Peace but No Quiet: Vibrations and the Making of a Hindu Soundscape

Pushkar is referred to as a place of “peace.” Yet, there are honking horns, loudspeakers, etc. Peace, but no quiet. This talk will address this ostensible paradox by exploring the creation and maintenance of “peace” in Pushkar. Locals instead find peace by adding yet more sound to the atmosphere with songs and recitations- sacred words intended to send good vibrations through the ether. What is the nature of this “peace”? And where does this vibratory rhetoric come from?