Ocean of Stories

A podcast series on Audible, a new book on Jainism, and numerous books in the pipeline-Devdutt Pattanaik keeps the narrative flowing 

- Amit Dixit

Devdutt Pattanaik has never been shy of expressing an opinion, even if it’s an unconventional one. This is perhaps his greatest strength as a mythologist, storyteller and public speaker. A doctor by training, he started writing while still working in the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries. His first book was Shiva: An Introduction (1997). Eventually becoming a full-time writer, Pattanaik must have written about every major god under the sun by now.

Several of his works have challenged conventional interpretations of the epics or highlighted marginalised characters and narratives. These include The Man Who Was a Woman and Other Queer Tales from Hindu Lore (2002), The Pregnant King (2008), Sita: An Illustrated Retelling of the Ramayana (2013), Shikhandi: And Other Tales They Don’t Tell You (2014) and Olympus: An Indian Retelling of Greek Mythology (2016), which drew praise from Neil Gaiman. Pattanaik illustrates his own books. In tandem, he has written books for younger readers. He has even penned a series of management books drawing on Hindu mythology. The man is nothing if not productive.

BAHUBALI 63 Insights into Jainism by Devdutt Pattanaik HARPERCOLLINS INDIA ₹499; 288 pages

For his new podcast on Audible—Suno Ramayana Devdutt Pattanaik ke Saath—Pattanaik adopts an endearing ‘Hinglish’ style of narration. “It works best for Indian audiences,” he says. “Also, some concepts sound better in Hindi. For example, saying ‘bhog’ and ‘yog’ connects with audiences, but in English, they take on the meanings of ‘indulgence’ and ‘restraint’.”