Visiting a friend two days back, I was attracted towards this statue of Lord Ganesha on the very first sight. I found the colour of Lord's dhoti quite different from the way it is normally portrayed. I was informed that this impressive statue was procured from around Sidhi Vinayak Temple in Mumbai.
Then yesterday when I switched on the TV, I was in for a nice surprise. Yes, I have stopped viewing the so called news channels on the TV after they became too loud and their bias become too obvious. So instead I watch my favourite show 'Devlok with Devdutt Pattnaik' on Epic TV channel. The discussion last evening was on Lord Ganesha. It was highly informative. And if you have not watched 'Devlok with Devdutt Pattnaik, I would strongly recommend it to you.
A few words of introduction about Mr. Devdutt Pattnaik (born 1970)
. He is from Odisha and is a man of many, many parts. He is a medical doctor by training and profession turned leadership consultant,
mythologist
and author whose works focus largely on the areas of myth,
mythology,
and also management. He has written over 600 articles and 30 books on the
relevance of sacred stories, symbols and rituals in modern times, including
Myth
= Mithya: A Handbook of Hindu Mythology,
Jaya: An Illustrated Retelling
of the Mahabharata,
Sita: An Illustrated Retelling of the Ramayana,
Business
Sutra: An Indian Approach to Management,
Shikhandi: And Other Tales they
Don't Tell You.
What really glues me to his show is the pleasant ease with which he explains the very difficult subject of mythology. He has a smiling face and is so very soft-spoken. And one last point- he makes interesting comparisons with other religions. Such comparisons are knowledgable and respectful.
Thank you Dr. Pattnaik for making an atheist like me get deeply interested in Hindu mythology.
