Writer and mythologist Devdutt Pattnaik busts myths with quite aplomb. Known for his progressive and iconoclastic form of literature, one that projects Indian mythological stories in a completely different realm, this former physician rattles deep recesses of the mind when he says that children's stories should not be about happy endings.

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"Because there is no happily ever after," he drops the bomb. "We should not push our children into living in a make believe world of all good and no evil through the stories we narrate to them. Sadly, this is what we have been doing since ages," the author of three children's books, says during a candid tete-a-tete at the recently concluded Jumpstart 2017 Conclave here. The two-day event brought thinkers, creators, practitioners and publishers together to propel the learning of children through creative content.

Taking his train of thought further, he makes a valid argument on how stories need to be retold. Clarifying that he has nothing against Cinderella, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and all the mythological stories that propagate triumph of good over evil, the writer finds it baffling that kids are being fed the same banality even as the world around them is in throes of constant transformation. "We need to change the way of storytelling. We impose the tale, telling them this is good and that is bad. Instead, we should encourage them to think, draw their own inferences," Pattnaik suggests. "In times like ours, stories should equip them to deal with life. There is no harm in telling them that there is no stark black and white, but always grey. Life is not a bed of roses. It may break the dream world we have created for them over the years through fables yet prepare them for the journey ahead," he adds.

Pattnaik who is famous for his novel interpretation of scriptures like Ramayana, characters like Seeta, offers a similar foreground for fairy tales too, when asked about all fairy tales are about a damsel in distress rescued by some knight in shining armour. "If he sees some princess waiting to be saved, he also sees a fiery Durga at the pooja pandal. Both images have an impact on the child. It is how we tell the story and what we reinforce. I would rather that he be told both stories, as also where a man is rescued by a woman. For instance Nala Damayanti," he avers.

The conversation then veers towards patriarchy as Pattnaik dwells on how inspite stories like Nala Damayanti, they are not told that way. "I think somewhere down the line we have been conditioned to project patriarchy in traditional narratives. There are many fables that have strong feminist characters but they are not selected by the editors," he states. "Writers are parochial in their outlook but I don't see it that way. For me, Seeta was a strong woman who chose her partner and made decisions, some of which were wrong too, and stood by them. She chooses to feed a hungry man, to not go back to Ayodhya, to bring up her kids as a single mother. I have not changed the plot, just the way it's told. Unfortunately, we prefer showing her as a weak and whiny woman. This needs to be changed. Unless we do so, we would continue to pander to the feudalistic dogmas we have inherited," feels Pattnaik.