Mothers at the shrine: Healing, Care and Protection against Nazar in Urban India.

Roadside shrines of healing saints in Indian cities, though often appearing random and barely noticeable, are sustained through the constant attention and care of devotees. At one such shrine in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, the space is widely trusted as a healing center, particularly by mothers who bring toddlers for routine check-ups when they suspect their child may be affected by nazar, or the evil eye. This paper examines informal shrines as sites of maternal care grounded in healing and everyday protection. Drawing on feminist literature, I argue that mothering here operates not simply as a biological role but as a collective healing practice shared among mothers, priests, and the saint invoked for protection. Rituals to remove nazar, which include burning chilies, spreading salt, applying kohl, and tying protective bands, also reflect maternal vigilance over children’s vulnerability. The anonymity and diversity of urban landscape do not guarantee safety, and that is where these modest, homely shrines become alternative spaces of healing and protection. In this paper, I aim to intervene in feminist literature to study informal healing sites as gendered infrastructures of care.