News

Column: Deities in the Docket, Suing Gods in India

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[Editor’s Note: We welcome our newest columnist Karl E. H. Seigfried. His writing will be appearing monthly on the fourth Saturday of every month. For more on Seigfried’s background and interests, check out his bio page.]

On January 30, lawyer Thakur Chandan Kumar Singh filed a domestic violence case in India against Rāma Dasharathi for mistreatment of his wife Sītā. This would likely have not made anything other than the local news, except for one fact: Rāma is the protagonist of the ancient Sanskrit text known as the Rāmāyaṇa, and he is believed by Hindus to be an incarnation of the god Viṣṇu. Composed in India between approximately 300 BCE and 300 CE, and attributed to the poet Vālmīki, the Rāmāyaṇa tells the story of Rāma across 20,000 verses.

Living

Witchcraft in India: A Conversation with Ipsita Roy Chakraverti

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When reporting on witchcraft in India, journalists must invariably tell the tragic tale of accusations, persecution and extreme violence. However, there is another side to the practice of Witchcraft, more specifically Wicca, in the country. While most of the victims of witchcraft-related crimes are not actual practitioners, there are Witches and Wiccans thriving in India’s unique and rich culture. The Wild Hunt spoke with Ipsita Roy Chakraverti, arguably India’s most well-known and public Witch. She answered questions about her own journey and about living in a society that struggles with real witchcraft violence.

Culture

Vanaver Caravan: dancing for change in Udaipur India

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In last week’s Sunday column, we traveled to Peru with Crow Woman Alane Brown to hear about her life changing journey with the Peace Corps. This week we’ll go to the other side globe where a New York dance school is engaging in a cultural exchange with the single goal of making a difference in the lives of local youth. From the high mountains of the Andes to the picturesque lakes of Northern India, there are individuals making small changes to affect positive change. Udaipur, called the “City of Lakes” is located in the state of Rajasthan in North Western Indian. It is a cultural center, intellectual hot-spot, and tourist destination.