Shikhandi:And Other Tales They Don't Tel
- Publisher : Penguin Random House
- Publishing year : January 2014
- Binding : Paperback
- ISBN : 9789383074846
- Imprint : penguin
- Age Group : Adult
- Language : English
Patriarchy asserts men are superior to women, Feminism clarifies women and men are equal, Queerness questions what const ...
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 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.
Devdutt Pattanaik writes and lectures on the relevance of mythology in modern times. He has written over 500 articles in newspapers, and thirty books, which include Jaya: An Illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharata, Sita: An Illustrated Retelling of the Ramayana, 7 Secrets of Hindu Calendar Art, 7 Secrets of Shiva, 7 Secrets of Vishnu, 7 Secrets of the Goddess, The Book of Ram, 99 Thoughts on Ganesha, Shikhandi and Other Tales They Don’t Tell You and Myth=Mithya: Decoding Hindu Mythology. He lives in Mumbai. For more information on Devdutt and his books, visit devdutt.com
