Ram Lila S In North India And Mauritius

Ram Lila is the animated katha of Sri Ram as told by Sant Tulsidas in Ramcharitmanas and performed in LILA style and dramatic/theatrical style. It is a narrative that was seeded in North India but that sprouted huge trees across India and the diaspora, especially the indentured Indian diaspora countries like Trinidad, Guyana, Suriname, and Fiji. The Ramcharitmanas is sacred to millions and serves as a moral and ethical guide in personal, family, and national life, as well as political leadership. Ram Lila is a unique identity marker for communities that nurture and practice this tradition; it brings people together, across cultural and socio-economic differences. While providing community entertainment, the performative style of Ram Lila is a powerful tool for teaching and learning, agent of darshan, and opportunity for personal spiritual transformation.

Explores the adaptation of Hinduism and Islam in diasporic settings and inter-religious relations in the Girmit diaspora. Archival research, micro-biographies, and ethnographic studies shine light on the development of Hindu and Muslim communities around the world, and the relationships between them, to deliver new insights into the history of indentured labour and its impact on the formation of religious heritage and identity. Twelve chapters cover regions including the Southern Pacific, Indian Ocean, and the Caribbean. Part I examines Hinduism in Mauritius, South Africa, Fiji and the Caribbean, while Part II considers the Muslim diaspora. Importantly, Part III looks at the relationships between these two religious groups within the Girmit diaspora, including interreligious cooperation and the experiences of religiously mixed families. Includes perspective from historians, sociologists, anthropologists, linguists and others. Features contributors based in Australia, France, Fiji, Mauritius, the Netherlands, New Zealand, South Africa, Suriname, Trinidad & Tobago and the USA.

The Encyclopedia of the Indian Diaspora is the first comprehensive survey of Indian communities around the world. Over 30 contextual features show the initiatives taken by these communities and the contributions they have made both internationally and to their host societies, in areas as diverse as literature, cuisine, popular culture, sports and political life. The greater part of the book consists of 44 country/region profiles covering all parts of the world. Written by over 60 scholars from across the globe, most of whom are from the diaspora, the encyclopedia provides insights into the experiences of a people about whom much is often assumed but little is actually known. The recent expansion of the Indian diaspora, now some 20-million strong and growing, is a social transformation of global significance. Many members of the diaspora have reached the highest levels of global commerce and trade, international public service and diplomacy, the professionals and academia. In addition, the creative literature from and about the diaspora holds a distinctive and distinguished place in the world's literary imagination.

On government and polities in India, 1971-1977.