WFHB Bloomington Community Radio
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 57:32 — 32.9MB)
Dave Stewart interviews Indiana University folklore professor Pravina Shukla, author of the recently published book “The Grace of Four Moons: Dress, Adornment, and the Art of the Body in Modern India”. They talk about body art in general and about the decisions we make on a daily basis regarding the way we dress and adorn ourselves. Material is culture, and culture is material. The choices we make in our adornment, whether it be daily, or for special occasions, tells the world, and ourselve, who and what we are (or aspire to be). Professor Shukla focuses the study of Body Art in the religious city of Banaras, India. From the earth comes the raw materials, it is then fashioned by artisans into a product, sold by commerce to the consumer, who, in the process of using the product, create a unique manifestation of the good. Like an exhibit in a museum, each of us adorns ourselves for ‘darshan’, the visual interaction of seeing and being seen. Folklore allows us to study each other and realize that we are all parts of a wonderful mosaic, so that we can co-exist and attain happiness. Professor Pravina Shukla explains Body Art and Folklore/Ethnomusicology so that each of will want to continue our study of life.
