Personal Achievements / Contributions

My engagement with the question of the religious and an attempt to redefine it in its practical rather than dogmatic aspects arises out of a personal quest of faith and belief as well as from having to witness atrocities such as the Babri Masjid demolition (1992) or the Godhra riots (2002) and also bearing the brunt of right-wing Hindu fundamentalism in my personal and professional life as well (although on a much milder scale than the two incidents mentioned). My greatest achievement, because of which I think I am particularly eligible to undertake a study such as I have outlined, is that I have spent the last seven years (2005-2011) in the field. All this has been done in my own capacity, without funding, initially without even the intention of turning it into an academic project. During this period I have travelled through Delhi, Rajasthan, Gujrat, Kerala, Orissa and West Bengal and met with Sadhus, Fakirs, Vaishnavs, Shaivs, Bauls, Shaktas as well as Nirguni Avadhoots. However my most focussed interactions have been with the Avadhoots, the Fakirs and the Bauls. Each journey is a pilgrimage as well as an opportunity to learn about various sects and practices of Indic religions. Some of these communities such as the Fakirs and Bauls of West Bengal navigate through complex sociological landscapes and attempt to build an identity through shared humanity and not through segregating dogma. Living with them requires one to be Hindu and Muslim at the same time. While being born into a family of atheistic Hindus, I am a practicing Hindu, a practising Muslim, a practising Christian and a practising Jain. That is the reason why despite being so deeply involved with religion I can be detached enough to study it. Apart from this I collect Baul and Fakiri songs and have a considerable number of these committed to memory. I have also become a regular visitor to various religious melas across West Bengal.

I can speak and read Hindi, English, Bengali more or less perfectly, I can understand Oriya completely though I speak it hesitatingly, its enough to converse. Apart from these I can understand bits of spoken Urdu, Punjabi, Rajasthani, Assameese, Haryanvi and Gujrati; although my ability with these languages is very limited, I am confident that if I can spend time among native speakers, I would be able to pick them up very quickly. I can read Sanskrit, not well enough to produce my own translations of texts, but well enough to supplement a given translation with my own interpretations. I was awarded the University Grants Commissions Junior Research Fellowship in 2010 (applicable only in India).