Author: Devdutt Pattanaik
No. of Pages: 179
Publisher: Penguin/ Zubaan
About the Book:
The book is a collection of mythological stories about transsexuals/ transgender/ homosexual/ cross dressers and all who fall under the umbrella category of queer. The book begins with an introduction to what is queer and how it is interpreted in literature, mythology and society. The pace begins well. The storytelling that follows does not meet the expectations, however.
The stories are interesting, packed with information. Anyone, who is not familiar with Hindu mythology would understand only in bits and pieces. The narrations are jerky and too brief. The mythological tales are summarised and the brevity takes away the rasa from the tales. Interestingly, each tale is followed by an analysis, albeit hypothetical (or so it appears). lot of relatively little known information is presented in each tale. But it can best be described best as information rather than a tale.
Each tale is in itself interesting, and as the title suggests, are brought to light from the depths of classical texts. The bibliography suggests that Pattanaik has researched well. A His writing style lacks the richness of literature. But his illustrations steal the show. They are interesting and a visual treat!
Final Analysis:
One time read. Only if you are interested in queerness and/or Indian, predominantly Hindu mythology.
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