supervisor: Pof.Sanjukta Das Gupta, Sapienza University of Rome
co-supervisor: Prof. Carmela Mastrangelo, Sapienza University of Rome
Research: Contested Sacred Spaces: The Politics of Religion, Rituals and Resistance in Kerala (Tentative Title)
Curriculum: Indian Subcontinent and Central Asia
Abstract: My Doctoral research examines the Koṭuṅṅallūr Bharani Festival as a site where religion, performance, and politics intersect through sound, embodiment, and spatial practice. Situating Bharani within global debates on ritual transgression, performativity, and the governance of religious expression, the research analyzes how caste- and gender-marked participation produces contested forms of ritual authority and subaltern visibility. Employing a qualitative, ethnographic methodology, the study treats the festival as an extended ritual landscape encompassing temple space, processional routes, and performance arenas. By integrating ethnography, sonic analysis, and historical research, the study demonstrates how local ritual practices engage broader questions of pluralism, moral regulation, and power in contemporary religious life.
Research Interests: South Asian Religions; Contemporary Hindu Politics; Performance Studies
Curriculum Vitae:
11/2025- Present: PhD candidate-Italian Institute of Oriental Studies, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy
06/2015-01/2021: Integrated MA in Political Science, School of Social Sciences, University of Hyderabad, India
Master's Thesis Title: The Politics of the Temple Entry Movement: The CPM and Sabarimala Judgement.