Chippin' Away

The last episode of the series summarises the many themes considered until now, and throws light on how the broader world evaluates the contributions of South Asia to the growth and development of modern-day medical systems and institutions. Dr Edwin Cosalan, drawing from his breadth of experience, helps situate and contextualise these contributions and elaborate on the importance of an active und...

Early medical institutions, especially in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century, were curated and funded by the colonial government, missionaries and philanthropy. While the role of the British Colonial Government and missionaries is better known, the role of individual and other philanthropic institutions, such as royal families and princely states are often overlooked. In this episode...

The discussions in this series bring us back to the museum space. Meera Krishnamurthy attempts to embody these stories through the museum objects on display at the museum. Using tabletop animation and other techniques, her project enlivens the objects to fill in some of the gaps in the storytelling presented through dioramas and information plaques at the museum. Team Chippin’ Away and Meera chip...

Dr Shilpi Rajpal explores the records of mental health institutions of Colonial and Post-Colonial northern India in this episode. The episode discusses the British Colonial gaze on mental health and the institutionalisation of health-seeking practices, originally from the Western lens of the British record-keepers The intertwined realities of mental and physical health-seeking practices also becom...

As we continue into the modern period, our discussion on the history of medicine in South Asia segues into a discussion on women doctors. Dr Mario Vaz charts the historical timeline of the practice of medicine through the biographical sketches of early female doctors and medical practitioners in India. The discussion develops into a review of a historical overview of medical history in India that...

This episode takes a look at Anisha Anantpurkar‘s archival work at the Major Gen. S. L. Bhatia History of Medicine Museum. Anisha discusses the gleanings from past studies on human sculptures at various South Indian temples. The discussion focuses on the attempts to document anatomically accurate bodies through ancient and medieval sculptural traditions. We push the envelope to view art as mirrori...

The visual representation of the human body forms an important piece in the medical history across the world. In this episode, Team Chippin’ Away interviews Snehal Tambulwadikar-Khedkar on various perspectives on human body represented through art across time. The discussions carry forward a historical lens to trace the changes in representing the human body as an idealized form, an abstract repre...

How could the history of medicine be complete without discussing herbs and plants!? Rashmimala Devi, an artist and botanical illustrator, takes us through the history of illustrating botanical samples of medicinal and ornamental varieties in South Asia. We discuss the practice of creating herbariums and the history of writing detailed manuals on local flora from at least the early medieval period...

A review of the history of medicine takes the discussion to a well-documented era of South Asian history, the medieval period under the Mughal Empire (c. 14th – 17th century CE). Ananth Adhyam takes a literary review of medical practices represented in the writings of the Mughal period. The episode discusses the attitude towards health-seeking practices, medicine men and record-keeping for medical...

The history of medicine cannot begin without an archaeological survey of ancient health-seeking practices. We take the listeners on a whirlwind tour of the world, from Europe to North America and back to Asia, reviewing examples of medical practices and intentional caregiving practices in archaeological data. The episode discusses skeletal remains and examples of residue analysis, among other exam...

The discussion on material culture in the history of medicine lays a foundation for this episode which summarizes the oral and performative traditions in community health-seeking. Traditionally termed as “folk medicine”, we discuss the field of studying indigenous medical practices. The episode reviews belief systems that often animate diseases as deities themselves, to be propitiated and feared....

Team Chippin’ Away interviews Dr. Sunil Pandya on the life and work of Major-General Dr. S L Bhatia. He takes the listener through the history of medical institutions and medical research with Dr. Bhatia’s biography. The episode unveils Dr. Bhatia’s work in the field of medical research, his contributions to the field of pathology and introduces his views as a humanist. Extolled as one of the fine...

The introductory episode offers a sneak peek into Major S L Bhatia Museum of History of Medicine, Bangalore. Ms. Radhika Hegde offers a walkthrough of the museum, its exhibits and their archives at the museum within the St. John’s Hospital, Medical College and Research Institute campus (Bangalore, India). The episode takes a deep dive into the multifaceted collection at the museum, including new a...

From the South of Asia to the North of America, we discuss the influence of popular culture on archaeology and the study of the past. If you started following archaeology after Indiana Jones' movies, Lara Croft Tomb-Raider, or the likes; this episode is for you!  Join us as we interview Josh Lindal (co-host of the podcast "Screens of the Stone Age"). We discuss films, archaeology, a...

We had the wonderful opportunity to feature on Screens of the Stone Age . Find the details below! On this episode, we’re joined by Akash Srinivas and Durga Kale of the Chippin’ Away podcast to review Mohenjo Daro (2016), the story of a simple farmboy’s first trip to the big city where he falls in love, discovers his destiny, and saves an entire civilization. Mohenjo Daro was a real city in the Ind...

In this episode, part two of two, we continue our conversations with Dr. Kush Dhebar on India's wrestling and grappling culture, its representation and expression in material culture and the concept of masculinity, both in the past and how we represent it in the present. More examples, more details and an exciting origin story (!!), so jump right in! And you know the drill; get in touch with...

Physical culture, expressed in the form of dance, theatre, song and martial arts, has a deep and rich tradition in human societies. In this episode, part one of two, we converse with Dr. Kush Dhebar on India's wrestling and grappling culture, its representation and expression in material culture and the concept of masculinity, both in the past and how we represent it in the present. And you k...

How can we create an equitable world of digital heritage? Let's continue exploring more about heritage conservation in the digital world. We are joined by  Michael Benhamou, Founder, and President of Focillon. Focillon is a Non-Government Organisation working on digital heritage preservation and curation with a team of experts. Let us hear more from Michael himself! And you know the drill; ge...

Another Museum Day Special! We continue the tradition of virtually touring museums in South Asia, and bring another museum to you! We tour S. L. Bhatia History of Medicine Museum with Radhika Hegde in this episode. And wait for a surprise at the end of today's episode! How do you view museums?  Let us know on our socials @chippinawayind, or send a comment on our email at chippinawayind@gmail....

On the occasion of World Heritage Day (18th April), we take a look at what heritage is, what it consists of, and why it is relevant. We dive into the various types of heritage and why we ought to do our best to protect and preserve it! Join us in the discussion on Instagram and Twitter @chippinawayind And support us on ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/chippinawayind Support the Show. Send your comments an...

We continue with our discussion on the application of Queer theory in archaeology with Scott Coleman. We look at various practical examples, such as investigating gender and gender roles, the presence and role of children and even Roman roads! Join us in the discussion on Instagram and Twitter @chippinawayind And support us on ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/chippinawayind Support the Show. Send your com...

Welcome to Season 3!  We inaugurate this season by readjusting our tendency to see the world in binaries. We position queer theory in archaeological practice with our guest speaker, Scott Coleman. From the library to the field we traverse the mine-field of "set paths" to open up our view of the world.  Join us in the discussion on Instagram and Twitter @chippinawayind And support us on k...

"What inspired this podcast?", asked a few of our listeners. We bring a slice of the behind-the-scenes story of the Chippin' Away podcast for you! In this season finale episode, your hosts Akash and Durga are interviewed by a mystery host, with some tongue-twisters, a quiz about the podcast itself, and a generous serving of nuggets from Chippin' Away! We will be back in April 2...

Let us explore a much "alluded to" topic in our discussion of the past! How the study of languages could help the construction of a past cultural milieu. We introduce the theme of "Archaeolinguistics" or "Linguistic Anthropology" in this episode of our podcast, with our guest speaker Gabrielle Roccella.  Gabrielle draws from the world of Indo-European linguistics and...

Get ready to eat! ...and explore how potatoes and other tubers have influenced the human diet since prehistoric times.  Your hosts Akash and Durga discuss tubers - how they were procured, cooked, consumed, and carried with travelling groups across great distances.  And while you listen to the fascinating history of potatoes, Akash has but one question for you... (find out at the end of the episode...