Devdutt Pattanaik

Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik (born December 11, 1970) is an Indian physician turned leadership consultant, mythologist and author whose works focus largely on the areas of myth, mythology,^[1][2] and also management. He has written a number of books related to Hindu mythology, including Myth = Mithya: A Handbook of Hindu Mythology, a novel, The Pregnant King, and Jaya: An Illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharata (2010).^[3]

He is the chief belief officer of Future Group, one of India’s largest retailers,^[4] bringing the wisdom of Indian mythology into Indian business, especially in human resource management.^[5] He writes a column for the newspaper MiD DAY.^[6]

Early life and education

Born and brought up in Mumbai, he spent his childhood and student life in Chembur, Mumbai. His father was an MBA.^[6] He graduated in medicine (M.B.B.S.) from Grant Medical College, Mumbai and subsequently did a course in Comparative Mythology from Mumbai University.^[7]

Career

He worked in the pharma and healthcare industry for 14 years before starting to write books and columns about mythology and delivering lectures on the subject. He worked as a consultant at Ernst and Young and has illustrated most of his own books.^[8]

He was a speaker at the first TED conference in India held in November 2009.^[9][10]

On August 2010, he was invited by the ICCR to Colombia. He presented a paper at a conference on "Subjective World or Mythology of Identity" to an audience of 400 people, including members of the Indian community in Colombia, members of the Association of Friends of India, special guests, and the academic community. The illustrated lecture served to explain the cultural differences between East and West.^{[citation needed]} On 27 August Dr. Pattanaik gave a similar talk at EAFIT university in Medellin.

He has done a television show on CNBC-TV18 with host Maneka Doshi called Business Sutra. The shows draws business lessons from Hindu epics Ramayana and Mahabharata.

He is also a story consultant to Indian television network Star TV ^[11]

Personal life

Dr. Pattanaik currently resides in Mumbai.

Works

• Shiva: an introduction. Vakils, Feffer and Simons Ltd., 1997.
• Vishnu: an introduction. Vakils, Feffer and Simons, 1999. ISBN 81-87111-12-7.
• Devi, the Mother-Goddess: an introduction. Vakils, Feffer, and Simons Ltd., 2000. ISBN 81-87111-45-3.
• The Goddess in India: the five faces of the eternal feminine. Inner Traditions / Bear & Company, 2000. ISBN 0-89281-807-7.
• Hanuman: an introduction. Vakils, Feffer and Simons, 2001. ISBN 81-87111-47-X.
• The Man Who Was A Woman and other queer tales of Hindu lore. Routledge, 2002. ISBN 1-56023-181-5.
• Vināyaka: the first god. Shakti Art and Culture Foundation. 2002.
• Indian mythology: tales, symbols, and rituals from the heart of the Subcontinent. Inner Traditions / Bear & Company, 2003. ISBN 0-89281-870-0.
• Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and fortune: an introduction. Vakils, Feffer and Simons, 2003. ISBN 81-87111-58-5
• Book of Kali. with Seema Mohanty. Penguin Books India, 2004.
• Myth=Mithya: A Handbook of Hindu Mythology. Penguin, India. 2006. ISBN 978-0-14-309970-3.
• Shiva to Shankara: decoding the phallic symbol. Indus Source, India. 2006. ISBN 81-88569-04-6.
• The Pregnant King, Penguin Books, 2008 ISBN 978-1-4306-3472-0
• The Book of Ram. Penguin Group, 2009. ISBN 0-14-306528-9.
• 7 Secrets From Hindu Calendar Art. Westland India, 2009. ISBN 81-89975-67-6.
• Hanuman's Ramayan. Tulika Publishers, 2010. ISBN 81-8146-752-3.
• Jaya: An Illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharata, Penguin Books, 2010 ISBN 978-0-14-310425-4.

References

• On a mythical tangent (Interview) The Hindu

External links

• Devdutt Pattanaik, website
• Devdutt Pattanaik talks at TED
• Videos of Devdutt Pattanaik in Colombia at Asociación Amigos de India
• Devdutt Pattanaik Interview, Al-Rasub News & Opinion Publishing