Durga Puja

Popular Hinduism is shaped, above all, by worship of a multitude of powerful divine beings--a superabundance indicated by the proverbial total of 330 million gods and goddesses. The fluid relationship between these beings and humans is a central theme of this rich and accessible study of popular Hinduism in the context of the society of contemporary India. Lucidly organized and skillfully written, The Camphor Flame brings clarity to an immensely complicated subject. C. J. Fuller combines ethnographic case studies with comparative anthropological analysis and draws on textual and historical scholarship as well. The book's new afterword brings the study up-to-date by examining the relationship between popular Hinduism and contemporary Hindu nationalism.

In the popular imagination, Calcutta is a packed and pestilential sprawl, made notorious by the Black Hole and the works of Mother Teresa. Kipling called it a City of Dreadful Night, and a century later V.S. Naipaul, Gunter Grass and Louis Malle revived its hellish image. This is the place where the West first truly encountered the East. Founded in the 1690s by East India Company merchants beside the Hugli River, Calcutta grew into India's capital during the Raj and the second city of the British Empire. Named the City of Palaces for its neoclassical mansions, Calcutta was the city of Clive, Hastings, Macaulay and Curzon. It was also home to extraordinary Bengalis such as Rabindranath Tagore, the first Asian Nobel laureate, and Satyajit Ray, among the geniuses of world cinema. Above all, Calcutta (renamed Kolkata in 2001) is a city of extremes, where exquisite refinement rubs shoulders with coarse commercialism and political violence. Krishna Dutta explores these multiple paradoxes, giving personal insight into Calcutta's unique history and modern identity as reflected in its architecture, literature, cinema and music. CITY OF ARTISTS: Modern India's cultural capital; home city of

Durga Puja is here! What does it mean to a child? Step into this book and watch the festival come alive!This book is part of the series 'From The Toddler Diaries' and celebrates Durga Puja as experienced by 3 year old Riya. This artfully portrayed '5 Days of Pujo' appeals to young and old alike. Shashti, Saptami, Ashtami, Navami and Bijoya Dashami - the cultural colors have a pronounced Bengali connection, but are universal to Durga Puja celebrations across several communities. With 5 star reviews, this book is easy to read and is enthusiastically endorsed by kids and their parents alike!From The Toddler Diaries is a series of illustrated books which celebrates the spectrum of Indian festivals as experienced by a toddler. Presented in poetry and color, 'From The Toddler Diaries' is designed to drape parents and children in vivid hues of India's cultural fabric. The inspiration behind this collection comes from an appreciation of a child's clarity in perception, which becomes magical because of its simplicity. Also, check out 'Celebrate Holi With Me!', which is part of this series.A charming and informative book. A great way to introduce children to the culture.~ Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, Award winning author of 'The Mistress of Spices' and 'Before We Visit the Goddess'When I read Shoumi Sen's Celebrate Durga Puja With Me, brilliantly illustrated by Abira Das, I must admit that I want to witness at least one Durga Pujo in my life?~ TokaBox

This book is compiled with the goal of explaining the hidden history, significance, and meaning of the mantras used in common Hindu puja rituals performed by the Bengalis to the Bengali immigrants.

Digital Religion does not simply refer to religion as it is carried out online, but more broadly studies how digital media interrelate with religious practice and belief. This collection explores Digital Hinduism and consequentially studies how Hinduism is expressed in the digital sphere and how Hindus utilise digital media. Highlighting digital Hinduism and including case studies with foci on India, Asia and the global Hindu diaspora, this book features contributions from an interdisciplinary and international panel of academics. The chapters focus on specific case studies, which in summary exemplify the wide variety and diversity of what constitutes Digital Hinduism today. Applying methods and research questions from various disciplinary backgrounds appropriate to the study of religion and digital culture, such as Religious Studies, South Asian Studies, Anthropology and Media and Communication Studies, this book is vital reading for any scholar interested in the relationship between religion and the digital world.

Far from being a melting pot, multi-racial Singapore prides itself on the richness of its ethnic communities and cultures. This volume provides an updated account of the heterogeneity within each of the main communities — the Chinese, Malay, Indian, Eurasian and Others. It also documents the ethnic cultures of these communities by discussing their histories, celebrations, cultural symbols, life cycle rituals, cultural icons and attempts to preserve culture. While chapters are written by scholars drawing insight from a variety of sources ranging from academic publications to discussions with community experts, it is written in an accessible way. This volume seeks to increase intercultural understanding through presenting ample insights into the cultural beliefs and practices of the different ethnic communities. While this book is about diversity, a closer examination of the peoples and cultures of Singapore demonstrates the many similarities communities share in this Singaporean space. Contents: Foreword (Janil Puthucheary)AcknowledgementsIntroductory: Ethnic Diversity, Identity and Everyday Multiculturalism in Singapore (Mathew Mathews)Chinese: The Chinese in Singapore (Tong Chee Kiong)Chinese Community and Culture in Singapore (Soon Su-Chuin, Elvin Xing Yifu and Tong Chee Kiong)Malay: The Malays in Singapore (Suriani Suratman)Malay Community and Culture in Singapore (Suriani Suratman and Siti Hajar Esa)Indian: The Indians in Singapore (Vineeta Sinha)Tamil Community and Culture in Singapore (A Mani, Pravin Prakash and Shanthini Selvarajan)Malayalee Community and Culture in Singapore (Anitha Devi Pillai)Punjabi Sikh Community and Culture in Singapore (Amrit Kaur and Bhajan Singh)Gujerati Community and Culture in Singapore (Rizwana Abdul Azeez)Minority Indian communities in Singapore (Nilanjan Raghunath)Eurasians and Others: The Eurasians and Others in Singapore (Mathew Mathews)Eurasian Community and Culture in Singapore (Alexius Pereira)Filipino Community and Culture in Singapore (Lou Antolihao and Clement Mesenas)Myanmar Community and Culture in Singapore (Moe Thuzar and Christine Lim Li Ping) Readership: Student and researchers of Singapore society and general readers interested in Singapore and its ethnic culture. Keywords: Ethnic Diversity;Culture;Customs;Traditions;Heritage;Singaporean Chinese;Singaporean Malays;Singaporean Indians;Singaporean EurasiansReview:0

This book examines the making of the Goddess Durga both as an art and as part of the intangible heritage of Bengal. As the ‘original site of production’ of unbaked clay idols of the Hindu Goddess Durga and other Gods and Goddesses, Kumartuli remains at the centre of such art and heritage. The art and heritage of Kumartuli have been facing challenges in a rapidly globalizing world that demands constant redefinition of ‘art’ with the invasion of market forces and migration of idol makers. As such, the book includes chapters on the evolution of idols, iconographic transformations, popular culture and how the public is constituted by the production and consumption of the works of art and heritage and finally the continuous shaping and reshaping of urban imaginaries and contestations over public space. It also investigates the caste group of Kumbhakars (Kumars or the idol makers), reflecting on the complex relation between inherited skill and artistry. Further, it explores how the social construction of art as ‘art’ introduces a tangled web of power asymmetries between ‘art’ and ‘craft’, between an ‘artist’ and an ‘artisan’, and between ‘appreciation’ and ‘consumption’, along with their implications for the articulation of market in particular and social relations in general. Since little has been written on this heritage hub beyond popular pamphlets, documents on town planning and travelogues, the book, written by authors from various fields, opens up cross-disciplinary conversations, situating itself at the interface between art history, sociology of aesthetics, politics and government, social history, cultural studies, social anthropology and archaeology. The book is aimed at a wide readership, including students, scholars, town planners, heritage preservationists, lawmakers and readers interested in heritage in general and Kumartuli in particular.