The Department of Sociology, Miranda House celebrated its annual festival UTOPIA on February 8, 2019. Themed “Magic, Science and Religion”, (…remembering Bronislaw Malinowski maybe?), the day started with Professor Roma Chatterji’s (Department of Sociology, Delhi School of Economics) talk on “Myths in Gondi culture” wherein her focus was on the theme of abduction in Balmiki’s Ramayana and the interpretation of the same among the Gonds of Madhya Pradesh. Chatterji’s talk proved to be quite thought provoking for the budding sociologists who audienced the talk. Among the many interesting anecdotes that she shared, one that was particularly interesting was how Sita, in the Gondi version of this classic is not the docile, damsel in distress; she is portrayed as a character with many shades such as that of mystery and a great focus is on the playful (often with some sexual undertones) “Dewar bhauji” relationship shared by Sita- Laxman.
Following this engaging talk, the “HARRY POTTER QUIZ” felt like a breath of fresh air. No wonder, when the theme is magic, a visit to the enthralling world of Potter seems mandatory! Potter heads from a number of other institutions turned up making the day more enjoyable with their presence.
Not forgetting the number of UPSC aspirants that the Sociology family, Miranda House houses, the department hosted a “UPSC CSE PREP SEMINAR” which was conducted by the Khan Study Group, which is not a new name when it comes to preparing for UPSC. Quite contented with the Chinese main course, the students headed for the second last even for the day: IZHAAR POETRY SLAM. The event seemed to very well fit the theme. Magic. The young, vibrant poets indeed created magic; the words the spells and the Mike? The magic wand!
What else could have given the best ending to UTOPIA 19 if it wasn’t the open mic? Some immensely talented people made the audience’s hearts skip a beat whether it’s with their performances on the ukulele or beat boxing for that matter! As endings always pave way for new beginning, with the beautiful end of Utopia 19, the department awaits the arrival of Utopia 20!
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