Lopamudra Column

They had to battle tremendous social and institutional odds to get a medical education and practice.

The ancient and gorgeous Kantha quilt embroidery has found its way into various present-day articles of daily use, including sarees, bags, pillow covers, bedspreads and other household articles, writes Dr.Lopamudra Maitra Bajpai.

Sri Lanka’s connection with Kerala is reflected in history, folklore and oral traditions, rites, rituals and festivals, architecture and lifestyle and, of course, in food, notes South Asian cultural anthropologist Dr.Lopamudra Maitra Bajpai

The history of the Bengali Hindu festival of Durga puja is inextricably linked with the history of the Kumbhars, the clay idol makers from Kumartuli in North Kolkata. Cultural anthropologist and historian, Dr.Lopamudra Maitra Bajpai, traces the fascinating history of the Kumbhars and the Durga Puja in this piece in newsin.asia

Ibn Battutah mentions Queen Sultana Khadeeja Rehendhi Kabaidhi Kilege who ruled for thirty years, standing up against enemies and divisive forces in her kingdom and within her own family. Sultana Khadeeja ,who traced her ancestry to “Bengal”, carried on a flourishing trade with Bengal, exporting cowrie shells and importing rice, writes Dr.Lopamudra Maitra Bajpai in newsin.asia

From around 943 AD till about 1830, there was a flourishing trade between the Maldives and Bengal using the cowrie as currency. Copper coins replaced cowries only when the British firm Messrs, Boulton and Watt started minting millions of copper coins around 1830, writes anthropologist Dr.Lopamudra Maitra Bajpai in newsin.asia.

Puppets are a part of popular culture and entertainment across the world, especially in the South Asian region. They reflect the cultural heritage of their region, its mythology, music, beliefs, rites and rituals. Puppetry has been around since ancient times, writes cultural anthropologist Dr. Lopamudra Maitra Bajpai in newsin.asia

The Uttarakanda of Valmiki’s Ramayana, says that Sri Lanka was created by the celestial architect Vishwakarma for the Gods in heaven. Another lore has it that after Lord Shiva married Parvati, he instructed Vishwakarma to construct Lanka so that the couple might reside there, says cultural anthropologist Dr.Lopamudra Maitra Bajpai in newsin.asia

Cultural anthropologist Dr.Lopamudra Maitra Bajpai looks at the various traditional grass mats of South Asia to bring out their aesthetic value, and the various materials and techniques that are used in their manufacture.

Cultural and Visual anthropologist and South Asian expert Dr.Lopamudra Maitra Bajpai writes on five women from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Bhutan who had pioneered writing in the English language in the South Asian region.