Indian Fiction Resurrecting The Mythical Past?

Pulse

oi-Anwesha

By Anwesha Barari

Friday, March 16, 2012, 11:01

It has been 60 years since India gained Independence but be still like to write about our colonial past and how it has affected our present lives. Indian writers have been accused time again for being stuck in the mould of post colonial literature. Finally they have broken it by going into the distant past when no colonies or colonizers existed.

The Flavour Of Indian Fiction Today..
Indian fiction is now busy resurrecting long forgotten Hindu myths. When I say Hindu it does not refer to the religion in particular. It merely refers to the Indian way of life that has developed collectively over the years. Hindu myths are more historical than religious in that way. Did you know for example that there are 33 million Hindu gods? Actually, most modern practicing 'Hindus' didn't know any better until some bright writer came along to write about.

A Few Landmarks..

1. The Shiva Trilogy: It is the most recent sensation and therefore had to be the first on the list. While teenagers all over the world are going gaga over the Twilight series, there is another series of Indian fiction that is minting money. Management professional Amrish presented The Immortals Of Meluha to us and surprising the readers gulped it up. He presents Shiva (The Destroyer in the Holy Trinity) as a hero to us; a man in flesh and blood who rose to the status of God by his 'karma' or deeds. It is like a historical rendition of the man Shiva's life and it has caught on.

2. Myth = Mythiya: You will see this on the recommenced list of almost every famous bookstore. Unlike the Immortals of Meluha this is book is not Indian fiction but non fiction. Dr Patnaik, the author has presented more of an interesting research paper on Hindu myths and the subjective importance of Hindu gods in this book. The message is clear; we have 33 million 'gods' but only one 'God'. Hinduism is a religion of contradictions but they all say the same thing.

3. Palace Of Illusions: Retelling of legendary epics is another interesting development in Indian fiction. We are used to looking at our epics, especially Ramayana and Mahabharata in one particular way. This book tells the story of Mahabharata from the perspective of Draupadi or Panchaali and the story turns on it's head.

Why It Is Working?
Indian fiction has been dwelling on post colonial literature long enough. Although the likes of Amitav Ghosh have brought a breath of fresh air to this genre, it is done to death. This change was welcome; not only by us so called 'global' Indian who know little about their mythical past but also by the world at large. Indian fiction has been able to capitalize on the saleability of any philosophy that is Indian.

Is It Controvertial?
Yes, it is because we are talking about an era that has no written records but controversy theories sell. Look at Dan Brown's 'Da Vinci Code'. Moreover all of our history is controversial so why not make the most of it.