The Untragic Indian Stories

Asiatisch Studien-Études Asiatiques, 2024

In Quest of the Hero

www.knaw.nl, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, 2020

27th Gonda Lecture: Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, November 2019. Once an epic arguing the good of manly heroism in battle, the Mahābhārata (MBh) remains an immensely popular narrative three thousand years later, long after the bold self-assertion of heroism expired as an ideal. The MBh still argues the good, that is dharma, but it is a greater Good than individual heroism. Rather than juxtaposing the human and the divine antagonistically, as did Homer’s Iliad, the ingenious poets of the Indian epic fused the human and the divine to argue that there is a greater Good than everlasting glory, that dharma is about larger matters as well—society and the world itself. And it made this move twice. My paper argues that its inspired emplotment invested the MBh successively with two different divine registers to make lasting arguments about the Good.

Chronicle of Humanities & Cultural Studies (CHCS) , 2021

The present paper analyses The Great Indian Novel by Shashi Tharoor to see how the author deals with the Depiction of Indian history and Indian mythology. It will also discuss the themes related to the Emergency such as freedom of expression, institutions of higher education, political propaganda and the intellectual and emotional contingencies. This paper will also explore the narrative strategies described by the author to see how they use narratives, myths, allegories and satire to recreate the history of the Emergency. The present paper also deals with the themes of Mahabharata. The epic Mahabharata contains the story of Pandavas and Kauravas of Hastinapur kingdom. This mythological history is recreated by the characters of political leaders and Indian freedom fighters at the time of post-independent India. Tharoor also focuses on the characterisation of the novel. He tries to portray the mythological characters with the Indian freedom fighters like Mahatma Gandhi, Subhash Chandra Bose, Indira Gandhi, Nathuram Godse etc. He also shows the cultural memories of the Indian history, politics, and social backgrounds at the time of the Internal Emergency in the novel.

International journal of english, literature and social science, 2024

This article explores the enduring impact of Indian mythology on contemporary literature, particularly through the reinterpretation of ancient epics like the Ramayana. It delves into recent literary works that reimagine these timeless tales, offering fresh perspectives that resonate with modern audiences. Beginning with an overview of Indian mythology's rich tapestry, the article highlights its universal themes and relatable characters, from the noble prince Rama to the resilient Sita. It discusses notable works such as Amish Tripathi's Sita: Warrior Of Mithila, P. Lalita Kumari's The Liberation of Sita, and Anand Neelakantan's Asura: Tale of the Vanquished, which provide alternative viewpoints on familiar mythological narratives. The article also explores the evolution of mythopoeia in Indian epics, emphasizing how these narratives have adapted to contemporary sensibilities while retaining their essence. It discusses the transformative process of "mythya," wherein myths transcend literal truth to convey deeper philosophical truths and allegorical meanings. Moreover, the article delves into the feminist reinterpretation of Indian mythology, spotlighting authors like Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni and Volga, who have reclaimed the voices of subaltern female characters. These retellings offer nuanced portrayals that challenge patriarchal interpretations and provide a platform for marginalized perspectives. Lastly, the article underscores the importance of reclaiming subaltern voices in mythology, showcasing how retellings have amplified the stories of characters traditionally overlooked or sidelined. Overall, it demonstrates the dynamic interplay between ancient mythology and contemporary literature, showcasing the enduring relevance and transformative potential of mythological retellings in shaping our understanding of the human experience.

The strands of history are long, varied and exist in dimensions resembling intertwined threads from many, many nails in a wall – from one focal point to another, these threads stretch, intertwine and perhaps return and repeat patterns, and are lost into the weaving of another, creating an inventive tapestry of fact, fiction, myth and lore. Some of it is textualized, broken down, regurgitated and discarded – we love skinning these threads. Of particular interest to this paper are the notions of myth and history. The discourse on mythology is clustered around the emergence of academia as an institution, as we learned to categorize the need or the choice to make myth, and align it with historical narrative. Discourses on civilizations and their numerous characteristics are bound to be infused with this very narrative, as theorists continually refer to the “Unconscious” nature of mythmaking – and mythographers are often preoccupied with questions pertaining to the validity of myth, and using myth as a source for validating narrative, or to simply explore the need to create such myths. This paper will examine the Indian Subcontinent from antiquity and after, particularly through the mythologist’s lens – effectively, studying the Images of India from a mythological perspective. Since the Images of India are myriad and fluxing, we will shortlist two curious Images subjected to extensive mythologization: one, the origin myths of India through Greco-Roman eyes, and second, a longstanding, often convoluted narrative pertinent to the exotic, marvelous animals found in India. We will attempt to take these two images as underlined in the narratives of authors ranging from Ctesias to Vasco de Gama, and attempt to deconstruct them via mythological theory. For theory, we utilize some famous names and their works in the field – Claude Levi Strauss, Mircea Eliade, Max Mueller, Vladimar Propp, Malinowski, Roland Barthes and some others for reference. To underline the purpose of this paper, Cohen explains the very nature of such a discourse – “A theory of myth should explain something about the phenomenon”, and clearly, we hope to do the same – whether it is determining the function of such mythmaking, or its implications, in order to glean why the Images of India were the way they were, especially in the two areas this paper restricts itself to. This paper will not strive to reduce itself into a theoretical ballast, but will rather focus on the application of theory on these Images.

How do you make it possible for people who have been fighting bitterly with each other to resume their lives, living together and moving past their experiences after violent ruptures in a way of being? This essay surveys the stories of two Indian epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, to glean what reconciliation might mean to Indians, and by extension, what approaches to reconciliation might be consistent with Indian ways of being, doing and seeing. Two kinds of ruptures are studied: Considered here are irrevocable ruptures like war and bereavement and ruptures like displacement which may be reversed. The essay culminates in a list of entry-points within Indian cultural tradition from which reconciliation may be facilitated.

Proceedings of National Seminar on Literature, History and Culture, 2012

Myth forms the basis of human thought, if not entirely, then to certain extent. The unconsciousness of an author can't escape from it but at times, delves deep into the well of mythology. The 15 th and 16 th century literature and before that the creation of the ancients was largely dependent on mythology for themes as morality and devotion were their chief concerns. With renaissance, advent of science, modernism and post-modernism, mythology has sunk in the deeper layers of human consciousness and whenever there appears a quest to know the ultimate, the authors revive it in a new form denying as well as legitimizing the existence of unknown forces, the ultimate, the savior from the doom. The Indian authors are no exception. Is it a question of ethics? Has the writer no escape from the world of morality? Is it the inability to separate one's persona from the ultimate? Is it just fictionalization of history and myth? This paper is an attempt to find an answer to these questions with special emphasis on Indian writing in English. It aims to study the encounter in the mind of the author between western rationality and Indian myth. Myth forms the central structure in many works. It travels down the ages through the collective unconsciousness of people and survives the test of time. It changes its shape with the progress of civilization. Maturing from savage to the civilized, modern and technocratic people, it reshapes, restructures and remoulds in the psyches but remains somewhat hidden in the deeper recesses of the mind only to resurface with new force, renewed vigour through the creative process of a mind. The central concern of this paper is to validate that authors often delve deep into this well of mythology in their quest to find out the ultimate truth of life-existence of God being the most prominent of all. They challenge their own faith, question it in various mental sorties and reaffirm it astonishingly. The authors selected here are ManilSuri and Gita Mehta whose works are deeply rooted in Hindu mythology.

2013

It is seemingly an accepted fact that no Sanskrit poets or playwrights wrote tragedies akin to those of the Greeks or Elizabethans. Indeed, the absence of tragedy is considered a marked characteristic of Sanskrit literature. There are three primary reasons in support of this view. First, there is no specific literary genre demarcated by Sanskrit critics as tragic, whereas comedies and romances are characterized as such. Second, the mood, or rasa, of śoka (grief) can never dominate the Sanskrit poem or play. A Sanskrit literary work must always have a happy ending. Indeed, śoka is not included among the generally accepted eight rasas. Rather, a derivative of grief is sometimes deployed in its place: karuṇa – compassion, pity. Finally, literary critics point out that there are no individuals in Sanskrit, only types which are ready-made and eternal, and the lack of individuality precludes potential tragedy. In this paper I argue that śoka (grief) transformed into the karuṇa rasa (aesthetic emotion of compassion) does not preclude the possibility for tragedy in Sanskrit literature, but is one of two appropriate aesthetic responses to tragic circumstances. I will use the Rāmāyana as my exemplary case. I suggest that Rāma, though he is oft regarded as merely an avatar for the god Viṣṇu, is also a deeply problematic human character indicated by many of the decisions he makes which are not clearly aligned with his godly-being. Further, I will argue that Sītā only comes to be Sītā by the tragic choice that we see her make and that through this act she opens the possibility for a new ethical and political world. While critics admit that a Sanskrit work might have a tragic sentiment, they assert that it does not have tragic action. I argue that the Rāmāyana has both.

Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2024

As we know, the past is very important in our life. We cannot dismiss history, myth, orality, and tradition as irrelevant in our lives in the contemporary conditions where science and technology rule the roost. The chapters included in the anthology discuss how all these elements are significant for us, and show us the true value of our culture and tradition. The ‘pastness of the past in the present’, can lead us to move in new directions. The anthology has vividly illustrated the cultural and literary traditions in India from North to South, and East to West. India is a nation of cultural, linguistic, and social diversity. This diversity points to the plurality in the discourses of history and tradition. Myth and orality are the two vital components of these discourses that explain the diversity of India. The myths of Saptamatrika, Rama, Shiva, Adam, and others in this anthology show the infinite variety/versions of history and tradition in India. These varieties have permeated Indian society and passed on to future generations through orality. The oral narratives preserved the history of the pre-literate society in an infinite variety of myths and informed the common wisdom of society in India. This wisdom has intermittently provided insight into all social, cultural, political, and historic events. In the present century, the writers have revived India’s rich mythological past to comprehend the development, potential, and nature of issues and events of the concurrent times. They have revoked mythological figures such as Rama, Shiva, and Draupadi to mark significant changes in socio-cultural values, viewpoints, and belief systems. The contributors to this anthology have evaluated the re-telling, re-presentation, and reconceptualization of the mythological characters and events in the present context. In their evaluations, the authors of the chapters have addressed diverse issues concerning myths to capture the meaningful transformations that have taken place in Postcolonial India. At the center of the discourses present in the anthology, God, divinity, and humanity have occupied the dialectics of India’s relation with ethics, morality, politics, economy, and aesthetics from ancient times to the present. We anticipate that the anthology has presented a knowledge trove for the students, researchers, and educators in the field of history, myth, and orality in India.