WS 8 Collective blog

Originally perfumery products were used to deodorize the body and protect from certain diseases which were believed to be caused due to foul smell. Now perfumes have become markers of sexuality, class and wealth distinctions. The marketing of perfumes is highly gendered and has led to creation of distinction between ‘masculine’ and ‘feminine’ scents. Such marketing shapes cultural perceptions and leads our nose and brain to unconsciously make distinctions between perfumes for men and those for women. Scents containing flowery and fruity notes are identified as ‘female scents’ while those containing woody, leathery, musky notes are identified as ‘male scents’. This genderization of scents and smells and its cultural practices are best displayed through marketing and advertisements. Perfume shops have separate ‘men’ and ‘women’ sections. The product names are carefully chosen to represent gendered categories. The bottles of ‘male perfumes’ have strong and rugged looks giving a sense ...

  In the second entry, a look at how the rasika, or the connoisseur comes to be Where the artists and the stage contribute in creating the spectacle of a classical art recital, it is the rasika or the connoisseur who is co-constitutive in infusing class, hierarchy and power relations into a cultural pursuit. Class distinctions and hierarchies are articulated in the difference imagined between the ‘audience’ and the ‘rasika’ so that while a classical recital might be open to all, it is only the connoisseur who is seen to embody those artistic faculties essential for an earnest critique and appreciation of the classical art. Local contexts of caste and class are at play in producing differentiated rasikas in specific locations formulated on the axis of power structures dominant in that region. For instance, in Maharashtra, a lavani recital staged in Kolhapur merits a rasika of the landowning class because here, the dance form can not only be enjoyed and revelled in but is al...

Image Source : https://vikaspedia.in/social-welfare/entrepreneurship/indian-handloom/begumpuri-cotton-saree My introduction to the world of social work was rather coincidential, or might I say, a very gendered approach to resuming professional life after a sabattical, post maternity. Why do I say it was gendered? Well, it was because it was part time, to suit my position as a mother who had to ensure her primary responsibility of child care is not hampered, and the remuneration was not up for negotiation, signifying my financial role in my family as supplementary . My work involved desk and feild research and occasional visits along with my reporting manager for  consultations with government and civil society stakeholders in the space of child rights and child participation in law and governance. While I excitedly learnt so much about the space that I had no academic knowledge of, it also gave me my first glimpse to the world of social work beyond grassroots and m...

Our cognizance and comprehension of the world are enormously formed by our first language, yet additionally, as the aggregate attention to a specific country developed, its dictionary refreshed alongside it. Because of this sort of cooperative energy, we can experience words that are extraordinarily associated with a specific country. Our cognizance in a manner forces us to section our environmental elements, feelings, or to say it obtusely, we fragment our experience of the world to communicate our thoughts better. To represent this, ponder how we are segmented. Then again, one can't resist the urge to see how a space on which one grows a mustache doesn't have its name. Apparently, the need to name that specific piece of our face won't ever arise. The issue of the missing reporter normally becomes fully awake when individuals portray things that are theoretical and can't be seen however just felt. Reflection of the Words It’s very surprising when it comes to discov...

  Culture of convenience something ‘not so new’ concept is gaining momentum, in today’s time. After all we can’t totally deny that our cultural practices as they tend to change and evolve over the time have brought convenience and comfort in our day to day life. From food to every day changing fashion to social media posts we can see the manifestations of convenient culture. But who would have thought that these convenient cultural practices might change some important part of our life like marriage. ‘Lagna yog’ as it is called in Marathi which is paradox in itself is basically timing of marriage which generally gets predicted by astrologer by studying ‘ kundali ’ of an individual. Now what has changed which marks the heading of this piece of blog is how convenience and ease have taken central stage while deciding when one would have to share his/her personal space with someone else.   I mean, reasons like before onset of summer to avoid scorching heat and I remember on...

Introduction The cultural practice of attending a concert that features indigenous classical art far exceeds the desire to witness the artistic brilliance of the exponents taking the stage, but is embedded in complexities that mark such recitals as spaces of power and hegemony. Pune, with its varied socio-political histories is often recognised as an educational and culture centre, celebrated for its carefully cultivated identity by its upper-caste, upper-class literati through multiple practices, one of which is the celebration of classical art. Two festivals have endured in this city as markers of the pre-eminence of classical legacies, who can consume the classical and what form of the classical can take itself to the stage: the Shaniwarwada and the Sawai Gandharva Bhimsen Mahotsav. Both events are spectacularly organised affairs held on grand podiums erected in large open spaces, with excellent lighting and sound systems, fountains and flowers and a number of food stalls. The m...

  Identity of an individual comes with his/her personality, body language and of course the culture you are moulded in but when identity comes to a household or especially a Bengali household, it is something different from usual. What does it mean then? There are lots of cultural practices one could find in a Bengali household. Most common of them is “Maache Bhaate Bangali”- Bengali in fish and rice, it clearly denotes if you are a Bengali then you will love to have fish and rice on your platter. But apart from Rice and Fish, another element that invaded our culture so deeply that now every Bengali household is to be known from that element only - ‘Cha’ or Tea is what I am referring to. Now you might be wondering what is so special about Bengali household tea? Tea is famous and became a household element in every region of India but I am talking about that special ambition of a Bengali for a cup of tea that he/she can have anytime and anywhere. Whether that cup of tea comes fr...