You Inspire Me : Dr.Devdutt Pattanaik

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He has brought a whole new way of showcasing Mythology..He has made us like Mythology even more ! He has authored 30 books and 600 columns and it doesn’t stop at that.. His TV shows include Business Sutra on CNBC-TV18 and Devlok on Epic TV. Though he trained in medicine and worked for 15 years in Healthcare and Pharma industries, he now consults organisations on leadership, management.. He also consults various TV channels and filmmakers on the art of story telling .. Meet the awesome Dr.Devdutt Pattanaik :)

What made you shift from being a physician to being a mythologist,writer and a columnist ?

I was never a physician. After MBBS (1993), I started working in various capacities in the healthcare and pharma industry. All the while I was a mythologist. I wrote my first column in 1994 and my first book in 1996. You probably did not read them J We all assume our line of sight is reality, where there is always more beyond.

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You have authored many books. Which one of those has been the toughest and why so ?

Three books were tough and milestones: Myth=Mithya, Business Sutra, and My Gita.

What according to you are some of the important lessons that mythology teaches us ?

You live in subjective reality. People around you live in subjective realities. Subjective realities are diverse. Rejecting them leads to violence. Accommodating them leads to happiness.

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Can you tell us a bit about your experience on your TV shows – Business Sutra on CNBC-TV18 and Devlok on Epic TV ?

I was initially nervous and self-conscious in front of the camera. Not anymore. They helped me talk in a simpler language so as to reach out many more people.

How different is it working with Corporates on the areas of management and leadership ?

You have to deal with self-absorbed and dominating Indras, who like the idea of Vishnu, but don’t want to become one, because it demands working on themselves.

What are the biggest challenges that you have faced ?

People’s insecurities.

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Why do you think it is important to know about our Mythology ?

Without mythology you cannot have meaning in life. Humans domesticate nature to create culture; but culture is meaningless without stories, symbols and rituals that help us locate ourselves in a world we construct.

What advise would you like to give to upcoming mythologists and how do you think we can make it more popular than what it is now ?

Read more. Its not just stories. Its about life. If you make honey, bees will come. Focus on making honey rather than craving bees.

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What has been your biggest learning so far ?

People don’t read. They assume what you have written, which is a reflection of their own insecurities.

Who has been your biggest inspiration and why ?

I don’t look for inspiration. I just work hard to do what I do as well as I can do, and respond to opportunities and threats.

 

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