Hindutva as an ideological force has gained prominence and visibility after 2014 with the election of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to the Centre. Christophe Jaffrelot, in his book Hindu Nationalism: A Reader, comments that Hindu Nationalism emerged from the “superimposition of a religion, a culture, a language, and a sacred territory-the perfect recipe for … Continue reading Looking at Hindutva Through The Visual Medium of Memes—Supratik Sinha
Category: Aesthetics
Agyeya’s ‘The Writer And His Society’—Transcreated by Tushar Srivastava
Sachchidanand Hiranand Vatsyayan, ‘Agyeya’, at his home in Delhi [Image Courtesy: Vatsal Nidhi] Following is an attempt to ‘transcreate’[1] Agyeya’s essay titled ‘Lekhak Aur Uska Samaj’ which is excellently archived in the collections of ‘Vatsal Nidhi Prakashan Mala: Samvitti’ published by ‘Sasta Sahitya Mandal’ — to which I remain very thankful. All meanings of thought, conveyed … Continue reading Agyeya’s ‘The Writer And His Society’—Transcreated by Tushar Srivastava
Tribulations for the Future of Classical Arts in India—Arnaaz Zaman
The eviction of veteran Odissi dancer, Padma Shri Mayadhar Raut The insular world of classical arts rarely surfaces on the mainstream news-headlines in India. Yet, the eviction of Mayadhar Raut, the doyen of the Odissi dance form, from his government accommodation in New Delhi brought the fraternity to the fore of the news-cycle. As images of … Continue reading Tribulations for the Future of Classical Arts in India—Arnaaz Zaman
Walking Through the Blind Alleys of Culture: A Glance into the Politics of ‘Sensory Heritage’—Ananyo Chakraborty
The Exhibition Venue: Kamala Palace in Shyambazar (Image: Suchintan Das) On 30th July this year, my friend Suchintan and I made an impromptu plan to visit an exhibition which claimed to showcase the “Sensory Heritage of Kolkata Streets”, having chanced upon its poster among many others pasted along the archaic staircase of the Indian Coffee House … Continue reading Walking Through the Blind Alleys of Culture: A Glance into the Politics of ‘Sensory Heritage’—Ananyo Chakraborty
Mask, Maker, and the Market: Dispatches on Chhau from Charida—Debayan Das
A Chhau mask depicting Goddess Durga Introduction Chhau is a unique tribal martial dance performed in the month of Chaitra across villages in the states of Jharkhand, West Bengal and Odisha, by mostly all-men troupes. Its practice in these three states gave rise to three different schools or styles of Chhau: Seraikela, Purulia and Mayurbhanj. … Continue reading Mask, Maker, and the Market: Dispatches on Chhau from Charida—Debayan Das
More to Memes than Meets the Eye—Krishna Priya
Memes started grabbing the limelight from the mid-2000s onwards, after proving to be effective tools of satire in social and political discourse. The evolution of memes has happened in tandem with people’s surging demand for media that could inform, educate and entertain them in the shortest possible period of time. Besides making us laugh and … Continue reading More to Memes than Meets the Eye—Krishna Priya
Documenting Dissent Through Art—Rayan Chakrabarti
“Painting is not made to decorate apartments; it is an offensive and defensive instrument of war against the enemy.” ---Pablo Picasso Art plays a pivotal role in shaping the nature of protests during any social upheaval. It allows the people to give a new direction to their political imagination and make powerful statements challenging authorities. … Continue reading Documenting Dissent Through Art—Rayan Chakrabarti
Challenging Reason, Identities, and Nations: Situating Ghatak’s Jukti Takko Aar Goppo—Sujato Datta and Ananyo Chakraborty
Jukti Takko Aar Goppo (1974) “And somewhere under some new moon we shall learn that sleeping is not death.” Remembering Ritwik Ghatak on his 95th birth anniversary warns against deifying him as a cult figure. "Pakami korona" (Don't try to be too smart) would have been the spontaneous retort, if the man had been alive … Continue reading Challenging Reason, Identities, and Nations: Situating Ghatak’s Jukti Takko Aar Goppo—Sujato Datta and Ananyo Chakraborty
Society Spectacular—Monjima Kar
Fantastic Planet (1973) Something funny happened a few days back. I watched an online streaming of Frankenstein by the National Theatre (thanks to the current circumstances) with some excitement and it was quite an experience. I had never seen something that magnificent on a stage before—with rolling steam engines and all grand elements on display, … Continue reading Society Spectacular—Monjima Kar
Temple Intrigues and Classical Dances: Historicizing the Devadasi System—Arnaaz Zaman
Image Courtesy: The Covai Post As a student of history, I have been interested in the devadasi system in general and its relevance in the genealogy of contemporary Indian classical dance forms in particular. In my opinion, existing approaches and appraisals fail to adequately historicise the evolution of these dance forms. It is only when … Continue reading Temple Intrigues and Classical Dances: Historicizing the Devadasi System—Arnaaz Zaman
Lokayata 