Popular Hinduism, Stories and Mobile Performances: The Voice of Morari Bapu in Multiple Media

This book explores the recent transformations of popular Hinduism through the religious and artistic practice of Ramkatha, staged narratives of the Ramcharitmanas. It examines the aesthetics and dynamics of the Ramkatha ethnoscape through participant-observation and how it translates politics from the realm of religion. The mediated voice of Morari Bapu, a former school-teacher turned narrator, is a major medium of performance transposed into multiple media. The book engages with voice as a vehicle of meaning to scrutinize its discursive production, imagination, and re-production across mobile contexts, investigating how the transnationally disseminated practices re-contextualize religious subjectivities of an affective community enmeshed in spatio-sensorial modes.

Format: Hardback
Length: 186 pages
Publication date: 24 June 2022
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

This comprehensive book delves into the recent transformations of popular Hinduism by examining the religious and artistic practice of Ramkatha, which are staged narratives of the Ramcharitmanas. Through in-depth participant observation in everyday practices, the author explores the aesthetics and dynamics of the Ramkatha ethnoscape, shedding light on how it translates politics from the realm of religion. Moreover, the book recognizes that Ramkatha is not merely socially constructed but also heavily relies on technologies for its production and continuation.

The mediated voice of Morari Bapu, a former schoolteacher turned narrator, serves as a significant medium of performance that is transposed into various media, including theatre, stage, music, and spectacle. By engaging with voice as a vehicle of meaning, the book scrutinizes its discursive production, imagination, and re-production across mobile contexts. It investigates how the transnationally disseminated practices re-contextualize the religious subjectivities of an affective community that is deeply immersed in spatio-sensorial modes.

This book will appeal to academic audiences interested in South Asian Studies, Anthropology, Sociology, Performance Studies, and Religious Studies. It offers valuable insights into the evolving dynamics of popular Hinduism and its relationship with religious practices, media, and the broader social context.

Weight: 520g
Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032204352