UNEASY LIES THE

HEAD
DEVDUTT PATTANAIK
 ABOUT THE AUTHOR
• Devdutt Pattanaik is an Indian mythologist, speaker, illustrator, author and eminent
columnist.
• He trained as a physician but gave up his career in medicine to pursue his interests in
writing. He uses sacred lore, legends, folklore, fables and parables to offer insights and
views on varied subjects like management, business, politics, sexuality, myth and
mythology and society in general.
• Pattanaik is a columnist for Mid-Day, Times of India, CN Traveller, Daily O and Scroll.in.
He hosts a radio show / podcast for Radio Mirchi called the Devdutt Pattanaik Show.
• He has a vast readership from children to adults.
• Pattanaik opines that "no society can exist without myth as it creates notions of right
and wrong, good and bad, heaven and hell, rights and duties”, because mythology
"tells people how they should see the world... Different people will have their own
mythology, reframing old ones or creating new ones."

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 UNEASY LIES THE HEAD
• The Present piece, ‘Uneasy Lies the
Head’ has been taken from the book,
“Leader: 50 Insights from Mythology”
• The essay also featured in ‘The
Economic Times’ on Oct 10, 2008.
• The essay illustrates that “Leadership
isn’t just about wielding power; it is also
about accepting responsibilities.”

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 SUMMARY
• Through the analogy of the crown and the title, the author literally and metaphorically
tells how burdensome the idea of leadership and responsibility can be.
• A person who has great responsibilities, be it a king or the CEO of a company or a
department head, is constantly worried and therefore doesn't sleep soundly. (literal
meaning of the line)
• The title has been borrowed from a line from the play King Henry the Fourth, Part Two,
by William Shakespeare.
• King Henry IV in Act III, Scene I, says these lines to express how tough his duty of kingship
is, and how difficult it is to take such a serious responsibility, which constantly worries
him.
• The line further exemplifies that any head of an institution/organization/kingdom/state
has many responsibilities to discharge. He or she has to be careful that decisions are
taken judiciously and do not prove to be detrimental to the lives of others. Leaders
should influence and motivate people to perform and succeed and do well in life. They
are like beacons who show the right way to people.

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 Continued
• The author, through this essay, tells about how people need to go beyond their
comfort zones to succeed and what lessons they can learn by that extra push or
effort that goes into that role. (Rama helping Sage Vishwamitra to vanquish
Tadaka and free Ahalya)
• The author, draws examples from the business world and its parallel from
mythology to talk about leadership and its traits like- power, responsibility,
decision making skills, adaptability, accountability, compassion, strength,
patience, efficiency, exposure to situations, resilience, motivation and trust.
• The essay also offers lessons in contextualizing situations and rules, excellence in
work, judging and responding to situations and people, presence of mind, and
inspiring people to follow and lead.
• The essays also informs about the fact that with power comes glory, respect and
other perks, but it also has its fair share of difficulties and challenges.
• It has its applications in ever sphere of personal and professional life- parenting,
relationships, literary world, business, politics, etc.

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 POSSIBLE QUESTIONS
• Q.1. What traits of an ideal leader can you find elucidated in the essay ‘Uneasy lies the
head’?
• Q.2. Summarise in your own words the gist of the essay ‘Uneasy lies the head’.
• Q.3. Devdutt Pattanaik’s use of the saying ‘Uneasy lies the head’ brings to light the pros
and cons of the idea of an ideal leader and the concept of leadership. Do you agree?
Explain your arguments with suitable examples.
• Q.4. In what way is Jacob’s boss helping him to learn leadership skills?
• Q.5. “Here is an opportunity for Jacob to save a life. Will Jacob do it? If he does, then
Jacob’s boss will know that Jacob is a talent, one who has to be retained in the
organization and groomed for leadership roles. If he does not, then Jacob’s boss will
know that Jacob still has miles to go before he can even aspire to be king.” How in
your opinion could Jacob improve himself to become a competent and exemplary
leader in the corporate world?

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 THANK YOU

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