Devdutt Pattanaik is a popular Indian mythologist, speaker, illustrator and author. His works mainly deal with mythology, religion, mythology and management.
Wiki/Biography
Dev Dutt was born in Mumbai on Friday, December 11, 1970 (50 years old in 2020). He spent his childhood in Chembur, Mumbai. His star sign is Sagittarius.
Devdutt Pattanaik with his mother as a child
Devdutt Pattanaik with his parents and sisters as a child
He studied at Our Lady of Perpetual Succour High School in Chembur, Mumbai from 1975 to 1986. He continued his studies at Ramnarain Ruia College, Mumbai from 1986 to 1988. He obtained his medical degree from Grant Medical College, Mumbai from 1988 to 1993. He did his postgraduate degree in comparative mythology from the Sanskrit Department of the University of Mumbai. When he was in Class 10, he searched for the word homosexual in the dictionary and that’s when he realized that homosexuality meant exactly himself. Talking about this in an interview, he said:
I saw the movie The Crown Jewel when I was in 10th grade…I heard the word gay…I looked it up in the dictionary and knew I was gay. It wasn’t until I was 30 and my parents were pushing me to get married and settle down that I finally came out to them and told them I was gay and I wasn’t going to get married.”
appearance
Height (approximate): 5′ 6″
Eye color: Black
Hair Color: Salt and Pepper (dyed black)
Family and caste
Devdutt was born into an Odia family of the Karana caste, known as Karanam in Andhra Pradesh, Kayastha in the Gangetic plains and Bengal, and Prabhu in Maharashtra.
Parents and siblings
His father’s name is Prafulla Kumar Pattanaik and mother’s name is Sabitri Pattanaik Das. Devdutt was born after his two elder sisters Seema Pattanaik and Sami Pattanaik. He was born eight years apart from his second elder sister.
Devdutt Pattanaik and his sisters
Profession
In the mid-1990s, Randhir Khare, an Indian magazine editor, noticed his writing and storytelling abilities. Khare encouraged Devdutt to write articles for newspapers and magazines, and later introduced Devdutt to his friend Arun Mehta, who encouraged Devdutt to write his first book. In 1997, Devdutt wrote his first book, Shiva An Introduction.
Devdutt Pattanaik’s first book – Introduction to Shiva
He has also worked as a freelance writer and illustrator for several well-known magazines and newspapers.
Devdutt Pattanaik’s newspaper article
Devdutt has also worked as a part-time editor for health magazines like My Doctor. He has also assisted behavioral scientist Dr. Giri Shankar. In February 1998, he started working at “Good Health N You” in Mumbai. In 2000, he joined “Apollo Health Street Ltd” in Hyderabad. Subsequently, he worked in various companies like Sanofi, Ernst & Young and Future Group Personnel Office. In January 2012, he joined Star India as a story consultant for the mythological television series “Devon Ke Dev…Mahadev”. In January 2014, he joined “Reliance Industries Limited” as a cultural consultant and worked there for nearly 5 years. In November 2009, he attended India’s first TED conference as a speaker.
Devdutt authored many popular mythological books such as:
- Hanuman: An Introduction. Vakils, Feffer and Simons Ltd., 2001
- Mythology=Mithya: A Handbook of Indian Mythology. Penguin Books India, 2006
- “The 7 Secrets of Shiva. Westland Ltd., 2011”
- “Ramayana and Mahabharata: My Interesting Comparison. Rupa Publishing House, India, 2018”
- Dharma Artha Kama Moksha: 40 Insights on Happiness – HarperCollins, India, 2021
Apart from mythology books, he has also written various books on management, fiction and children. Some of his management books are listed below:
- Business Sutras: A Very Indian Approach to Management. Aleph Books, 2013
- The Leadership Sutra: An Indian Perspective on Power. Aleph Books, 2016
- “Leaders: 50 insights from myths. HarperCollins India, Indus Source 2017”
Devdutt Pattanaik displays his books
His other bestsellers include:
- The Pregnant King. Penguin Books India, 2008
- “Is he fresh?: AKA Koala Sea?” (Little Penguin). Penguin UK, 2015′
- “The Joy of Devlok: Shiva plays pantomime. Puffin India, 2011”
- Fighting Boy: The Mahabharata for Children. Puffin Books, 2017
- Vahana: The Gods and Their Favorite Animals – Rupa Publishing India, 2020
Devdutt has acted in several television serials such as CNBC-TV18’s Business Sutra (2010) and Epic TV’s Devlok with Devdutt Pattanaik (2017).
In 2020, he lent his voice to audiobooks like Suno Mahabharat Devdutt Pattanaik Ke Saath and Reliving the Mahabharata with Devdutt Pattanaik. Devdutt has also incorporated concepts from Mahabharata and Ramayana into human resource management. He has been a columnist for several leading newspapers like Mid-Day, Times of India, CN Traveller, Daily O and Scroll.in. He also hosts a podcast radio show, The Devdutt Pattanaik Show, which airs on Radio Mirchi.
dispute
His controversial tweets have been a hot topic among people. He has been heavily criticized by netizens for posting abusive and hurtful tweets. Some of these tweets are
Chup Chudail, jalti kyon hai? Limbu Mirchi Band Hua Kya? “
Devdutt Pattanaik controversial tweets
Devdutt Pattanaik’s Tweets
Awards and Honors
- In 2014, his name was listed as one of the best-selling authors in India.
- His book Devlok was one of the best-selling books of 2016.
- In the same year, his name was listed as one of the top 100 celebrities in India by Forbes.
sign
Devdutt Pattanaik’s signature
Facts/Trivia
- During his school days, he was exposed to the stories of Ramayana. In an interview, he recalled his school days and shared some memories, saying:
I remember collecting pigeon feathers to help the teachers prepare Jatayu’s wings. I remember watching Lakshmana laboriously draw three visible lines on the polished grey stone floor with precious white chalk while the teachers drew on the blackboard with white chalk. I remember laughing when Ravana picked up Sita and cheering along with the others because Sita was a boy wearing a girl’s clothes.
- After graduation, he passed the Federal Public Service Commission exam but refused to take the job due to lack of interest.
- While in college, he wrote his first mythology column in the school magazine.
- The illustrations presented in his books are drawn by Devdutt only. (Excluding Devlok series).
- After graduation, he wanted to go to a university in the United States or Europe to continue his studies, but was unable to do so due to family financial constraints.
- In 2000, he published an article entitled “Homosexuality in Ancient India”, which was highly praised by the gay community.
- Devdutt Pattanaik follows a non-vegetarian diet.
- He has also appeared as a motivational speaker at various events and seminars.
Devdutt Pattanaik in a meeting
- He has been supporting the LGBTQ community even before India legalized Section 377 on September 6, 2018. Speaking about Section 377 in a social media post, he said,
I think for a lot of people, life will go on as usual. But for a lot of people, there will be acceptance at the national level. You can talk to your family. Companies will hopefully change their laws. You can be openly gay. You won’t be forced into marriage and ruin not just one life but two lives. You know, imagine a gay person marrying a straight person. It’s not right. It’s going to ruin young people’s lives.”
- Many well-known writers like Ashwin Sanghi and Neil Gaiman have praised his works.
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education