Gargi and her husband Nachiket sit down to eat with her parents, Lopamudra and Dharma Raj. They have wine with their missal pav. As they banter, they quote Sigmund Freud and Jaggi Vasudev. There’s something artificial about the way they speak, something contrived about how their conversations shift from the Chinese Communist Party to Icarus and then to the Mahabharata. The imagined exchanges of this family—hammy as they are—make up the pages of Dharma, a book the author Amish has written with his sister Bhavna Roy. Aimed for self-help shelves, the book aims to decode the epics and give our life meaning. Sadly, it patronises you so much in the process, you only feel irate.
The Hindutva project has for long reduced the Ramayana and the Mahabharata to a set of convenient edicts we are expected to live by. Dharma does something similar. Stories don’t satisfy Amish and Roy. They want to penetrate the surface and find “wisdom” that lurks below. Characters like Bhishma and Yudhishthira are summarily castigated. Rather than accept the limits of their moral and literary universe, the authors impose on their actions a structure of modern virtue that seems pedantic and supercilious. Blame often flies thick and fast. Gandhari, for instance, is even declared “adharmic” once.
Bu hikaye India Today dergisinin April 05, 2021 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye India Today dergisinin April 05, 2021 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
ARTS AND THE MAN
In his centenary year, F.N. Souza: The Archetypal Artist tries to make sense of the recurring themes in the artist’s work
The Reluctant Art Critic
Advertising executive, art critic and possible catalyst of the modern Indian art movement, Rudolf von Leyden was an intriguing figure in pre-Independence Bombay
PORTRAIT OF AN ARTIST & POET
ANINDYO ROY’S THE VICEROY’S ARTIST IS A FICTIONALISED ACCOUNT OF EDWARD LEAR’S TRAVELS IN INDIA
Lady of the Light
This artist has transformed the humble bulb into a thing of beauty
S'more to Think Of
Called Marshmallow, this penthouse in Gurgaon with soft curves and plush aesthetics stays true to its name
A Marvelous Melange
From stylish living quarters to multipurpose adaptive space, this home in Mumbai turns every nook into a showstopper
TECH MEETS TEXTURE
Smart fabrics and intelligent textiles are changing the way we view home furnishings
Refresh and Revive
That old table, those cabinets or even the console can be given a new lease of life, one that is tailor-made to the latest trends
Standout Spaces
Want dramatic interiors but don’t know how? This home in Mumbai becomes a lesson in learning the nuances of adding magic inside.
Vernacular Wise
Forget international brands and design, the beauty and simplicity of local materials and ancient techniques is gaining momentum