Feminism Is Not About Women Dominating Men, Rather Woman Is Free To Do What She Wants - Mythologist Devdutt Pattanaik

Let us talk about your growing years and the influences that nudged you to the world of myths and legends.

Like many children of that time, I read Amar Chitra Katha and Chandamama comics. It is through them that I accessed mythology. I guess I had a natural inclination for religion, folklore, fantasy and philosophy. My parents never stopped me from buying books: everything from the Art of Boris Vallejo to the Bhagavatam by Kamala Subramaniam.

From receiving formal training in medicine to becoming India's leading mythologist, what piqued your interest in the world of mythology?

It’s only after I completed Medicine that my interest in mythology became intense and serious. It formed an escape from the world of healthcare, which I did not find particularly exciting.

How did the journey unfold, what stimulated/encouraged it?

I was always interested in mythology as a child, though I got more deeply interested in the subject during college. I wrote my first column related to mythology in college magazines. Then, following the interest of a publisher, I wrote my first (Shiva an introduction) book on mythology in 1996. That happened over 25 years ago. Mythology remained a parallel track to my job in the pharma industry until 2008. Then I took it up full-time thanks to the support of Mr. Kishore Biyani.

Do you think mythology has relevance in today's world which is primed towards hard facts and logic? Especially, in the times when people go to court of law to decide on the existence of Lord Ram.

Mythology reveals how people make sense of their world. It helps them to transmit their world-view to their children using stories, symbols and rituals. It is all about faith, belief and assumptions, which applies to all communities, past and present.

As a mythologist how do you manage to navigate the tricky waters of interpreting myths with a modern rationale perspective and prospects of getting trolled/attacked for hurting religious sentiments?

Trolling is a global phenomenon. It’s the result of the internet, which has expanded everyone’s desires, with no channel to satisfy these desires. It provides them with a lot of channels to direct their rage and frustration. Like pigeons who shit on us, we can do nothing about them. Hating them simply mirrors their stupidity. So I use the negative energy and turn it into positive energy by writing a book. The more they attack me, the more books I will write, and so while they sink into darkness, I will have a good time, and even more success, I hope.

Folklore Vs Myth Vs Legends—Can you help us understand the difference?

Folklore are stories about life that are passed through generations. Myths usually deal with the origin and end of the world, and hence are more spiritual. Legends are more political — they justify legitimising a community or their claim over a property or practice.

You have delved into Greek mythology, Islamic mythology, Jewish mythology and Christian mythology. What are the points of similarity and differentiation amongst these?

In Greek mythology, ‘god’ is shown as someone with extreme power, with no responsibility or accountability. The gods are usually highly competitive. They collaborate only when they have a common foe. Power is closely linked with this popular idea of god. Not kindness or compassion or wisdom.

Power gets concentrated in one entity with Christian and Islamic mythologies. This is centralisation. This is the spiritual basis of feudalism. A central power to whom everyone is beholden.

What triggered the need to do Sati, Savitri and other Feminist Tales They Don't Tell You? Indian mythology is replete with tales of strong women characters and their achievements that a lot of people are aware of. What is unique about this book?

The book, "Shikhandi" told stories about queer people that I found when I was researching women's stories. This is part two of that book. In it, I want to draw attention to stories about women who have agency, power and are treated as equals or even superior in Hindu, Buddhist and Jain stories. These stories are not often told, and I wanted to bring that into perspective.

When we say feminist tales do we have stories which explore the complex themes of matriarchy, sexuality and women rights etc.

Feminism is not about women dominating men, it's about freedom at one level, where a woman is free to do what she wants. In a patriarchal society, that freedom is taken away from her and life is decided for her by men. We find stories in Indian mythology that speak of women's desires, women's choice of men, women having extramarital affairs and courtesans who provide sexual pleasure and have autonomous income. The younger generation is not taught about them.

Which is your favourite story from the book?

It is the story of Savitri, which was my mother's name, and it talks about a woman who outwits death and saves a man. Everybody tells the stories of how men rescue damsels in distress. We do not realize that one of the most popular stories in India is of a woman who rescues a man in distress. This story was written 2,000 years ago, so women don't need men to protect them, as one is constantly told by the media.