We refer to Straits Times associate editor Ravi Velloor's article, "Oppenheimer, the Gita and a duty that Christopher Nolan owes Asia" (July 28).

Mr Velloor connected Dr J. Robert Oppenheimer's invention of the atomic bomb and its first use in Japan to the epic Mahabharata and the embedded philosophical teachings of Lord Krishna, the Bhagavad Gita.

He then stated: "Nolan would do the world, and Asia, a service by implying through his movie that the Mahabharata is essentially a work of mythology, not history, or archaeology."

In Hinduism, the Mahabharata is known as Ithihasa in Sanskrit, which translates to "so indeed it was" or "thus happened".

Hindus believe that Ithihasa like the Mahabharata and Ramayana are historic in nature, corroborated by archaeological evidence attesting to events, locations and characters mentioned in these texts.

The cities mentioned in the Mahabharata, such as Hastinapur, Kurukshetra, Vrindavan and Dwaraka, where these events took place, still exist.

The Gita is a philosophical text on "how to live" in a righteous manner (Dharma). It does not advocate or glorify war.

Mr Velloor's use of Oppenheimer's quote when the atomic bomb exploded is contextually misplaced, giving the wrong impression that the Gita endorses mass destruction.

Mr Velloor should not have linked or juxtaposed Oppenheimer's invention of the atomic bomb with the Gita, a divine text that teaches one and all to live life righteously.

T. Raja Segar
Chief Executive Officer
Hindu Endowments Board

RAVI VELLOOR'S NOTE:

I stand by my assertion that the Mahabharata is essentially a work of mythology, a term which is a specific reference point in social science. It was, hence, applied with a certain academic rigour and precision, and is not a slur.

Some people have interpreted my use of "mythology" to imply that because the root of the word is myth, I therefore meant to say it is untrue, and a lie. This is mischievous.

In social science, the world of mythology is not devoid of history, and it may well include historical situations.

Indeed, I have been privileged to visit three of the places the Hindu Endowments Board (HEB) has listed as real, although not the fourth, Dwaraka, which is generally referred to as a Lost City submerged undersea many millennia ago and is still sought by archaeologists.

The HEB may like to watch the clip of a 2016 interview with popular Indian mythologist Devdutt Pattanaik, titled "Kitab: Devdutt Pattanaik on Mahabharat" and carried by the official television channel of the Indian Parliament, where he repeatedly frames the Mahabharata as mythology.

Indian Members of Parliament and the public have not been exercised about it since the programme aired, and the clip remains online to this day.

My column is a plea against the use of nuclear weapons, written against a backdrop of intense concern over the deepening geopolitical crisis centred in Asia which endangers us all.

It is a pre-emptive warning to Christopher Nolan against portraying Dr Oppenheimer as anything more than the brilliant scientist and scholar he undoubtedly was, and to be mindful about the potential misuse and misportrayal of the Mahabharata and the Gita.

The HEB says I should not have linked or juxtaposed Dr Oppenheimer's invention of the atom bomb with the Gita. It is not I who made that unfortunate juxtaposition, but Dr Oppenheimer.