Envy in the gaze

Abstract

ABSTRACT The authors of this article explore the relationship between the cultural, unconscious and conscious dynamics in setting up infant observations in Delhi. The specific focus of the paper is the concept of ‘Nazar’, Evil eye, in India. The paper presents the experiences of a young woman observer in India, going in to observe an infant as a requirement of her psychotherapy training. The paper is an attempt to make sense of what happened five years ago in setting up the observation. It sheds light on how a cultural artefact such as ‘Nazar’ becomes a barrier to being able to undertake baby observation. The article also extends its understanding of what ‘Nazar’ can symbolise, both in the internal and the external world of both observer and observed. It goes on to explore the link between mother’s ambivalence both towards her child and towards the young female observer.