In a village clearing, five people, two ordinary, two self-important, and one other, argue over the fall of Vena and the rise of Prithu. Was order restored, or privilege? A short mythoscopical drama about who writes legitimacy after regime change, and who must live beneath it.
Tag: Mythoscopy Shorts
The Making of a Legend
Under a banyan tree, Ratnakar explains how a southern campaign can become an exile, coalition chiefs can become demons, and a victorious prince can become divine. His friends laugh, then realise that power does not merely preserve stories. It teaches them what shape to take.
The Discourse at Kashi: Heretic or Saint
In a crowded Kashi courtyard, a monk and a scholar fight over whether Shankaracharya liberated inquiry or armed dogma. As the crowd joins in, the teacher becomes a trophy and philosophy becomes faction. A short dialogue about defending a name more fiercely than the thought beneath it.
This May Not Be True
In a scriptorium, scribes are asked to reshape an important shared tale (ancient even then), so it reflects an imperial present. Devotion, patronage, fear and practical survival enter the manuscript together. A speculative short story about how rulers colour tradition, and how reluctant hands help the colouring endure.
The Almost Mythical One-Horned-One
Shooting the air with a few friends, erstwhile batchmates, and then-still colleagues found uncanny parallels between geo-political, corporate and historical power shenanigans. Mythoscopy being my eternal hang-up, found the best fit as the Vikram-Betaal framing; i.e an overarching story, with one character narrating a story, with a query at the end, with the narrated story, and query, having a connection with the overarching story as well as having two-level moral learning for the final listener, i.e. us (go read the original.. it is awesome). This one has three confusing (confused) layers; (i) Superficial Corporate layer, of a pre-final VC round of a wannabe-unicorn startup, (ii) Parallel Geo-Political layer, of a dictator trying to get the sheen of being democratically elected/re-elected, and (iii) Reference Historical layer of the pre-, during-, and immediately-post-Emergency rule of Indira G. This is collaboration with @Curiouser&Curiouser | Do read, comment and discuss. Share but beware! | Word Count: 2596
The Handsome Prince
Based on an off-hand discussion, gone out of hand, with the better-half, with a better understanding of the world, the nominal author spun a tale of perspective. Based on the prior knowledge of an Indian Epic Tale of Cousin Warfare, but exploring the parallel worlds of choice. Timed just before the series of events through which reality decided who was "right", based on who won, this episode of literary schizophrenia explores the possibility of each side seeing themselves to be on the side of "right", and still self-aware that posterity may cut them a raw deal. No external links at the time of writing | Do read, comment and discuss. Share but beware! | Word Count: 2579 | Flesch Kincaid Grade Level: 4 |