Should any one stumble
on this blog by mistake or otherwise, he or she should be made aware what the
subject of the posts is. This blog is essentially about literature, and to a
lesser extent about art, sculpture, architecture, dance, cinema and theatre.
Specifically, it is about how Hindu mythology has evolved in these arenas of
communication. Since Hindu mythology is inextricably also linked with theology,
devotion and rituals, these will also make an appearance from time to time.
However, I am not fully conversant with these issues and they will not be the
focus of my blogs.
It is my belief that
the evolution of mythology is driven by changes in the social environment of
the related community. The creative souls in the community continuously revisit
the mythological stories and reinterpret and recast them according to the needs
and interests of the society. While there are changes in form and even in
certain values, I have found that the core generally remains the same. It is
the perfect coexistence of continuity and change. At the same time evolving
mythology also drives social change. Sometimes the retelling of stories, by
accident or design, not only gives new direction to the future retelling of
stories, but also to larger social objectives. In this manner, both driven by
and driving social change, the ancient mythology of a community is kept alive,
grows and remains relevant.
Future generations can
delve into mythology for solutions to their problems. Joseph Campbell said, “The
myths and rites were means of putting the mind in accord with the body and the
way of life in accord with the way that nature dictates.” [1] But unless the
mythology is presented in a manner that interests them, it will not attract new
generations and this storehouse of symbolic information will lie idle. For
example, hardly anyone today reads the original Ramayana and Mahabharata
written by the seers Valmiki and Vyas, because of their verbosity and florid
language. But almost all Hindus, and even all Indians, know the content of
these great epics, because their stories have been retold in every generation.
At one time Amar Chitra Katha in comic strip form enthralled and educated a
generation of youngsters. The next generation was introduced to the epics
through the mega television serials produced by Ramanand Sagar and B.R. Chopra.
Today animated episodes from the epics can be downloaded from You Tube.
Having put the
preliminaries out of the way, I aim to start on the retelling of stories.
[1] Campbell, J. The Power of Myth with Bill Moyers.
Anchor Books A Division of Random House Inc. (1998). p. 87.
