Measurements serve the purpose of either comprehending the breadth of things or assessing if they align with our defined parameters. The idea of measuring things is not restricted to commodities, though. While studying anthropology in Germany, Dr. Irawati Karve (1905 – 1970) observed asymmetries in skull samples from diverse population groups and asserted that these differences were not significant enough to be addressed independently. Nevertheless, upon her return, she endeavors to formulate markers for communal distinctions. Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis (1893-1972), a statistical analyst introducing concepts like pilot data and multivariate analysis, exhibits an application that is simultaneously unsettling. Disciplines and thoughts evolve over time, often leaving behind old parameters.

With the acknowledgment that racial science is a pseudo-scientific inquiry, lingering questions arise. How should one proceed when even scientific inquiries lack rationality? How can the gaps in investigation be processed? How can one navigate distinctions made by birth, where asymmetries are apparent? Why is there eagerness to measure differences over similarities between us? And what role do these speculations play in approaching the ideas of identity and defining our role as citizens?

Participating Artists

• Abhishek Hazra
• Sharbendu De
• Shukla Sawant
• Yogesh Barve