ISSEP-2025-10

GRANT ID#: ISSEP-2025-10

GRANT TITLE: Narmada Parikrama – A Walking Pilgrimage: Indic Worldviews about Transformative Selfhood, Human Wellbeing and Environmental Sustainability

GRANTEE: The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, India

PRIMARY INVESTIGATOR: Rachana Bhangaokar

GRANT AMOUNT: USD $3,000

DURATION OF GRANT PROJECT: July 1, 2025 – Dec 31, 2026

Description of the Project

 

Executive summary:

Revered as a Mother Goddess, Narmada (Ma Narmada) is a perennial river running across three states in central and western India. She is the only sacred river in India around which a parikrama or clockwise circumambulation, is performed on foot. This arduous walking pilgrimage (Narmada Parikrama - NP) covering approximately 1630 miles, is undertaken by individuals (“parikramāwasi”) from all walks of life for its spiritual merit and to seek answers for many existential questions like “Who am I?” Anchored in Indigenous Psychology, Phenomenology and Grounded Theory, this qualitative inquiry examines NP as a culturally endorsed, voluntary experiment in self-transformation. In-depth interviews will be conducted with 30 parikarmavasis who have completed NP at least once and 10 key informants, alongside ethnographic observations to capture lived experiences and corresponding worldviews about selfhood, wellbeing, spiritual oneness and environmental sustainability. This project bridges the conspicuous gap between non-WEIRD epistemologies and dominant Euro-American psychological science.

 

Itemized budget:

Grant funding will cover the expenses detailed below:

  • Travel to Research Sites. Important study sites where the pilgrims walk or stay for a few days are distributed along the river route of 1630 miles across rural areas in three Indian states of Gujarat (home state), Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. These sites, with varying cultural and spiritual significance and ecological terrain, are mapped at different points (beginning, middle, closer to finishing) during the pilgrimage. Since it is important to cover the entire trail of the pilgrimage for some ethnographic observations and key informant interviews, the cost of travel will depend on the distance from the researcher’s home city and availability of affordable public transport, especially to remote and interior areas. In few cases, a private vehicle may need to be hired from the urban areas closest to the research site. $800.

  • Professional Services. Most interviews will be conducted in Indian languages, so services for audio transcription of interviews, translation and English back-translation of interview schedules and interview transcripts will be needed. Lumpsum payments for assistance with annual accounts and auditing may be needed. $600.

  • Token Compensation for Participants. Max $10 per participant for 40 participants. $400.

  • Accommodation Expenses at Research Sites. Data collection in remote places will need in-person travel and stay for 2-3 days. $400.

  • Supplies. Computer accessories, external hard drives and cloud storage, good quality recorders, printing. $300.

  • Short-term Memberships and Subscription for Online Qualitative Data Analysis Software, for e.g. Dedoose. $300.

  • Internet Charges. Stable and high-speed internet for online interviews on zoom; mobile phone connection with internet while traveling to remote locations. $200.

The total amount approved for this project is USD $3,000.

Kenneth Vail