Browsing by Author "Bajpai, L.M."

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Ganesha- Mythologies and Reflections of the Elephant-headed God in Modern Popular Culture in India
(Centre for Asian Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016) Bajpai, L.M.
Ganesha or, as is popularly referred- Ganapati is widely revered across India as well as several other countries of South-east Asia traditionally. Generally associated with Hinduism, the devotion towards Ganesha is broadly diffused and extends to Jainism and Buddhism as well. Widely believed and revered to be the remover of obstacles and the patron of arts and sciences, wisdom and knowledge, Ganesha is worshipped at the beginning of all the rituals and ceremonies mostly associated with specific Hindu customs. Also respected for blessing the intelligentsia and process of learning, several texts and mythologies, over the years, have highlighted this distinct personality and its well-established place amidst the pantheon of Hindu gods and goddesses. With time, the deity has also earned a place amidst the popular culture of India- travelling from its traditional concept to a much more varied and widely recognised popular symbol. This paper attempts to highlight this specific identity- established across the last century and more importantly over the last couple of decades- imparting a significant global identity to the concept of Ganesha. The paper also attempts to show this identity reflecting a closer man-environment relationship which, in an inexplicable manner, reflects a connection with the traditional identity of the worshippers to a region or a habitat on one hand and quite interestingly, also reflects cross-cultural connections and social acceptance of various age and caste groups on the other. The paper also highlights the extensive use of the identity of Ganesha across animation and children’s media in India- creating new venues of belief, entertainment and storytelling.
Kironmala from Thakurmar Jhuli (Grandmother’s Bag of Tales from Bengal, India) – Changing reflections of a brave princess across a century through various channels of media
(Centre for Asian Studies, University of Kelaniya, 2015) Bajpai, L.M.
The Bengali folktale of Kironmala from the book (compilation) Thakurmar Jhuli (Grandmother’s Bag of Tales) from Bengal (India) speaks of a story of a ‘homely and dutiful’, yet a brave princess who battles all evil to save her two brothers and her kingdom- finally reuniting with their long-lost father- the king. As the story has been transcribed and also adapted across various audio-visual formats over the last hundred years, Kironmala speaks of changing times within its patriarchal mould. This paper looks into the original folktale and its format and how it has evolved over the years- incorporating changing roles of the female lead character- Kironmala- finally rendering a break away from the stereotypical mould- which is typical in representations across all other folktales from contemporary Bengal.
Survival and continuity of folk culture amidst Jain remains in Purulia district of West Bengal (India)
(Centre for Asian Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2017) Bajpai, L.M.
The paper is an attempt to highlight the survival of folk traditions, rites, rituals and festivals amidst the many Jain historical remains in Purulia district of West Bengal (India). The region saw an important assimilation of ideas across last two thousand years- resulting in the survival of many Jain icons (Tirthankara idols in blackstone). However, this very essence of survival also highlights an assimilation of religious thought processes- giving rise to a distinctive individuality in present times. This identity in turn has provided a platform for the survival of a unique folk identity- which also has helped to retain a significant aspect of the historicity of the region. Innumerable Jain icons of Tirthankaras (dating variously between 5th-9thcentury CE) are worshipped variously as folk deities (including both male and female) with varied names. Each one of them- holds a special place amidst the village it is situated within (or the nearby villages) and are revered by the people as most are also considered as the gramdevata (presiding village deity). Sometimes these festivals, rites and rituals of the deities also attract people from outside the district of Purulia as well. With very less work of a continuous documentation in the region- the historicity of these idols are difficult to be traced across a continued historical path, however, the cultural identities and other ethnographic studies of the region highlights significant information about the survival of these Jain remains. Based on an extensive ethnoarchaeological study of the region- this paper attempts to highlight this pattern of survival in present times that reflects a unique assimilation of thought processes.
Survival and Continuity of Folk Culture Amidst Jain Remains in Purulia District of West Bengal, India
(Centre for Asian Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2017) Bajpai, L.M.
Women in Bollywood across the last hundred years- The uniqueness of constructing an identity.
(International Conference on the Humanities (ICH), 2017 Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2017) Bajpai, L.M.
Across the last hundred years and weaving its own pattern of representing the socio-cultural, religious and political ethos of the country- cinema has evolved in India as an important parallel culture. In its initial days-deriving strength from the diverse varieties of folklore, legends, myths and theatrical forms from various parts of India- the cinema in India has come a long way today. Amidst the diverse range of the cinema across many languages in India, Hindi cinema has helped to create its uniqueness with reference to encouraging and providing a specific platform for the growth and development of a storyteller. This has also further helped to encourage various minds to experiment with representations, narratives and the manner in which it is presented to the audience. The representation of women in popular Hindi movies in India- popularly referred to as Bollywood- has created an important niche for itself across the last hundred years. From the days of representing women through the popularly known folktales around the turn of 20th century- it has come a long way in the modern age. The representation of women has evolved with time and concepts- from an age of reform and experimentation of the 1930s and 40s, the age of populist social realism in the 50s and 60s, the age of New Cinema experimentation in the 70s and 80s- down to the modern age of blockbuster extravaganza. Today, as Bollywood cinema has become a part of ‘world cinema’, the study of representation of women amidst Bollywood renders an important perspective about understanding this global phenomenon. This study aims to explore this concept of representation of women across the last hundred years and how it has helped to build an image of the Indian women amidst popular culture on a global platform.