Ep 26: Arundhuti Dasgupta: Desire, love & Radha on Holi

Transcrito

Ep 26: Arundhuti Dasgupta: Desire, love & Radha on Holi

24 de mar. de 2024 · 46m 34s

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https://www.linkedin.com/in/arundhuti-dasgupta-singhal-2683031/, journalist and co-founder of https://themythologyproject.com/ returns on the podcast to talk of the mystique of Radha, Krishna’s favourite gopi and consort on the occasion of Holi. Radha humanises Krishna,...

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Arundhuti Dasgupta, journalist and co-founder of The Mythology Project returns on the podcast to talk of the mystique of Radha, Krishna’s favourite gopi and consort on the occasion of Holi.

Radha humanises Krishna, making him approachable and acceptable to everyone. Their playful companionship transcended gender roles as they dissolved into each other. Desire in ancient India, she says, was not distinct from love.

A married woman by all accounts, the relationship between Radha and Krishna has been immortalised by 12th century poet Jayadev’s erotic poem Gita Govinda. An unlikely goddess, as Arundhuti points out, her love for Krishna is unconditional and has inspired many folk tales, poetry, dance and even qawwali.

Radha’s spiritual yearning for Krishna also shows that gods are not exempt from the pain of love, including Lord Ram whose heart ached for Sita. Listen in!

Arundhuti Dasgupta co-hosts the podcast Epics of the World with Utkarsh Patel. She also runs online and offline classes on myth and folklore. She is the author of The Weretiger: Stories of the Supernatural and Spooked: Stories of the Supernatural.

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References:
Ep 10: Arundhuti Dasgupta on Many Sitas – ‘Feminist’ Ramayanas
Finding Radha: The Quest for Love, by Namita Gokhale and Malashri Lal
Watch: Geet Govindam dance by students of Banaras Hindu University
Watch: Qawwali 'Kanhaiya, Yaad Hai Kuchh Bhi Hamaari' by Farid Ayaz & Abu Muhammed

Chapters:
01:00 Radha doesn’t fit into a mould, appeals across caste and class
05:36 A Radha story from Bengal
08:15 Gender fluidity in Radha-Krishna relationship
10:19 Acceptance of Radha as a goddess
14:25 Poetry around Radha
16:30 Desire interlinked with love in Jayadev’s Gita Govinda
19:56 When Radha gets jealous of Ganga
22:50 The idea of Radha as an older, married woman is liberating; an unconditional love
24:50 Chaitanya sings of Radha-Krishna; the Baul singers
27:00 The spiritual yearning for Krishna; gods are not exempt from the pain of love, including Lord Ram
29:00 Prof. Tracy Coleman compares Radha and Sita; Isis, a complex Greek goddess
32:19 The appearance of Radha in text post-Mahabharata and probable origin in an oral tradition
34:18 Krishna was humanised by his relationship with Radha
38:00 Love and desire in ancient India; patriarchy seeping into mythology
42:10 Radha qawwali in popular culture; allows men to be free
43:57 What Radha stands for as an independent spirit

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Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed are personal. Listener discretion is advised.

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