The Literature Lounge: Devis & Demons: Author Anuja Chandramouli on Modern Mythological Retellings and their Takeaways | Ep 38

The Literature Lounge, hosted by Mohua Chinappa is a popular podcast series dedicated to the world of books and the brilliant minds behind them. Through exclusive conversations, we uncover how authors craft captivating stories, thought-provoking essays, insightful biographies, provocative prose and poetry that spark possibilities within us. From dreaming big to breaking conventions, each episode explores books that ignite fresh ideas – one page at a time.After a successful season of sharing inspiring stories, The Literature Lounge is now an independent podcast under The Mohua Show (TMS) banner. We have featured popular authors such as Gargi Rawat, Radhika Oberoi, Kiran Manral, Swami Mukundananda, Sharmishtha Mukherjee, Aseem Chhabra and many more on our show.Episode SummaryIn this alluring episode, Anuja Chandramouli, renowned new-age Indian classicist, brings to life Ilango Adigal’s timeless Tamil classic, Silapathikaram. Her modern take on this classic, The Wife and the Dancing Girl, reimagines the boundaries of passionate love and what it means to be a ‘dutiful’ woman. Anuja shares her take on the dance between sacrifice and pleasure that plague every woman’s destiny amidst a background of mytho-fiction and feminism. She explores themes of love and loss, and letting go without giving in to your destructive tendencies. Most of all, her book explores what it means to be a woman in an epic saga bent on branding you as a whore or goddess.The episode concludes with Anuja sharing tips for dealing with writer’s block and takeaways from her book, leaving listeners with the motivation to get back to reading and writing in 2025. Don’t miss this entertaining conversation!Chapters00:00 Introduction 01:45 Revisiting Silapathikaram: A Feminist Perspective05:32 Exploring the Love Triangle: Kanagi and Madhavi09:01 Themes of Love, Betrayal, and Modern Relationships13:06 Challenges in Retelling Ancient Myths17:08 Understanding Kovalan: The Flawed Hero20:18 Humanizing Madhavi: The Dancing Girl's Depth22:40 Balancing Mythology with Human Emotion25:29 Consequences of Suppressing Female Desire28:30 The Role of Storytelling in Challenging Narratives29:40 Inspirations and Influences in Writing32:59 Overcoming Writer's Block 35:05 Takeaways from the Book36:41 Concluding RemarksConnect with UsMohua Chinappa: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mohua-chinappa/The Mohua Show: https://www.themohuashow.com/Connect with the GuestAnuja Chandramouli: https://www.instagram.com/anujamouli/Follow UsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheMohuaShowInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/litlounge_pod/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/themohuashow/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/themohuashow/For any other queries [email protected] Link The Wife and the Dancing Girl: https://www.amazon.in/Wife-Dancing-Girl-Anuja-Chandramouli/dp/9361560425 DisclaimerThe views expressed by our guests are their own. We do not endorse and are not responsible for any views expressed by our guests on our podcast anThanks for Listening! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.