A song for Jains or a song for India: contesting narratives during the COVID-19 crisis. Issue 4 (2nd October 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: De Jonckheere, Heleen
• Is Part Of: Contemporary South Asia. Volume 29:Issue 4(2021)
• Page Start: 579
• Page End: 587
• Publication Date: 2021-10-02
• Subjects: Jainism -- Indian nation -- crisis -- popular religion -- digital media -- social media; South Asia -- Periodicals; 954
• DOI: 10.1080/09584935.2021.1995327
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0958-4935

Abstract

ABSTRACT: This research note studies the interaction of religiosity and national sentiment on the popular level of Jainism in dealing with the COVID-19 crisis. It does so through a case study of a Jain popular song, which was created as a response to the everyday impact of the COVID-19 virus in India. The article will analyse the song's YouTube video, its lyrics, reception and social media adaptation, to illustrate how the Jain religious interpretation of a health crisis intersects with national discourse. It will also illuminate how such popularising interpretation, through its afterlife, was co-opted within a narrative of national culture.