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Dear Daivam
Collection:CSM Museum & Study Collection
Date: 2024
Artist: Vidya Premraj
Medium: Digital film
Object number: MISC.2024.134.CC
DescriptionA film that pays homage to the different Hindu customs of Indian communities in Kerala, Kanyakumari, Haridwar, and Rishikesh.
Description by the maker:
My most recent film, shot in March 2024, Dear Daivam (meaning God) is a short
documentary highlighting the power of community within Hindu religious sites in India.
From the southernmost tip of India to the North, in Rishikesh, I was compelled to
question what makes people hold onto faith.
Growing up in the UK and witnessing rapid secularisation, I embarked on a route of
inquiry to my motherland. With a personal yet observatory approach, I set out to
understand how religion charges a person wholly differently from someone who is
atheistic or agnostic.
This film shares four different areas of religious power: Kerala, where the traditional
dance form Kathakali was birthed; Kanyakumari, a coastal town that exudes spiritual
energy from sunrise to sunset; Haridwar, where Har Ki Pauri, a ghat located on the banks
of the sacred river Ganges sees pilgrims and religious tourists from all over the world
congregate for ritualistic bathing and evening prayer ceremonies; and lastly, Rishikesh,
one of many cities that celebrate Holi, a vibrant Hindu festival marking the arrival of
spring.
Description by the maker:
My most recent film, shot in March 2024, Dear Daivam (meaning God) is a short
documentary highlighting the power of community within Hindu religious sites in India.
From the southernmost tip of India to the North, in Rishikesh, I was compelled to
question what makes people hold onto faith.
Growing up in the UK and witnessing rapid secularisation, I embarked on a route of
inquiry to my motherland. With a personal yet observatory approach, I set out to
understand how religion charges a person wholly differently from someone who is
atheistic or agnostic.
This film shares four different areas of religious power: Kerala, where the traditional
dance form Kathakali was birthed; Kanyakumari, a coastal town that exudes spiritual
energy from sunrise to sunset; Haridwar, where Har Ki Pauri, a ghat located on the banks
of the sacred river Ganges sees pilgrims and religious tourists from all over the world
congregate for ritualistic bathing and evening prayer ceremonies; and lastly, Rishikesh,
one of many cities that celebrate Holi, a vibrant Hindu festival marking the arrival of
spring.