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Servants of the Goddess weaves together the heartbreaking, yet paradoxically life-affirming stories of five devadasis—women, in the clutches of an ancient fertility cult, forced to serve the gods. Catherine Rubin Kermorgant sets out attempting to make a documentary film about the lives of present-day devadasis. Through her, we meet and get to know the devadasi women of Kalyana, a remote village in Karnataka. As they grow to trust Kermorgant and welcome her as an honorary sister, we hear their stories in their own words: stories of oppression, discrimination, violence and, most importantly, resilience. Kermorgant becomes a part of these stories and finds herself unwittingly enmeshed in a world of gender and caste bias which extends far beyond Kalyana—all the way to Paris, where the documentary is to be edited and produced. Servants of the Goddess is a testament to women’s strength and spirit, and a remarkably astute analysis of gender and caste relations in today’s rural India.
Entre 1987 et 2007, J.-C. Ballot a réalisé des reportages photographiques de villes dans le monde entier. Son regard sur le paysage urbain lui permet d'aborder la dimension scénique et symbolique de l'espace public, de parcourir la mémoire et l'histoire de la ville.
Rich came to the Goa beaches for a much needed break, but this was not to be. Instead he’s gets caught up with local police investigating the murder of a local dancing girl. Wrenched away from romances and new friendships he suddenly finds himself on a perilous journey through dark forests and underworlds to prove his innocence.
In Theologising with the Sacred ‘Prostitutes’ of South India, Eve Rebecca Parker theologises with the Dalit women who from childhood have been dedicated to village goddesses and used as ‘sacred’ sex workers. Parker uses ethnographic, anthropological, theological, hermeneutical and historical research and analysis in order to critically engage with the lived religiosity and daily struggles of the dedicated women, known as devadāsīs. In doing so, she works towards an Indecent Dalit Liberation Theology that challenges systems of oppression and cultures of impunity, including casteism, sexism, classism and a history of socio-political and religious marginalisation. The result is a profound theologising of struggle and resistance with the sexual narratives of the oppressed.
In this book the author has first investigated the concept of the devadasi as found in the cultural history of South India, especialy in Tamil Nadu. Hereafter the function and form of the devadasi tradition are examined within the Temple Ritual of Tamil Nadu. This is not the study of the fact of the devadasi tradition, but of its meaning and the mode of production of that meaning.
The Prophet of Peace deals with the significant issues associated with the life of the Prophet, including jihad, ijtihaad, the concept of war and the relationship with other religious communities. Quoting extensively from the Quran and the Hadith, Maulana Wahiduddin Khan illuminates the Islamic view of modernity, secularism, democracy, freedom of speech and the relevance of Islam in the modern age, clarifying that Islam as revealed in the Quran is not anti-modernity, nor does it advocate violence. Persuasive and compelling in its breadth and wisdom, this book presents an authentic picture of the life and teachings of the Prophet Muhammad and
Three women have personal reasons to head from England to modern day India, each on a quest to rebuild their past and family. Daphne celebrates her 60th birthday by revisiting the Buddhist painted caves of Ajanta and to meet Shanta. Her cooperative rehab centre for Devadasi prostitutes is in debt. Can Daphne save it? And has she the strength to face the Painted Ghosts of her past? Stella is on a painting holiday in Goa with her estranged half sister who is just out of rehab. Local art teacher Arun wants to heal the sisters’ rifts by taking them to The Garden of Izzat Baig to celebrate an ancient myth, but will he succeed? Young Ria heads out to join the Indian part of her family in the Himalayan foothills to find her lost brother. The intrusion of a hijra throws the family into confusion. But Ria has to seek the help of the hijra to resolve a family dispute. Will this be enough to satisfy everyone’s demands in a home with A View of Glass Mountains?
Ancient India has been a land of wisdom, riches and mysteries. Its fabled saints, philosophers, ascetics, its multiplicity of Gods & religions, complex rituals and even snake charmers and magicians never ceased to fascinate the world. Socio-religious tradition of Devadasis or the 'Brides of God' as they were known in India, is one such tradition, shrouded in mystery that attracts attention. It compels a curious mind to take a closer look to learn more and understand its realities. These women are generally referred to by the term devadasi which literally means 'female servant of the deity'. This work bears on many topics such as origin, belief, development, ceremonies, organization, functions, activities, paramours, sexuality, historical survey, statistical analysis, preventive measures and the pathetic stories of devadasis. Because it was conceived as a study of women, culture and religion, it must be borne in mind that all these concerns are dealt with as they arise out of a close attention to the practices of the devadasis.
Exiled on the eve of his coronation, Rama enters the forests of Dandaka with his beautiful wife, Sita, and devoted brothers, Lakshmana. When Sita is abducted by Ravana, who takes her to his isolated kingdom on the far side of the southern ocean, the two brothers set out to rescue her. What folloes is a heroic tale filled with intrigue and adventure, gods and demons, colossal battles and ancient wisdom. But the Ramayana is also ana intensely personal story of love and loss, duty and honour, petty jealousies and destructive ambitions. --
Despite facing years of abuse after arriving in Canada as a teenage bride in a hastily arranged marriage, nothing could stop Samra Zafar from pursuing her dreams At fifteen, Samra Zafar lives with her family in Pakistan and has big dreams: she will go to university and forge her own path in the world. Then, with almost no warning, her dreams evaporate when her parents arrange her marriage to a stranger in Canada. Her new husband and his family promise that the marriage and the move will be a fulfillment of her dreams. But as the walls of Zafar’s new home slowly become a prison, she realizes how deeply she has been betrayed. Desperate to get out and refusing to give up, she hatches an escape plan for herself and her two daughters. Somehow, she finds the strength to not only build a new future, but also to walk away from her past, ignoring the pleas of her family and risking cultural isolation by divorcing her husband. A Good Wife tells Zafar’s harrowing and inspiring story, following her from a young girl with big dreams to a woman who finds strength in the face of oppression and battles through to empowerment.