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Shiva's non verbal communication
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By anamika sinha, 3/26/2014 2:00:25 AM
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Recently I read “Fun With Devloks , Shiva Plays Dumb Charades” by Devdutt Patnaik.
Dr. Devdutt Patnaik Studied medicine but realized at one point in time that he was more passionate about telling stories. He feels stories are like éclairs; if you chew long enough ,you get a burst of chocolate locked inside. So rather than working as a doctor, he decided to unlock ancient mysteries by writing and reconstructing them. He believes these stories are gift of our ancestors. He is currently Chief Belief Officer Of Future Group.
In the ‘Fun With Devlok ‘series there are basically six books in which “ Shiva Plays Dumb Charades “ Is one. This 41 page – childish story there are 6 basic characters -5 friends ABCDE, and Shiva. ABCDE meet Shiva at a get-together where three sets of parents are talking and gossiping; while the kids are getting bored watching cartoons ,dancing and making shadows using their hands. Then one kid suggested that they play dumb charades. The other kids tried guessing the answers and making mistakes and laughing and teasing each other. This was a whole lot of fun. So much fun that even Shiva decided to join the gang. He showed the mudras and the meaning of the ornaments, clothes and all the other things he has.
Shiva told ABCDE fantastic stories and entertained the kids. The children spent the evening looking at the image of the dancing Shiva and trying to solve the puzzles laid in front of the children by Shiva. They thanked Shiva for playing with them . Shiva thanked them in return, then turned back and left. Soon the parents of ABCDE stopped talking. The story ends with all the parents wondering what had kept the children quite for so long.
This story might seem humorous to the adults and is a knowledge-providing story for children in the age group of 5 years to 10 years. There are some things that go against the moral value one teaches a child .for e.g. on page number 15 and 16. When Shiva gets impatient the children get embarrassed at not being able to guess. Then Shiva says that “if you don’t know, you don’t know , its fine”. I would like to share my opinion that if I would be at Dr. Patnaik’s shoes I would encourage the children to go and learn and come back with appropriate reasons, Shiva should have pushed the children to go on and try till they succeeded and not give up with a complacent attitude, that it is ok if you don’t know. Also, on page number 20 , Shiva is showing ‘Abhaya mudra’. In the process of guessing the game, children gave answers which can hurt religious sentiment.
Overall the story framing and fiction is awesome. The book is entertaining, lucidly written and extends the imagination and imageries quite well. Worth a one time read, and if you have siblings, then you can share the story with them.
Review by Pronamika Goswami
Age 12 , date-25 /3/2014
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Reviews posted for
Fun In Devlok - Shiva Plays Dumb Charades
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