A weekly magazine-style radio show featuring the voices and stories of Asians and Pacific Islanders from all corners of our community. The show is produced by a collective of media makers, deejays, and activists.
On today’s South Asia spotlight, we bring you an insightful discussion between scholar Aniruddhan Vasudevan, who is pursuing a PhD in cultural anthropology at the University of Texas, Austin, and Dr. Vijaya Nagarajan, associate professor of religious studies at the University of San Francisco. They discuss Professor Nagarajan’s recently published book, Feeding a Thousand Souls: Women, Ritual, and Ecology in India- An Exploration of the Kolam.
This book, which is the culmination of over three decades of research, is an in-depth account of the art of kolam in southern India, especially in Tamil Nadu. The practice of decorating home, temple, and ritual spaces with ephemeral designs in widespread across South Asia, known variously as kolam, alpana, rangoli, mandala, and more. Nagarajan focuses on kolam as it is practiced primarily by the women of the Tamil region.
For more details about the author and her work, visit: Feeding A Thousand Souls.
Show hosted and produced by Preeti Mangala Shekar with editorial support from Uma Nagarajan.