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Renowned mythologist Devdutt Pattanaik has picked seventy-two tales, mainly from India’s rich mythology, and used them as a canvas to paint 21^st century on. This collection of stories originates from Patnaik’s webcast called Teatime Tales. Why did he pick 72 stories? Well, the reason lies in mythology. 72 steps, 72 hours, 72 names, 72 stupas—all these and more feature in mythology. Do read the 72nd story in the book to know the significance of the number 72 in mythology from various religions.

‘Myth is how people imagine the world,’ says the author in the introduction. And then he takes you on a whirlwind tour of the world through the lens of mythology. Not just the usual Indian suspects—the Ramayana, the Mahabharata, the Jataka and Jain tales and the Puranas—there’s a dive into Arabic, Greek, Roman, Egyptian and Norse myths too.