Documenting Culture

What does it mean to inhabit a place that has now been swept away by the river? What does this do the psyche of a person, and how does one make sense of such an experience? How does an artist, with a loaded past, navigate the art school setup, and emerge from it with a clear sense of where they want to go? What, ultimately, is the purpose of an arts practice, and why is an artist compelled to follow it?I unpack these questions and more with visual artist Pallov Saikia.Host: Purvi RajpuriaGuest: Pallov SaikiaFollow Pallov's work ⁠here⁠.Find me on ⁠Instagram,⁠ ⁠Youtube,⁠ and ⁠Substack⁠. Email me with questions, comments and suggestions at [email protected]:00 Intro02:20 River erosion in Rahmoria 09:21 Artistic and cultural influences growing up15:30 Art college years In Guwahati18:27 Colonial syllabus in art college24:04 Teaching art in Arunachal Pradesh29:14 Master’s degree years31:08 Pressure to produce work32:32 Financial pressures33:06 Interview stories from Rahmoria38:01 Process of practice39:00 Going beyond documentation42:56 Collective imagination of his community45:43 Why he practices art48:34 Outro

Documentary photographer and filmmaker Arko Datto talks about his practice and process of developing various bodies of photographic works. One of his most extensive projects, titled 'Shunyo Raja,' documents the ecological crisis unfolding in the Bengal Delta. The conversation covers questions of memory, ecology, surveillance, nationalism, and the world of images at large. Host: Purvi RajpuriaGuest: Arko DattoFollow Arko's work here and here. Find me on Instagram, Youtube, and Substack. Email me with questions, comments and suggestions at [email protected]

My guest this episode is Anant Gupta, a political correspondent at Scroll.in. We discuss his reporting process for covering the 2025 Bihar elections, and the many factors shaping the election results. This includes the in-fighting between the Congress and the RJD, BJP's role in Bihar politics, voter sentiments toward Nitish Kumar, and the opposition's failed attempts at presenting a coherent election campaign. Host: Purvi Rajpuria Guest: Anant Gupta Read Anant's reporting here.Email me with thoughts, suggestions and feedback: [email protected]:Books:Ruled or Misruled by Santosh SinghThe Brothers Bihari by Sankarshan ThakurCommunity Warriors by Ashwani KumarYouTube Channels:Followup BiharThe JantanaJournalists:Amarnath Tewary of The HinduSantosh Singh of The Indian ExpressFollow my work here.0:00 Intro2:53 How different social classes depend on the government7:04 The reporting process9:35 Voter sentiments in North-West Bihar13:08 Research before going on field16:20 Relationship between Nepal protests and Bihar elections17:40 Friendly fights between the RJD and Congress20:25 Other constituencies covered22:53 Core reason for RJD & Congress in-fighting26:02 Congress' social base in Bihar29:15 Success of the BJP-JD(U) coalition31:05 Religion & communalism in Bihar35:45 Muslim vote in Bihar38:10 Slow communalism & religiosity in Bihar38:55 BJP's role in Bihar44:00 Vikaas vs caste binary45:50 Why Nitish has a bad rep in liberal circles50:15 2020 vs 2025 state elections51:45 Why the opposition campaign failed55:15 How social media distorts our understanding57:45 Outro