Book –Shiva: My Postmodern Ishta
Neha Singh is a distinguished writer and content creator with over a decade of experience in the corporate sector and freelance writing. Holding a double post-graduate degree in English, she has made significant contributions to literature and communications. In her latest work, Shiva: My Postmodern Ishta, Neha offers a thoughtful interpretation of Hindu philosophy, emphasizing its relevance in the modern world. With three published books and a fourth in progress, Neha continues to explore themes of spirituality, identity, and the ongoing battle between good and evil.
The Literature Times: What inspired you to write “Shiva: My Postmodern Ishta,” and how does it reflect your personal journey?
Neha Singh: I come from an orthodox Hindu family- way back then, my maternal family was into a lot of religious rituals and practices, but I went to a left liberal school that taught me how to disregard my innermost religious values and pick up being trendy and atheistic in my attempts to be democratic and secular and popular. My family has reduced a lot of our previous religious rituals, but I continue to be religious and a firm believer of the Hindu reality. I only want to modernize certain aspects of it, and make it useful for everybody.
The Literature Times: In your book, you mention the importance of reconnecting with Hindu philosophy. Can you share how your interpretation of Hinduism has evolved over time?
Neha Singh: It has become from primarily bookish and theoretical to fully practicable and plausible for me. Most Hindus never really return to their roots practically- they just rediscover their comfort zones within them, applying the original philosophy to their lives practically.
The Literature Times: You highlight the struggles against “negative forces” in society. How do you see modern-day challenges affecting the practice and perception of Hinduism?
Neha Singh: There has been an upsurge in polygamy, polyamory and drug abuse- people are too concerned with their material comforts and their networths keep increasing. The general view that Hinduism is too tribal and organic seems to appear overbearing. The lower and middle classes have seen an upturn in murders, rapes and other related crimes comprehensibly.
The Literature Times: Can you elaborate on the concept of “good over evil” that runs through the book? How does it influence the overall message of the work?
Neha Singh: I can’t stress it enough- good always wins over evil, even if it means that we are the only good persons standing in our groups, our societies and our families. The fact that my book has Shiv’s name on it is enough to lay stress on the idea that we should neverlose ourvalue systems or morality no matter what the circumstances. Being good is our direct connection to our favorite God or Ishta be it Ram, Krishna or Shiv himself.
The Literature Times: In the book, you talk about the impact of Hinduism on both individual excellence and societal growth. How do you think the religion can adapt to modern challenges while preserving its core values?
Neha Singh: Excellent people build excellent societies- a theistic moral leader will influence his followers morally. I wish that our paternal tendencies get replaced by a feminist society- our PM has addressed the scourge of poverty astronomically. We already have reservations, our farmers need a lot more of rural developments, and we need to address the issue of student suicides while building more places for higher education not only in the cities but also in our rural towns and societies. We need to regulate Bollywood and our other glamour-filled and misogynistic industries.
The Literature Times: You’ve worked in the corporate world and have a background in communications. How do these experiences inform your writing, especially in relation to “Shiva: My Postmodern Ishta”?
Neha Singh: I am a practicing Shaivaite personally and professionally- I encourage others to worship him and seek his blessings and directions to gain mastery over themselves materially and morally and also spiritually. At work, I had to deal with a lot of politics, a lot of communalism, a lot of resentment and anti-elite policies. I have spoken about all these issues and events in my books exhaustively.
The Literature Times: Your book emphasizes a return to Hindu practices in the face of societal changes. What practical steps can modern Hindus take to reconnect with their faith in everyday life?
Neha Singh: Be organic, eat vegetarian, practise charity, practise non-violence to animals, pray daily, chant the name of Lord Shiv, love him endlessly, be moral, charitable and restricted in your sense pleasures and romantic relationships in society. Focus on your life, your work and your relationship with your personal deity. Practise living by the law in society. Focus on your finances and live independently.
The Literature Times: As a writer, how do you balance your personal beliefs with your desire to make Hinduism accessible to a broader audience, especially those outside India?
Neha Singh: I don’t want to make Hinduism accessible. The ones who are Hindu will remain. I want us Hindus to live with pride and practise our religion rigorously. I don’t want us to forget our religion under the fallacious theories of democracy, secularism and equality.
The Literature Times: What do you hope readers take away from “Shiva: My Postmodern Ishta” about the relationship between religion, identity, and the modern world?
Neha Singh: I want my readers to be proud of their religion, their roots and philosophy- they should study all our Hindu texts extensively in order to realize how great our heritage and culture are primarily. As practising theists, we should be proud moralists, proud feminists and rich and articulate fundamentally.
The Literature Times: What role do you believe spirituality and religion play in shaping personal and professional success in today’s world?
Neha Singh: Our own cultural Orthodoxy is as important to humans as basic science and engineering and medicine are to human ideology. A religion like Hinduism will keep us moral, egoless, humble and rooted. And as believers, we will always pray to a higher power instead of asserting our supremacy and primacy as individuals.
