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India's Karni Mata Temple

From: Rachel Louise Snyder
Series: Global Guru Radio
Length: 02:59

This week's Global Guru visits a temple in India where an unlikely rodent reigns supreme Read the full description.

Karni-mata_small The Global Guru is a weekly public radio spot that celebrates the oddities, the curiosities, the unknowns of global culture, particularly in countries where Americans have either single narrative story lines, like Afghanistan (war), Thailand (sex tourism), Rwanda, (genocide), or perhaps no story lines at all, like East Timor, Moldova, Malta, Lesotho, etc. Engaging and rich in sound, the 3:00 interstitial helps us connect to the vastness of human experience. Presenting station is WAMU in Washington, DC and sponsored by American University in DC. Some of our favorite past shows include: How do Cambodians predict the harvest each year? What messages do cigarettes send in Chinese business dealings? How did Tanzania become the capitol of barbershops? How and why does Thailand categorize food? What is Iceland’s most feared culinary delight? How do you track a Tasmanian devil? What are the hidden messages in Zulu beadwork? 

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Piece Description

The Global Guru is a weekly public radio spot that celebrates the oddities, the curiosities, the unknowns of global culture, particularly in countries where Americans have either single narrative story lines, like Afghanistan (war), Thailand (sex tourism), Rwanda, (genocide), or perhaps no story lines at all, like East Timor, Moldova, Malta, Lesotho, etc. Engaging and rich in sound, the 3:00 interstitial helps us connect to the vastness of human experience. Presenting station is WAMU in Washington, DC and sponsored by American University in DC. Some of our favorite past shows include: How do Cambodians predict the harvest each year? What messages do cigarettes send in Chinese business dealings? How did Tanzania become the capitol of barbershops? How and why does Thailand categorize food? What is Iceland’s most feared culinary delight? How do you track a Tasmanian devil? What are the hidden messages in Zulu beadwork? 

Broadcast History

First aired on WAMU 88.5 fm in Washington, DC

Transcript

GLOBAL GURU – Karni Mata Temple
Time:

SFX: Theme Music (Plush Interiors)

Welcome to the Global Guru. I’m Rachel Louise Snyder. Each week, we ask one simple question—just one—about somewhere in the world.

Today, we're in India, asking, "What's all that scampering?"

SFX: rats scurrying, squeaking

AX – Here in this one temple all rats are considered to be manifesting divinity.

NESMITH1: This is Vasudha Narayanan, professor at the University of Florida.

She’s telling me about the Karni Mata Temple in Rajasthan, which 20,000 revered rats call home.

This temple, like most in India, is connected to a legend.

AX: In this particular case, story goes back to 145h 15th century, where are particular woman named Karni Mata – 150 years – lived there, and story is connected with her trying to save a young boy who had died.

NESMITH2: But it was too late.

So Karni Mata made a deal with...
Read the full transcript

Intro and Outro

INTRO:

OUTRO:

available with outro cut

Musical Works

Title Artist Album Label Year Length
I Smell A Rat Clarence Carter 00:00
Ravi Shankar The Plush Interiors 00:00

Related Website

www.globalgrit.com