Shampa Mukherji in conversation with Dr Nandini Bhowmik for the 4th Episode of Moksha Talks.
Dr Nandini Bhowmik hardly needs to be introduced – an Indologist by profession, she has been an associate professor in HMM College, Dakshineswar and was a Guest Faculty, Department of Sanskrit, Jadavpur University.
She has written and published 4 books.
She has been a theatre artist for more than 20 years.
And, she has now catapulted to fame after she founded SHUBHAMASTU
(www.shubhamastu.org) and her unique method of priesthood is now considered ‘priesthood against discrimination’ and is also considered a Social Reform. The Bengali Movie ‘Brohma Janey Gopon Kommoti’ is based on her life.
We looked into Nandini’s growing up years and realised that those have been very interesting, with a progressive grandmother who gave her the values that she needed, telling her what she needed to read at what stage of her life, getting her to learn lines of poetry by heart, even things as tough as Michael Madhusudan Datta’s poetry, even Shakespeare…probably that explains her love for theatre and her flawless diction.
Her grandmother also encouraged her mother to get all the children in the neighborhood together during summer holidays and get them to stage a production at the end of the school vacations. Growing up as she did in this ideal atmosphere, it is small wonder that she took to the stage so effortlessly!
Moving on to her school years we heard that Nandini chose Sanskrit to study as an elective subject…and in fact, she had to face a difficult situation in school because of that. When asked why she chose Sanskrit her answer was – she thought Sanskrit flowed like ‘poetry to her ears.’ She pursued that for her graduation and post-graduation classes and started teaching and enjoyed the process.
We were all keen to know about the setting up of SHUBHAMASTU and this foray into priesthood – and how hard it was to get into this completely ‘MALE’ zone and make a place for herself and for the work that she is now doing.
We talked about what is considered ‘inauspicious’ and how certain months were marked ‘inauspicious’ and no weddings took place during those months –and then we looked at the socio-economic necessities which might have led to this branding of months as ‘inauspicious’ and how being educated can break this jinx and a lot of other stigmas attached to rituals and rules!
At a SHUBHAMASTU wedding, the bride has a voice and both the bride and the groom understand what they are saying. And there is a lot of attention paid to aesthetics! Dr Bhowmik scripts weddings and keeps it short, cutting out all the excesses and all that can be considered outdated.
SHUBHAMASTU also does all the other festivals for which traditionally one would need a priest –but not ‘Upanayan’ because they do not believe in classism.
In fact, they have now moved into the world of Durga Puja and Kali Puja and her research has unearthed many interesting beliefs which should not be ‘beliefs’ at all!
A fascinating conversation with a woman who is breaking a stereotype, marching into a male bastion, spreading awareness and addressing blind and irrational but popularly-held beliefs and shattering myths along the way.
Moksha Talks Episode 4: Breaking Stereotypes in the marriage of true minds
Shampa Mukherji in conversation with Dr Nandini Bhowmik for the 4th Episode of Moksha Talks.
Dr Nandini Bhowmik hardly needs to be introduced – an Indologist by profession, she has been an associate professor in HMM College, Dakshineswar and was a Guest Faculty, Department of Sanskrit, Jadavpur University.
She has written and published 4 books.
She has been a theatre artist for more than 20 years.
And, she has now catapulted to fame after she founded SHUBHAMASTU
(www.shubhamastu.org) and her unique method of priesthood is now considered ‘priesthood against discrimination’ and is also considered a Social Reform. The Bengali Movie ‘Brohma Janey Gopon Kommoti’ is based on her life.
We looked into Nandini’s growing up years and realised that those have been very interesting, with a progressive grandmother who gave her the values that she needed, telling her what she needed to read at what stage of her life, getting her to learn lines of poetry by heart, even things as tough as Michael Madhusudan Datta’s poetry, even Shakespeare…probably that explains her love for theatre and her flawless diction.
Her grandmother also encouraged her mother to get all the children in the neighborhood together during summer holidays and get them to stage a production at the end of the school vacations. Growing up as she did in this ideal atmosphere, it is small wonder that she took to the stage so effortlessly!
Moving on to her school years we heard that Nandini chose Sanskrit to study as an elective subject…and in fact, she had to face a difficult situation in school because of that. When asked why she chose Sanskrit her answer was – she thought Sanskrit flowed like ‘poetry to her ears.’ She pursued that for her graduation and post-graduation classes and started teaching and enjoyed the process.
We were all keen to know about the setting up of SHUBHAMASTU and this foray into priesthood – and how hard it was to get into this completely ‘MALE’ zone and make a place for herself and for the work that she is now doing.
We talked about what is considered ‘inauspicious’ and how certain months were marked ‘inauspicious’ and no weddings took place during those months –and then we looked at the socio-economic necessities which might have led to this branding of months as ‘inauspicious’ and how being educated can break this jinx and a lot of other stigmas attached to rituals and rules!
At a SHUBHAMASTU wedding, the bride has a voice and both the bride and the groom understand what they are saying. And there is a lot of attention paid to aesthetics! Dr Bhowmik scripts weddings and keeps it short, cutting out all the excesses and all that can be considered outdated.
SHUBHAMASTU also does all the other festivals for which traditionally one would need a priest –but not ‘Upanayan’ because they do not believe in classism.
In fact, they have now moved into the world of Durga Puja and Kali Puja and her research has unearthed many interesting beliefs which should not be ‘beliefs’ at all!
A fascinating conversation with a woman who is breaking a stereotype, marching into a male bastion, spreading awareness and addressing blind and irrational but popularly-held beliefs and shattering myths along the way.
Moksha Talks is indeed very enriched today!