The purpose of this project was to record stories and histories from elder members of my extended family in India. In doing so, I sought to explore the guiding question: what were the experiences of Iyengar Brahmins in Madras during colonization and independence? What changes and continuities did they notice in India and in their own life? In particular, how did Iyengar women experience patriarchy in their lives?I interviewed six of my avva’s (grandmother’s) sisters– Lalita, Malathi, Indira, Meera, Prabha, and Chitra, from oldest to youngest– and their brother Babu. I also interviewed Parthu, my tata’s (grandfather’s) brother.The occasion for each interview was a larger family gathering, but the interview would take place in a quieter separate room. I recorded each elder individually, speaking in either English or Tamil according to their preference, with a younger family member present to provide translation services if needed. The interviews were conducted in a relatively informal fashion, with me sitting next to the elder and asking some broad questions to get started, but mostly allowing the elder to tell the stories they wanted to tell. I recorded via a shotgun microphone mounted on a tripod and connected to a recording device. When I returned home, I revisited, transcribed, and took notes on the recordings, which I then synthesized into a final giveback product.

Oral Histories of Iyengar Brahmins in Tamil Nadu

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Continue storytelling with ArcGIS StoryMaps and keep your content. Request that Esri migrate your account to ArcGIS Online by May 31, 2025, and complete migration by June 30, 2025.

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After one year, you will need to purchase an ArcGIS Online subscription to continue using ArcGIS StoryMaps. Check out the StoryMaps <link>retirement page</link> for more information on the ArcGIS Online subscription options.

ArcGIS <link>StoryMaps</link> is the professional version of StoryMaps and is available as part of <link2>ArcGIS Online</link2>. Both products share similar storytelling capabilities, so if you are familiar with StoryMaps, you'll feel right at home with ArcGIS StoryMaps. Visit the <link3>retirement page</link3> for a detailed comparison between StoryMaps and ArcGIS StoryMaps.

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Introducing ArcGIS StoryMaps and ArcGIS Online: <link>AGSM Introduction video</link>

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Both of these options include access to ArcGIS StoryMaps and the other ArcGIS Online apps and capabilities. Please note that there is a price difference between the two options that you will need to pay if you want to keep your account active when your free subscription expires. See the FAQs on the <link>StoryMaps.com retirement page</link> for more information about these subscription options.

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