Television and Popular Culture in India: A Study of the Mahabharat

"By making out a forceful case for saving the epics from sacriligious misrepresentation, Mitra has simulataneiously sought to stitch together the fragmented secular fabric of Indian society. And that is certainly an endeavor worthy of emulation." --Media Asia "There are hardly any books of local origin that are based on a cultural studies approach. Ananda Mitra's Television and Popular Culture in India attempts to redress this imbalance and is arguably the first exploration of its kind in the Indian context.... This contribution by Ananda Mitra to the understanding of popular culture in India will be an invaluable resource both to students interested in the methodology of cultural studies as well as those who are on the look out for a critical introduction to television in India. It should stimulate an interest in an exploration of the underlying connections between popular culture and the complex, multivariant terrain of cultural politics in India." --Media Development "This is a study which has several layers of interest.... The book throws interesting insights into a television programme that is a direct television of a famous classical Indian epic. The ideas are very original and striking in their analytical approach. --Newstime Television and Popular Culture in India examines the role television plays in shaping as well as reflecting Indian popular culture. Defining culture as a set of everyday practices that reflect the lived experiences of various groups of people, Mitra explores and interprets the way in which it is presented in the extremely successful serial Mahabharat. The author carefully analyzes the relationships between the narrative, its representation on Doordarshan, and its connection with the popular culture of India. The textual analysis makes it clear that programs such as Mahabharat reinforce a specifically Hindu-Hindi/North Indian image of India, thus marginalizing other regional, linguistic, and religious groups. By concentrating on the series' signifying practices and narrative strategies, Mitra also offers a discussion and evaluation of Doordarshan's ideological practicability. Finally, the show is considered from the broader perspective of India's current political, social, and cultural movements: while a hegemonic system informing the centralized production of television programs does exist in India, the author suggests that it is possible to challenge this system through regional and alternative programs. Combining fresh theoretical insights based on the cultural studies approach with its policy implications for the future role of television in India, this volume will interest media practitioners, policy-makers, and students of mass communication and sociology. "He makes very interesting and telling points....His cultural insights are good." --South Asia "An incisive analysis of how television and its Mahabharata (read 'religious soap-opera'), have affected popular culture in India." --Business IndiaMitra, Ananda is the author of 'Television and Popular Culture in India: A Study of the Mahabharat', published 1994 under ISBN 9780803991347 and ISBN 0803991347.