Shweta Radhakrishnan

In the southern Indian state of Kerala, velichappatus (ritual possession specialists) have been attempting to redefine their ritual activities as work to secure fair compensation from the State-administered temple governing boards. In 2008, velichappatus from across the state formed a trade union-like collective, I refer to as the Bhagvathy Komaram Sangham (BKS), to demand healthcare benefits and pensions from the state government. In the last few years, the mandate of this collective has expanded to include socio-cultural and legal activities undertaken to uphold the Goddess’s sovereignty and authority. This project follows the trajectory of the BKS. It examines what serving the Goddess (in this case, the Kodungallur Bhagavathy or the Goddess at the Kodungallur temple) means to ritual actors like the velichappatu. In attempting to translate worship as a form of work, what ethical aspirations are velichappatus trying to articulate, and what kinds of ethical communities are they creating? Along with their ritual activities, what are the other ways velichappatus fashion themselves as servants/oracles of the Goddess? How have the contours of devotional work, through which velichappatus constitute themselves as religious subjects, changed with the growth and proliferation of Hindu nationalism in the country?