Devdutt Pattanaik is a mythologist and writer from Orissa, India whose parents had migrated to Mumbai before his birth. He writes on

mythology Myth is a genre of folklore consisting primarily of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society. For scholars, this is very different from the vernacular usage of the term "myth" that refers to a belief that is not true. Instead, the ...

, the study of cultural truths revealed through stories, symbols and rituals. He lectures on the relevance of both Indian and Western myths in modern life. His work focuses largely on the areas of religion, mythology, and management. He has authored and illustrated over 50 books, including ''ABC Of Hinduism'', ''Bahubali : 63 insights into Jainism'', and ''Yoga Mythology: 64 Asanas and Their Stories''. Devdutt is a regular columnist for reputed newspapers like ''

Mid-day ''Mid-Day'' (stylised as mid-day) is a morning daily Indian compact newspaper. Editions in various languages including Gujarati and English have been published out of Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and Pune so far. In 2011, the Delhi and Bangalore ...

'', ''

Times of India ''The Times of India'' (''TOI'') is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by the Times Group. It is the List of newspapers in India by circulation, third-largest newspaper in India by circulation an ...

'' and '' Dainik Bhaskar''. He is also known for his TED talk and Business Sutra as well as ''The Devdutt Pattanaik Show'' on

Radio Mirchi Radio Mirchi ("''Mirchi"'' in Hindi meaning red chilli), also known as 98.3 Mirchi, is a nationwide network of private FM radio stations in India. It is owned by the ENIL, EntertainmentNetwork India Ltd (ENIL), which is one of the subsidiarie ...

. A medical doctor by training, Devdutt spent 15 years working in the pharmaceutical and healthcare industry. However, his study on the cultural impact of mythology began three decades ago.

Early life and education

Devdutt is an Oriya who was born and brought up in

Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...

. His mother is Smt. Sabitri Pattanaik & father is Sj. Prafulla Kumar Pattanaik. He spent his childhood and student life in Chembur, Mumbai. He studied in Our Lady of Perpetual Succour High School in Chembur. Devdutt graduated in medicine ( M.B.B.S.) from Grant Medical College, Mumbai, and subsequently obtained a diploma in

Comparative Mythology Comparative mythology is the comparison of myths from different cultures in an attempt to identify shared themes and characteristics.Littleton, p. 32 Comparative mythology has served a variety of academic purposes. For example, scholars have used ...

from Mumbai University.

Career

Devdutt worked in the pharmaceutical and healthcare industry (

Sanofi Aventis Sanofi S.A. is a French multinational pharmaceutical and healthcare company headquartered in Paris, France. The corporation was established in 1973 and merged with Synthélabo in 1999 to form Sanofi-Synthélabo. In 2004, Sanofi-Synthélabo merg ...

and Apollo Group of Hospitals, respectively) for 14 years and spent his spare time writing articles and books on mythology, which eventually became his full-time profession. His first book ''Shiva: An Introduction'' was published in 1997. Devdutt illustrates most of his own books. He was a speaker at the first TED conference in India held in November 2009. Devdutt has consulted Star TV network on mythological television series like ''Mahabharata,'' ''Siya Ke Ram and Vighnaharta Sri Ganesha''; these serials have challenged conventional views of the narratives and opened up new avenues of interpretation. In the latter serial he added the narrative of Lord Jagannatha & Puri since he is an Oriya. He has also been the story consultant at Indian television network Star TV, where '' Devon Ke Dev...Mahadev'' is based on his work. In 2015, Devdutt presented the Hindi television series Devlok with Devdutt Pattanaik on the "

EPIC Epic commonly refers to: * Epic poetry, a long narrative poem celebrating heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation * Epic film, a genre of film defined by the spectacular presentation of human drama on a grandiose scale Epic(s) ...

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 ''Forbes India'' is the Indian edition of ''Forbes'', which is managed by the Reliance Industries-owned media conglomerate, Network 18. History and profile Since its founding in 2008, ''Forbes India'' has achieved a circulation of 50,000 copies ...

Celeb 100 list, on the 93rd spot." Devdutt worked on Audible Originals (India)'s

audiobook An audiobook (or a talking book) is a recording of a book or other work being read out loud. A reading of the complete text is described as "unabridged", while readings of shorter versions are abridgements. Spoken audio has been available in sch ...

titled ''Suno Mahabharat Devdutt Pattanaik ke Saath'' and '' Revisiting Mahabharata with Devdutt Pattanaik''. 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

Pandava The Pandavas (Sanskrit: पाण्डव, aɳɖɐʋᵊ IAST: Pāṇḍava) is a group name referring to the five legendary brothers, Yudhishtira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula, and Sahadeva, who are central figures of the Hindu epic ''Mahabhara ...

s and the Kauravas. He also communicates the Vedic tenets which describes

karma Karma (, from , ; ) is an ancient Indian concept that refers to an action, work, or deed, and its effect or consequences. In Indian religions, the term more specifically refers to a principle of cause and effect, often descriptively called ...

and

dharma Dharma (; , ) is a key concept in various Indian religions. The term ''dharma'' does not have a single, clear Untranslatability, translation and conveys a multifaceted idea. Etymologically, it comes from the Sanskrit ''dhr-'', meaning ''to hold ...

Art

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!"

Views

Myth and Mythology

Devdutt 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". 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." 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." In ''Shiva to Shankara: Giving Form to the Formless'', Devdutt explores the layers of meanings embedded in Shiva's

linga A lingam ( , lit. "sign, symbol or mark"), sometimes referred to as linga or Shiva linga, is an abstract or aniconic representation of the Hindu god Shiva in Shaivism. The word ''lingam'' is found in the Upanishads and epic literature, wher ...

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. 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.

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 ead: manipulatedthrough 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".

Politics

Devdutt 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. He also frowns on secularists and atheists who deny their own missionary zeal and mythic structure, and see themselves as "rational". Devdutt says, "Unlike fiction or history, mythology is a pluralistic truth with many interpretations, all of which needs to be respected." He further states, “For politicians, dates are important. For human beings and devotees, God is everywhere, every time.”

Sexuality

Devdutt has been frank about the LGBTQ revolution in India. Pattnaik realised that he was gay in 10th standard and came out to his parents when he was 30. After the 2018 decriminalization of homosexuality in India, Devdutt came out as gay in a televised interview. 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.

Reception

In 2014, Devdutt was listed in the top category of bestselling Indian authors. His book ''Devlok'', based on the television programme of the same name, was one of the year's bestsellers in 2016.

had ranked Devdutt among the 100 celebrities of India in 2016. Fiction author Ashwin Sanghi has said that Devdutt attempts to "explain mythology in simple words". Psychologist Urmi Chanda-Vaz, who calls Devdutt "India's most beloved mythology explicator", praised his book ''My Gita''. Academic Shiv Visvanathan has praised Devdutt by saying that he has made myth-reading "an open, playful, almost domestic game, like Chinese Checkers or Scrabble".

Neil Gaiman Neil Richard MacKinnon Gaiman (; born Neil Richard Gaiman; 10 November 1960) is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, audio theatre, and screenplays. His works include the comic series ''The Sandman (comic book), The Sandma ...

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."

Publications

Mythology

# ''Shiva: An Introduction''. Vakils, Feffer and Simons Ltd., 1997. . (Based on

Shiva Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the God in Hinduism, Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions w ...

). # ''Vishnu: An Introduction''. Vakils, Feffer and Simons Ltd., 1999. . (Based on

Vishnu Vishnu (; , , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism, and the god of preservation ( ...

). # ''Devi, The Mother-Goddess: An Introduction''. Vakils, Feffer, and Simons Ltd., 2000. . (Based on the concept of

Devi ''Devī'' (; ) is the Sanskrit word for 'goddess'; the masculine form is Deva (Hinduism), ''deva''. ''Devi'' and ''deva'' mean 'heavenly, divine, anything of excellence', and are also gender-specific terms for a deity in Hinduism. The concept ...

). # ''The Goddess in India: The Five Faces of the Eternal Feminine''. Inner Traditions/ Bear & Company, 2000. . Translations: Hindi. # ''Hanuman: An Introduction''. Vakils, Feffer and Simons Ltd., 2001. . (Based on

Hanuman Hanuman (; , ), also known as Maruti, Bajrangabali, and Anjaneya, is a deity in Hinduism, revered as a divine ''vanara'', and a devoted companion of the deity Rama. Central to the ''Ramayana'', Hanuman is celebrated for his unwavering devotio ...

). # ''The Man Who Was A Woman and Other Queer Tales from Hindu Lore''. Harrington Park Press, 2002. . # ''Hindu India''. Brijbasi Art Press, 2003. . # ''Indian Mythology: Tales, Symbols, and Rituals from the Heart of the Subcontinent''. Inner Traditions/ Bear & Company, 2003. . # ''Lakshmi, The Goddess of Wealth and Fortune: An Introduction''. Vakils, Feffer, and Simons Ltd., 2003. . (Based on

Lakshmi Lakshmi (; , , sometimes spelled Laxmi, ), also known as Shri (, , ), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism, revered as the goddess of wealth, fortune, prosperity, beauty, fertility, sovereignty, and abundance. She along with Parvat ...

). # ''Myth=Mithya: A Handbook of Hindu Mythology''. Penguin Books India, 2006. . Translations: Hindi, Marathi, Turkish. # ''Shiva to Shankara: Decoding the Phallic Symbol''. Indus Source, India. 2006. . Translations: Czech, Hindi (Based on

). # ''The Book of Ram''. Penguin Books India, 2009. . (Based on Ram) - Part of a book series on mythological figures published by Penguin. # ''7 Secrets from Hindu Calendar Art''. Westland Ltd., 2009. . Translations: Gujarati, Hindi (Based on Hindu Calendar art). # ''Hanuman's Ramayan''. Tulika Publishers, 2010. . (Based on

). # ''Jaya: An Illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharata''. Penguin Books India, 2010. . Translations: Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Tamil (Based on the

Mahabharata The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; , , ) is one of the two major Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epics of ancient India revered as Smriti texts in Hinduism, the other being the ''Ramayana, Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the events and aftermath of the Kuru ...

). # ''7 Secrets of Shiva''. Westland Ltd., 2011. . Translations: Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Marathi, Russian, Telugu (Based on

). # ''7 Secrets of Vishnu''. Westland Ltd., 2011. . Translations: Hindi, Kannada, Marathi, Russian (Based on

). # ''99 Thoughts on Ganesha: Stories, Symbols and Rituals of India's Beloved Elephant-headed Deity''. Jaico Publishing House, 2011. . Translations: Gujarati, Hindi, Malayalam, Marathi, Telugu (Based on

Ganesha Ganesha or Ganesh (, , ), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped Deva (Hinduism), deities in the Hindu deities, Hindu pantheon and is the Supreme God in the Ganapatya sect. His depictions ...

). # ''Sita: An Illustrated Retelling of the Ramayana''. Penguin Books India, 2013 . Translations: Hindi, Marathi, Tamil (Based on the

Ramayana The ''Ramayana'' (; ), also known as ''Valmiki Ramayana'', as traditionally attributed to Valmiki, is a smriti text (also described as a Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epic) from ancient India, one of the two important epics ...

). # ''Shikhandi: And Other Tales They Don't Tell You''. Zubaan Books & Penguin Books India, 2014. . Translations: Hindi, Marathi. # ''7 Secrets of the Goddess''. Westland Ltd., 2014. . Translations: Hindi, Italian, Marathi, Russian (Based on the

Goddess A goddess is a female deity. In some faiths, a sacred female figure holds a central place in religious prayer and worship. For example, Shaktism (one of the three major Hinduism, Hindu sects), holds that the ultimate deity, the source of all re ...

). # ''My Gita''. Rupa Publications India, 2015. . Translations: Hindi, Marathi (Based on The Gita). # ''Devlok with Devdutt Pattanaik''. Penguin Random House India, 2016. . # ''Olympus – An Indian Retelling of Greek Mythology''. Penguin Random House India, 2016. (Based on

Greek mythology Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the Ancient Greece, ancient Greeks, and a genre of ancient Greek folklore, today absorbed alongside Roman mythology into the broader designation of classical mythology. These stories conc ...

). # ''Devlok with Devdutt Pattanaik (Book 2)'' – Publisher: Penguin Random House, 2017 Translations: Hindi # ''Shiva to Shankara: Giving Form to the Formless''. HarperCollins India, Indus Source 2017. . – Based on Older Book / Reprint # ''My Hanuman Chalisa''. Rupa Publications, 2017. (Based in the Hanuman Chalisa). # ''Devlok with Devdutt Pattanaik (Book 3)'' – Publisher: Penguin Random House, 2017 . # ''Shyam: An Illustrated Retelling of the Bhagavata.'' Penguin, 2018 (Based on the Bhagavata). # ''Ramayana Versus Mahabharata: My Playful Comparison.'' Rupa Publications India, 2018 (Based on the

). # ''Hindu Trinity: 21 Life-enhancing Secrets Revealed Through Stories and Art''. Westland India 2019. . – Based on Older Books / Reprint # ''Wisdom of the Gods for You and Me: My Gita and My Hanuman Chalisa''. Rupa Publications India 2019. . – Based on Older Books / Reprint # ''Faith: 40 Insights into Hinduism'' – Publisher: HarperCollins, 2019 . # ''Pilgrim Nation: The Making of Bharatvarsh'' - Aleph Book Company, 2020 . # ''Dharma Artha Kama Moksha: 40 Insights into Happiness'' - HarperCollins, India, 2021 . # ''Marriage: 100 Stories Around India's Favourite Ritual'' - Rupa Publications India, 2021 . # ''Adi Purana: Entire Veda as a Single Story'' - Westland, 2021 - quick read # ''Hope: Wisdom to Survive in a Hopeless World'' - Juggernaut, 2021 . # ''Eden: An Indian Exploration of Jewish, Christian and Islamic Lore'' - Penguin Random House, 2021 . # ''The Stories We Tell: Mythology to Make Sense of Modern Lives'' - Aleph Book Company, 2022 . # ''Dharm Aur Samlaingikta/धर्म और समलैंगिकता'' - Penguin India, 2022 . # ''Garuda Purana and Other Hindu Ideas On Death, Rebirth and Immortality'' - Westland Books, 2022 . # ''Tales From the Land of Jagannatha'' - Odia Media Private Limited, 2023 . # ''Bahubali : 63 Insights into Jainism'' - Harper Collins, India, 2023 . # ''Tirthankar: Jain Dharm Par 63 Vichar'' - HarperHindi, India, 2023 . # ''Sati Savitri'' - Penguin, 2024 . # ''Ahimsa : 100 Reflections on the Harappan Civilization'' - Harper Collins, India, 2024 .

Management

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

Fiction

# '' The Pregnant King''. Penguin Books India, 2008. . Translations: Hindi, Marathi # ''Is He Fresh?: Aka Kaula Hai''? (Penguin Petit). Penguin UK, 2015.

Children's books

# ''Fun in Devlok: An Identity Card for Krishna''. Puffin India, 2011. . # ''Fun in Devlok: Gauri and the Talking Cow''. Puffin India, 2011. . # ''Fun in Devlok: Indra Finds Happiness''. Puffin India, 2011. . # ''Fun in Devlok: Kama vs Yama''. Puffin India, 2011. . # ''Fun in Devlok: Saraswati's Secret River''. Puffin India, 2011. . # ''Fun in Devlok: Shiva Plays Dumb Charades''. Puffin India, 2011. . # ''Fun in Devlok Omnibus''. Puffin India, 2014. . – Reprint (Compilation) # ''Pashu: Animal Tales from Hindu Mythology''. Penguin Books India, 2014. . Translations: Hindi. # ''The Girl Who Chose: A New Way of Narrating the Ramayana''. Puffin Books, 2016. (Based on the

). # ''The Jaya Colouring Book''. Penguin Random House India, 2016. . – Based on Older Book # ''The Sita Colouring Book''. Penguin Random House India, 2016. . – Based on Older Book # ''The Boys Who Fought: The Mahabharata for Children.'' Puffin, 2017 (Based on the

). # ''Vahana: Gods and Their Favourite Animals'' - Rupa Publications India, 2020 . # ''Shyam: Our Little Krishna'' - Puffin, 2021 . - Based on Older Book # ''Greek Gods, Monsters and Heroes: Read and Colour'' - Puffin, 2023 . - Based on Older Book # ''ABC of Hinduism for Kids'' - Aleph Book Company, 2024 . # ''Gana-Bajana'' - Puffin, 2024 .

Textbook

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

Foreword/Contribution

# ''Close, Too Close: The Tranquebar Book of Queer Erotica''. Westland, 2012. # ''Celebrating Public Spaces of India''. Mapin Publishing, 2016. . # ''The Illustrated Mahabharata: The Definitive Guide to India’s Greatest Epic''. DK Publishing (Dorling Kindersley), 2017. # ''I Am Divine. So Are You: How Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and Hinduism Affirm the Dignity of Queer Identities and Sexualities''. HarperCollins, 2017 . # ''Padmavat: An Epic Love Story''. Rupa Publications, 2018. . -Illustrator # ''Behold, I Make All Things New: How Judaism, Christianity and Islam affirm the dignity of queer identities and sexualities''. HarperCollins, 2019 . # ''Kabir, Kabir: The life and work of the early modern poet-philosopher''. Westland, 2021 . -Illustrator # ''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

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

References

External links

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Devlok with Devdutt Pattanaik
at EPIC ON {{DEFAULTSORT:Pattanaik, Devdutt 1970 births Living people Indian male writers 20th-century Indian medical doctors Mythographers Medical doctors from Mumbai University of Mumbai alumni Indian television presenters Indian columnists Indian LGBTQ writers 21st-century Indian LGBTQ people