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Shikhandi: and Other Tales They Don't Tell You
Patriarchy asserts men are superior to women
Feminism clarifies women and men are equal
Queerness questions what constitutes male and female
Queerness isn’t only modern, Western or sexual, says mythologist Devdutt Pattanaik. Take a close look at the vast written and oral traditions in Hinduism, some over two thousand years old, and you will find tales of:
Shikhandi, who became a man to satisfy her wife
Mahadeva, who became a woman to deliver a devotee’s child
Chudala, who became a man to enlighten her husband
Samavan, who became the wife of his male friend
and many more . . .
Playful and touching—and sometimes disturbing—these stories when compared with tales of the Mesopotamian Gilgamesh, the Greek Ganymede, the biblical Sodom or the Chinese ‘cut sleeve’ Emperor reveal the unique Indian way of making sense of queerness.
Devdutt Pattanaik’s new book builds on profound ideas that our ancestors shared but which we have rarely inherited.
This book has content for mature audiences. Discretion advised.
Feminism clarifies women and men are equal
Queerness questions what constitutes male and female
Queerness isn’t only modern, Western or sexual, says mythologist Devdutt Pattanaik. Take a close look at the vast written and oral traditions in Hinduism, some over two thousand years old, and you will find tales of:
Shikhandi, who became a man to satisfy her wife
Mahadeva, who became a woman to deliver a devotee’s child
Chudala, who became a man to enlighten her husband
Samavan, who became the wife of his male friend
and many more . . .
Playful and touching—and sometimes disturbing—these stories when compared with tales of the Mesopotamian Gilgamesh, the Greek Ganymede, the biblical Sodom or the Chinese ‘cut sleeve’ Emperor reveal the unique Indian way of making sense of queerness.
Devdutt Pattanaik’s new book builds on profound ideas that our ancestors shared but which we have rarely inherited.
This book has content for mature audiences. Discretion advised.
192 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 20, 2014
181 people are currently reading
3447 people want to read
About the author
Devdutt Pattanaik
287 books3,333 followersDr. Devdutt Pattanaik (born December 11, 1970) is an Indian physician turned leadership consultant, mythologist and author whose works focus largely on the areas of myth, mythology, and also management. He has written a number of books related to Hindu mythology, including Myth = Mithya: A Handbook of Hindu Mythology, a novel, The Pregnant King, and Jaya: An Illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharata (2010).
He is the Chief Belief Officer of Future Group, one of India’s largest retailers, bringing the wisdom of Indian mythology into Indian business, especifically in human resource management. He also writes a column for the newspaper MID DAY.
He has also written a novel based on a tale from the Mahabharata titled 'The Pregnant King' published by Penguin Books India
He is the Chief Belief Officer of Future Group, one of India’s largest retailers, bringing the wisdom of Indian mythology into Indian business, especifically in human resource management. He also writes a column for the newspaper MID DAY.
He has also written a novel based on a tale from the Mahabharata titled 'The Pregnant King' published by Penguin Books India
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 372 reviews
August 4, 2014
This may be politically incorrect, multi-religiously blasphemous and all that jazz, but seriously what were our ancients smoking? It takes truly brilliant minds to come up with such fascinatingly kinky, twisted stories, attribute it all to gods and goddesses and have centuries of humankind unquestioningly believe in them . To be safe, let me clarify that I say this in a positive sense.
'Queer' is a term I absolutely detest, because the very definition of the word defeats the purpose of creating an all inclusive, tolerant society. I don't know if the purpose of this book was to say that 'queerness' has the blessings of the gods, be it Hindu, Roman, Greek, Assyrian or Egyptian. Or whether it is to convince the upholders of present day morality to look within before they judge. Or to say that it has existed over several millennia so let's not be hypocrites about it. Or to say it happens, deal with it. Or whether it is just another book on Indian mythology for contemporary readers. But I've loved every one of Devdutt Pattanaik's books and I did like this one too.
Most of these stories aren't new to me. I've known many of them since I was a child, thanks to Amar Chitra Katha. But reading them again through adult eyes and from the perspective of 'queerness' is what makes this almost mindblowing. Take Karthikeya for instance. From ACK, all I remember was babies born through a spark from Shiva's head, floating in a river and six beautiful celestial mothers adopting them. These babies then go on to become one baby and is the much loved, much revered god. A heartwarming, beautifully illustrated tale. But now, reading about it from this 'queer' angle, I'm sorry to say, I find his actual conception (if you can call it that) plain creepy. Shiva shoots his seed into the mouth of Agni, it is cooled by Vayu, it goes on to impregnate all the male Devas, then finds its way into the wombs of six totally clueless women who are so angry that they discard the foetus in the river. The baby(ies) survives inspite of that, a custody battle follows and in the end we get the god we know and worship as Skanda-Karthikeya-Muruga . How crazy is that.
The last time I read about Aravan, after maybe an ACK comic, was in Devdutt Pattanaik's Jaya. All I felt then was anger towards Arjuna for being so callous and unfeeling about his own son, one whom he didn't even remember and was ready to sacrifice. I was irritated with the son of Uloopi and Arjuna for wanting to help the father who had no clue about who he was. And the unfairness of it all. But I didn't give much thought to the queer angle of this tale. And the lesser said about what I think of Krishna the better.
There are thirty such stories in this book, twisted stories, stories of gods and men being castrated for showing restraint, for not showing restraint; men turning into women, women turning into men; deer eating seed and giving birth to humans with antlers; crossdressing gods, sons of gods and mere mortals; men taking the form of animals and sneaking into unwilling women's beds; Bhagirath ,whose very name means what it means, born to two women; men giving birth to men, men giving birth to women, men giving birth to iron maces. There are also tales from Rome, Greece, Mesopotamia, Egypt, China and other ancient civilizations where Things happened.
Maybe these stories started off with the good intention of encouraging ancient societies to embrace all kinds of people. Or maybe these stories were all made up by cunning men to justify their kinks. (I won't say women, it was a male dominated society) Or maybe these stories were just versions of pr0n or fantasy fiction back then.
But whatever it was meant to be, then and now, this book left me totally mindfucked. And looks like that was one bodypart that our gods or our ancestors didn't actually do.
Reviewed here
http://thebookstoryblog.wordpress.com...
'Queer' is a term I absolutely detest, because the very definition of the word defeats the purpose of creating an all inclusive, tolerant society. I don't know if the purpose of this book was to say that 'queerness' has the blessings of the gods, be it Hindu, Roman, Greek, Assyrian or Egyptian. Or whether it is to convince the upholders of present day morality to look within before they judge. Or to say that it has existed over several millennia so let's not be hypocrites about it. Or to say it happens, deal with it. Or whether it is just another book on Indian mythology for contemporary readers. But I've loved every one of Devdutt Pattanaik's books and I did like this one too.
Most of these stories aren't new to me. I've known many of them since I was a child, thanks to Amar Chitra Katha. But reading them again through adult eyes and from the perspective of 'queerness' is what makes this almost mindblowing. Take Karthikeya for instance. From ACK, all I remember was babies born through a spark from Shiva's head, floating in a river and six beautiful celestial mothers adopting them. These babies then go on to become one baby and is the much loved, much revered god. A heartwarming, beautifully illustrated tale. But now, reading about it from this 'queer' angle, I'm sorry to say, I find his actual conception (if you can call it that) plain creepy. Shiva shoots his seed into the mouth of Agni, it is cooled by Vayu, it goes on to impregnate all the male Devas, then finds its way into the wombs of six totally clueless women who are so angry that they discard the foetus in the river. The baby(ies) survives inspite of that, a custody battle follows and in the end we get the god we know and worship as Skanda-Karthikeya-Muruga . How crazy is that.
The last time I read about Aravan, after maybe an ACK comic, was in Devdutt Pattanaik's Jaya. All I felt then was anger towards Arjuna for being so callous and unfeeling about his own son, one whom he didn't even remember and was ready to sacrifice. I was irritated with the son of Uloopi and Arjuna for wanting to help the father who had no clue about who he was. And the unfairness of it all. But I didn't give much thought to the queer angle of this tale. And the lesser said about what I think of Krishna the better.
There are thirty such stories in this book, twisted stories, stories of gods and men being castrated for showing restraint, for not showing restraint; men turning into women, women turning into men; deer eating seed and giving birth to humans with antlers; crossdressing gods, sons of gods and mere mortals; men taking the form of animals and sneaking into unwilling women's beds; Bhagirath ,whose very name means what it means, born to two women; men giving birth to men, men giving birth to women, men giving birth to iron maces. There are also tales from Rome, Greece, Mesopotamia, Egypt, China and other ancient civilizations where Things happened.
Maybe these stories started off with the good intention of encouraging ancient societies to embrace all kinds of people. Or maybe these stories were all made up by cunning men to justify their kinks. (I won't say women, it was a male dominated society) Or maybe these stories were just versions of pr0n or fantasy fiction back then.
But whatever it was meant to be, then and now, this book left me totally mindfucked. And looks like that was one bodypart that our gods or our ancestors didn't actually do.
Reviewed here
http://thebookstoryblog.wordpress.com...
February 28, 2015
If memory serves me right, this incident happened around 13 years ago. It was my first trip to Goa and having not traveled much out of Kerala, it surely was filled of excitement for me. I was on a train coming To Goa from Delhi with a whole bunch of raucous teenagers of my own class for company. There had been the odd murmur of "hijras" all through the trip. A classmate who had taken a train journey through this route earlier opined like a wise old man that you better be careful with them. Needless to say, there was a bit of apprehension building up inside me. I do not remember exactly as to where it happened but slowly the tones of clapping and singing reaches me and suddenly in comes a group of six hijras. To the uninitiated, the first sight would be a jolt from normalcy and it was more so for me coming from a rigidly orthodox society like Kerala.(In quite simple English, hijra is the Indian name for a transgender individual)
As luck would have it, I was seated at a corner seat and slightly away from my other friends while all around me were a group of soldiers on their way to a training assignment. As the group came into the compartment, they were met with silent and impassive stares from the soldiers and me trying my best to behave as normal as possible in the corner. With giggles and gestures they moved on to other seats to my immense relief. Some of the others in my group were not so fortunate when they refused to give money to them for 'blessings'. The results of such a refusal from my friends elicited responses from them which were downright comic and gave us a lot of stuff to laugh about later. Looking back at this incident a decade later, I was trying to place what could have been my actual emotion at that moment. Shedding all pretenses of glorification of a moment past, I can frankly say that it was one of fear. A rather irrational fear of the unknown and one that is quite common. As time would have it, there have been more travels to those places again and I have seen hijras on my travels too. Blessings, smiles and wishes have been passed to me and I have lost any and all vestiges of that juvenile fear for them. The Indian society also acknowledged and accepted them only of late. It is rather stunning to note that transgenders have been legally declared as the third sex by the Supreme Court of India only as late as April 2014.
Against this background, this book offers extremely enlightening anecdotes as to what history and mythology thought about transgenders and sexuality in general. Devdutt Pattanaik gathers thirty odd tales from the epics, puranas, folklore and oral traditions that turn the sexual rigidity of the Indian society on its head. A look at these stories will tell you how accommodating and amused India was in the past towards the whole aspect of sexuality. The author offers insights into the paradigm shift in the way of thinking that started frowning upon sexuality and made it a taboo occurrence to be thought of only behind closed doors. These stories serve as reminders of how the ancients used to think of sex as just another part of life rather than glorifying it into a hush-hush affair. Borrowing from the philosophy itself, it can be inferred that the soul has no gender and is quite timeless while only the ephemeral flesh thinks of gender. This leads us to gods, goddesses, demons, heroes, kings and queens who were absolutely comfortable with slipping into the guises of one gender or the other. The stories here feature the archetypes of Hindu alpha-male gods like Siva, Vishnu and Krishna and legendary heroes like Arjuna shifting genders to achieve suitable ends.
These stories are fascinating and thought inducing for the amount of crazy, kinky ideas they pour forth. These are the kind of stories that make you sit back and wonder whether you have been viewing Hindu mythology through the right lenses all this while. There is more to be gained however from the very first part of the book where in a slightly detailed essay, the author captures the essence of gender as World mythology sees it. Quoting from a variety of sources, Pattnaik argues that the concept of gender was a very flexible one as far as the ancient world was concerned. There is more food for thought here than the stories themselves.
As a reader, I did not have much to gripe about this book. The only challenge that I felt was brevity of the stories themselves. It is like taking a three-course meal and compressing it into a tablet which you take with a drink of water. After it goes down your throat, the chap who manufacured the tablet sits you down and explains the contents of the meal in detail. To a reader who is totally new to India's myths, this book wouldn't be very helpful. However, I doubt if the author meant it for such an audience.
Think on these stories for they will make you re look at the mindset that firmly divides human beings into the two buckets of male and female gender !
As luck would have it, I was seated at a corner seat and slightly away from my other friends while all around me were a group of soldiers on their way to a training assignment. As the group came into the compartment, they were met with silent and impassive stares from the soldiers and me trying my best to behave as normal as possible in the corner. With giggles and gestures they moved on to other seats to my immense relief. Some of the others in my group were not so fortunate when they refused to give money to them for 'blessings'. The results of such a refusal from my friends elicited responses from them which were downright comic and gave us a lot of stuff to laugh about later. Looking back at this incident a decade later, I was trying to place what could have been my actual emotion at that moment. Shedding all pretenses of glorification of a moment past, I can frankly say that it was one of fear. A rather irrational fear of the unknown and one that is quite common. As time would have it, there have been more travels to those places again and I have seen hijras on my travels too. Blessings, smiles and wishes have been passed to me and I have lost any and all vestiges of that juvenile fear for them. The Indian society also acknowledged and accepted them only of late. It is rather stunning to note that transgenders have been legally declared as the third sex by the Supreme Court of India only as late as April 2014.
Against this background, this book offers extremely enlightening anecdotes as to what history and mythology thought about transgenders and sexuality in general. Devdutt Pattanaik gathers thirty odd tales from the epics, puranas, folklore and oral traditions that turn the sexual rigidity of the Indian society on its head. A look at these stories will tell you how accommodating and amused India was in the past towards the whole aspect of sexuality. The author offers insights into the paradigm shift in the way of thinking that started frowning upon sexuality and made it a taboo occurrence to be thought of only behind closed doors. These stories serve as reminders of how the ancients used to think of sex as just another part of life rather than glorifying it into a hush-hush affair. Borrowing from the philosophy itself, it can be inferred that the soul has no gender and is quite timeless while only the ephemeral flesh thinks of gender. This leads us to gods, goddesses, demons, heroes, kings and queens who were absolutely comfortable with slipping into the guises of one gender or the other. The stories here feature the archetypes of Hindu alpha-male gods like Siva, Vishnu and Krishna and legendary heroes like Arjuna shifting genders to achieve suitable ends.
These stories are fascinating and thought inducing for the amount of crazy, kinky ideas they pour forth. These are the kind of stories that make you sit back and wonder whether you have been viewing Hindu mythology through the right lenses all this while. There is more to be gained however from the very first part of the book where in a slightly detailed essay, the author captures the essence of gender as World mythology sees it. Quoting from a variety of sources, Pattnaik argues that the concept of gender was a very flexible one as far as the ancient world was concerned. There is more food for thought here than the stories themselves.
As a reader, I did not have much to gripe about this book. The only challenge that I felt was brevity of the stories themselves. It is like taking a three-course meal and compressing it into a tablet which you take with a drink of water. After it goes down your throat, the chap who manufacured the tablet sits you down and explains the contents of the meal in detail. To a reader who is totally new to India's myths, this book wouldn't be very helpful. However, I doubt if the author meant it for such an audience.
Think on these stories for they will make you re look at the mindset that firmly divides human beings into the two buckets of male and female gender !
Read
May 25, 2016A collections of tales from various Hindu myths that deal with gender fluidity, Pattanaik uses these to illustrate the fact that queerness is not a modern construct. The sources, whether oral or written traditions, are cited to provide context, and these tabboo stories themselves are not only extremely important, but are told brilliantly.
Verdict: Buy, along with the author’s beautifully illustrated retelling of the Mahābhārata.
from Buy, Borrow, Bypass: Hindu Mythology Retellings: http://bookriot.com/2016/05/23/buy-bo...
Verdict: Buy, along with the author’s beautifully illustrated retelling of the Mahābhārata.
from Buy, Borrow, Bypass: Hindu Mythology Retellings: http://bookriot.com/2016/05/23/buy-bo...
August 21, 2014
The book was marketed so vociferously in the social media that I had to get a copy. Apparently, the book is about the queer retelling of Indian myths, by India’s bestselling mythologist Devdutt Pattanaik. The bestselling mythologist part of the title should immediately make you alert and question your judgment. And when the font-size of the author’s name becomes bigger than the title, you know the publisher is trying to sell the book by the name of the author, not by the content.
I ordered the book, nonetheless. I had to see what India’s bestselling mythologist is up to. I haven’t read much of his work, except his retelling of The Mahabharata, which I thought was brilliantly done, especially the second part of his chapters where he explains the actions of the story, like a highlight, or like a moral of the story, if you like. And I like the way his draws. And I have heard that he is a nice person.
I liked the book. And at the same time it left me angry and frustrated. The approach to the subject and the entire execution is so puerile, so superficial that you wonder for whom the book is meant to, not surely for people who can spare some thought on the subject. This is book for the Facebook generation perhaps, “stories of gods and supernatural deities in drag”, to like it and to forget it completely. Because, to begin with, the way the stories are told, without depth and feeling, they are quite forgettable. What surprised me was the matter of fact of tone of a stern school teacher. Was Mr Pattanaik worried that the government would seize the copies of the book if he showed emotion? And his usual footnotes, his morals, don’t get me started on those.
What's sad is that Mr Pattanaik knows his mythology. He could have written an in-depth retelling, he could, like he did in The Pregnant King. Instead, he decided to write this, a catalogue of cross-dressing Gods. Sad, really.
I ordered the book, nonetheless. I had to see what India’s bestselling mythologist is up to. I haven’t read much of his work, except his retelling of The Mahabharata, which I thought was brilliantly done, especially the second part of his chapters where he explains the actions of the story, like a highlight, or like a moral of the story, if you like. And I like the way his draws. And I have heard that he is a nice person.
I liked the book. And at the same time it left me angry and frustrated. The approach to the subject and the entire execution is so puerile, so superficial that you wonder for whom the book is meant to, not surely for people who can spare some thought on the subject. This is book for the Facebook generation perhaps, “stories of gods and supernatural deities in drag”, to like it and to forget it completely. Because, to begin with, the way the stories are told, without depth and feeling, they are quite forgettable. What surprised me was the matter of fact of tone of a stern school teacher. Was Mr Pattanaik worried that the government would seize the copies of the book if he showed emotion? And his usual footnotes, his morals, don’t get me started on those.
What's sad is that Mr Pattanaik knows his mythology. He could have written an in-depth retelling, he could, like he did in The Pregnant King. Instead, he decided to write this, a catalogue of cross-dressing Gods. Sad, really.
March 25, 2021
Is queerness just a “western” or “firang” concept?
Devdutt Pattanaik pens down a very creative and fascinating collection of stories from the Hindu mythology that very evidently show the existence of queers among Gods (and *as* Gods) before they became a taboo.
When we think of deities and their devotees, we think of them as perfect beings with no flaw whatsoever, but the fact that they made the gravest of mistakes remains unchanged. Whether it was crossing their boundaries or hurting others, they were always punished. And their punishment was to either lose a part of themselves, or change their identity completely.
But was it actually a curse? While some men embraced their feminine outlook (like Krishna), some ventured into their unknown queer identities because of these curses. And that, in the end, actually turned out to be boons for them. Queerness has always been an unexplored identity in humans, but in the past people actually accepted their and other’s identities and lived happily with it.
Pattanaik also explores this line between a “man” and a “woman”, and that was beautifully done. Not only did he convey the message of physical and mental differences between the many identities, he also brought light to the stories you might have known all along, but did not dig in to find a meaning that was completely contradicting to the one that you had understood. With sheer intelligence and analysis, the author did not hesitate in bringing to attention the way the various cultures from all over India perceived the power and significance of transgenders in the older days - who face such inhuman exclusion in today’s time.
“To appreciate this fluidity of nature,
And the shifting rigidities of culture
Is to appreciate queerness.”
With this he also finds the relationship between the Yugas, rebirths and various texts that proved how before the world was divided into categories, people actually did what they desired without facing any judgement from others. It was refreshing to read about how the mere “magic” or “trick” of one changing genders to fulfil a purpose or making themselves seen centuries ago actually turned out to symbolise, portray and respect people of various identities in the 21st century.
One of the connections with all this was also made to feminism and injustices women face today. Whether trans or not, women have tons of complexities to face just because of their sexes. That is why there are stories of headstrong women in the past, always frowned upon and called “manly” because they didn’t want to get married and sit in the corner of a castle, but actually to rule and be in the position of power. And then there are the stories of men who were looked down upon and called “womanly” because away from the stereotypical assumption of a MAN, they were inclined towards music, colour and divinity, largely considered feminine in the past (or maybe in the present too).
But these barriers had to (and HAVE to) be broken for us to indulge into a society that regards a human as human, and does not discriminate against them just because of their respective choices, likings & states of mind and body.
“In Hindu mythology, the male form represents the mind and the female form represents the nature. Here the mind that rejects nature otherwise (Shiva) embraces it and recognises that without nature, the mind cannot exist or know of its existence. Thus the mind is dependent on the nature. Nature on the other hand is not dependent on the mind. It exists even without the mind. Thus the Goddess does not need Shiva, but Shiva needs the Goddess.”
Thus, we may say that this book is an important one, needed to be read by everyone to understand the striking balance between masculinity and femininity, compassion and rage, stiffness of the mind and the flexibility of thoughts - to break free form the chains and walls that bind one to certain irrelevant beliefs.
“With infinite myths lies an eternal truth
Who knows it all?
Varuna has but a thousand eyes,
Indra, a hundred
You and I, only two.”
Devdutt Pattanaik pens down a very creative and fascinating collection of stories from the Hindu mythology that very evidently show the existence of queers among Gods (and *as* Gods) before they became a taboo.
When we think of deities and their devotees, we think of them as perfect beings with no flaw whatsoever, but the fact that they made the gravest of mistakes remains unchanged. Whether it was crossing their boundaries or hurting others, they were always punished. And their punishment was to either lose a part of themselves, or change their identity completely.
But was it actually a curse? While some men embraced their feminine outlook (like Krishna), some ventured into their unknown queer identities because of these curses. And that, in the end, actually turned out to be boons for them. Queerness has always been an unexplored identity in humans, but in the past people actually accepted their and other’s identities and lived happily with it.
Pattanaik also explores this line between a “man” and a “woman”, and that was beautifully done. Not only did he convey the message of physical and mental differences between the many identities, he also brought light to the stories you might have known all along, but did not dig in to find a meaning that was completely contradicting to the one that you had understood. With sheer intelligence and analysis, the author did not hesitate in bringing to attention the way the various cultures from all over India perceived the power and significance of transgenders in the older days - who face such inhuman exclusion in today’s time.
“To appreciate this fluidity of nature,
And the shifting rigidities of culture
Is to appreciate queerness.”
With this he also finds the relationship between the Yugas, rebirths and various texts that proved how before the world was divided into categories, people actually did what they desired without facing any judgement from others. It was refreshing to read about how the mere “magic” or “trick” of one changing genders to fulfil a purpose or making themselves seen centuries ago actually turned out to symbolise, portray and respect people of various identities in the 21st century.
One of the connections with all this was also made to feminism and injustices women face today. Whether trans or not, women have tons of complexities to face just because of their sexes. That is why there are stories of headstrong women in the past, always frowned upon and called “manly” because they didn’t want to get married and sit in the corner of a castle, but actually to rule and be in the position of power. And then there are the stories of men who were looked down upon and called “womanly” because away from the stereotypical assumption of a MAN, they were inclined towards music, colour and divinity, largely considered feminine in the past (or maybe in the present too).
But these barriers had to (and HAVE to) be broken for us to indulge into a society that regards a human as human, and does not discriminate against them just because of their respective choices, likings & states of mind and body.
“In Hindu mythology, the male form represents the mind and the female form represents the nature. Here the mind that rejects nature otherwise (Shiva) embraces it and recognises that without nature, the mind cannot exist or know of its existence. Thus the mind is dependent on the nature. Nature on the other hand is not dependent on the mind. It exists even without the mind. Thus the Goddess does not need Shiva, but Shiva needs the Goddess.”
Thus, we may say that this book is an important one, needed to be read by everyone to understand the striking balance between masculinity and femininity, compassion and rage, stiffness of the mind and the flexibility of thoughts - to break free form the chains and walls that bind one to certain irrelevant beliefs.
“With infinite myths lies an eternal truth
Who knows it all?
Varuna has but a thousand eyes,
Indra, a hundred
You and I, only two.”
September 17, 2020
29th book of 2020 (153 Books read overall)
Quote from the Book I Liked - 'Mythology is the study of stories, symbols and rituals. When these stories, symbols and rituals become rigid, enforced by the body that claims to a supernatural authority, they constitute a religion.' (Page no. 10)
Rating - 4 Stars
*Important take from the book* - 'Life is not a problem to be solved. It is a sight to be seen and contemplated upon so that we see ourselves truly and eventually open ourselves to joy without seeking change in the world.' (Page no. 29)
Plot Summary - Patriarchy establishes men as superior to women.
Feminism views women and men as equal.
Queerness questions what constitutes male and female.
Queerness isn’t only modern, Western or sexual, says mythologist Devdutt Pattanaik. Take a close look at the vast written and oral traditions in Hinduism, some over two thousand years old, and you will find many overlooked tales, such as those of Shikhandi, who became a man to satisfy her wife; Mahadeva, who became a woman to deliver his devotee’s child; Chudala, who became a man to enlighten her husband; Samavan, who became the wife of his male friend; and many more...
Playful and touching—and sometimes disturbing—these stories, when compared with their Mesopotamian, Greek, Chinese and Biblical counterparts, reveal the unique Indian way of making sense of queerness.
My Review - Mythology is one of my favourite genres which get along with me and Devdutt is among the fines authors to read about it. Queerness is often neglected among our society and often we turn our face from it, though we may be peeking it from the corner of our very own eyes. This book tries to bridge the neglected or as the author says 'The Stories they don't tell you' towards the greater audience. And after reading them all, I thought about it for a very long time - What's there to hide about them? Are they somewhat negative? NO. Are they in any way wrong? NO. Are the people these stories about wrong? No. They what's there to hide? Nothing I must say.
These stories bring the very own Hindu stories of Hindu Gods, transforming on various occasions into transgender, getting cross-dressed and that all was a common (as it should be) in that time being. Then what actually conspired for them to become shunned? The one thing that History taught is that being from any of the LGBTQ community is not wrong and everything is natural as it can get. There's no demon/evil or wrong about it. The stories told in this book are of Hindu Gods cross-dressing, forgetting their gender, loving same-sex and many more. If the stories from thousands year back validate the supreme and were normal among commons than why can't it be Today!
This book should be heard and read by all irrespective of their belief or gender. As this book gives a glimpse into the vast accepting heritage which must be addressed, accepted and respected today as well.
Conclusion - The book gives a wider perspective to those seeking Queerness in Mythological stories.
Full Review on Blog.
Link to Blog - The Tales of Fugitive Biker
Quote from the Book I Liked - 'Mythology is the study of stories, symbols and rituals. When these stories, symbols and rituals become rigid, enforced by the body that claims to a supernatural authority, they constitute a religion.' (Page no. 10)
Rating - 4 Stars
*Important take from the book* - 'Life is not a problem to be solved. It is a sight to be seen and contemplated upon so that we see ourselves truly and eventually open ourselves to joy without seeking change in the world.' (Page no. 29)
Plot Summary - Patriarchy establishes men as superior to women.
Feminism views women and men as equal.
Queerness questions what constitutes male and female.
Queerness isn’t only modern, Western or sexual, says mythologist Devdutt Pattanaik. Take a close look at the vast written and oral traditions in Hinduism, some over two thousand years old, and you will find many overlooked tales, such as those of Shikhandi, who became a man to satisfy her wife; Mahadeva, who became a woman to deliver his devotee’s child; Chudala, who became a man to enlighten her husband; Samavan, who became the wife of his male friend; and many more...
Playful and touching—and sometimes disturbing—these stories, when compared with their Mesopotamian, Greek, Chinese and Biblical counterparts, reveal the unique Indian way of making sense of queerness.
My Review - Mythology is one of my favourite genres which get along with me and Devdutt is among the fines authors to read about it. Queerness is often neglected among our society and often we turn our face from it, though we may be peeking it from the corner of our very own eyes. This book tries to bridge the neglected or as the author says 'The Stories they don't tell you' towards the greater audience. And after reading them all, I thought about it for a very long time - What's there to hide about them? Are they somewhat negative? NO. Are they in any way wrong? NO. Are the people these stories about wrong? No. They what's there to hide? Nothing I must say.
These stories bring the very own Hindu stories of Hindu Gods, transforming on various occasions into transgender, getting cross-dressed and that all was a common (as it should be) in that time being. Then what actually conspired for them to become shunned? The one thing that History taught is that being from any of the LGBTQ community is not wrong and everything is natural as it can get. There's no demon/evil or wrong about it. The stories told in this book are of Hindu Gods cross-dressing, forgetting their gender, loving same-sex and many more. If the stories from thousands year back validate the supreme and were normal among commons than why can't it be Today!
This book should be heard and read by all irrespective of their belief or gender. As this book gives a glimpse into the vast accepting heritage which must be addressed, accepted and respected today as well.
Conclusion - The book gives a wider perspective to those seeking Queerness in Mythological stories.
Full Review on Blog.
Link to Blog - The Tales of Fugitive Biker
December 1, 2020
Devdutt Pattanaik says Patriarchy asserts men are superior to women,
Feminism clarifies women and men are equal, Queerness questions what constitutes male and female.
Having stated this he explores queerness in the long bygone Indian society as contained in folklore, temple tales or oral traditional storytelling. There are 30 stories in this book, and each has a character who plays out a facet for a deserving result - Chudala becomes a man to enlighten her husband, Krishna becomes a wife of one night for a doomed man, Urvashi who was born of no woman, Bhagirath who was born of two, Gopeshwar who took the form of a woman to dance.......
There are so many smaller tales in the Puranas, Mahabharata, Ramayana, the oral traditions of Bengal , Odia, Vraj from temple lore of Tamil Nadu which beg to be told. Methodically researched the book speaks of an age that tolerated, appreciated, accepted or even ignored queerness but it was never criminalized, ridiculed or humiliated. A more broad minded society existed then.
The only issue I have with this book is that it appears to be superficial and light. I don't know why this impression stays even when at the end of each story there is further detailed description of similar stories/characters/events elsewhere in our written and oral traditions. The characters are not really fleshed out.
To a reader not acquainted with Indian mythology it will be difficult to appreciate the layered characters.
But yes the drawings/sketches done by the very talented Mr Pattanaik are beautiful - detailed, delicate and charming in its fluidity and expressions.
It is a book that needs to be read s -l -o- w- l -y to appreciate it more. The after thoughts need to sink in rather than be absorbed.
Some lines that really enchanted me:- To appreciate this fluidity of nature and the shifting rigidities of culture is to appreciate queerness.
Beware of a land where celibate men decide what is good sex.
All things queer are not sexual; All things sexual are not reproductive; All things reproductive are not romantic; All things romantic are not queerless.
Feminism clarifies women and men are equal, Queerness questions what constitutes male and female.
Having stated this he explores queerness in the long bygone Indian society as contained in folklore, temple tales or oral traditional storytelling. There are 30 stories in this book, and each has a character who plays out a facet for a deserving result - Chudala becomes a man to enlighten her husband, Krishna becomes a wife of one night for a doomed man, Urvashi who was born of no woman, Bhagirath who was born of two, Gopeshwar who took the form of a woman to dance.......
There are so many smaller tales in the Puranas, Mahabharata, Ramayana, the oral traditions of Bengal , Odia, Vraj from temple lore of Tamil Nadu which beg to be told. Methodically researched the book speaks of an age that tolerated, appreciated, accepted or even ignored queerness but it was never criminalized, ridiculed or humiliated. A more broad minded society existed then.
The only issue I have with this book is that it appears to be superficial and light. I don't know why this impression stays even when at the end of each story there is further detailed description of similar stories/characters/events elsewhere in our written and oral traditions. The characters are not really fleshed out.
To a reader not acquainted with Indian mythology it will be difficult to appreciate the layered characters.
But yes the drawings/sketches done by the very talented Mr Pattanaik are beautiful - detailed, delicate and charming in its fluidity and expressions.
It is a book that needs to be read s -l -o- w- l -y to appreciate it more. The after thoughts need to sink in rather than be absorbed.
Some lines that really enchanted me:- To appreciate this fluidity of nature and the shifting rigidities of culture is to appreciate queerness.
Beware of a land where celibate men decide what is good sex.
All things queer are not sexual; All things sexual are not reproductive; All things reproductive are not romantic; All things romantic are not queerless.
October 25, 2015
I picked up this book with a great deal of expectations, wanting to know about Shikhandi, who changed the course of the Kurukshetra war. I was disappointed, mainly because, this book felt like a hurried overview of many characters from the puranas, who were queer. I felt, maybe, the author was treading on egg-shells, so as to not offend people with these tales. A detailed book about such an game-changer in the Kurukshetra war would have been more welcome. Some of these stories I already knew, many, I did not. But this book did leave me with an overload of stories- some that I can remember, some I do not. An average read.
May 17, 2022
Reading Indian Mythology from a queer perspective? Yes sir! I am up for it. This book revealed to me all those stories that my parents or pandits or teachers conveniently forgot to mention while they were talking to me about 'God'. The illustrations in his books are so original and eye-catching. I especially loved the interpretations at the end of every story where the author raises questions and compels readers to think outside the heteronormative, binary framework. I highly recommend this book!
March 29, 2016
A friend recently told me that he had read Dr. Pattanaik's "Jaya" and had found it quite interesting. I had been meaning to read it for some time and found myself browsing through the shelves of the bookstore at Jaipur airport for the book. Of course they had it, but another book caught my eye. "Shikhandi and Other Stories They Don't Tell You" seemed to be quite interesting so I got it instead. "Jaya" would have to wait for another time.
I was immensely impressed by Devdutt Pattanaik's "myth=mithya". He seemed to be one of those sensible mythologists who seek out the history in mythology. This book tried to justify the LGBT movements that India saw recently in terms of Hindu religion and mythology. Dr. Pattanaik uses the word queer to refer to any sexuality that is not sanctioned by the major religions. Though the usage of the word might seem a bit ironic, especially when the author is arguing that the queer are just as natural as the non-queer, but if you rid the word of all the negative connotations that it has gathered over time, it is just another word. The book looks into all the twisted stories from various mythological sources of Hindu cultures across India and tries to establish that diversity in genders and sexuality are not only present from times immemorial but are also accepted and celebrated by the pantheon of Hindu gods.
The book talks about gods and men who find themselves in a position to do many of the acts that modern religions (including modern Hinduism) find inappropriate and unnatural. These include acts of changing gender, same sex love, cross dressing, castration to fit a role and many such acts that seem outrageous to our trained minds. All these acts are either done out of volition or as a result of a curse or boon. But never are the subjects of such action frowned upon or outlawed in these stories. Dr. Pattanaik also tells how and why such stories have been suppressed from popular mythology or modified to more suitable forms.
The short read was quite impressive in terms of showing how stories are forgotten when the popular culture does not support them. It was also quite interesting from a point of view of curiosity as it shows the diversity that the Hindu folk lore contain. However, reading the book I felt that Dr. Pattanaik is not an unbiased observer. He is rather someone who holds Hinduism in a higher esteem than other ways of life. Not that there is anything wrong with it, especially when it is being used to bring about a change in the uptight style of living that the monastic order has made popular. But this attitude also tends to distort the interpretation of mythology and things get modified in translation.
I was immensely impressed by Devdutt Pattanaik's "myth=mithya". He seemed to be one of those sensible mythologists who seek out the history in mythology. This book tried to justify the LGBT movements that India saw recently in terms of Hindu religion and mythology. Dr. Pattanaik uses the word queer to refer to any sexuality that is not sanctioned by the major religions. Though the usage of the word might seem a bit ironic, especially when the author is arguing that the queer are just as natural as the non-queer, but if you rid the word of all the negative connotations that it has gathered over time, it is just another word. The book looks into all the twisted stories from various mythological sources of Hindu cultures across India and tries to establish that diversity in genders and sexuality are not only present from times immemorial but are also accepted and celebrated by the pantheon of Hindu gods.
The book talks about gods and men who find themselves in a position to do many of the acts that modern religions (including modern Hinduism) find inappropriate and unnatural. These include acts of changing gender, same sex love, cross dressing, castration to fit a role and many such acts that seem outrageous to our trained minds. All these acts are either done out of volition or as a result of a curse or boon. But never are the subjects of such action frowned upon or outlawed in these stories. Dr. Pattanaik also tells how and why such stories have been suppressed from popular mythology or modified to more suitable forms.
The short read was quite impressive in terms of showing how stories are forgotten when the popular culture does not support them. It was also quite interesting from a point of view of curiosity as it shows the diversity that the Hindu folk lore contain. However, reading the book I felt that Dr. Pattanaik is not an unbiased observer. He is rather someone who holds Hinduism in a higher esteem than other ways of life. Not that there is anything wrong with it, especially when it is being used to bring about a change in the uptight style of living that the monastic order has made popular. But this attitude also tends to distort the interpretation of mythology and things get modified in translation.
June 5, 2016
Challenges status quo & conformity :
This is a selection of tales on the theme of "queerness".(Probably)Well researched through ancient text like Vedas/Puranans.
It might be my non-aligned expectation wherein I expected to build it upto something, instead of reinforcement that orientation existed(in some form and shape) by multitude of anecdotes(monotonous at that).
At times, the 'questions' author asks are interesting & thought provoking but again, gets repetitive after a while.
An easy read for a couple of days. Doesn't make a lasting impression of sorts.
The author is not from a literary background so its casual toned but one may desire for a more structured presentations(hadn't been concern if content were more "absorbing" - a subjective predicament).
But yes - the good part it aims to challenge a status quo which is a brave front in itself. So can be briefly read to appreciate aptitude.
This is a selection of tales on the theme of "queerness".(Probably)Well researched through ancient text like Vedas/Puranans.
It might be my non-aligned expectation wherein I expected to build it upto something, instead of reinforcement that orientation existed(in some form and shape) by multitude of anecdotes(monotonous at that).
At times, the 'questions' author asks are interesting & thought provoking but again, gets repetitive after a while.
An easy read for a couple of days. Doesn't make a lasting impression of sorts.
The author is not from a literary background so its casual toned but one may desire for a more structured presentations(hadn't been concern if content were more "absorbing" - a subjective predicament).
But yes - the good part it aims to challenge a status quo which is a brave front in itself. So can be briefly read to appreciate aptitude.
June 19, 2020
Shikhandi... is a collection of 30 stories from Indian mythology that have queer characters/themes/undertones. Ranging from Ramayana and Mahabharata to folklore from across Indian sects, it offers an interesting point of view. Although the stories are very short (1-2 pages each), what's great is the list of questions Devdutt appends at the end of each story - questions that ponder the idea being conveyed, how it would be depicted in today's terminology, and why over time did we as Indians come to 'other' queerness when there is such a clear precedence in our mythology.
It's a short read of about 180 pages and can easily be caught up on in a few sittings.
It's a short read of about 180 pages and can easily be caught up on in a few sittings.
September 8, 2018
Shikhandi and other tales they don't tell you. I am reading Devdutt Pattanaik for the first time and wondering how can this man be a bestselling author with such pathetic story telling. Some queer tales from Mahabharata, Puranas & South Indian literature with a few facts and questions at the end of each tale. Rehashing the stories from our epics seem to be an easy and quick way to success. The only creativity in the book is the cute illustrations at the beginning of each tale.
April 13, 2018
I rate it one star because:
1. When the name of the author on the cover page is bigger than the title of the book, grammatical mistakes are simply unacceptable.
2. It is not a book, but a bundle of notes scribbled. The author has missed a detailed articulation of each story.
1. When the name of the author on the cover page is bigger than the title of the book, grammatical mistakes are simply unacceptable.
2. It is not a book, but a bundle of notes scribbled. The author has missed a detailed articulation of each story.
August 16, 2020
Just as a rainbow is a natural phenomenon , uninhibited and unbound , love too is limitless , devoid of the fences of gender , race , caste , creed and religion. Devdutt uplifts this matter with the objective of destigmatizing the taboos associated with the LGBTQIA community . He picks up interesting anecdotes from mythology to underline situations that challenge conventional notions of gender and sexuality . For example - Gender transformations , children born out of a pair of same-sex parents , embodiment of both the masculine and the feminine in the same body.
These stories might seem ridiculous to a scientific mind but the most consequential fact is that these characters do not necessarily fall into the heterosexual bracket . Give it a second thought , all your doubts will be cleared. It truly is an eye opener as Devdutt picks up some celebrated characters and reveals the layers of their anomalous sexuality, gender and parentage - such as Vishnu , Arjuna , Shikhandi , Kali , Urvashi , Krishna , Narada and even Mahadeva Shiva . There are also some lesser known characters who are explored in a total of 30 stories shared in this book which have an informative bibliography tailing them.
Before we label and restrict love to narrow boundaries we should keep in mind that queer love is as normal, unorthodox , and limitless as heterosexual love. In fact , it is a part of our 'sanskaar' and 'sabhyata' .
Give this one a read. It will only widen your mindset and make you a better human being ❤️
More love and power to my favourite Devdutt Pattanaik for handling this sensitive topic with so much benevolence and endearment!
These stories might seem ridiculous to a scientific mind but the most consequential fact is that these characters do not necessarily fall into the heterosexual bracket . Give it a second thought , all your doubts will be cleared. It truly is an eye opener as Devdutt picks up some celebrated characters and reveals the layers of their anomalous sexuality, gender and parentage - such as Vishnu , Arjuna , Shikhandi , Kali , Urvashi , Krishna , Narada and even Mahadeva Shiva . There are also some lesser known characters who are explored in a total of 30 stories shared in this book which have an informative bibliography tailing them.
Before we label and restrict love to narrow boundaries we should keep in mind that queer love is as normal, unorthodox , and limitless as heterosexual love. In fact , it is a part of our 'sanskaar' and 'sabhyata' .
Give this one a read. It will only widen your mindset and make you a better human being ❤️
More love and power to my favourite Devdutt Pattanaik for handling this sensitive topic with so much benevolence and endearment!
July 9, 2020
An interesting take on Indian mythological tales from the queer perspective. The first chapter is dedicated to queer imagery in ancient myths of all civilizations. The strongest feature of this book is that the author does not assume that the reader is already aware of these tales. After every story, insights into the story are given along with a few questions to be pondered. This is surely not to be missed.
April 10, 2021
While reading such a book with a hell lot of facts, one definitely needs a highlighter 😁😁.
It was a great effort by the author to explain the term "queerness" and how it is connected to the Indian Mythology. I was hooked up with this book till the end and was surprised to discover some of its astonishing facts. I definitely loved the way Mr Pattanaik linked and connected queer stories of all types of mythologies and histories to our Indian one.
"All things queer are not sexual
All things sexual are not reproductive
All things reproductive are not romantic
All things romantic are not queerless."
The part 1 of the book, reflecting queerness and it's discovery was very captivating. Even the stories forced me to re-think the way I had always looked upon them. This book, I would say, basically shows you a mirror which no one has till now. It encourages us to look inside ourselves and search for solutions to the problem of gender discrimination. It basically slaps you on your face with those questions which we might have suppressed deep in our hearts as we were "shy" and "scared" to explore our own world and find answers to them.
"Within infinite myths lies an eternal truth
Who knows it all?
Varun has but a thousand eyes
Indra, a hundred
You and I, only two."
This book is a beginning for unfolding the hidden secrets of our history. And being a 21st century citizen, I feel it is our right to know about our past and a duty to encourage such efforts.
Okay, so the book was overall good. But there were things which didn't quite fit in. I feel that the title wasn't justified AT ALL. I mean, come on, when u courageously picked up a topic which people are shy of discussing in public, I expected that I would be completely flabbergasted by its unique stories. I would say that many of the stories are known to all those people who are avid readers of Indian Mythology. Yes of course the author raised unique questions which never popped up in our minds. But, I feel that most of the stories of the book were quite common, and the ones which were unique, were not presented in a manner to promptly make us believe them.
Nevertheless, the book, as I have already mentioned, was a great effort to connect queerness to our past.
It was a great effort by the author to explain the term "queerness" and how it is connected to the Indian Mythology. I was hooked up with this book till the end and was surprised to discover some of its astonishing facts. I definitely loved the way Mr Pattanaik linked and connected queer stories of all types of mythologies and histories to our Indian one.
"All things queer are not sexual
All things sexual are not reproductive
All things reproductive are not romantic
All things romantic are not queerless."
The part 1 of the book, reflecting queerness and it's discovery was very captivating. Even the stories forced me to re-think the way I had always looked upon them. This book, I would say, basically shows you a mirror which no one has till now. It encourages us to look inside ourselves and search for solutions to the problem of gender discrimination. It basically slaps you on your face with those questions which we might have suppressed deep in our hearts as we were "shy" and "scared" to explore our own world and find answers to them.
"Within infinite myths lies an eternal truth
Who knows it all?
Varun has but a thousand eyes
Indra, a hundred
You and I, only two."
This book is a beginning for unfolding the hidden secrets of our history. And being a 21st century citizen, I feel it is our right to know about our past and a duty to encourage such efforts.
Okay, so the book was overall good. But there were things which didn't quite fit in. I feel that the title wasn't justified AT ALL. I mean, come on, when u courageously picked up a topic which people are shy of discussing in public, I expected that I would be completely flabbergasted by its unique stories. I would say that many of the stories are known to all those people who are avid readers of Indian Mythology. Yes of course the author raised unique questions which never popped up in our minds. But, I feel that most of the stories of the book were quite common, and the ones which were unique, were not presented in a manner to promptly make us believe them.
Nevertheless, the book, as I have already mentioned, was a great effort to connect queerness to our past.
July 8, 2018
This is a wonderful collection of stories, most of which you’ll be aware of if you have extensively read various versions of our Hindu epics. What changes is the perspective that the author offers, looking at these stories from a queer perspective - how gender and sexuality were quite fluid in ancient times and it’s only through the passage of time and influence of other cultures that has made our culture now more rigid and intolerant of anyone who don’t confirm to the gender and sexual binaries.
This book definitely made me wonder how easy it has always been for me to accept the queer undertones of these stories without ever acknowledging it and just attributing it to the actions of gods. Wish life were that simple and there was widespread acceptance of everyone irrespective of their identity in our world.
Definitely give this book a try because it offers a very different approach to interpreting our traditional stories and might just open your eyes a little more.
And I leave you with this last one from the book —
“Krishna shows his cosmic form to Arjuna and says, ‘I am all there is, was and will be.’ In Hinduism, the world is not distinct from God. The world is God. God contains everything. The queer is not excluded.”
This book definitely made me wonder how easy it has always been for me to accept the queer undertones of these stories without ever acknowledging it and just attributing it to the actions of gods. Wish life were that simple and there was widespread acceptance of everyone irrespective of their identity in our world.
Definitely give this book a try because it offers a very different approach to interpreting our traditional stories and might just open your eyes a little more.
And I leave you with this last one from the book —
“Krishna shows his cosmic form to Arjuna and says, ‘I am all there is, was and will be.’ In Hinduism, the world is not distinct from God. The world is God. God contains everything. The queer is not excluded.”
July 14, 2014
This is a collection of 30 stories about gender and sexual identity – Shikhandi, who was born a woman but raised as a man, Krishna, who became a woman for one day to become wife to a doomed man etc.
“Males and females are distinct and different, and each must behave in a certain specific manner, otherwise they are aberrations against nature!” is a relatively modern view. By contrast, ancient stories from Hindu, Buddhist, Jain, Greek, Chinese, and other cultures feature human beings who question their gender identity and test the boundaries of sexual behavior, and this is not considered illegal or immoral. Such explorations of one’s identity, were accepted or rejected, celebrated or ignored, frowned upon or appreciated – but NOT punished or ridiculed or banned in earlier times. Read the full review: http://www.indiabookstore.net/bookish...
“Males and females are distinct and different, and each must behave in a certain specific manner, otherwise they are aberrations against nature!” is a relatively modern view. By contrast, ancient stories from Hindu, Buddhist, Jain, Greek, Chinese, and other cultures feature human beings who question their gender identity and test the boundaries of sexual behavior, and this is not considered illegal or immoral. Such explorations of one’s identity, were accepted or rejected, celebrated or ignored, frowned upon or appreciated – but NOT punished or ridiculed or banned in earlier times. Read the full review: http://www.indiabookstore.net/bookish...
February 15, 2020
These stories allude to a simple fact that maybe the authors who wrote our epics and other folklore did have a very fluid concept of gender. If this was the case then it is indeed worrying that over a period of time the queer identity was suppressed. The presence of homophobia present across the aisles in current times can well be addressed if such stories are read out loud.
Also the whole idea that queer identity is unnatural is absurd. Because if its unnatural then it wont exist. It is as simple as that. Also for believers there is this one fine mention of this in one of the stories. I mean all the believers believe that everything present on earth is indeed the creation of the overpowering god and in this case krishna. So whatever exists hetero or homo is indeed a part of the universe which again can be a creation of god.
Well for all the non believers out there I guess we have enough evidence in nature and indeed there is no reason to deny the queer identity.
Also the whole idea that queer identity is unnatural is absurd. Because if its unnatural then it wont exist. It is as simple as that. Also for believers there is this one fine mention of this in one of the stories. I mean all the believers believe that everything present on earth is indeed the creation of the overpowering god and in this case krishna. So whatever exists hetero or homo is indeed a part of the universe which again can be a creation of god.
Well for all the non believers out there I guess we have enough evidence in nature and indeed there is no reason to deny the queer identity.
April 8, 2017
This book is a collection of queer stories (stories that challenge the expected notion of sexuality).
The author has collected many such stories from mythologies and various other forms like oral traditions or folklore of Odiya, Tamil, Bengal, Maharasthra, Karnataka etc.
The stories are unusual and interesting. Since it is not an original work but a collection from various sources author has went on and provided his commentary/views for each story.
His views are not biased, he poses interesting questions rightly ignoring the taboo associated with them.
This surely is an interesting read, I recommend, in case you want to explore lesser know, weirder stories of our mythology and traditions.
The author has collected many such stories from mythologies and various other forms like oral traditions or folklore of Odiya, Tamil, Bengal, Maharasthra, Karnataka etc.
The stories are unusual and interesting. Since it is not an original work but a collection from various sources author has went on and provided his commentary/views for each story.
His views are not biased, he poses interesting questions rightly ignoring the taboo associated with them.
This surely is an interesting read, I recommend, in case you want to explore lesser know, weirder stories of our mythology and traditions.
July 21, 2014
Devdutt Patnaik does not disappoint ever, as his latest work proves again. Shikhandi rides on the brilliance of two things primarily: the meticulous research of the author and the superb introduction to the stories, where Patnaik puts forth the relevance of these tales in contemporary times. And yet avoid being overly judgemental, to be fair to all readers. Also, the lucid narration of these stories, some of which may have hardly existed in written form before, makes you want to understand the issue, if you have been consciously or unconsciously trying not to do so till now. Another one of my best reads for this year.
September 2, 2014
The first book I read of Devdutt Patnaik, “The Pregnant King” was a richly detailed, thoroughly researched work by an author who was passionate about the story he wanted to tell which introduced me to an eccentricity I never thought was allowed in our epics. It was a kind of eye opener in that way and it was with this curiosity that I picked up his latest and his most ambitiously titled “Shikandi and Other Tales They Won’t Tell You”, and I hate to inform that this one is not among the best of his works till date.
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August 6, 2014
The more you read from the offerings of Devdutt Pattanaik the more you get convinced about his erudition. This is yet another remarkable set of tales from the author. He touches upon an extremely sensitive issue and illustrates how mythologies and scriptures(not merely Indian)treat the "third sex". In outlining how the Indian Gods migrated from one sex to the other, he is trying to prove a point. The soul itself does not have a gender and it doesn't really matter where you stand. He also takes a dig at the West for their inability to understand the essence of Indian thought.
January 6, 2016
It's an average quick read. I finished the book in a single day.
I knew a lot of stories beforehand and the explanations given by the author become repetitive after sometime.
You may pick this one only as it is a quick read.
I knew a lot of stories beforehand and the explanations given by the author become repetitive after sometime.
You may pick this one only as it is a quick read.
October 21, 2016
Goodreads should provide an option to dislike a book.
I liked 'The pregnant King'- But what happened to the author.
The concept was novel, apt for our current society. However, the author tries to tie this concept in each and every line he writes. Couldn't and will not complete this book.
I liked 'The pregnant King'- But what happened to the author.
The concept was novel, apt for our current society. However, the author tries to tie this concept in each and every line he writes. Couldn't and will not complete this book.
August 22, 2014
Very disappointing in comparison to his previous works.
December 27, 2014
The book is interesting, principally because the folk lores it narrates are interesting. All the lores are stated in concise with author's notes in a bullet form. A quick read. Very light and breezy.
January 18, 2016
Not really sure of what I think about this. No notions of patriarchy were challenged or any deep analysis done. Quite average.
February 13, 2016
Not at all captivating. And very spilled up.
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