29 Myth, History and New Popular Fictions

Mr. Subrata Kumar Das

Content

1. Introduction
   • Scope of the study
   • Contemporary relevance of the study
2. Theories of Myths
3. Remembering the past
4. Other Retelling : Villains or Victors
5. Modernity
6. Challenges
7. Conclusion
8. Works Cited

The chapter endeavours into the theoretical insights while focusing on the historicisation or creation of the discourse and the medium. The intermediality and interliterariness employs the co-relations between the different media results into new comparative approaches to a refined literature. A picture of an imagined past will be re-created and considered to be an ideal one. The meaning provided by the generic quality of mythology is the grandeur. It is relevant to study it through an interdisciplinary approach where many texts emerge and help each other for a better understanding of the field. When literature is adapted into visual translation, ‘myth’ is revived with much more appeal from the audience. The politics of de- mythifying as well as de-mystifying history through the study of this genre of ‘myth’ has been a significant process. A study of socio-cultural works, their politics and their association creates a discourse. In the future study, the employment of this discourse can be further researched upon.

1. Introduction

The past is reconstructed through the lenses of myth and history. Re-working of myths is a systematic study of facts and evidences that creates a particular ideology. The paper will try to investigate the popular notions of Hindu ‘myths’ through textual and visual analysis. This work focuses on the modes of traditional ‘culture’ and its connection to popular discourse. Stuart Hall in Cultural Studies: Two paradigms (1930) discusses how culture relates to the ‘social practices’(Hall,59) and ‘social consciousness’ (Hall,62). The scope of further research can study the general trend to associate folk into popular culture. Gazing upon the periodization of mythology, traditions, ‘god’ and religion, new parameters are being discovered.

Scope of the Study

The purpose of this doubling process questions the popular myths which are deeply indebted to Indian culture. India is the birthplace of Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism, collectively known as Indian religions. According to 2002 census, Hinduism is the major religion in India. In relation to the structural composition of the Indian society Hinduism can be termed as the most influential. Religion and culture are interrelated. Key components of ‘culture’ are values, norms, institutions and artefacts which often derive from religious beliefs and practices. Myths or folktales talk about traditions practiced by small homogeneous groups– localized lifestyle and its history–depicting a certain aspect of a particular society. Conflict may arise when it encounters other heterogeneous institutions. In these days, media plays a critical role in the dissemination of culture and therefore offers another area of articulation. Media is invariably connected to and is associated with popular culture, certainly shaping/transforming new ideas into preferred and celebrated renditions.

Contemporary Relevance of the Study

When the “ancient” is interpolated into “modern” life, it is necessarily reworked and is deepened with various interpretations. Modern life is founded upon science and freedom. A myth may grip us with its imagery; science and technology relentlessly reproduce the ancient in a medium of thought provoking ideals. Individual perception is experimented in retelling the tales of antiquity. Modern productions are rendered through visual culture. As Derrida said there is nothing outside the text so any cultural product can be a ‘text’ for study and analysis. Postmodern society emphasizes that the “authority” – or the power of meaning- making– rests on the readers and audiences. When re-told/recreated through print and media, the Hindu myths are not contested but receive prominence and receptive attention. Amish Tripathi, Devdutt Pattanaik, Deepak Chopra, Siddharth Kumar Tiwari (Swastik Pictures, Star Plus) and Anirudh Pathak (Life Ok) are few of the names who incorporate the “infinite consciousness”(The Perception Deception, 2014) of the human body and soul into their creative oeuvre. Hindu mythology and its re-presentation in the 21st century is constructed through popular media interventions have helped in creating new sub-generic formations and identities.

2.  Theories of Myths

Myths and popular culture spread through mass media, print media and television industry which create a bestseller or a super hit. When culture is crafted as expression of religion, belief and philosophy, there is an urge to study the historiography and politics of different kinds of language which are at play. Myths are ideas or present concepts of a thought process. These principles or concepts have been written down to structure ‘reality’. Socialism talks about the good governance, and introduces the discourse of power (Utopia, 1516). Foucault when says that ‘power is everywhere’ and ‘comes from everywhere’ is a ‘regime of truth’ that pervades the society (Power, 1954-1984,Vol.3). Foucault uses the term ‘power/knowledge’ to signify that power is constituted through accepted forms of signification and scientific understanding.

Devdutt Pattanaik refers to this discourse where human beings are meant to abide by certain rules and regulations. The folktales, Vedas, and Puranas are constraints which tie the knots of fractured reality. Institutions are created to rule the lives of its inhabitants. Hinduism as a religion is vast and complex. Indian myths describe the intervention of ‘33 crores of gods and goddesses’ in human affairs and situates these entities with different capabilities. D.D Kosambi writes about “myth and reality” (Myth and Reality:Studies in the formation of Indian Culture, 1962) and sketches the process of development of a society as composed and structured in clusters. Sheldon Pollock writes about the rise and fall of Sanskrit language as a vehicle of poetry and polity and how Sanskrit as the sacred language of the Aryans became the medium of sacred, social and political expression. The language and its reception are important here. Thus in The Language of the Gods in the World of Men (2011), Pollock explores the shifting processes of exchange within cultures. The change is brought into and shapes various kinds of discourse.

The idea of sub-generic ideals within a particular structure appealed to the modern mind, and in fact, has never ceased to appeal. The recasting of the already existing patterns are juxtaposed with the creation of the universe from where all it started. Indian philosophical thinking identifies Hiranyagarbha as the source of the creation of the Universe or the manifested cosmos in the Indian philosophy. This is termed as the ‘golden womb’ or ‘golden egg’, poetically rendered as the ‘universal germ’. The Upaṇiṣhad calls it the Soul of the Universe or Brahman and elaborates that Hiraṇyagarbha floated around in emptiness and the darkness of the non-existence for about a year, and then broke into two halves which formed the Swarga and the Pṛithvi. Further Rigveda (Rig10.121) hymn known as the HiranyagarbhaSūktai suggests a single creator deity identified as Prajāpati who manifested the creation of the cosmos. The concept of the “golden womb” is again mentioned in Viswakarmasuktha, (Rig 10-82) but there are other versions also. In a survey, 77% of the respondents in India agreed that enough scientific evidence exists to support Charles Darwin’s Theory of Evolution, and 88% of God-believing people said they accept evolution as well. According to the survey conducted by Pew Forum in the United States, 80% of Hindus agree that evolution is the best explanation for the origin of human life on earth. Here science and philosophy are merged in spite of its disciplinary differences. The beginning of life is referred as the Big Bang Theory.( A Brief History of Time from the Big Bang to Black Holes, 1988). The conscience and consciousness are constantly revisited into the epic tales of Hinduism. If The Mahabharata is regarded an Indian saga, The Ramayana is rather the epic of Indian sensitivity and Indian womanhood.

3.  Remembering the past

Roots of Indian Past(s) continue to inspire re-interpretations and re-views. Dadasaheb Phalke made the first motion picture Raja Harishchandra in 1913, the first silent film, and mythology was chosen to present social issues. Now in 2013/2014 same ideas are used but there is hardly any difference other than obvious technological advancements.

In the 1960s, connections between computing and radical art began to grow stronger. Until the 1980s media relied heavily upon print and analog broadcast models, such as those of television and radio. A shift is seen in the later years. Andrew L. Shapiro (1999) argues that the “emergence of new, digital technologies signals a potentially radical shift of who is in control of information, experience and resources” (Shapiro cited in Croteau and Hoynes 2003: 322). The audiences were already getting prepared for the new media intervention.

Thus, when the bestselling author and chief visionary of Virgin Comics, Deepak Chopra discusses the Ramayana, reloaded as the classic story of mythical themes, it is well received by the readers. It features a re-imagining of the historical classic in a post-apocalyptic future. The mythological genre is revisited across the space and time where different locales are explored. The experiments are employed with scientific interventions. Importantly, the question of receptor-ship comes in, when a representation is targeting mainly Western audiences.

My research paper tries to connect the possibilities to create a new genre which is based on mythology or the logical understanding about one’s inclination towards religion, certain forms and figures, and how its productive capability tries to match the models of reception?

Why popular channels and media persons are coming up to utter the same song which was already played?

In the 1990’s B.R Chopra’s Mahabharata serial on Doordarshan had mass appeal. When Star Plus re-launched Mahabharata in 2013, the show also created a sub-generic appeal .The paradigm shift is seen when Facebook also participated in this popular discourse. There is a dialogic Ramayana on Facebook where the social issues are treated sarcastically. It is titled as “what if Facebook existed during the Ramayana?” (http://www.buzzfeed.com/satpat/what-if- facebook-existed-during-the-ramayan-crnk). So the media influence and its response become a scapegoat of modern society.

Devdutt Pattanaik’s retelling of the Mahabharata as Jaya (2010) gives a detailed account of Vedic times. His use of artworks makes it more interesting and easy to read. Pattanaik interprets the incidents with their regional variants. He tries to map the ancient story into a spiritual drama where every character has a reason for their action. The popular media techniques helped to create an audio text of the written document.

Amish Tripathi wrote the Shiva Trilogy drawing upon the Vedas and Puranas, and situated ‘god’ as someone who is the ultimate hero but not more than human. In his The Shiva Trilogy- Immortals of Meluha (February 2010), The Secret of the Nagas (August,2011) and The Oath of the Vayuputras (February 2013), Tripathi imagines Shiva as a man who trails through his ‘karma’ to rise to the eminence of the divine Lord Shiva. Tripathi believes that myths are jumbled memories of a true past, a past buried under forgetfulness and ignorance. Tripathi’s trilogy have known characters from Hindu texts as well as those born from Tripathi’s imagination. The subtle ‘culture’ shift is seen through the eyes of the banker turned author. The volumes were surprise bestsellers, figuring in the top-seller charts within a week of each launch. The trilogy comprises the journey of a ‘man’, the challenges faced and his courage to conquer the world. I selected this trilogy as a contemporary text dealing with mythology which has been recreated through media to tremendous success.

When Shiva’s tale is revisited in Life Ok serial, Devon ke Dev Mahadev, choice of sets, props reminds us of Bharata’s NatyaShastra where a world is created with so many implications. Mythologist Devdutt Pattanaik uses these mythologies in business management in his popular TV series and book called Buisness Sutra. In Buisness Sutra:A Very Indian Approach To Management (2013). He projected Hindu myths as a tool to enhance the corporate world. The methodology becomes important when the meaning of epic travels to create a source to know about the Indian culture. Does the grandeur only imbued in myths! There are other stories to discover the India, to understand the dilemmas that the country has faced once upon a time. He gives a simple example of ‘rangoli making’, how different rangolis suggest distinguished patterns and different business tactics of management; how the immersion of idols suggest an ongoing process, that nothing is permanent. Success and fame, everything are flip sides of the same coin, thus grounding to the reality is very important. Epic’ receives a new meaning and dimension which involves many possibilities to discover the new.

4. Other Re-tellings: Villains or Victors!

There are different versions of the re-workings. Anand Neelakanthan in Ajaya:Epic of the Kaurava Clan (2013) sidelined Pandavas and focused on Kauravas, even when he wrote Asura, The Tale of Vanquished (2012) he talked about the hierarchy existed between the Devas and Asuras, and how it affected the casteaways’ life. Neelakanthan’s key characters are Eklavya, Karna ,Parashurama,Shakuni and Takshaka. He paved a way to reconcile the enmity of the casteaways. The casteaways played an important role in the early history of India. These were the exotic non-human tribes of India, the subhuman or superhuman creatures , can also be considered as demigods. Nagas, gandharvas, rakshashas, kinnaras and yakshas are important prodigies in epics like the Mahabharata. His stories are about questioning the conventional values and finding a balance between them. The re-workings  are of archetypal relevance and contemporising is a cosmopolitan approach towards its emergence and popularity.

5.  Modernity

Modernity lies in the reworking of the folktales, where villains are victors, every character justifies the cause of its revolt. Ravaana has his reasons to violate the rules of wisdom. Here one example is of the cinematic representation of mythological imagery in the movie Fire which created a controversy. There are also stage adaptations and animated films like Sita sings the Blues which is written, directed, produced by American artist Nina Paley in 2008. The technological advancement secures the stories into derived formulations. The most recent example is of a television channel called ‘Epic’. When I focus on the genre of the ‘epic’ in the age of new media ‘Epic’ is also something more than a grand narrative. This channel attempts to create a modern rendition where ‘epic’ is not about literature but an appeal for cinematic representation, artefacts and television series. There are documentaries clubbed into a series called Drishti. Drishti reveals the hard reality the people are facing and the rising fortune that creates an awe-inspiring narrative. It is also the encompassment of marketing and production ventures. The enthusiast and entrepreneurs did an extensive research and merged it under one umbrella where ‘Epic’ is about the lost past of India. History goes back to its literary meaning where it is simply a “story” which creates a mark of its own.

6.  Challenges

Supposingly the challenges faced are the controversies, debates and arguments about the notion of ‘myth’. The characterization and featuring them with some new ideals in the modern world may have been difficult but when nurtured with dedication, the goal is achieved. Reader response theory when applied to this mode, a response is seen through the virtual medium of Facebook and Twitter. The retelling of history sensitised the understanding of the gender equality when Chitra Banerjee Devakurni wrote her Palace Of Illusions (2008) where Draupadi is the narrator of the story. It is a challenge to fix the ideals of ‘epic’ and creating a simulation to understand the discourse. The discourse is of modernity for making every aspect of the country nourish its re-instability in every age.

7.  Conclusion

It is but natural that there should be differences in understanding and interpretations, but  often the representation of myths in the modern re-workings reflects the age conflicts. The study of Indian myths is inevitably the study of Indian culture. Myths are the stories buried under the mounds of historical debates. The construction of myths goes back to the pre-Aryan invasion. Myths are not only stories, they also refer to the contradictions between past and present. The work aimed to look at the politics of myth-making in India and the process which goes into its reception. The framework shows the historical significance of Hindu myths and how they are re-visited in the contemporary world.

Myths are employed with a particular narrative structure. This pattern often accommodates them into the socio cultural transformations (Kroeber). There are characters who hold a personality and fights back to destroy the evil. In the re-tellings, these mythological characters are presented as real heroes who invent their own weapons and guard the society from the clutches of the evil. Shiva with his trisul in The Shiva Trilogy reminds us of the  Lord Shiva’s wrath and anger. These portray the ideological legitimization of Indian theology. These re-tellings bear the signs of the age.

When Hindu myths are re-located in the modern world, these are often connected with and reflect social change. The political groups try to capture these myths and use them accordingly. The Ram temple at Ayodhya and the concept of Ramrajya are the examples of how socio-cultural aspects refer to the politicization of the epic tales. The race, language and history of the primitive age are discussed by historians like Romila Thapar who maintain that ancient India was projected as a virtual utopia, a place where myths portray the essentials of a religion observed a cross over kind of religion, a mix of Hinduism, Islam and other formal religion.

The present study has been placed in the larger context: the modern myths and the re- workings are judged according to their function in the society. A certain section of audiences are targeted, especially the Hindu middle class ideology and its hold on tradition is reflected in the approach to Indian myths and history. Myths are often used to privilege certain sections of a particular class. In both the Mahabharata and the Shiva trilogy the class division is vividly portrayed.The argument questions the categorization. These re-tellings also write about the outcastes. For example, in The Secret of Nagas Amish Tripathi attempted to show the position of Nagas in Hindu mythology whereas in Jaya , Devdutt Pattanaik begins his book with the snake sacrifice. The question of hierarchy is well posed in these retellings.

It can be said that in the popular writings authors portray a symbolic representation of the past. The class conflict, gender dissociation and other issues of Indian context are well analyzed and written about. When there is a scriptural transformation of these historical facts, different genres are mediated into. Through the lenses of popular culture, serials and films are made and a sub-generic appeal is created. In serials like Mahabharata and Devon ke Dev Mahadev, characters appear almost with the grandeur of Bollywood heroes.With their muscular body and ornamented makeup they begin to hold an iconic status among the mass. Saurabh Raj Jain who plays the role of Krishna in Mahabharata (Star Plus) said in an interview how people actually come up and pray for his blessing during the shooting [as it was in for Nitish Bharadwaj who played Krishna in B.R. Chopra’s Mahabharat showing the continuing religious impact of Krishna.

The television stars create a superhero notion. Friedrich Nietzsche, German philosopher, once introduced a concept of Übermensch . the meaning has been translated as “overman”, “overhuman” and more commonly “superman”. This concept has been attributed to the powers of superiority- someone who can rule the world. This idea if employed to the heroes of our mythology, they certainly hold a strong position in the society. The principles and constitution of ideals invites the modern mythmakers to show the world of characters who are powerful and inspirational Even in the animated movies with the technological culmination characters like Chota bheem and Balhanuman are created. The comics when translated into the visual culture they become cartoon characters. These not only appear on TV but the series are also uploaded in 2D and 3D form on Youtube and other sites. Their targeted audiences  are kids. The strangehold of popular culture creates a method of receptor-ship. The religious notions when re-modelled into the popular discourse, the marketing techniques becomes important. The politics of mythmaking and how these notions can be further studied in creating a trend that is becoming so popular. The process mediation transform the meaning of ‘myth’ into a larger-than-life enterprise. A picture of an imagined past will be re-created and considered to be an ideal one.

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