Larger than life statues are visible throughout India. These are mainly of religious figures, but not limited to them, as the statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in Gujarat shows. In Mumbai, the government is contemplating erecting a tall statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in the sea.This week, host Sidharth Bhatia is joined by Prof. Kajri Jain, Professor of Art History and Visual Studies at the University of Toronto and author of 'Gods in the Bazaar: The Economies of Indian Calendar Art'. Kajri's work focuses on the imagery at the interface between religion, politics and vernacular business cultures in India.On this episode, Sidharth talks to Kajri about her latest book 'Gods in the Time of Democracy', a book about such statue building that seems to be spreading not just in India, but all across the world.Sidharth talks to Kajri about what lies behind this race to build such huge outsized statues. Is there a political dynamic involved, or is this an assertion of identity? Tune in for an eye-opening conversation.Follow Sidharth Bhatia on Twitter and Instagram @bombaywallahbombaywallah and https://instagram.com/bombaywallahYou can listen to this show on The Wire's website, the IVM Podcasts website, app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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