Dhīti is a blog for long form essays, expressions of civilizational voice, cinema and literature review, and more.
The Navakalēvara Ceremony at Puri: Ritual Embodiment of Jagannātha
This piece describes the fascinating ritual of Navakalēvara that happens periodically — with special attention paid to the involvement and crucial importance of all jātis and tribes in the ritual — which speaks to the syncretism and inter-dependence of castes at the shrine.
Sai Priya Chodavarapu
23 min read
Bodhas
India’s Lesser Known Storytelling Traditions - The Narrative Paintings of Paiṭhāṇ
Paiṭhaṇ paintings come from a flourishing tradition of narrative illustrations and are the work of the village artists from the Mahārāṣṭra-Karṇāṭaka border region belonging to the *Citrakathi* caste, the earliest ones traced to the town of Paithan near Aurangabad.
Sai Priya Chodavarapu
11 min read
Bodhas
The Culture Iceberg - A Discussion and Critique
A review of Edward Hall's model of culture and its limitations, that explains how it doesn't fully capture cultural complexity. Reestablishing cultural context through knowledge systems in education policy can help preserve and revive cultural identity.
Sai Priya Chodavarapu
10 min read
Bodhas
Śiva as Naṭarāja, the Cosmic Dancer - Iconography and Symbolism
It is said that Śiva does not dance in the day but rather, at twilight, the darkness pierced only by his own effulgence and the light emanating from the moon on his head, the licks of the flame in his hand, and the gems on the heads of the cobras that adorn his body.
Sai Priya Chodavarapu
9 min read
Culture And Policy
Kalaripayattu
Kalaripayaṭṭu must be elevated, as a traditional psychophysiological discipline, as a ‘scientific’ system of physical culture, and as an arena of experience and self-transformation: the crucible of the individual’s experience where embodied practice helps shape a self.
Sai Priya Chodavarapu
12 min read
Bodhas
Swarnakamalam and the Value of the Performing Arts
A glimpse into the timelessness of the traditional arts, conveyed through superior cinema: Swarnakamalam; and the discussion of modernity threatening the value of traditional systems in its lyrical expositions.
Sai Priya Chodavarapu
6 min read
Cinema And Books
Showing
55
to
63
of
70
Articles