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Indian Express
4 days ago
- General
- Indian Express
Is there an Indian psychoanalysis? Understanding Sudhir Kakar's cultural turn
Born on this day in 1938, Sudhir Kakar, the 'father of Indian psychoanalysis', is celebrated for bringing a distinct 'Indianness' to the field. Psychoanalysis is a theory of mind and a clinical practice developed by Sigmund Freud. It primarily focuses on the relationship between 'conscious' thoughts, feelings, and behaviours, and the 'unconscious' mind. Notably, Freud and others after him emphasised upon the discipline's universality. By interpreting the Indian psyche through myths and societal norms, Kakar infused psychoanalysis with an Indian cultural richness, and redefined how the discipline could engage with non-Western minds. His ideas continue to reshape how India thinks about the mind, culture, and identity today. Kakar passed away last year. Kakar believed that Freud's theories, while revolutionary, were embedded in European culture, meaning they often failed to resonate with Indian psychological realities. He argued that Indian culture views reality differently from the post-Enlightenment West. 'In the traditional Indian view, which still exerts a powerful influence on how even most modern Indians view marriage and family, parent-sons and filial bonds among the sons living in an extended family override the importance of the couple as the foundation of the family,' he said in an address to the Indian Psychoanalytic Society in 2022. But rather than rejecting psychoanalysis, Kakar expanded it by interpreting the unconscious through the lens of Indian myths, familial structures, and spiritual traditions. He introduced concepts such as the 'Ganesha Complex' as an Indian-alternative to Freud's influential Oedipus Complex, which borrowed from Greek mythology to explain a son's sexual attitude to his mother and hostility towards the father. 'My main argument is that the ''hegemonic narrative'' of Hindu culture as far as male development is concerned is neither that of Freud's Oedipus nor that of Christianity's Adam,' he wrote in 'Hindu Myth and Psychoanalytic Concepts: The Ganesha Complex' published in Asian Culture and Psychotherapy: Implications for East and West (2005). Kakar used the myth of Skanda (also known as Kartikeya) and Ganesha to explain India's culturally sanctioned dependence on the maternal figure. Unlike Skanda, Ganesha in the myth chooses maternal closeness over heroic independence. 'By remaining an infant… Ganesha will never know the pangs of separation from the mother… That Ganesha's lot is considered superior to Skanda's is perhaps an indication of the Indian man's cultural preference in the dilemma of separation-individuation,' Kakar wrote. Kakar drew heavily from Indian epics, folklore, and even popular cinema to reveal how collective fantasies shape the unconscious. 'The self,' he said 'is a system of reverberating representational worlds — representations of culture, primary family relationships and bodily life.' While Kakar's work itself was rooted in Hindu culture, he envisioned an Indian psychoanalysis that would engage critically with Western theories. 'The wish is that a future generation of Indian analysts realises that a critical stance is now needed after a long, much too long phase of idealisation of Western analytic gurus,' he said. Psychoanalysts in India today draw deeply from Kakar's reimagining of psychoanalysis, integrating his culturally rooted insights into clinical practice, specifically acknowledging the imprint of collective histories, myths, and identities on the unconscious. As Amrita Narayanan, a clinical psychologist and psychoanalyst, wrote in 'An Elastic Indianness: In Memory of Sudhir Kakar' (2024), Kakar believed that the Indian 'ego', formed through the blurring of self and other, was fundamentally different than the Western, autonomous conception. 'The 'I am' and 'we are' are birthed simultaneously for Indians,' she wrote, suggesting that for many, social expectations are internalised as personal desires. This deep enmeshment of self and community has major implications for how therapists understand emotional conflict, sexuality, and even violence. 'Much like Freud, Kakar's quest for clues in folk tales, fables, and epics holds the reimagination of Indianness, in which the self yearns for spirituality,' said Pulkit Sharma, a clinical psychologist and psychotherapist. For many clinicians, Kakar's recognition of India's spiritual imagination, through epics, rituals, and mythology, reshaped what counts as healing. Myths of Ganesha and Ram, used by Kakar to illustrate the nurturing and sacrificial Indian son, challenged Western tropes like Oedipus and offered a new vocabulary for male development. Similarly, fantasies of femininity, coded as nurturing, maternal, and emotionally sensitive, are central rather than deviant. 'In the clinical room, sensitivity is given to caste, religion, gender, family, generational myths, and traditions that shape the subjectivity of the client. All of it informs the therapist about indigenous narratives and themes that help in learning the unconscious script. This accessibility serves as a guide to meaningful therapeutic growth,' Sharma said. 'The psychotherapist must know that it's not merely a defence, but a well-meaning psychological structure that fosters healing. The psychopathology is not intrapsychic but extrapsychic in Kakar's works. It further carries the ruptures of colonialism, modernity, and globalisation,' he added.
Arab News
21-07-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Five killed, seven injured in deadly tribal clash in southwestern Pakistan
QUETTA: Five people were killed while seven others were injured in Pakistan's southwestern Killa Abdullah district on Sunday after an armed clash between two tribes, a senior official said. The clash broke out on Sunday evening between members of the ethnic Pashtun tribes of Achakzai and Kakar, lasting for several hours before tribal elders, the paramilitary Levies force and Frontier Corps (FC) Balochistan brokered a ceasefire between them. 'Five people have been killed and seven injured in the latest clashes that erupted between Achakzai and Kakar tribesmen in Killa Abdullah district,' Shahzaib Kakar, commissioner of Quetta Division, told Arab News on Sunday. He said members of both tribes were involved in 'an old tribal dispute,' adding that both sides agreed to a ceasefire after security forces arrived in the area. Hayat Achakzai, a local journalist based in Killa Abdullah district, said clashes broke out at 6:30 p.m. on Sunday when members of both tribes came face to face at the district's Tot Adda area. 'Both tribes were engaged in a dispute since March 2025 following a motorbike snatching,' Achakzai said. 'They were chasing each other for the last two weeks but today met with an armed clash.' Balochistan, Pakistan's largest province by land mass but its most backward one by almost all social and economic indicators, has a strong tribal system with powerful chieftains. Disputes between rival tribes over honor, land and decades-old feuds are common here, often resulting in armed clashes. Ethnic Baloch militant groups have launched a low-level insurgency against the state for years in Balochistan, accusing Islamabad of exploiting the province's mineral resources and denying locals a share in it. The government denies the allegations and points to health, development and educational projects that it says have been launched to empower the people of Balochistan.
Indian Express
15-07-2025
- Health
- Indian Express
Actor Dipika Kakar undergoes mammography: Do women cancer survivors need to continue their mammograms?
Television actor Dipika Kakar, who is documenting her recovery journey after her liver cancer diagnosis and surgery, has now revealed that she underwent mammography to rule out any changes in her breast tissue. She says she did this because earlier in the year, before her liver cancer diagnosis, a mammography had revealed enlarged lymph nodes in her left breast. So she wanted to be sure. Do those in cancer therapy need to do mammography simultaneously? In a vlog, Kakar says that she consulted the doctor after she developed pain on her left side. Her first mammogram showed enlarged lymph nodes, which can arise from various reasons, including infection. Her doctor had said then that it didn't look suspicious but it would be good to do a repeat scan after three months. Other doctors said the pain could be the result of a muscle injury. She mentioned how, because of her surgery and her recovery, her time to get the mammography done had exceeded three months. Now the mammography has shown that her lymph nodes had shrunk. 'Women cancer survivors need to watch out for spread or recurrence once they are on follow-up therapy protocol. And that's why a mammogram is advised. Generally, we do not advise mammography alongside PET scan (which assesses spread, metastasis and treatment response) because any anomaly would automatically be picked up by the latter. We do not suggest it for all liver cancer survivors either without assessing individual cases and risks. But in cases of breast cancer, some survivors may be suggested to undergo mammography surveillance even while undergoing PET scans,' says Dr Jeyhan Dhabhar, consultant, medical oncology, Jaslok Hospital, Mumbai. No matter where you develop cancer, you need surveillance through imaging tests of the breast. Unless the woman is a breast cancer survivor, we suggest mammograms to women survivors of other cancers only after they have completed their treatment protocol. Once they are on routine follow-up, we suggest mammography once in 12 to 18 months, the same as we advise any woman over the age of 45. However if the women are BRCA-positive, then there is a different screening protocol even if they develop cancer in any other part of the body. BRCA-positive women have a higher lifetime risk of developing breast and ovarian cancers due to inherited mutations in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes. Women with BRCA1 mutations have a 72% lifetime risk of breast cancer, while those with BRCA2 mutations have a 69% risk. Ovarian cancer risk also increases. So if a BRCA-positive woman has recovered from cancer in another part of the body, we recommend breast sonography once in six months and an MRI breast once in six months for monitoring purposes. Breast ultrasound uses sound waves to create images and are often used to further investigate abnormalities found during mammograms. Once they are through with the treatment protocol, they should because mammograms can tell you about breast tissue anomalies or new growth. While breast cancer can sometimes spread to the liver, liver cancer does not directly increase the risk of breast cancer. You need to screen for new growth. Especially if you've only had one breast removed, you should be screening the other breast to rule out abnormal tissue growth.
India Today
05-07-2025
- Entertainment
- India Today
Shoaib Ibrahim says Dipika Kakar's cancer can recur, treatment may take 2 years
Actor Shoaib Ibrahim has shared a health update on his wife, Dipika Kakar, a month after she underwent surgery for stage 2 liver cancer. In a video posted on his YouTube channel, the couple spoke to fans about her recovery and the next steps in her treatment revealed that while Kakar currently has no cancer cells, the tumour was identified as "grade three and poorly differentiated," indicating it was quite aggressive. He added that there remains a risk of it we thought that maybe if the tumour was removed, then everything would be fine. As far as the body is concerned, there are currently no cancer cells present. However, the biopsy report that we received and the PET scan we reviewed indicated a more serious situation. The tumour was classified as grade three and poorly differentiated, which means it was quite aggressive. Uske chances kaafi hote hai re-occur karne ki (The chances of re-occurring are significant),' he said. Shoaib went on to explain that there are two main treatment options for liver cancer: immunotherapy, administered through an IV drip, and targeted therapy, which involves oral medication. He shared that Dipika will be starting her treatment with oral medicines.'After the surgery, the doctor prescribed medication. Although there are no cancer cells now, if any are detected in the future, the dosage will be increased, and she will receive medication new journey will start next week. Yeh treatment ek saal, dedh saal ya do saal bhi jaa sakta hai (The treatment can go from one year to two years). Scans will be conducted every three weeks,' he Kakar shared a lengthy post and wrote how she is set to finally leave for home after 11 days in the over a week of observation at Mumbai's Kokilaben Hospital, Kakar shared that the tumor was successfully Kakar was diagnosed with a liver tumour in May. Earlier this month, she underwent a 14-hour-long surgery for stage 2 liver cancer. In a YouTube vlog, her husband Shoaib revealed that the surgery involved the removal of her gall bladder along with a portion of her liver.- EndsMust Watch
DW
20-06-2025
- Politics
- DW
Podcasting for Afghan refugees in Pakistan
Deeba Jan Akbari Kakar has a business degree and loves to work. But forced displacement and traditional family values have limited her. A DW Akademie podcasting program has given her purpose and a challenge. In the years before she married, Deeba Jan Akbari Kakar worked a lot and loved her job. After earning a degree in business administration in her native Afghanistan, a private bank there hired her, and she found great satisfaction in demonstrating her organizational and managerial skills. But this wouldn't last. War and the regressive Taliban government led her, her husband and their three children to first flee to Pakistan, where they resided for about a decade before returning to Afghanistan. But threats there to their economic and personal security forced them out again, this time to Uzbekistan, where they spent five years as they applied to migrate to Germany. Those plans, however, also led nowhere, all of which leaves Kakar today, at age 35, with visible disappointment. She is today back in Pakistan, where she lives with her family among other displaced persons. Migration upheaval Worldwide, there are more than 120 million people displaced, according to the UNHCR , the United Nations Refugee Agency, which formally recognizes this population – and specifically the 43.4 million classified as refugees – on June 20, World Refugee Day. This displacement is due to conflict, persecution and violence. The UNHCR estimates that close to three million Afghan refugees are in Pakistan. And they have been particularly vulnerable since 2023, when the Pakistani government then started deporting Afghan nationals, refugees and asylum seekers under its "Foreigners' Repatriation Plan." "This was all really tough," she said, as she recounted broken promises and constant setbacks. Layered over that, too, is her regret at not being able to work in her chosen profession, partly because of the upheaval, partly because her husband's family discourages her from holding a job. Deeba Jan Akbari Kakar has found purpose in podcasting news she gathers as a community reporter in Pakistan. An Afghan refugee herself, she reports on everyday challenges such as opening a bank account, fund transfers to family in Afghanistan, and the uncertainty and stress of being in constant transition. Image: Tabish Naeemi/DW "I really love working," she said with infectious enthusiasm that sweeps away any rancor at her difficulties. Instead, Kakar's demeanor reflects acceptance and even gratitude. "In working, I learn new things about myself, what I'm capable of doing, and how I can put new skills to work – skills that I sometimes don't even know I have." Community reporters learn valuable skills With a positive attitude like that, it seemed fateful that Kakar last year would find herself participating in a program supported by DW Akademie where Pakistani media organizations train Afghan refugees like herself, aiming to both promote reliable and helpful news sharing in displaced persons camps and settlements – community reporting – and to transfer media skills like fact-checking and podcasting that could lead to paid work. Kakar now works in a school cafeteria, where she earns about 10,000 rupees per month (about $30). To send one child to school, she continued, it costs about 30,000 rupees – an impossible sum, in particular, too, since she has three children all younger than nine years of age. But while she may privately ruminate on her situation, she – and others – have found that putting her experiences to the good is a win-win. "She has strong teamwork skills, creative thinking and a deep empathy for her community," said Fakhira Najib, the Managing Director of The Communicators Limited , a DW Akademie partner in Pakistan which offers the podcast training. "She consistently brings fresh ideas to the table, especially when it comes to highlighting the issues faced by displaced communities. Her ability to connect with people and translate their experiences into powerful stories makes her an invaluable contributor." For now, learning podcasting provides an outlet for working within her circumstances, helping other refugees like herself and contributing in a possible way. The focus is on 'news you can use' for those living in marginalized communities and areas. The challenges with this are plenty: a fluid society where following up with sources and how stories evolve can prove impossible, lived trauma from fleeing war and a lack of infrastructure to produce stories via media like podcasting or broadcasting. But none of this has stopped Kakar, who, when she felt her professional options slipping away in Afghanistan, started writing down stories – with pen and paper – there, and then found she could secretly freelance for a magazine. "I started talking with women who, like me, had received an education but were not allowed to work," she explained, adding that in one instance, a woman's husband showed up unexpectedly and chased Kakar out of the house. "These women were scared, understandably, so I gave them pseudonyms. I wrote about troubled marriages, and about them not being able to send their children to were very emotional interviews. For both of us." 'In working,' says Deeba Jan Akbari Kakar, 'I learn new things about myself, what I'm capable of doing, and how I can put new skills to work – skills that I sometimes don't even know I have.' Image: Tabish Naeemi/DW The Farewell Land During the workshops, held last year in July and December and centered on podcasting tools and skills, Kakar swapped her pencil and pad for microphones, headphones and recording equipment, which she found superior to not missing any information and helpful in being able to double-check what subjects told her. She has also pursued stories that examine what refugees like her find so taxing in their lives: visa problems, opening and access to bank accounts, fund transfers to family in Afghanistan, and the day-to-day uncertainty and stress of being in constant transition. "We're all trapped in a way," she said. "I have not seen my own mother in 10 years." This is, in essence, the basis of a podcast Kakar developed during the DW Akademie training. Called "The Farewell Land," she explores refugees and their hope of one day being able to return safely to their homeland. "It's a play on words, a way of saying that this is not goodbye," she said. "This is not the end, we will rise up, and we will find a way." As part of the Displacement and Dialogue Asiaproject, podcast training and content production are funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The project, thanks to the cooperation with our partners, is the first to integrate Afghans into the Pakistani media landscape. DW Akademie supports partners in Pakistan to train Afghan refugees to become community reporters. Participants learn skills and are mentored in producing content for digital platforms or radio.
