Devdutt Pattanaik writes, illustrates and lectures on the relevance of mythology in modern times. He has, since 1996, written over thirty books and 700 columns on how stories, symbols and rituals construct the subjective truth (myths) of ancient and modern cultures around the world.
<p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.4285em; color: rgb(98, 98, 98); font-family: roboto, san-serif; font-size: 14px;">How do myths and stories influence culture? What is the difference between one culture and another, and how did these differences come to be? Are cultures fixed or do they change over time? Devdutt Pattanaik, Indias leading mythologist, breaks down the complex maze of stories, symbols and rituals to examine how they shape cultures. He investigates how stories influence perception and construct truths, the cultural roots of the notion of evil and reveals the need for mythology through a telling of various Indian and Western myths. In doing so, he shows how myths reflect the culture they emerge from while simultaneously reinforcing the source. Culture is a ground breaking work that contextualizes mythology and proposes that myths are alive, dynamic, shaped by perception and the times one lives in.</p><div><br></div>