Arundhuti Dasgupta: The age of supermen (and women)

Zeus, the towering figure from Greek mythology, commanded complete supremacy

Every age has its hero. When valour was prized above all else, there were Achilles, Hercules, Arjun and Hanuman. When conquerors topped the tables, Alexander, Ashok and Ram were the heroic figures. Today we have Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, Narendra Modi, Angela Merkel and Recep Tayyip Erdogan —strong leaders who believe in the might of the state and their right of way.   Social and cultural analysts have had a field day dipping into the collective psyche to understand why these leaders have been set on a hero’s pedestal. Anxious people look for iron men (or women), say ...

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Arundhuti Dasgupta: The age of supermen (and women)