Book Review: Shikhandi And Other Tales They Don’t Tell You by Devdutt Pattnaik

The first book I read of Devdutt Patnaik, “The Pregnant King” was a richly detailed, thoroughly researched work by an author who was passionate about the story he wanted to tell which introduced me to an eccentricity I never thought was allowed in our epics. It was a kind of eye opener in that way and it was with this curiosity that I picked up his latest and his most ambitiously titled “Shikandi and Other Tales They Won’t Tell You”, and I hate to inform that this one is not among the best of his works till date. 

That is not to say that these stories are not worth your time, on the contrary there are quite amusing ones in the anthology, the one about Vishnu explaining the concept of “Maya” to Narada was my personal favorite. The collection in itself follows the theme Queerness in Hindu Mythology and covers popular literature like The Mahabharata and The Bhagavata, and draws abundantly from the local folklore making it a well-rounded exploration. It also highlights how the South Indian mythology differs vastly from its North Indian counterpart, and wherever possible narrates the differences explicitly.

What works in its favor are the references and bibliography of each of the stories neatly laid out at the end of the story, which makes the readers comfortable and the objectivity of Pattnaik, gained only through adequate research, helps in understanding the stories without any obvious agenda. The pictorial illustrations are always a pleasure with Pattnaik’s works and this book is no exception. 

However, my major complain about each of the 30 stories in the collection is that, each of these stories are narrated as if they are isolated incidents and are stripped of any context. The stories deserved a comprehensive approach, and they are dealt rather hastily and read like 100 Word Fiction – exclusively made for mobile apps. Sometimes, the foot notes at the end of the stories are longer than the actual stories themselves. Although, brevity is a much admired trait in an author, a bit of perspective does not hurt much, especially when dealing with sensitive topics such as the presence of LGBT in Indian Mythology.

Another objection I had with the book is the inclusion of the Bhīma killing Kichak under cross-dressing phenomenon, which seems to suggest that cross dressing is a façade to achieve ulterior motives, which it is anything but. This kind of approach tends to trivialize the very issues by oversimplifying them to include one-off instances where the players never draw any pleasure, nor are comfortable with cross-dressing. 

Shikhandi is a well of knowledge and is a must read for everyone interested in Hindu mythology, but ultimately comes across as an opportunity not explored to its fullest potential, considering Pattnaik’s caliber. It should also be commended for it aims to celebrate the diversity and the vastness of Hindu mythology, and not to challenge any existing faiths or make petty controversies out of the eccentricities or the “Queerness” pervading our epics.