TGLife: What is your idea of Mythology?
Neeta Omprakash: In technical terms the study of myths is Mythology. Myths are the answers given by a creative mind to the questions posed by an inquisitive mind. There are creation myths in almost all the cultures because someone asked the question ‘How was the universe created?’, ‘How was mankind born?’, ‘How are sun and the stars born?’ Stories come as a good substitute whenever reasons fail to give answers. All the civilizations have myths. It is one of the basic characteristics of any culture. Myths are the integral part of any and every vibrant culture. It will not be an exaggeration to say where ever human beings have lived they have created stories, some of which become myths when they become part of the collective consciousness of a particular society.
Myths are also a reservoir of information about a particular culture at the time of its creation. We can know about the customs, traditions, occupations, various Gods, the hierarchy among the Gods if any, the rivalry of various religions etc. from the myths of any culture.
The world of myths is vast and as deep as ocean. It touches all the civilizations. It is a beautiful saga of humanity.
TGLife: If Ram and Krishna walked on this earth, then, are our books of wisdom - Geeta, Ramayan and Mahabharat - just stories?
NO: If one considers Ram and Krishna walked on the earth, they are part of history. When one says Ram and Krishna are the incarnation of Lord Vishnu then they become myth. When there is ambiguity then there is confusion. Well, there are certain occasions the rulers were glorified to a great extent then some mythification takes place. Historians separate the mythic element from the factual records.
Yes, they are the books of wisdom. Geeta is part of Mahabharat. Ramayan and Mahabharat are epics. An epic is like an ecosystem, it is much more than just a story.
TGLife: Where should we draw the line to demarcate history and mythology?
NO: History is based on facts and evidences about the lives of people who have inhabited this planet. There is no scope for any mystic element in history. Myths are not bound by any laws of rationality. There is immense scope for imagination in myths.
TGLife: With satellite mapping, scanning and infrared technique, we are now finding hidden, forgotten civilizations from underneath the layers of soil or the depth of oceans. Do governments try to cover up these findings?
NO: It should be best left to the archeologists to unearth the available data with whatever resources they have in hand and put it in the public domain if required. The knowledge about past civilizations does not belong only to one nation but it has significance for the study of other civilizations also. I say this specifically because the geographical boundaries of a nation are not the same what they were thousands of years back. If the government does not let the information found by the scholars to be made public then either they have certain specific reasons or probably they don’t value it.
TGLife: Do governments have enough funds to be allotted for excavations or ocean archaeology findings?
NO: There are funds allotted for the archeological excavations but it may not be sufficient for the amount of work still to be done.
TGLife: Sometimes wrongly interpreted history is being thrust upon us.
NO: We have the resources at our disposal and we also have the historians who have done the research about our history and published books. Do you think the history of Kadamba rulers of Goa is misinterpreted and thrust upon us? We only need to trust the historians, let them carry out their research and learn about our history. No body stops us from learning or relearning.
TGLife: How can we teach our children their real past?
NO: Past is vast. It is up to every individual to choose which part of the past to be taught to the child. If you are asking about the national educational policy then it should be decided by the historians and educationists and nobody else. It is high time that we must respect the expertise of the scholars from respective field.
TGLife: Did the entire world have Vedic history?
NO: I do not know, if any other part of the world had the Vedic rituals practiced and the hymns recited the way it was in India! Vedas are the texts compiled over a long period of time. There is particular period in the Indian history termed as ‘Vedic Period’ when the Vedic culture was practiced.
TGLife: Why is it necessary to know and study our past, our heritage, our origin?
NO: Our heritage gives us identity. Even if we haven’t achieved anything in life, we can still take pride in considering ourselves great because of our rich and great heritage.
