Who are you? Would you like to have a new name? Were there many Kalidasas? Have you ever been with a mountain? Does your family have recorded history? Why are authors often anonymous in ancient Indian texts? Is the desire to be known akin to the desire for immortality? What is the name for India in Sanskrit? When do names of specific individuals begin to emerge in archaeological artefacts? Did the devadasis lead creative lives? Do (only) dominant elites name and judge the anonymous non-elites? Which communities are anonymous in the history books? Does language constrain our inner lives? Did the British hunt differently from the indigenous people? Can material fragments or memory be tangible sources for history? Are all collectives eventually a part of Nature or the Divine? Is there something beyond the Self and the Other? When do anthropology and history intersect? Why do we sometimes surrender to become anonymous? Is the contemporary idea of fame temporally short sighted? Is Bangalore Nagarathnamma here now? Is it time to de-anonymize animals and other non-humans? &, can there be an archaeology of life where both ordinary and the extraordinary meet? SynTalk thinks about these & more questions using ideas and concepts from anthropology & philosophy (Prof. Ananta Kumar Giri, MIDS, Chennai), & history (Prof. Aloka Parasher-Sen, University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad). Listen in...

#TSOTA (The Stories Of The Anonymous) --- SynTalk

Emerging in 12th-century Karnataka, Vachana Sahitya gave voice to the Sharana movement. The Sharanas were ardent devotees of Shiva, spreading their message through vachanas, verses composed and sung in simple Kannada, which were infused with profound thought. They advocated social equality and rejected caste, challenging Sanskrit dominance and the prevailing literary and social norms. Many of the Sharana poets came from marginalised groups. Their vachanas criticised rituals and hierarchies, emphasising a personal connection with the divine. 
While saints like Basavanna, Allama Prabhu, and Akka Mahadevi are the most prominent names of the movement, the tradition was equally enriched by the contributions of about 240 sharanas, including thirty or more women. Their simple lyrics championed social equality and resonated with the common people. As the vachanakaras challenged not just established religious practices but the very fabric of caste and hierarchy, they left an indelible mark on Kannada culture. Their thought and teaching became the foundation of a revolutionary literary and social movement.

As Amit Basole elucidates in this episode of Bhakti Republic, the core tenets of the movement find resonance with the values enshrined in the Constitution of India. The title of this episode, Kayakave Kailasa, is a key concept in the thought of poets from artisanal backgrounds. It translates loosely to “Work Is Worship”, but carries a deeper meaning. The sharanas believed that the body is the temple of Shiva, and that every act of it, conducted selflessly and honestly, is a path to the divine. 

This episode is enriched by vachanas performed in Kannada by singer M. D. Pallavi and accompanied by Bruce Lee Mani on guitar. You can enjoy the soundtrack in a special music playlist released by Radio Azim Premji University.

Bhakti Republic With Amit Basole | EP3 - Kayakave Kailasa

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Credits:
Akshay Ramuhalli, Bijoy Venugopal, Bruce Lee Mani, Narayan Krishnaswamy, Prashant Vasudevan, Sananda Dasgupta, Seema Seth, Shraddha Gautam, Supriya Joshi, and Velu Shankar

f(q) = Is soil a definitive sign of life? (#TCAFG)

SynTalk is a freewheeling interdisciplinary talk show with a philosophical approach to understanding the world from a long term perspective.

New tracks tagged #Akka Mahadevi