At Home with Durga: The Goddess in a Palace and Corporeal Identity in Rituparno Ghosh’s Utsab
Journal Title: Religions - Year 2014, Vol 5, Issue 2
Abstract
In this article, I examine the representational strategies used to visualize the pratima (deity) of the Hindu goddess, Durga, as a paradigm of time, memory, and corporeal identity, in Rituparno Ghosh’s 2000 Bengali film Utsab. I analyze the body as a dynamic site of memory-formation that shapes new histories in the sprawling colonial palace in which the film’s narrative unfolds with an ancestral Durga festival as its focal point. To this end, I look at how the body of the goddess produces and defines the transience of human experience, the fragility of material history, and the desire for historic relevance.
Authors and Affiliations
Romita Ray
Keywords
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- EP ID EP25357
- DOI https://doi.org/10.3390/rel5020334
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