity of queer people, he speaks of how when one discovers love and appreciation for the world as it is, not the way one wants it to be, one develops wisdom.[49]

Reception

Devdutt Pattanaik, mythologist and author, with books written by him

In 2014, Pattanaik was listed in the top category of bestselling Indian authors.[50] His book Devlok, based on the television programme of the same name, was one of the year's bestsellers in 2016.[51] Forbes India had ranked Pattanaik among the 100 celebrities of India in 2016.[52]

Fiction author Ashwin Sanghi has said that Pattanaik attempts to "explain mythology in simple words".[53] Psychologist Urmi Chanda-Vaz, who calls Pattanaik "India's most beloved mythology explicator", praised his book My Gita.[54][55] Academic Shiv Visvanathan has praised Pattanaik by saying that he has made myth-reading "an open, playful, almost domestic game, like Chinese Checkers or Scrabble".[56]

Neil Gaiman praised Devdutt Pattanaik for his 2016 book Olympus: An Indian Retelling of the Greek Myth. "I read a fantastic Indian writer recently where he told Greek myth but from an Indian perspective... He makes it so easy to understand but what is lovely is that he does from a very proud Indian connect."[57]

Publications

Mythology

  1. Shiva: An Introduction. Vakils, Feffer and Simons Ltd., 1997.
    ISBN 978-81-8462-013-9. (Based on Shiva
    ).
  2. Vishnu: An Introduction. Vakils, Feffer and Simons Ltd., 1999. ).
  3. Devi, The Mother-Goddess: An Introduction. Vakils, Feffer, and Simons Ltd., 2000.
    ISBN 978-81-87111-91-7. (Based on the concept of Devi
    ).
  4. The Goddess in India: The Five Faces of the Eternal Feminine. Inner Traditions/ Bear & Company, 2000. . Translations: Hindi.
  5. Hanuman: An Introduction. Vakils, Feffer and Simons Ltd., 2001. ).
  6. The Man Who Was A Woman and Other Queer Tales from Hindu Lore. Harrington Park Press, 2002. .
  7. Hindu India. Brijbasi Art Press, 2003. .
  8. Indian Mythology: Tales, Symbols, and Rituals from the Heart of the Subcontinent. Inner Traditions/ Bear & Company, 2003. .
  9. Lakshmi, The Goddess of Wealth and Fortune: An Introduction. Vakils, Feffer, and Simons Ltd., 2003. ).
  10. Myth=Mithya: A Handbook of Hindu Mythology. Penguin Books India, 2006. . Translations: Hindi, Marathi, Turkish.
  11. Shiva to Shankara: Decoding the Phallic Symbol. Indus Source, India. 2006.
    ISBN 81-88569-04-6. Translations: Czech, Hindi (Based on Shiva
    ).
  12. The Book of Ram. Penguin Books India, 2009.
    ISBN 9780143065289. (Based on Ram
    ) - Part of a book series on mythological figures published by Penguin.
  13. 7 Secrets from Hindu Calendar Art. Westland Ltd., 2009.
    Hindu Calendar art
    ).
  14. Hanuman's Ramayan. Tulika Publishers, 2010. ).
  15. Jaya: An Illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharata. Penguin Books India, 2010.
    ISBN 9780143104254. Translations: Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Tamil (Based on the Mahabharata
    ).
  16. 7 Secrets of Shiva. Westland Ltd., 2011.
    ISBN 9789380658636. Translations: Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Marathi, Russian, Telugu (Based on Shiva
    ).
  17. 7 Secrets of Vishnu. Westland Ltd., 2011.
    ISBN 9789380658681. Translations: Hindi, Kannada, Marathi, Russian (Based on Vishnu
    ).
  18. 99 Thoughts on Ganesha: Stories, Symbols and Rituals of India's Beloved Elephant-headed Deity. Jaico Publishing House, 2011.
    ISBN 978-81-8495-152-3. Translations: Gujarati, Hindi, Malayalam, Marathi, Telugu (Based on Ganesha
    ).
  19. Sita: An Illustrated Retelling of the Ramayana. Penguin Books India, 2013
    ISBN 9780143064329. Translations: Hindi, Marathi, Tamil (Based on the Ramayana
    ).
  20. Shikhandi: And Other Tales They Don't Tell You. Zubaan Books & Penguin Books India, 2014. . Translations: Hindi, Marathi.
  21. 7 Secrets of the Goddess. Westland Ltd., 2014.
    ISBN 9789384030582. Translations: Hindi, Italian, Marathi, Russian (Based on the Goddess
    ).
  22. My Gita. Rupa Publications India, 2015.
    ISBN 9788129137708. Translations: Hindi, Marathi (Based on The Gita
    ).
  23. Devlok with Devdutt Pattanaik. Penguin Random House India, 2016. .
  24. Olympus – An Indian Retelling of Greek Mythology. Penguin Random House India, 2016. ).
  25. Devlok with Devdutt Pattanaik (Book 2) – Publisher: Penguin Random House, 2017
  26. Shiva to Shankara: Giving Form to the Formless. HarperCollins India, Indus Source 2017. . – Based on Older Book / Reprint
  27. My Hanuman Chalisa. Rupa Publications, 2017. ).
  28. Devlok with Devdutt Pattanaik (Book 3) – Publisher: Penguin Random House, 2017 .
  29. Shyam: An Illustrated Retelling of the Bhagavata. Penguin, 2018 ).
  30. Ramayana Versus Mahabharata: My Playful Comparison. Rupa Publications India, 2018 ).
  31. Hindu Trinity: 21 Life-enhancing Secrets Revealed Through Stories and Art. Westland India 2019. . – Based on Older Books / Reprint
  32. Wisdom of the Gods for You and Me: My Gita and My Hanuman Chalisa. Rupa Publications India 2019. . – Based on Older Books / Reprint
  33. Faith: 40 Insights into Hinduism – Publisher: HarperCollins, 2019 .
  34. Pilgrim Nation: The Making of Bharatvarsh - Aleph Book Company, 2020 .
  35. Dharma Artha Kama Moksha: 40 Insights into Happiness - HarperCollins, India, 2021 .
  36. Marriage: 100 Stories Around India's Favourite Ritual - Rupa Publications India, 2021 .
  37. Adi Purana: Entire Veda as a Single Story - Westland, 2021 ASIN B099ZWDLFH - quick read
  38. Hope: Wisdom to Survive in a Hopeless World - Juggernaut, 2021 .
  39. Eden: An Indian Exploration of Jewish, Christian and Islamic Lore - Penguin Random House, 2021 .
  40. The Stories We Tell: Mythology to Make Sense of Modern Lives - Aleph Book Company, 2022 .
  41. Dharm Aur Samlaingikta/धर्म और समलैंगिकता - Penguin India, 2022 .
  42. Garuda Purana and Other Hindu Ideas On Death, Rebirth and Immortality - Westland Books, 2022 .
  43. Tales From the Land of Jagannatha - Odia Media Private Limited, 2023 .
  44. Bahubali : 63 Insights into Jainism - Harper Collins, India, 2023 .
  45. Tirthankar: Jain Dharm Par 63 Vichar - HarperHindi, India, 2023 ASIN B0CNSCZZKC.
  46. Sati Savitri - Penguin, 2024 .

Management

  1. Business Sutra: A Very Indian Approach to Management. Aleph Book Company, 2013. . Translations: French, German, Hindi, Italian, Marathi, Tamil.
  2. The Success Sutra: An Indian Approach to Wealth. Aleph Book Company, 2015. . – Based on Older Book
  3. The Leadership Sutra: An Indian Approach to Power. Aleph Book Company, 2016. . – Based on Older Book
  4. The Talent Sutra: An Indian Approach to Learning. Aleph Book Company, 2016, – Based on Older Book
  5. Culture: 50 Insights from Mythology. HarperCollins India, Indus Source 2017. .
  6. Leader: 50 Insights from Mythology. HarperCollins India, Indus Source 2017. .
  7. How to Become Rich: 12 Lessons I Learnt from Vedic and Puranic Stories – Publisher: Rupa Publications India, 2019 .

Fiction

  1. . Translations: Hindi, Marathi
  2. Is He Fresh?: Aka

Children's books

  1. Fun in Devlok: An Identity Card for Krishna. Puffin India, 2011. .
  2. Fun in Devlok: Gauri and the Talking Cow. Puffin India, 2011. .
  3. Fun in Devlok: Indra Finds Happiness. Puffin India, 2011. .
  4. Fun in Devlok: Kama vs Yama. Puffin India, 2011. .
  5. Fun in Devlok: Saraswati's Secret River. Puffin India, 2011. .
  6. Fun in Devlok: Shiva Plays Dumb Charades. Puffin India, 2011. .
  7. Fun in Devlok Omnibus. Puffin India, 2014. . – Reprint (Compilation)
  8. Pashu: Animal Tales from Hindu Mythology. Penguin Books India, 2014. . Translations: Hindi.
  9. The Girl Who Chose: A New Way of Narrating the Ramayana. Puffin Books, 2016.
    ISBN 9780143334637 (Based on the Ramayana
    ).
  10. The Jaya Colouring Book. Penguin Random House India, 2016. . – Based on Older Book
  11. The Sita Colouring Book. Penguin Random House India, 2016. . – Based on Older Book
  12. The Boys Who Fought: The Mahabharata for Children. Puffin, 2017 ).
  13. Vahana: Gods and Their Favourite Animals - Rupa Publications India, 2020 .
  14. Shyam: Our Little Krishna - Puffin, 2021 . - Based on Older Book
  15. Greek Gods, Monsters and Heroes: Read and Colour - Puffin, 2023 . - Based on Older Book
  16. ABC of Hinduism for Kids - Aleph Book Company, 2024 .

Textbook

  1. Indian Culture, Art and Heritage For Civil Services Exam – Publisher: Pearson India, 2021 (1st Edition) .

Foreword/Contribution

  1. Close, Too Close: The Tranquebar Book of Queer Erotica. Westland, 2012.
  2. Celebrating Public Spaces of India. Mapin Publishing, 2016. .
  3. The Illustrated Mahabharata: The Definitive Guide to India’s Greatest Epic. DK Publishing (Dorling Kindersley), 2017.
  4. I Am Divine. So Are You: How Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and Hinduism Affirm the Dignity of Queer Identities and Sexualities. HarperCollins, 2017 .
  5. Padmavat: An Epic Love Story. Rupa Publications, 2018. . -Illustrator
  6. Behold, I Make All Things New: How Judaism, Christianity and Islam affirm the dignity of queer identities and sexualities. HarperCollins, 2019 .
  7. Kabir, Kabir: The life and work of the early modern poet-philosopher. Westland, 2021 . -Illustrator
  8. Urban Sadhu Yoga™ Chant Book: A Collection of Chants, Kirtans, Prayers, Sutras, Shlokas, Shastras, Devotional Songs, and Inspirational Texts for the Modern Yoga Practitioner. -Illustrator

Co-authored

  1. Yoga Mythology: 64 Asanas and Their Stories – Publisher: HarperCollins, 2019 .
  2. Aranyaka: Book of the Forest – Publisher: Westland, 2019 .

References

  1. .
  2. OCLC 692288394.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link
    )
  3. OCLC 863077858.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link
    )
  4. ^ Sengupta, Somini (1 July 2010). "Mythic Past, Resonating in the Present". New York Times.
  5. ^ "Devdutt Pattanaik | Editorial, Columnists – Midday". mid-day. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
  6. ^ Pattanaik, Devdutt (11 September 2022). "Sound and meaning of Veda". Mid-Day.
  7. ^ "Devdutt Pattanaik Blog – Times of India Blog". Times of India Blog. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
  8. ^ Pattanaik, Devdutt (19 October 2017). "Where does history begin?". Condé Nast Traveller India.
  9. ^ "Devdutt Pattanaik". www.dailyo.in. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
  10. ^ "Devdutt Pattanaik | Scroll.in". scroll.in. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
  11. ^ "The Devdutt Pattanaik Show". Radiomirchi.
  12. ^ Sharma, Sanjukta (16 September 2010). "The mythologist". Mint.
  13. ^ "Devdutt Pattanaik: Ramayana in OLPS". Mid-Day. 12 June 2016. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  14. ^ Bali, Shinmin (25 May 2003). "Teaching Old Heads New Tricks". Financial Express. The Indian Express.
  15. ^ "Devdutt Pattanaik, Chief Belief Officer, Future Group | NASSCOM". Archived from the original on 9 February 2015. Retrieved 9 February 2015.
  16. dailyo.in
    .
  17. ^ Pattnaik, Devdutt (17 November 2018). "#MeToo in Mahabharata: Political needs were placed over Draupadi's security". Economic Times Blog.
  18. ^ Pattanaik, Devdutt (19 January 2014). "5151 years of Gita". Mid-day.
  19. ^ Pattanaik, Devdutt (27 December 2015). "The complete man". TheWeek.in.
  20. – via Google Books.
  21. ^ Krishnamachari, Suganthy (24 April 2009). "Demystifying mythology: A conversation with Devdutt Pattanaik". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 29 April 2009.
  22. ^ "Great response to first TED meet in India". The Hindu. 1 November 2009. Archived from the original on 5 November 2009.
  23. ^ "Devdutt Pattanaik: East vs. West -- the myths that mystify, TEDIndia 2009". ted.com. November 2009. Archived from the original on 13 February 2014.
  24. ^ Sen, Debarati S (3 September 2013). "Devdutt Patnaik roped for Mahabharat". The Times of India. Retrieved 21 August 2017.
  25. ^ "Best of Radio Mirchi : Devdutt Pattanaik speaks about Siya Ke Ram saath Jeeturaaj". radiomirchi.com. Retrieved 21 August 2017.
  26. ^ "Exclusive | Mahabharat will stir lot of curiosity: Devdutt Pattanaik". adgully.com. 16 September 2013. Retrieved 21 August 2017.
  27. ^ Yadav, Sangeeta (16 July 2017). "God of small screen". The Pioneer. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  28. ^ "MindRush. Event Speakers. Devdutt Pattanaik". businesstoday.in. 2013. Archived from the original on 10 August 2020.
  29. ^ "Devon ke Dev Mahadev – Review". India Opines. Archived from the original on 6 November 2017. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  30. ^ "An eclectic set of speakers announced for Goafest 2014". Indian Television Dot Com. 2 April 2014.
  31. ^ Abrol, Somya (23 December 2016). "Seeing Chetan Bhagat and Devdutt Pattanaik in the Forbes India Celeb 100 list is confusing us no end". India Today.
  32. ISSN 0971-751X
    . Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  33. ^ a b Ghosal, Sharmistha (29 May 2020). "Audible Suno launches Suno Mahabharata Devdutt Pattanaik Ke Saath". indulgexpress.com. The Indian Express. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  34. ^ Dasgupta, Koral (7 October 2015). "Beyond the writer: Devdutt Pattanaik". News18. Blog.
  35. ^ Sinha, Namya (4 July 2016). "No society can exist without myth, says Devdutt Pattanaik". Hindustan Times.
  36. ^ Chakrabarty, Roshni (7 July 2017). "Devdutt Pattanaik explains how understanding the symbolism behind Indian mythology can entirely change the way we view life". India Today.
  37. ^ "Modern people want to feel liberal, so they construct a past that's conservative". The Indian Express. Devdutt Pattanaik in conversation with The Indian Express Literary Editor Pratik Kanjilal. Express Adda, New Delhi. 27 October 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  38. OCLC 985916928.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link
    )
  39. .
  40. ^ a b https://www.indiatoday.in/pti-feed/story/devdutt-pattanaik-retells-greek-myths-718037-2016-11-03
  41. ^ Devarajan, R. (6 May 2013). "An Indian view of management". The Hindu – via www.thehindu.com.
  42. ^ Pattanaik, Devdutt (24 December 2016). "From Macaulay to Frawley, from Doniger to Elst: Why do many Indians need White saviours?". Scroll.in.
  43. ^ Pattanaik, Devdutt (17 September 2017). "Devdutt Pattanaik: Brahmins who rejected Ram". Mid-Day.
  44. ^ Pattanaik, Devdutt (6 August 2017). "Devdutt Pattanaik: Atheist and secular mythologies". Mid-day.
  45. ^ https://theprint.in/india/ram-remains-in-soul-of-devotee-at-all-times-writer-debdutt-pattanaik/1922747/
  46. ^ a b "Devdutt Pattanaik comes out of the closet". The Times of India. 20 September 2018.
  47. ^ a b "Mythologist and Author Devdutt Pattanaik Comes Out as 'Gay' in Interview for the First Time After Section 377 Abolition - ED Times".
  48. ^ "Proud to be gay". The Times of India. 22 July 2018.
  49. ^ Pattanaik, Devdutt (7 September 2018). "India's ancient religions are actually very accepting of gay people". Quartz India.
  50. ^ Nerurkar, Sonal (10 August 2014). "Bang for the book". The Times of India. Retrieved 25 August 2017.
  51. ^ "Bestseller books of 2016: Indian authors beat international writers". The Economic Times. 11 December 2016. Retrieved 25 August 2017.
  52. ^ Abrol, Somya (23 December 2016). "Seeing Chetan Bhagat and Devdutt Pattanaik in the Forbes India Celeb 100 list is confusing us no end". India Today. Retrieved 16 February 2019.
  53. ^ Rao, Namrata (5 February 2017). "'Writing is an art, crime writing is a craft': Ashwin Sanghi". Financial Express. Retrieved 9 February 2017.
  54. ^ Chanda-Vaz, Urmi (5 February 2017). "Indian mythology is a new medium of choice for feminist narratives (and it's working)". Scroll.in. Retrieved 9 February 2017.
  55. ^ Chanda-Vaz, Urmi (22 November 2015). "Why reading Devdutt Pattanaik's My Gita makes sense but does not mean you're reading the Gita". Scroll.in. Retrieved 9 February 2017.
  56. ^ Visvanathan, Shiv (16 December 2016). "Shiv Visvanathan on the importance of being (and thinking like) Devdutt Pattanaik". Scroll.in.
  57. ^ "Good Omens gives people different way to imagine what heaven and hell may look like: Neil Gaiman". The Indian Express. PTI. 31 May 2019.

External links