Ep 3 Men's Bodies

What's a Man? Masculinity in India

Men’s bodies are no longer just bodies, they have been monetized to sell muscle as power and success. Welcome to the third episode of What’s A Man: Masculinity in India podcast, in which Dr. Deepa Narayan explores men’s relationships with their bodies. In this episode, you will hear from some of the 250 young boys and men from middle and upper-class families. Special guests for this episode are Dutch anthropologist and author of Muscular India Michiel Baas, who researched Indian men and their bodies for over 10 years; Pradeep Bhatia, a fitness trainer to Bollywood stars, a true rags-to-riches story; and Sahiba Dhupar, an image consultant who trains men in power dressing and confidence projection. Through all of these conversations, Deepa traverses the landscape of the male body and discovers how men’s bodies have become sources of anxiety and trauma and how most educated parents in the big cities still avoid talking to their boys about their bodies.