Missing Indigenous Bodies

Hardly any mention of the body or related aspects are to be found in the educational documents of the mid-19th century Bombay Presidency. The annual documents produced by the educational inspectors of the time hardly ever referred to bodily matters, whether from a pedagogical or a punitive point of view. Apparently the only book on physical education addressing bodily matters from an education perspective for use in schools of the Bombay Presidency was written by a maratha woman, of whom little is known. Beginning the essay with this intriguing information, the author focuses on the social and political context, which accounted for the lack of reference to the body by educationists of the period.