Context for M3
1. 'Shubhamastu', a Kolkata-based collective led by four priestesses, has been presiding over Hindu ceremonies of weddings, memorial services, housewarming rituals, among others, for over a decade now. These women have created simplified versions of Vedic ('from the Vedas') rituals and chants, and by subverting or doing away with some patriarchal rituals, they hope to elbow their way into what has been a male dominated space.
2. The group has however, been criticised for not having a single non-Brahmin (Brahmins are the highest-ranked caste in the Hindu caste system) priestess and for not stepping outside the universe of the Vedas. The rituals conducted by these priestesses include the chanting of Sanskrit hymns and the performance of Rabindranath Tagore's vast repertoire of songs.
note: the Vedas are a collection of four books that together form the corpus of Hindu literature. The Vedas have been criticised by stalwarts of the anti-caste movement like B.R Ambedkar for consolidating the superiority of the caste system.