Pornima S Rajkarne

Pornima Rajkarne is a doctoral student at the School of Humanities at NIAS. She is working with Dr. Navaratna on the Varakari Sampradaya of Maharashtra. Her research broadly deals with the spiritual practices, especially kirtan, and the worldview of the Varakaris. Her study lies at the intersection of neurotheology and symbolic anthropology. 

Pornima pursued biotechnology and shifted to the social sciences because of her interest in cultural studies. She holds a master’s degree in anthropology from the University of Hyderabad and has been awarded the UGC-JRF in the same discipline. She has also worked as a content creator in science communication.