One thing I’ve realized about field research is that it takes time. Time to understand the setting, the people, and the community. Time to build relationships and know what’s even out there. Time to settle in and become a part of the community. In a previous blog, I wrote about how I was invited to a ladies’ function as a “sister and a friend” of the organizer, as well as Andal’s. That was during my 4th trip to the town/ region. Visit after visit, I started building relationships and getting to know what to look for, whom to talk to, and how to belong.
So when I came to Ranipur Jharial and Kantabanji in Balangir district, I came without any preconceptions. I had been here 3 years ago with my friends (@Yogawithpragya has written about it in her blog). I knew where to stay and knew that my research would take me back to the temple to interview locals. I also expected that there would be a big celebration for Sravan Poornima at the Yogini Mandir– because that’s what I was led to believe from the last time I was here, and conversations and literature readings over the last few years. I didn’t know whom to talk to, but I hoped the priest and another contact would be around. (I did meet the priest and his 20-something son, who offered grounded yet exciting knowledge, information, and wisdom regarding the temple complex/ compound.) Beyond that, I was at the mercy of the yoginis. (I was hoping they would make me one of their sisters, permanently, but perhaps that’s for the future.)
In the last couple of days here, my driver introduced me to Professor Sanjay Mishra, who teaches at the local college. His story is inspiring. He completed his PhD at the age of 46 after 20 years of research collecting folk ballads from Western Odisha. He has published several books on the subject in both English and Odiya, making them accessible to people across the board. (I haven’t yet read them, but I hope he gives me a copy one day.)
As many of you know, I come from a music background. I compose a little, I perform, and I love listening to folk music, folk stories, and folk songs. Professor Mishra has collected thousands of songs from this region, and as a lover of lullabies, I hope he has some for me to at least read and maybe even recordings we can access from someone in the area.
Recently, thanks to my friend Shefali Khanna, I’ve been listening to interesting folk artists from different parts of India. Shefali works to bring rural and tribal music into the popular scene, especially on platforms like YouTube, Spotify, and Instagram. You can find her company and its music productions here (with links to other apps and SM): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf7ATfOR0SGzAPgnBIcXr0g
What excites me about engaging with Professor Mishra is not only his knowledge but also his grounded nature. He understands that much of academia overlooks local traditions, focusing instead on the “big” traditions that seep into global culture, often pushing local cultures into obscurity. I resonate deeply with his thought process.
I also appreciate that he leaves everything to the divine, something I try to follow as well. One of the first things he said to me was that he felt blessed to meet me, and I felt the same about him. Here is a full-fledged professor, with a few years on me, steeped in tradition, yet so humble and without airs. He likes the quiet life and respects people across the board.
As I’m also in my mid 40s now, we enjoyed each other’s company over evening coffees and walks around the hotel campus. We spoke about the maturity of our age and how it helps inform our research. We recognized our needs at this stage in life; our ability to sit with people in the field, recognizing them as equals and even greater; how local knowledges from each person are the crux of our research and writings; and how the universe sends us in the right direction.
Already, Professor Sanjay Mishra has introduced me to other researchers in the area, mostly historians, including his own professor who still calls him a “young boy” though he’s now over 50. He’s also shared books to guide my research. Because of him, I want to focus more deeply on this region, and I plan to return soon.
Thanks to his guidance, I visited a couple of tantric sites just behind Ranipur Jharial’s main temple, very powerful places. I won’t say much, except that I had an experience with a statue of a hand there.
What touches me most is that Professor Mishra says it is now his responsibility to help my research go deeper. Noting the difficulty I’ve had to go through to get here, he feels it’s his duty to show me everything this place has to offer. Because I’ve come all this way, the universe must have brought us together, and he must do his part. That is such a beautiful feeling.
I also recognize that sometimes, my body just needs rest. So today, I decided to hole myself into my hotel room and work on a few writings and readings that are pending.
Because of my enlightening time with Professor Sanjay Mishra, I plan to come back, connect with more local knowledge-keepers, meet with professors, scholars, and writers, and spend time reading old district gazettes. He’s going to set me up with everyone! This meeting feels like the beginning of a long and meaningful journey.
Note: I’ve also been revisiting the temple and shopping in the local cloth market for gifts, beautiful Sambalpuri cotton products. During my visits to Chausath Yogini Mandir, I’ve met people from all over Western Odisha: Sambalpur, Jharsuguda, Bargarh, and of course Balangir district towns like Bangomunda, Kantabanji, and Titlagarh. I’ve also learned that occasionally, visitors come from further afield. Last year someone came from the UK, another from the US, and now me.