Televising Religion in India: An Anthropological Reading

255 Pages·2021·14.738 MB·English

by  Manoj Kumar Das

TELEVISING RELIGION IN INDIA
This book explores how religion manifests itself in television. It focuses on
how religious traditions, practices, and discourses have been incorporated
into non-religious television programmes and how they bring both the com-
munity and the media into the fold of religion.
The volume traces the cultural and institutional history of television in
the state of Sikkim, India, to investigate how it became part of the cultural
life of the communities. The author analyses three televised shows that cap-
tured the community’s imagination and became ceremonial and religious
engagement. Through these case studies, he highlights how rituals and
myths function in mass media, how traditional institutions and religious
practices redefine themselves through their association with the visual mass
medium, and how identities based on religion, cultural tradition, and poli-
tics are reinforced, transformed, and amplified through television. The book
further analyses the engagement of televised religion with audiences, its
reach, relevance, and contents and its relationship with urbanity, tradition,
and identity.
This volume will be of interest to students and researchers of media and
communication studies, cultural studies, religious studies, sociology, cul-
tural anthropology, and history.
Manoj Kumar Das is a senior assistant professor and in charge of the
Department of Mass Communication, Sikkim University, Gangtok, India.
He worked as a development sector professional with some leading organi-
zations in India before making a mid-career switch to academics in 2007.
With a master’s degree and MPhil in Mass Communication, he earned his
doctoral degree from New Delhi-based Jamia Millia Islamia’s Centre for
Culture, Media and Governance. His primary area of interest has been in
the field of media and religion, and he has recently concluded a research
project on digital religion and youth, sponsored by the Indian Council of
Social Science Research (ICSSR). His other interest areas include media
anthropology, journalism studies, and communication for development.

TELEVISING RELIGION IN
INDIA
An Anthropological Reading
Manoj Kumar Das
First published 2022
by Routledge
4 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an Informa
business
© 2022 Manoj Kumar Das
The right of Manoj Kumar Das to be identified as author of this
work has been asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 and
78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or
reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical,
or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including
photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or
retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks
or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and
explanation without intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
A catalog record has been requested for this book
ISBN: 978-0-367-14618-4 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-0-367-75753-3 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-003-16379-4 (ebk)
DOI: 10.4324/9781003163794
Typeset in Sabon
by SPi Technologies India Pvt Ltd (Straive)
For my dad, Manash Kanti Das, my greatest inspiration

CONTENTS
List of Figures viii
Preface x
A note on transliteration xviii
1 Prologue 1
2 Theoretical underpinnings: rituals, media events,
and myths 31
3 Television as public technology in Sikkim 52
4 Idolizing Indian Idol 85
5 Ceremonials of electronic wedding 132
6 Rituals of immortality 168
7 Epilogue – televisual ceremonials and the rites
of passage 201
References 211
Index 228
vii
FIGURES
3.1 Luṅg ta(s) and television dishes negotiate for space at the
entrance to the famous Rumtek Monastery near
Gangtok 54
3.2 The majestic snow-capped Mt. Kanchenjunga range as
seen from Dzongri in Sikkim 56
3.3 Monks performing a Chham dance at Rumtek Monastery 60
3.4 A partial view of an altar in Dechen’s house, displaying
‘grand’ use of visual elements 61
4.1 Enthralled fans at Titanic Park (MG Marg) preparing to
watch Prashant on the giant TV screen placed out
in the open 112
4.2 Sacralised imaging of campaign scenes from different
parts of the state radiating from Tamang in the centre 116
4.3 Blessings for all: Use of sacred imaging of Tamang in
commercial advertisements during the Idol contest 117
4.4 The front page of Sikkim Express on the day of the grand
finale of the Idol contest 120
4.5 An advertisement in Sikkim Express averring public
prayers for Tamang’s victory in the television show 121
4.6 Showing different stages of the rites of passage
in the Idol show 127
6.1 Showing factors contributing to the popularity of Sathya
Sai Baba in Gangtok 171
6.2 Sathya Sai Baba’s photo frames (in the extreme right
corner and side wall) placed inside the Durgā Māndir at
Tadong, Gangtok 176
6.3 Sathya Sai Baba’s photo frames at the entrance of a
photo-frame shop in Deorali, Gangtok 178
6.4 Sathya Sai Baba’s photo frame inside a shop in MG
Marg, Gangtok, draped in a sacred Buddhist khadā
(ceremonial scarf) 179
viii
FIGURES
6.5 Cover story in a leading local monthly news magazine
after the demise of the godman 180
6.6 Number of daily news stories on Sathya Sai Baba by
NDTV 24x7 during one week spread out before and after
his demise in 2011 181
6.7 Total broadcast time devoted to Sathya Sai Baba by
NDTV 24x7 during one week spread out before and after
his demise in 2011 181
ix