Dr Tripti Sharan is a gynaecologist by profession. At other times she is a reader, writer, thinker, and a dreamer. With her dual role of a doctor and author, and her distinctive style of writing in both prose and poetry, she occupies a significant place in the hearts of avid readers and literary enthusiasts. Read more about her in her profile, click here.
Hi Tripti, congratulations on the success of your book Devis & Divas!
Readomania: So, mythology seems to be one of your favourite genres, isn’t it?
Tripti: I have always been an avid reader of mythology. I was fortunate that I shared this interest with my sister and my parents. As kids, we used to binge on this genre. We had a huge collection of Amar Chitra Katha. Even as a child, I could feel that the stories conveyed far more than what was written in the books. I could read between the lines and draw my interpretations. It gave me a different meaning which I found inspiring. Later as I grew up, I read more and learned more. But I always analysed it through the prism of my 21st-century glasses.
I remember that we had Ramayana in our study curriculum in class 5. And as I read the book I had cried, not for Ram, not for Sita, or for their vanvaas and travails. But it was Sita’s kanyadaan and the conspicuous absence of Sita’s parents subsequently in her life even while the world rained injustices upon her that was intolerable, and unacceptable to me. I decided I would never get married and abhorred the custom of kanyadan.
Readomania: You’ve mentioned in your Author’s Note that the idea for this book came during a casual conversation with your friend. Would you like to elaborate?
Tripti: Yes, this friend of mine, Radhika Shrivastav is my batchmate from MBBS. The idea of writing such a book had not even crossed my mind. We were sparring on our WhatsApp group on politics and religion. Our views were diametrically opposite and it got a little uneasy and a little ugly as neither of us was ready to relent. So I left the discussion and called her up, to soothe frayed nerves. And suddenly our discussion went into an altogether different tangent. Maybe that was also destined. We talked about the relevance of religion in present times when she popped this question: ‘Imagine if our gods lived in this age and met each other?’ That immediately set the ball rolling. I was excited. I had always believed that stories of our revered Gods didn’t belong to one era. They were there in every era, we just have to look around to find them very near to us, teaching us, and inspiring us. She did not give me any names but I knew the ones that fascinated me, and I wanted them to meet and tell us about themselves.
Readomania: Of all the devis in the Hindu pantheon, why Parvati, Radha, Sita, and Ahalya?
Tripti: To me, they are not mere goddesses, but beautiful concepts as well. Though they are all forms of Shakti each of them has distinctive characterizations that set them apart.
Parvati is married to my favourite God, Shiv. He is the one who drives me. He is my conscience, the pure and brilliant mind, undeterred and untouched by anything, never bows down to any authority, and is indifferent to the world. It is good for the world to have a mind that doesn’t differentiate, but then what use is imagination if it doesn’t validate others? Shiv has destroyed hunger and fear of death and doesn’t understand that in others. Parvati wants him to understand the fears of human beings. That creates debates between them.
What use is a mind, even if brilliant if it doesn’t engage with thoughts.
If Shiv is the mind, Parvati is the nature. And I wondered what it would mean to have a husband who is indifferent to the majority of things that are considered a necessity by others. Would his wife suffer? His first wife had chosen to die because she was in a negative triad, an uncaring ruthless father, an indifferent husband who doesn’t open his eyes till she dies, and a suffering lonely wife. How would Parvati cope with this? Does she go along the lines of Sati, or does she have to become Kali to catch his attention? How does she survive being his wife and how does she keep their relationship alive?
And does she remind Sita that she is the daughter of nature too apart from being Ram’s wife? Nature is always fair, unlike culture which differentiates.
Sita: Epitome of Womanhood
Source: Wikipedia
Sita is a brave woman; she is divine. Her travails are extraordinary. She gives up her ambitions to follow her husband. In a way, both Sita and Radha suffer because their men have a purpose in life. Does it mean women have no purpose in life besides looking after their husbands and bearing sons?
Sita, despite walking into a pyre for her husband, suffers not just from the cruelty of Ravan but more so from the cold apathy of her husband, all in the name of Dharma.
And one day she puts an end to her cycle of abandonment. She rejects culture and goes back to nature. She says NO to Ram. She understands that she does not need a man to put an end to her suffering but it's only she who has that power. She understands that she can not only create life but also bring it up on her own. Ram continues to suffer because he continues to be shackled to culture.
Ahalya is the one I would say who is the most human. She is beautiful, and vulnerable too. Indra exploits her vulnerability and she is shamed and judged for that. She is the one most human because she commits a mistake. She turns into a stone due to the callousness of her husband, and of the society that thrives in victim shaming while the accused continues to rise.
Does Sita get inspired by meeting Ahalya, a victim of abuse and sexual violence? Does she make her question the idea of giving up her life for a husband who doesn’t think twice before putting you out of his life? Does Sita question the idea of giving up her life dedicated to sons who one day gladly fall into the authority of their father?
Radha is one goddess I have previously also written about. If you ask me honestly, I find her unbelievable, wasting her whole life for a man who moves ahead in life never turning back. Who would do that or even should do that in modern times? Or is she giving us a message? Does she teach that love is not always about being together? Or does she teach Sita that it is better to live alone in dignity than to be part of a life that you are not comfortable with?
Readomania: You have given a modern twist to eternal stories. Did you take any creative liberties? Most of the characters that you have written about are severely revered. How conscious were you of not hurting sentiments? Did it limit your thought process in any way?
Tripti: Yes, I have taken a lot of creative liberties. But all the time I was very conscious of the fact that I was writing about characters that were revered by people. Despite putting them in modern roles they would still relate them to the divinities. So I had to be very careful. The idea was never to hurt the sensitivities of people but only to draw the attention to travesties of women faced across ages. I had to remove several dialogues and instances cause I didn’t want my book to be drawn into controversies.
Readomania: Whose story among the Devis is closest to your heart?
Tripti: Ahalya! I even made her a Gynaecologist. She reminds us how a woman who is pretty is always blamed for being beautiful, how it obscures every other credential she has. Beauty never begets friends, it creates more enemies. If you look around, whenever there is a case of abuse all fingers point towards the woman. Her character is tarnished, she is judged, humiliated, and obscured forever while men remain largely unscathed.
Ahalya
Source: Wikipedia
People forgive and forget their crimes, implying men will always be men, and they continue to rise in power and stature. For that reason, the majority of women do not come forward and complain, despite very strong laws. I find her story most stirring and relevant.
Readomania: Do you think circumstances for women have changed in any way since the time memorial?
Tripti: In ways they have, in ways they have not. Men still are celebrated for having a ‘purpose in life’. Women get slammed for ignoring their families and putting their careers ahead of their families. Women themselves feel guilty about it. Motherhood remains a central role for a majority of women. They are always celebrated in their role as homemakers, and their success is calibrated in terms of the success of their husbands and children.
Yet, we have strong laws now. Women who have fought the system and emerged victorious have been celebrated also. Maybe our trials remain the same but the ways we deal with it are different. Sita still gets abandoned in her most vulnerable time but she can now say NO boldly to Ram and live with dignity as a single woman. She does not need to end her life anymore. Parvati can mould an unrelenting Shiva, Radha can live her own life, and she can have her purpose in life too, and be appreciated for that. Ahalya can leave behind her scarred life and move ahead. In this fast-paced life, people do not have the time to look behind. We all need to learn to live with our scars. Above all this sisterhood among women needs to grow, we should stand for each other, and give each other strength, courage, and wisdom to keep going. That is why I brought four women together.
I can kind of sum up with my quote that I have used in the beginning, which I have borrowed from my book, Being Radha:
“Nirvana,
A man attains it by
Renouncing the world
A woman reaches it by
Embracing the world.”
Readomania: You are a practising OB-GYN with a very hectic schedule. How do you find time to think about your story plots? When do you write?
Tripti: Yeah, life is hectic but then we always take time for our passions. I do not have a fixed schedule but then the best part is that as an author, I do not have fixed deadlines. I write whenever something strikes me. I am not under any compulsions to write. And that makes writing more spontaneous and vivid.
I have made writing my idea of relaxation. Sometimes it impinges on my exercise schedule which I feel guilty about. My family has accepted the author in me as an integral part of my life. I try not to allow it to meddle much. If I have an important case in the hospital or an important event in the family, that will always come first; writing takes a back seat then.
Having a mobile phone helps. Whenever something strikes me, I jot it down on my mobile and work on it later.
I can very confidently say that rather than being at leisure, something to write strikes me most effectively when I am in the middle of everything.
Dr. Tripti Sharan with her books at Bahrisons Bookstore
Readomania: What kind of research did you do to get the mythological details correct?
Tripti: I read books about these characters and the content that is online. And there are plenty. I draw my interpretation and yeah, use my imagination too. Ultimately, it is all about storytelling.
Readomania: What according to you are the lessons we can learn even today from our epics and mythological tales?
Tripti: I think I kind of answered that. Our tales tell us about courageous women who dealt with their problems as per the dharma and standards of those times. But with time culture and tradition change. We need to strike a balance. And woman are not the only harbingers of culture and tradition. Patriarchy should be shrugged off. Men and women both should evolve, religion also needs to do that. In that way Hinduism is unique. It is constantly evolving, all-inclusive, and has a very plural meaning.
Readomania: Finally, what is your message to the readers of Devis & Divas?
Tripti: Understand the teaching of our religious texts in the right context. We are living in the 21st century. Our stories remain the same but somewhere along the line how we deal with them needs to be changed. We have to help ourselves and not depend on anyone else, at least the men in our lives who might be bogged down by their compulsions. Women need to be confident and strong but never at the cost of their femininity. And above all, women should never underestimate themselves, and never stop respecting themselves.
Readomania: Thank you for the lovely conversation Tripti.
Her books are available on Amazon, please click on the link below to see her books.
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