Rhythms of Life

This collection of essays spans about 20 years of the author's work in Orissa carried out over an 18 year period between 1975 and 1993. The essays focus on two sets of rituals; those in and around the temple of Jagannath in Puri, mostly through the lens of the rituals of the Devadasis and the other, the festival of Raja Parba carried out at Bali Haracandi some 20 km south of Puri, celebrating the menses of the earth, the sea, the goddess, and women. The essays contain detailed and rich retelling of the complex rituals with their attendant stories/myths. The latter is either based on directly hearing them from participants or from classical textual sources. Part I of the details different rituals or festivals in or related to Jagannath temple and the essays in Part II are all based on Raja Parba. In Part II, the author deals with the categories of 'the subaltern', 'the third world woman', and the 'sacred'.