In Hindu sacred texts, specifically Purāṇa, deities, and the rituals associated with them contain allegories to understand the Ultimate Truth. They help disseminate the complex ideas and knowledge to common masses of all caste and class. The principles of Prāṇa vidyā- the true knowledge of the life force behind the creation is embedded in them. Let us try to understand the profoundness behind one of the forms of Mahākālī, which is Bhadrakālī.
Dakshayani was an extraordinary woman and a revolutionary who not only was the first Dalit graduate of Independent India but also the only Dalit woman to be a part of the Constituent Assembly that drafted the Indian Constitution. Learn more about her life.
For indigenous people like Hindus, our rituals and our festivities had given us a chance to navigate the important communication of reproductive health with young girls, to introduce them to menstruation using not just their own biology which could be daunting and alienating, but a language that encapsulates the indigenous understanding of nature and culture to make them feel more secure, more stable during a critical transition. Something which is so deeply connected to so much of our future experiences as women, need not be introduced to us as an ailment, a disease or a condition. It should be a celebration, an initiation into a new phase of life, like our culture made space for. Raja Parba can give us that language
As a millennial student just about to begin her college studies, I am here today to bring to your attention matters that concern not only my, but perhaps my entire generation’s future. Much has been written about us millennials over the years in mainstream media and much will continue to be written, as you try to worry about us. I contemplated long and hard as to whether I must write to you directly or not, whether it was my place to do so, but I have decided that I must ask you some crucial questions.
“attempts to speak for the subaltern, to enable the subaltern to speak or even to listen to the subaltern can very easily end up silencing the subaltern”.
Having discussed the subaltern celebrations of Holi in detail in Part 1 - we will turn our gaze towards some of the most common criticisms raised in context of Holi, with a commitment to decoloniality and not simply “anti-oppressiveness”, which is a classic colonizing weapon and, thus, should be thoroughly investigated and not simply taken to have integrity.
Rakshābandhan, a festival which attracts as much pontification every year, as the fervour and fondness with which its celebrated, has always been analyzed from a colonialist, binary world-view. Projection of Victorian morays about gender on Hindu festivals never yields accurate result, and this festival is no exception. In this article, we try to analyze the symbolism of this festival from the lens of a native, indigenous, practicing feminist’s point of view.
