Presented in collaboration with Penn Museum
This film follows the lives of two siblings who carry forth the tradition of Bhakti poetry, through song. On one hand we meet Mahesha Ram and his troupe, who perform in all-night satsangs (spiritual gatherings) in upper-caste neighbourhoods of Rajasthan, India. In parallel, we enter the more intimate world of his sister, Jamuna Bai, whose singing unfolds within the boundaries of home.
Between the public and intimate, a space opens up. Woven together by the verses and life of the prominent Bhakti poet and saint Mira Bai, the film explores how music moves between worlds—asking what is remembered, where knowledge lives and whose voice carries it forward.
Following introductions by Kate Pourshariati, Penn Museum Film Archivist, and the screening, Poshali Goel (via Zoom) joins social historian Davesh Soneji for a discussion.
Poshali Goel is a filmmaker and editor based in Delhi, India. Her work explores the intersections of memory, gender, and everyday forms of knowledge production. She studied visual anthropology at Goldsmiths, University of London, and has a background in design—experiences that inform her interest in visual culture and material practices. She is currently part of the visuals team at The Third Eye, a feminist think tank in India.
Davesh Soneji is Chair and Associate Professor in the Department of South Asia Studies at the University of Pennsylvania. He holds a Ph.D. in Religious Studies from McGill University, and his research interests lie at the intersections of social and cultural history, religion, and anthropology. For the past two and a half decades, Prof. Soneji has produced research that focuses primarily on religion and the performing arts in South India, but also includes work on gender, class, caste, and colonialism. Prof. Soneji has recently held positions as Visiting Professor at the Central University of Hyderabad in India, as well as Le Centre d'Études de l'Inde et de l'Asie du Sud (CEIAS) in Paris. Prior to coming to the University of Pennsylvania, Prof. Soneji taught at McGill University's School of Religious Studies in Montreal, Canada for over twelve years, where he also served as Director of the Centre for Research on Religion. He is also the founding director of Penn’s new Forum on Global South Asia.
