Reading about Iru and her life story, I couldn’t help but notice what a deeply satisfying life she lived entirely on her own terms. All those field visits, travel, research, teaching, and family life…it inspires me to write more, to sit quietly with nature, and simply observe. Money and riches will eventually fade, but far... Continue Reading →
Rural Sociology
Rural Sociology by Dr. Dilip Shah is not a page-turner. It is not meant to be. It is an academic text that’s structured, dense, and methodical. For anyone unfamiliar with the rural social structure of India, it serves as a foundational introduction. It presents a holistic view of how caste, economy, land relations, welfare programmes,... Continue Reading →
The Cult of Big Weddings
No one is a stranger to the big fat Indian weddings - the pomp, glam, and glitter. Beneath the superficial enormity, when one dives deep in, the sociological threads emerge into patterns of reference group behaviour. The buzz around the grand scale of celebrity weddings is known to every corner of the world, credits to social media. These big weddings are not just personal events of the upper classes, but also serve as an inspiration for the middle and lower classes. It becomes an aspirational group, the one towards which individuals look up to. This leads to a mimicking of behaviour and rituals, with anything original hardly left.