Posted:
I have a different angle on the distortion thing - they irk me the same way FFs irritate me. I think characters are the author/storyteller's exclusive puppet that other subsequent writers should adhere to the spirit and essence of. Respect among writers/authors/storytellers. Nobody has the right to desecrate the work of another... even fill in the gaps or fill in the missing pages. Many thinK imitation, propagation, extrapolation, enhancement is flattery of the original work. To me it is not creative to hijack another's work especially without demarcation of differences by subsequent creatives who "borrow" or "build" on the product.
That said I respect that much of Indian Mythology is foremost an oral tradition and there is not as such "copyright" protection within even the written tradition. Still theorizing is fine...but, where things are passed authentic I have trouble...even if the justification is that they are simply filling a gap left by missing verses. Unless they are certain that is what has been lost i cannot accept it as the author(s) authentic work product.
Like paintings... should one retouch Michael Angelo's work in the Sistine Chapel? And if one does retouch for the sake of repair should they try and enhance it?...Surely if he had more time he would have drawn an angel here?🤔😆
Unlike paintings things get jumbled in retelling/manual copying - things get misordered or entirely omitted from one version to the next -- that I can accept. But, things clearly not even hinted at by the original like secret longings of Draupadi, etc. are stains on the original that annoy me... not on a religious level but on a human creative work product level. At least with FFs and books where they have the clear disclaimer people don't get misled, but would I want my non-existent kid to read POI and think it to be the authentic MB? NO! Would I be okay with them reading it with the understanding that this is more FF than original? Yes. In sum, so long as the perception of the "work" coincides with what it is I have less concern about distortion then when there is no disclaimer. Its still violating the essence of the original but, at least it is transparently doing so. My preference would of course be for them to understand read the more authentic version(s) of the original author(s) first.
Shiv Shakti
Ye Hai Mohabbatein
