7 research outputs found
Book review: Lipi Begum, Rohit K. Dasgupta, Reina Lewis (eds): Styling South Asian Youth Cultures - Fashion, Media and Society
No full textLipi Begum / Rohit K. Dasgupta / Reina Lewis (eds): Styling South Asian Youth Cultures. Fashion, Media and Society
No full textSpectacle on the Fringe: Masks, Materiality, and Movement in South Asia
No full textThis dissertation examines the material aspects—the masks, costumes, and fabrication process in four active masked dance genres, Purulia Chhau, Seraikella Chhau, Bhaona, and Bhairab nach, in South Asia. Each of these case studies has unique mask and costume-making practices that are passed down through traditional systems of knowledge flow. Purulia Chhau, Seraikella Chhau, and Bhaona are from eastern India, while Bhairab nach is from the Kathmandu Valley in Nepal. The genres all are being actively practiced at this time, with significant community support and outside interest. While not interconnected in any way, other than the two genres of Chhau, the masks and costumes studied here are valuable case studies in regard to design process, engineering, structural elements, crafting methods, and the use of materials—often from naturally available resources—creating spectacular stage effects. They are housed in unique geographical locations that help the traditional systems to continue. There are specific sub-systems of Hindu-Buddhist religious practice that have helped shape these genres. Vishnu-centric practice in Bhaona, a mix of indigeneity and sociopolitical conditions in Purulia and Seraikella Chhau, and secretive and ritualized tantric practice in Nepal’s Bhairab nach have influenced, continue to inform, and support the genres. The four case studies all use masks and associated costumes that are handmade, one-of-a-kind, and based on convention. In recent decades governmental and international policies have helped these case study genres with exhibition and tourism-based support. As they continue, there are tiny material and artistic negotiations that take place, which I will delve into.
The study offered here is interdisciplinary in nature—drawing from Theatre and Performance Studies, Religious and Ritual Practice, Art History, Design Studies, and South Asian Studies. Methodologically this dissertation draws from ethnographic, material, artistic, historiographic, and sociocultural analysis. This research attempts to do multiple things. First and foremost, it attempts to chart a material journey of the mask and costume design process. Second, it shows how this process is informed by the religious faith that gave rise to the genres and through unique sociocultural systems that serve as umbrellas under which these genres operate. Third, it looks at the materials and processes and reflects on the kind of agency or micro-agency that emanates from this system. Through this, we understand how costumes don’t just have a singular meaning onstage but create ripples of meaning around them. And finally, it looks at masks and costumes in a new light, assigning deeper and more validating meaning to them and their maker-users in South Asia.
The case studies were chosen carefully by looking at a wide variety of genres from South Asia. Findings from Nepal were included to help connect findings from India into a broader conversation with other masked genres in Southeast Asia and other Buddhism-informed regions of Asia. And not present explicitly, but always informing this dissertation, is a projection into the outer edges of the traditions—how these genres inform others outside their geographical boundaries, such as in urban centers, as well as a cautious projection into the future concerning how materially, artistically, and socioculturally they will proceed
Bhairab Nach and Navadurga: Masked Rituals of Nepal
No full textNepal and surrounding regions in India are known for resplendent masked performances. Often ritual in nature, they serve as tools for spiritual belonging, community cohesion, ties of kinship, and artistic expression. Research on Nepal’s culture and performance traditions has been smaller compared to neighboring South Asian countries such as India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Nepal’s performance traditions are complex, with centuries of history, culture, and religious beliefs attached to them. In Nepal, many of these traditional performances are called Pyakhan or stories/parables. They are deserving of in-depth study, much like their other South Asian counterparts. This paper takes a deep dive into masked dance forms of Nepal, especially the making and use of masks in Bhairab Nach, and Navadurga performance
Optimum transport in systems with time-dependent drive and short-ranged interactions
No full textWe study one-dimensional hardcore lattice gases, with nearest-neighbor
interactions, in the presence of an external potential barrier, that moves on
the periodic lattice with a constant speed. We investigate how the nature of
the interaction (attractive or repulsive) affects particle transport and
determine, using numerical simulations and mean-field calculations, the
conditions for an optimum transport in the system. Physically, the particle
current induced by the time-dependent potential is opposed by a diffusive
current generated by the density inhomogeneity (a traveling wave) built up in
the system, resulting in a current reversal, that crucially depends on the
speed of the barrier and particle-number density. Indeed the presence of
nearest-neighbor interaction has a significant impact on the current: Repulsive
interaction enhances the current, whereas attractive interaction suppresses it
considerably. Quite remarkably, when the number density is low, the current
increases with the strength of the repulsive interaction and the maximum
current is obtained for the strongest possible repulsion strength, i.e., for
the nearest-neighbor exclusion. However, at high density, very strong repulsion
makes particle movement difficult in an overcrowded environment and, in that
case, the maximal current is achieved for weaker repulsive interaction
strength
