INDRA: The Rise and Fall of a Hero

There was something unusual in the air. There was no sound, no breeze and time seemed to have stopped as the world waited with bated breath. The eerie silence was unnerving and unsettling. What was this anticipation for? What was the world waiting for? In the stillness of the infinite silence, a mother was waiting in anticipation to give the world its elements. Indra was about to be born. Indra, most popularly known for his power over the rains, has been considered to be a cosmic, dragon-killing hero and a warrior god. So, what makes this warrior hero fall from grace? What makes him insecure, powerless and given to lust and merriment in the post-Vedic era? Indra— the Rise and Fall of a Hero is an attempt to look closely at an erstwhile ‘ human-hero’ , much maligned in the later period due to the wheel of time, which doesn’ t even spare the gods.

Utkarsh Patel is a lecturer of comparative mythology at the University of Mumbai and is a guest faculty in many other academic institutions across the country. He is an author of mythological fiction. He is also a founder member of ‘ The Mythology Project’ (www.themythologyproject.com), which explores our rich cultural heritage through archival collections and by researching living myths and traditions. Utkarsh regularly conducts workshops on various world mythologies— Greek, Mesopotamian and Norse— in addition to the epics of India, particularly the Ramayana and its myriad versions. Utkarsh is