Pipe Organs and Satsang: Contemporary Worship in Shimla's Colonial Churches

Miles-Watson, Jonathan

Abstract

This article explores two seemingly contrasting types of Christian worship (one led by the pipe organ and the other by satsang), which I repeatedly experienced (between 2006 and 2010) during my fieldwork in Shimla, North India. Although it is often assumed that the pipe organ speaks more to colonial worship and satsang to postcolonial worship, this article demonstrates that both of these styles of worship are actually postcolonial attempts to negotiate colonial history. This suggests a need to complicate contemporary external discussions of the inculturation of Christian worship in India. Furthermore, by focusing on the way that contemporary Christians work with missionary histories to create living landscapes of worship, this article demonstrates that Christian worship is central to the identity of many non-Christian residents and tourists, who are also central to the formation of Christian landscapes of worship. The article concludes by suggesting that these groups also need to be brought into debates about the nature of Christian worship in contemporary India.

Citation

Miles-Watson, J. (2013). Pipe Organs and Satsang: Contemporary Worship in Shimla's Colonial Churches. Culture and Religion, 14(2), 204-222. https://doi.org/10.1080/14755610.2012.758647

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: May 29, 2013
• Deposit Date: Oct 30, 2012
• Publicly Available Date: Mar 9, 2015
• Journal: Culture and Religion
• Print ISSN: 1475-5610
• Electronic ISSN: 1475-5629
• Publisher: Taylor and Francis Group
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 14
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 204-222
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14755610.2012.758647
• Keywords: India, Christianity, Postcolonial, Samuel Evans Stokes, Sadhu Sundar Singh, Shimla.
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1471507