Author and IIM Ahmedabad alumna Ami Ganatra says the ancient Indian epics and the wider Indic knowledge tradition remain relevant not simply as stories from the past, but as a framework for thinking about the choices and dilemmas of modern life.
In an interview with The Australia Today Editor Pallavi Jain, Ganatra, author of Mahabharata Unravelled, Ramayana Unravelled and other books, said her own journey into the epics began with curiosity about what it means to be Hindu and, more fundamentally, what “dharma” means. Her professional experience as a consultant, she said, also helped her approach the epics through the lens of storytelling and different audiences.
For Ganatra, understanding these traditions is particularly important for younger generations and the Indian diaspora, where questions of identity can become more pronounced. She argued that knowing the cultural ideas that shape one’s worldview can help people understand their own responses to the world without becoming either defensive about their identity or feeling compelled to abandon it.
She also stressed that studying the tradition does not mean accepting everything associated with it unquestioningly. Ganatra said societies inevitably carry contradictions, struggles and practices that may no longer serve their purpose. The concept of dharma, she explained, provides a way to assess what enables society to thrive as circumstances, technology and values change. “A lot of what we think as tradition today was innovation once upon a time,” she said.
Ganatra believes this approach can also help distinguish the core ideas of Sanatana Dharma from practices or baggage accumulated over time. She pointed to yoga, Ayurveda, pranayama and mindfulness as examples of Indic ideas that have been studied and adapted in contemporary contexts, arguing that there is value in approaching the shastras (scriptures) with an open and questioning mind.
Her message to young people who may see the epics as belonging to the past is simple: know before you accept or reject. The Mahabharata and Ramayana, she said, continue to speak to human beings because the underlying dilemmas have not fundamentally changed — people still grapple with desire, insecurity, anger, competing priorities and difficult choices. “It’s your life, it’s your karma,” Ganatra said, urging people to use their buddhi (intelligence) before deciding what to accept or reject.
Ganatra also sees an opportunity for India to contribute its civilisational ideas to contemporary global conversations. Discussing technology and geopolitics, she pointed to approaches that emphasise wider human welfare, ethical frameworks and dialogue, saying India’s growing confidence has helped create greater space for discussions around the Indic worldview on the global stage.
Ganatra is touring Australia for a series of talks and sessions titled “AI: Ancient India — The Timeless Frontier” across five cities — Adelaide, Melbourne, Canberra, Sydney and Brisbane — from 25 September to 11 October 2026. Her tour is being hosted by OpticsAustralia.
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