Mother Nation: The Healthy Female Body in Contemporary India

The female body has been a site of nationalist debates. In India, women have been signified as “mothers” for the purpose of reproducing a “healthy” nation. This has taken various forms including within colonial nationalist debates and Golwalkar's “Call to Motherhood”. This paper explores the contemporary role of the healthy female body in present day nationalisms, and how yoga is central to the cultivation of "health", particularly as it pertains to reproduction.