Chippin' Away

Chippin' Away

By Akash and DurgaSociety & Culture
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Chippin' Away episodes

  • S04E13: The Art of Medicine: Humanising a Science

    The last episode of the series summarises the many themes considered until now, and throws light on how the broader world evaluates the contributions of South Asia to the growth and development of modern-day medical systems and institutions. Dr Edwin Cosalan, drawing from his breadth of experience, helps situate and contextualise these contributions and elaborate on the importance of an active understanding of the history of medicine for healthcare providers and professionals, and on our way forward.

    The series, 'Rooh', is the outcome of a Foundation Project within the purview of the Archives and Museums Program of the India Foundation for the Arts in collaboration with the S.L. Bhatia History of Medicine Museum, Library and Archives, Bangalore, to explore the many themes of the History of Medicine. Part funding was also provided by the Parijat Foundation.

    Support the Show.

    Send your comments and inputs to us at [email protected] and keep the conversation alive on Twitter and Instagram @chippinawayind

    19 min
  • S04E12: A Closer Look: Princely States and Medical Institutions
    Early medical institutions, especially in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century, were curated and funded by the colonial government, missionaries and philanthropy. While the role of the British Colonial Government and missionaries is better known, the role of individual and other philanthropic institutions, such as royal families and princely states are often overlooked. In this episode, we have Radhika Hegde discussing the role of princely states in the institutionalisation of health and medical practices in South Asia with a case study of the erstwhile kingdom of Mysore and its royal family, the Wodeyars. The foundations of this research project are based on archival material preserved at the Major Gen. S.L. Bhatia History of Medicine Museum, Library and Archives, supplemented with resources from the Karnataka State Archives and the Mythic Society.

    The series, 'Rooh', is the outcome of a Foundation Project within the purview of the Archives and Museums Program of the India Foundation for the Arts in collaboration with the S.L. Bhatia History of Medicine Museum, Library and Archives, Bangalore, to explore the many themes of the History of Medicine. Part funding was also provided by the Parijat Foundation.

    Support the Show.

    Send your comments and inputs to us at [email protected] and keep the conversation alive on Twitter and Instagram @chippinawayind

    24 min
  • S04E11: Animating HIS-Story

    The discussions in this series bring us back to the museum space. Meera Krishnamurthy attempts to embody these stories through the museum objects on display at the museum. Using tabletop animation and other techniques, her project enlivens the objects to fill in some of the gaps in the storytelling presented through dioramas and information plaques at the museum. Team Chippin’ Away and Meera chip away at animating various facets of the history of medicine at the SLB museum. 

    The series, 'Rooh', is the outcome of a Foundation Project within the purview of the Archives and Museums Program of the India Foundation for the Arts in collaboration with the S.L. Bhatia History of Medicine Museum, Library and Archives, Bangalore, to explore the many themes of the History of Medicine. Part funding was also provided by the Parijat Foundation.

    Support the Show.

    Send your comments and inputs to us at [email protected] and keep the conversation alive on Twitter and Instagram @chippinawayind

    19 min
  • S04E10: Ode to the Lady Medicals
    As we continue into the modern period, our discussion on the history of medicine in South Asia segues into a discussion on women doctors. Dr Mario Vaz charts the historical timeline of the practice of medicine through the biographical sketches of early female doctors and medical practitioners in India. The discussion develops into a review of a historical overview of medical history in India that takes the listeners to the erstwhile British Colonial India and traces the influences of modern medical practices in India. 

    The series, 'Rooh', is the outcome of a Foundation Project within the purview of the Archives and Museums Program of the India Foundation for the Arts in collaboration with the S.L. Bhatia History of Medicine Museum, Library and Archives, Bangalore, to explore the many themes of the History of Medicine. Part funding was also provided by the Parijat Foundation.

    Support the Show.

    Send your comments and inputs to us at [email protected] and keep the conversation alive on Twitter and Instagram @chippinawayind

    30 min
  • S04E09: A Colonial Account of Crime and Craze
    Dr Shilpi Rajpal explores the records of mental health institutions of Colonial and Post-Colonial northern India in this episode. The episode discusses the British Colonial gaze on mental health and the institutionalisation of health-seeking practices, originally from the Western lens of the British record-keepers The intertwined realities of mental and physical health-seeking practices also become apparent through this discussion. 

    The series, 'Rooh', is the outcome of a Foundation Project within the purview of the Archives and Museums Program of the India Foundation for the Arts in collaboration with the S.L. Bhatia History of Medicine Museum, Library and Archives, Bangalore, to explore the many themes of the History of Medicine. Part funding was also provided by the Parijat Foundation.

    Support the Show.

    Send your comments and inputs to us at [email protected] and keep the conversation alive on Twitter and Instagram @chippinawayind

    27 min
  • S04E07: When Art meets Reality
    The visual representation of the human body forms an important piece in the medical history across the world. In this episode, Team Chippin’ Away interviews Snehal Tambulwadikar-Khedkar on various perspectives on human body represented through art across time. The discussions carry forward a historical lens to trace the changes in representing the human body as an idealized form, an abstract representation, or as an anatomically accurate tool for physiological studies. Starting from the ancient civilizations and their ideals for the human body in art, we discuss human bodies in sculpture, paintings, frescos and plastic art. 

    The series, 'Rooh', is the outcome of a Foundation Project within the purview of the Archives and Museums Program of the India Foundation for the Arts in collaboration with the S.L. Bhatia History of Medicine Museum, Library and Archives, Bangalore, to explore the many themes of the History of Medicine. Part funding was also provided by the Parijat Foundation. 

    Support the Show.

    Send your comments and inputs to us at [email protected] and keep the conversation alive on Twitter and Instagram @chippinawayind

    30 min
  • S04E08: Body(s) Set in Stone
    This episode takes a look at Anisha Anantpurkar‘s archival work at the Major Gen. S. L. Bhatia History of Medicine Museum. Anisha discusses the gleanings from past studies on human sculptures at various South Indian temples. The discussion focuses on the attempts to document anatomically accurate bodies through ancient and medieval sculptural traditions. We push the envelope to view art as mirroring lived realities of diverse bodies, ailments, body types, etc., represented on temple reliefs in South Asia – all from the rich collection at the museum archives!  

    The series, 'Rooh', is the outcome of a Foundation Project within the purview of the Archives and Museums Program of the India Foundation for the Arts in collaboration with the S.L. Bhatia History of Medicine Museum, Library and Archives, Bangalore, to explore the many themes of the History of Medicine. Part funding was also provided by the Parijat Foundation. 

    Support the Show.

    Send your comments and inputs to us at [email protected] and keep the conversation alive on Twitter and Instagram @chippinawayind

    24 min
  • S04E05: Medieval Medicine of the Mughals

    A review of the history of medicine takes the discussion to a well-documented era of South Asian history, the medieval period under the Mughal Empire (c. 14th – 17th century CE). Ananth Adhyam takes a literary review of medical practices represented in the writings of the Mughal period. The episode discusses the attitude towards health-seeking practices, medicine men and record-keeping for medical procedures, amongst other features, of the time. 

    The series, 'Rooh', is the outcome of a Foundation Project within the purview of the Archives and Museums Program of the India Foundation for the Arts in collaboration with the S.L. Bhatia History of Medicine Museum, Library and Archives, Bangalore, to explore the many themes of the History of Medicine. Part funding was also provided by the Parijat Foundation.

    Support the Show.

    Send your comments and inputs to us at [email protected] and keep the conversation alive on Twitter and Instagram @chippinawayind

    29 min
  • S04E06: The Root of All Cures

    How could the history of medicine be complete without discussing herbs and plants!? Rashmimala Devi, an artist and botanical illustrator, takes us through the history of illustrating botanical samples of medicinal and ornamental varieties in South Asia. We discuss the practice of creating herbariums and the history of writing detailed manuals on local flora from at least the early medieval period in India. This episode combines various strands from the history of medicine and ties them with the herbarium now under development at the S. L. Bhatia History of Medicine Museum, Bangalore. 

    The series, 'Rooh', is the outcome of a Foundation Project within the purview of the Archives and Museums Program of the India Foundation for the Arts in collaboration with the S.L. Bhatia History of Medicine Museum, Library and Archives, Bangalore, to explore the many themes of the History of Medicine. Part funding was also provided by the Parijat Foundation.

    Support the Show.

    Send your comments and inputs to us at [email protected] and keep the conversation alive on Twitter and Instagram @chippinawayind

    24 min
  • S04E04: Of Gods, Goddesses and the Divine

    The discussion on material culture in the history of medicine lays a foundation for this episode which summarizes the oral and performative traditions in community health-seeking. Traditionally termed as “folk medicine”, we discuss the field of studying indigenous medical practices. The episode reviews belief systems that often animate diseases as deities themselves, to be propitiated and feared. On the other hand, the deification extends to the worship of deities to treat pandemics such as cholera for community health, which forms a part of this episode. 

    The series, 'Rooh', is the outcome of a Foundation Project within the purview of the Archives and Museums Program of the India Foundation for the Arts in collaboration with the S.L. Bhatia History of Medicine Museum, Library and Archives, Bangalore, to explore the many themes of the History of Medicine. Part funding was also provided by the Parijat Foundation.

    Support the Show.

    Send your comments and inputs to us at [email protected] and keep the conversation alive on Twitter and Instagram @chippinawayind

    18 min

About Chippin' Away

From the publisher's feed

Unscripted dialogues on archaeology and anthropology of South Asia. Join us on journeys into the pasts of the sub-continent as we discuss the rich material culture, artefacts, and archaeological…