Journalism of Courage
From tattoos and books to TV serials,Lord Shiva seems to have become the new muse for creative minds
He takes little interest in worldly pleasures and is a bit of a recluse. Living in the Himalayas,he only makes his presence felt when there is dire need. If displeased,he can wreck havoc with his tandava in heaven and hell. Lord Shiva bears many benevolent and fearsome forms. Usually described as an omniscient yogi who lives an ascetic life on Mount Kailash,as well as a householder with a wife and two sons,the mythological figure now has a powerful presence in popular culture as well.
Author Amish Tripathi is arguably one of the key personalities who helped bring Lord Shiva into popular culture. It will be too cocky of me to say that I made Shiva more accessible to the readers. It was Shiva who chose me, says the 38-year-old. Born to a family of Shiv bhakts,Tripathis Shiva trilogy The Immortals of Meluha,The Secret of the Nagas and The Oath of the Vayuputras follows the adventures of Lord Shiva. Shiva is a recluse but is also a family man; he not only has a terrible temper,but is also considered an erotic god, says Tripathi,listing the several conflicting facets of Shiva. The movie rights of his first book have already been bought by Dharma Productions,who plan to produce the film in epic proportions.
Thirty-year-old Mohit Raina,who plays Shiva in the popular TV series Devon Ke Dev Mahadev,says he is pleasantly surprised by the mass fan following the show has. Initially,I wasnt sure if I could play god. Lord Shiva has different shades to his personality,which gives an actor a great scope to perform, says Raina.
Karthik Rao,a 23-year-old mechanical engineer has recently got the face of Shiva tattooed on his arm from Auckland,New Zealand. The thick locks with a crescent moon and the gushing Ganga have been captured minutely monochrome. He is powerful and inspiring. He is strong as well as kind. He has the qualities that any man should have, says Rao about his tattoo.
The god is also walking the ramp with several Indian and international brands using his motif in their range of apparel. Popular among them is Mumbai and Amsterdam-based T-shirt label ITEM,which has a line dedicated to Indian gods,with Lord Shiva being a popular muse.
But it is not just now that Lord Shiva has inspired artistes from world over,insists Tripathi. Several works at the Elephanta caves as well as Ajanta and Ellora caves have been based on his legends and adventures, he says.
Some of the modern noteworthy works based on Lord Shiva are artist Jitish Kallats Nrittamurti and Atul Dodiyas art installation titled Umamaheswaramurti.
