Devdutt is the Chief Belief Officer of the Future Group. He is the co-host of the Business Sutra series on CNBC-TV18 which is a unique effort on how can learnings from the past, help the current businesses think and grow in India. In his talk at TED India 2009, he explained howour subjective truths shape our worldviews. He based it on the differences between Eastern and Western mythologies which resonate in the behaviours of today's business world. Devdutt has authored fourteen books including Myth=Mithya: Handbook of Hindu Mythology,The Book of Kali and The Book of Ram. Jaya: An Illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharata is his latest book.His articles appear regularly in First City Magazine(Delhi),Corporate Dossier, a Supplement of Economic Times and Times of India.

The Indian Head Shake
The power of subjective truth in decision-making

Alexander was in a hurry to conquer the world. On the banks of the river Indus, he came upon a naked hermit who stared at the sky hoping to experience nothingness. Alexander thought the naked hermit was a fool. The naked hermit thought Alexander was a fool. These radically opposite opinions stemmed from their respective worldviews. Alexander was in a hurry because he believed he had only one life to live. The naked hermit was in no hurry because he believed this was but one of infinite lives. Both these worldviews were cultural imaginations, constructed by stories, that influenced decision-making of two very powerful individuals.

Life, whether professional or personal, is all about decision-making. It is what distinguishes the leader from the follower. And the last mile of decision-making is always a function of subjective truth. Modern management side steps this crucial last mile, because it is so subjective. A study of mythology enables one to understand, and perhaps even influence, this crucial last mile. Hence this book!

Category: Management Theory
Rights: Available

Pashu: Animals in Hindu Mythology

Horses gallop across the sky. Serpents hoard gems in their subterranean realms. Turtles remember the goodness of old kings. Crows narrate epic poems. Dogs walk right up to the gates of paradise. Monkeys build a bridge across the sea. Vultures fly towards the sun. These are just some of the roles animals play in Hindu mythology. Hindus believe that in our past lives, we could have been animals and that in our future lives, we can be animals. We are all parts of the same chain. What differentiates us is but our bodies, not our soul.

This book explores birds and beasts, big and small, found in the sacred books of India.
With over hundred illustrations, and anecdotes about them, some big, some small, it reveals how our ancestors imagined the animal kingdom, and the key role they play in human lives.

Category: Mythology
Rights: Available

Sanatan: Explorations of the Eternal Truth (forthcoming)

Sanatan is an eternal truth that shapes the destiny of India. Fundamental to Sanatan is belief in rebirth, an idea alien to most cultures around the world. It is what characterizes the Indian worldview, makes it so unique. Without an appreciation of this fundamental belief, ideas such as karma and dharma, and maya and moksha make no sense.

In these very personal essays, the author explores how Sanatan found expression and elaboration through sacred stories, symbols and rituals reaching the simplest of people in the farthest corners of the land. As these are compared and contrasted with myths from around the world, from Greece to China, curious patterns emerge that have often been overlooked by scholars and the general public.

Category: Mythology
Publishing House: Penguin Books India

99 Tales on Ganapati (forthcoming)

The book brings together 99 tales to better understand the stories, symbols and rituals of the adorable elephant-headed Hindu god who removes hurdles and brings prosperity and peace. The book is full of illustrations of Ganesha, also known variously as Ganapati, Gajanana, Vinayaka or Pillayar.

Category: Mythology
Publishing House: Jaico Books

The Seven Secret Series

The series of seven books explores the secrets hidden within the mythology of India. The seven books of the series are: Seven Secrets from Hindu Calendar Art, Seven Secrets from Vishnu, Seven Secrets from Hanuman, Seven Secrets from Shiva, Seven Secrets from Shakti, Seven Secrets from the Vedas and Seven Secrets from Tantra.

Category: Mythology
Publishing House: Westland Limited

7 Secrets from Hindu Calendar Art

Hindu mythology abounds with fascinating gods, goddesses and characters whose visual representations - through calendar art - are equally colourful. Hindu calendar art may seem fantastic and kitsch, but it is in fact the most democratic expression of a mythic imagery that was once restricted to temple walls and palm leaf manuscripts. These portraits of the Hindu pantheon of gods and the stories that surround them can be found on the walls and puja rooms of almost every Hindu household in India. Rich in symbols, each image is a piece of an ancient metaphysical jigsaw puzzle. In this first book of The Seven Secret Series the author decodes these symbols to reveal a wisdom that has nourished India for thousands of years.

Category: Mythology
Publishing House: Westland Limited