Indians need to rediscover the Indian mode of governance. What we have been following is the western way of governance and now the tilt is towards the Chinese model, but both are alien to Indian ethos, said Devdutt Patnaik, a reputed author known for his work in mythology and interpretations of ancient Indian scriptures.
Both the west and China have a history of command-and-control concept unlike India. The concept of centre in the ancient India at best was the temple and not the king. The king existed to prevent the exploitation of the individuals.
He also said it was time to rediscover the Indian model that had learned men from various fields in the courts of kings to guide the ruler.
Mr. Patnaik, an author of 50 books and 1,000 columns, was here on Wednesday to address the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry Ladies’ Organisation (FLO) on ‘Women in Mythology: Challenging Disempowering Interpretations’. The session was chaired by FLO Hyderabad chairperson Sona Chatwani.
For instance, mythological characters like Sati or Savitri were determined women with a mind of their own. Savithri was an intelligent, determined, compassionate and smart woman, but over a period a message was passed down that they symbolised women who merely obeyed their husbands.
It is strange that a male leading a life of celibacy was considered holy and monks were valued as repository of knowledge blindly.
Interacting with mediapersons, Mr. Patnaik said these days, more importance was being given to creating a perception than actually addressing issues. Though everyone aspired to be a Chanakya, the renowned counsel of King Chandragupta, none understood or practised his political acumen.
Referring to the Sabarimala temple controversy, he said none was interested in learning the facts, but would get carried away by what was propagated through more of folk traditions. He said one should independently try to read mythology and understand the characters rather than simply believing the interpretations given by men who believed women were an inferior gender.