Mohit Raina AT 8~Har Har Mahadev-Jai Jai Jalandhar - Page 56

In his rising popularity, Shiva has left behind Krishna and Ram, the avatars of Vishnu, both of whom had dominated popular culture since the 1980s. Two television serials from the 1980s, Ramanand Sagar's Ramayan and B.R. Chopra's Mahabharat, which riveted the nation's attention one Sunday after another on Doordarshan, did much to promote Ram and Krishna in the national consciousness. That period also coincided with the rise of Hindu nationalism in the political domain and the demand for the Ram temple in Ayodhya. For the BJP, which has since toned down its Hindu rhetoric and symbolism, Ram has always been the God of choice.

The rise of Shiva has a lot to do with his depiction in pop culture but is completely apolitical. The young author Amish Tripathi achieved a rare feat for an Indian writing in English when he sold more than a million copies of his Shiva trilogy, all works of fiction, in which Shiva is the central character. The film rights to his books have been bought by Karan Johar's Dharma Productions. One can expect the already rising popularity of Shiva to get a serious boost once those films are released. On television, the very popular serial Devon Ke Dev... Mahadev has made a demigod of its leading star Mohit Raina, who is greeted with devotion in public, something that was experienced by the stars of Ramayann and Mahabharat.

Behind all this, is a rediscovery of Shiva's many virtues. He is viewed as the ideal family man, devoted to his wife, an attractive quality at a time when urban Indians find it harder to make relationships work. He is a symbol of modern masculinity, the attractive kind without the hard edges that the average male often dishes out to the female. Shiva is macho but compassionate. In an age when a majority is caught in a rat race to be the best, Shiva stands for effortless cool. He is good-looking, even with matted hair and a loin cloth. He occasionally smokes cannabis without fuss. He is a symbol of eroticism, the epitome of a good lover.

Our cover story, written by Senior Editor Gayatri Jayaraman, captures this new social trend amongst the urban youth. Shiva is worn on body tattoos and on T-shirts. His accessories, like the rudraksha beads, are sported as trendy bracelets or necklaces. Most of all, chic Shiva is a friend, philosopher and guide to young people as they struggle to meet the complex demands of city life, whether at home or at work.

I find it interesting that Shiva's rising popularity graph has little to do with religion. Even atheists are happy to play along. Remarkably, it is a completely secular cultural trend. Om Namah Shivaya.