Smart Moves Journal IJELLH (International Journal of English language, literature in humanities)
Not a member yet
2837 research outputs found
Sort by
Be(longing) and E/Ethno(scape): Losing of Self and Identity in The Inheritance of Loss
Full text linkThis paper begins with the notion that postcolonial literature is the most important and emphatic tool of representing various issues, the offshoots of a colonial hangover like displacement, orientation, self-contradiction, alienation, and identity crisis. Taking into consideration the various illustrations of Kiran Desai’s Booker prize winning novel The Inheritance of Loss (2006), this paper purports how the Self and identity of the characters are recognized or determined on the basis of his community and society which creates a sense of belonging in them and again how their longing for Western values, manners, language and economic stability lead them to escape or migrate to the colonial places, the globalized ethnoscape. The paper also emphasized though the ethnoscape provides them the basis to fulfill their aim and aspirations, they confront the Western Self which essentialise them and creates a crisis in their Self and identity. 
Tribal Lives and Women’s Voices: An Ethnographic Reading of Fiction from North East India
Full text linkThis research paper explores the intersection of tribal identity and women’s voices in contemporary fiction from Northeast India, focusing on the works of Temsula Ao and Mamang Dai. Employing an ethnographic approach, the study investigates how novelists use storytelling to document traditions, cultural rituals, social hierarchies, and the lived experiences of women in marginalized communities. Texts such as These Hills Called Home and The Legends of Pensam are analysed to illustrate the ways authors combine folklore, oral history, and intricate depictions of landscape and kinship. The findings reveal that these literary works not only preserve cultural memories but also foreground strategies of female agency and resilience amid patriarchal constraints and historical change. By situating literature as both an archive and an act of interpretation, the paper highlights the important role women writers play in expanding and challenging the representation of tribal life in Indian literature
Recent Curriculum Reforms in India: A Comprehensive Analysis
Full text linkIn recent years, India\u27s education sector has seen major changes, particularly in curriculum reforms across all educational levels. These changes are largely driven by the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which aims to overhaul the education system to be more comprehensive, adaptable, interdisciplinary, and aligned with the demands of the 21st century. This paper provides a detailed examination of these curriculum reforms, looking at the main changes, goals, methods, challenges and results.
The NEP 2020 has introduced several innovative measures. In primary and secondary education, the emphasis is on foundational literacy and numeracy, flexible curricula, and shifting from rote learning to competency-based education. The reforms also highlight the importance of continuous formative assessment rather than high-stakes examinations. In higher education, the NEP 2020 aims to transform institutions into large, multidisciplinary universities, introduce an Academic Bank of Credits (ABC) to provide more flexibility in course selection and credit accumulation, and enhance the focus on research through the establishment of a National Research Foundation (NRF). The policy also calls for greater institutional autonomy to foster innovation in curriculum design and delivery. Implementing these reforms presents several challenges, including resource constraints, especially in rural areas, the need for extensive teacher training, and ensuring equity and access for all students. Despite these challenges, initial assessments show positive trends in student engagement and learning outcomes. However, comprehensive long-term studies are necessary to fully understand the impact of these reforms.
This paper explores the recent curriculum reforms in India, focusing on the changes implemented in education at all levels. The analysis covers the objectives, methodologies, and outcomes of these reforms, highlighting their impact on educational quality and accessibility. It also examines the challenges faced during implementation and offers recommendations for future improvements, by comparing with reforms in other prominent countries. This paper aims to offer insights into the effectiveness of India\u27s curriculum reforms in enhancing educational quality and accessibility. Addressing these areas can help fully realize the potential of the NEP 2020, leading to a more equitable and high-quality education system in Indi
Melodies of Celebration: Exploring the Role of Wanvun in Kashmiri Marriage Ceremonies
Full text linkFor its scenic beauty, Kashmir is called the “Paradise on earth.” Its rich cultural heritage adds to its beauty and charm. Music is an essential part of Kashmir’s cultural legacy. A variety of songs are sung to adorn every celebration in Kashmir. There are different types of music in Kashmir, such as Wanvun, Rouf, Chhakar, Bachhi Nagma, Dhamaly, Lalnavun, Bhand Paethar, Ladishah, Leela, Sufiana Kalam etc. A number of books and articles have been written on Kashmiri music. This article focuses on wanvun associated with marriage ceremonies in Kashmir. It discusses the role of wanvun specific to various events and occasions of marriages in Kashmir. It also explores how the Wanvun sung in Kashmiri marriages not only reflect the joy and delight of the singers on these happy occasions but also how it depicts a variety of themes and ideas
A Planet in Crisis: Environmental Justice in Amitav Ghosh’s Gun Island
Full text linkThis paper examines how Amitav Ghosh’s Gun Island functions as a literary intervention in contemporary debates on environmental justice. Ghosh portrays climate change not just as an environmental issue but as a deeply connected justice crisis. It is rooted in colonial histories and capitalist systems. Through a transnational narrative that combines myth, history, and ecological realities, the novel challenges readers to reconsider the interconnectedness of environmental and social crises. The novel focuses on vulnerable populations in the Global South, particularly climate refugees, whose lives are shaped by ecological devastation and forced migration. By depicting human and non-human elements as entangled in a shared fate, Gun Island calls for a redefinition of environmental justice, one that is inclusive and grounded in both historical responsibility and multispecies ethic
Gender Dynamics in Indian Television Serials: A Critical Analysis of Representation and Cultural Influence
Full text linkTelevision has long been regarded as one of the most influential mediums of mass communication in India, serving as both a mirror and mould for societal values and gender norms. Despite the rapid proliferation of digital media platforms, television serials continue to dominate Indian households, particularly among female audiences. However, scholarly research consistently highlights how these serials reinforce traditional gender stereotypes by predominantly portraying women as submissive, emotionally driven, and confined to domestic spheres. This paper presents a comprehensive critical examination of female character representations in popular Indian television serials, analysing their socio-cultural implications through the lens of feminist media theory. Building on Laura Mulvey’s (1975) seminal concept of the “male gaze” and Goffman’s (1979) theory of gender performativity in media, the study interrogates the paradoxical nature of serials that ostensibly celebrate women while systematically perpetuating regressive gender norms. The research methodology incorporates textual analysis of prominent serials from different eras, audience reception studies, and comparative analysis of emerging digital narratives. The findings reveal persistent patriarchal storytelling patterns in mainstream television, though with notable exceptions in newer digital productions. The paper concludes with recommendations for more gender-sensitive media production practices and directions for future research
A Critical Study of Significance of English Language in India
Full text linkIn the 21st century many changes in science and technology are taking place so also in common sense, education and approaches towards human life. The English language has been indispensable to modern education system for Indian people. The language came to India with the British and has intermixed with the local, social, cultural, economic, political, legal, aspects of people. The emancipation of the people especially from down trodden and marginalized communities who have been victimized through language for many years. So now, they have started thing seriously about a language in which they can live and survive, they can read and write, express themselves without any restrictions. They have adopted and mastered to the English language when they came to know that English language and knowledge can emancipate them from any kind of bondage and evil knowledge. They have understood that it is not only the most powerful language of the world but also can give them the space they needed for thousands and thousands of years. Now, the poor, the middle classes, the marginalized and neglected people of India have understood the meaning of English language for their study, research, expression and knowing the truth that were untold to them. With the knowledge of English language, they are now able to get good education, good jobs, reputation, social prestige, and making their life better. The modern development in the field of science and technology, information and communication and the freedom to reaching out to the unreached have made them to learn English language for their own survival and development
Dalit Autobiographies as Sites of Trauma and Resistance: Analysing Caste Matters and Water in a Broken Pot
Full text linkCaste-based discrimination is so deeply rooted in Indian society that it affects Dalit communities both socially and psychologically. While existing literature has explored various facets of this discrimination, there remains a gap in analysing contemporary Dalit autobiographies through the lens of cultural trauma theory. This study aims to critically examine Suraj Yengde’s Caste Matters and Yogesh Maitreya’s Water in a Broken Pot: A Memoir to understand how these narratives depict and resist systemic discrimination and oppression. Employing cultural and collective trauma theories, particularly those proposed by Jaffrey C. Alexander and Cathy Caruth, this research analyses these autobiographies to uncover the enduring social and psychological scars inflicted by caste-based discrimination and marginalisation. The study focuses on how these narratives document dehumanisation and silent suffering while simultaneously challenging oppressive caste hierarchies. The findings reveal that both Yengde and Maitreya’s works exemplify the dynamics of cultural trauma, illustrating how collective suffering reshapes community identity and fosters a shared sense of vulnerability. By situating these narratives within trauma theory, the study argues that cultural trauma functions both as a wound and as a catalyst for social and literary resistance. This research offers a fresh contribution to the field by contextualising Dalit subjugation as a normalised social reality in Indian culture. By highlighting the need for equality by sharing Dalit narratives, it aspires to inspire meaningful changes toward a fairer and more equitable society for all
Racial Concerns and Womanist Disruptions in Alice Walker’s The Color Purple
Full text linkThe struggle of a black feminist writer is to fight for her community as well as fight with her community. Alice Walker’s The Color Purple attempts to navigate this fine balance. In the process she invokes the many threads that constitute everyday black lives- racism, religion, economic imperatives, gendered expectations, black homes, childhood, humor, speech patterns, fashion et al. The paper attempts to examine these and more specifically the new gender horizons that the text indicates as a possibility. The various female characters in the text negotiate their prescribed status within the community variously. Some like Celie’s mother and Harpo’s mother practically die in the harness. Some like Sofia are shown contesting the racial and gendered configurations throughout the text at tremendous personal cost. Shug on the other hand, exhibits an electrifying defiance towards the gender norms of the community. The paper examines if Walker is able to deliver a more equitable world for black women or if the promise of a new world is merely a carnivalesque one. The paper examines how the ‘reformation’ of the male characters and the subsequent reclaiming of the black community that the text ends on constitute a kind of back tracking on important gender concerns that the text had committed itself to earlier
Poems - Sh…h…h...e, LIFE& Modern Love
Full text linkThe word denoting herStarts with silenceA for granted suppressionOught to be her expression.The mounds of salt well evident in her beingHumblycomfortingthemasses.A never dying endure and a fair inborn bearer,Celebrated as goddess of beauty and creation:Only for humility and amelioration.
Ignoring the carnatic greedy glances of humanityA prey of lust,money and evil desires,Pruned adroitly in the early of herlifeShould not offshoot even by mistake.Shackled in the imperishable ironsOf conditioned patriarchy,
Well emulate puppets maneuvers,Befitting in the multitude of roles,With ease and perfectionAnd a dint of silence everywhere.Mutilated, defiled, snatched of her identityAt every step of life,Shrieks in the trenches of her heart…..Sh……h…h….