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The 19th Century Colonial Archetype of the Indian Crocodile: The aquapelagic roots of Rudyard Kipling’s ‘Muggers’
Get PDFThis article studies the archetype of the Indian crocodile (also called by the British as ‘mugger,’ derived from the Hindi word magarmachh, meaning aquatic monster’) in late-19th century colonial anthropological and zoological accounts. These constitute a vital archive of imperial views of environmental others, especially within Indian lacustrine contexts. I attempt to explore the historicity of the crocodile-archetype—that Rudyard Kipling, for instance, used in his famous story ‘The Undertakers’ (1894) as a scapegoat for overcoming the traumas of the ‘sepoy Mutiny’ or India’s First War of Independence, of 1857 (which saw fierce battles between the British and Indian rebels and revolutionaries on the plains). In taking Kipling’s story as the point of departure, this article tries to trace the evolution of the crocodile archetype through its appearances in popular accounts in Victorian periodicals, sporting, adventure, and anthropological literature, in their representations of Indian lacustrine contact zones. What makes the colonial archetype of the crocodile Kiplingesque is the author’s historical coupling of it with the gory events of 1857 (as they were represented in British popular imagination) and India’s lacustrine settings, as if to relocate the site of Anglo-Indian conflict from the plains to aquatic zones, on the one hand, and the internecine conflict to an inter-species conflict (that is, from British versus Indian to Anglo-Indian versus crocodiles), on the other hand. This ideology of representation of Indian crocodiles in colonial hunting narratives ended up obscuring an emerging geological narrative of the Indian subcontinent’s deep past and traces of the hypothetical supercontinent, Gondwana, that British geologists had found in India. Since a holistic understanding of crocodilian origins was key to understanding India’s geological deep pasts—that could have created an aquapelagic understanding of the crocodile as opposed to its diabolical image in Victorian popular imagination—demonising the crocodile hurt India’s intellectual interests, too
Critical Indigenous Psychologies in India: Striving for Human Liberation
No full textOur focus is on how Indigenous psychology is interpreted (or misinterpreted) and its implications for the quest for human liberation. Instead of stimulating emancipatory values and social change, there are differences in the interpretation and critical understanding of Indigenous psychology. In India, the Indigenous psychology movement has an anti-colonial stance, and the need is to develop a voice for neglected and oppressed Indigenous groups. In this chapter, we seek to problematize Indigenous psychology’s current understanding and practices and offer an alternative perspective for its theorization and application in the Indian context. Building on previous literature, three arguments have been developed. First, after critically examining the emergence and development of Indigenous psychology in India, it is argued that the promise with which it was started remains unfulfilled presently. Second, a critical look at the cultural politics of Indigeneity leads to an understanding that Indigenous psychology is a political project and should aim to ensure social justice, liberation, and re-humanization of the people. Third, we try to offer an outline of critical Indigenous psychology wherein an argument is provided that an essentialist and pure notion of Indigeneity will prove to be problematic and, therefore, such construction needs to be revisited and deconstructed
Leveraging Digital Transformation for Operational Excellence and Sustainable Supply Chains in Modern Organizations
No full textDigital Transformation has significantly impacted on the supply chain performance and sustainability of business organizations. In today’s competitive landscape, organizations are pressured to meet customer expectations in the ongoing digital transformation initiatives. This research investigates the integration between digital transformation, operational excellence, and sustainability within business organizations. By examining existing literature and synthesizing insights from diverse sources, the study seeks to explain the transformative potential of digital technologies in reshaping operational processes and driving sustainability initiatives. Findings reveal that digital transformation is a strategic enabler for achieving operational excellence within organizations. Through process automation, datadriven decision-making, seamless integration, customer-centricity, and agile operations, businesses can optimize processes, enhance productivity, and deliver superior customer experiences. Also, digital transformation facilitates sustainability initiatives by promoting resource efficiency, enabling remote work practices, fostering green technologies, ensuring supply chain transparency, and implementing circular economy principles. By leveraging digital technologies, businesses can enhance competitiveness, navigate market complexities, and contribute to environmental stewardship
When pregnancy comes with elevated sugar levels: A systematic review of qualitative evidence of gestational diabetes mellitus from Asia
No full textObjective
Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) has lasting health impacts on both the mother and the child and has been increasing in low–middle-income countries. Psychological and socio-cultural variables can have a uniquely significant impact on how GDM is navigated and managed. Therefore, this study aimed to synthesize the experiences of women with GDM in the Asian context.
Methods
A systematic literature search was conducted using PubMed and Scopus databases to identify experiences of women with GDM for the purpose of employing narrative synthesis. Studies were included if they were from Asia and followed a qualitative paradigm.
Results
Nine studies met the inclusion criteria. The women (N = 219) in the studies faced multifaceted challenges that can be understood as psychological, socio-cultural, and systemic in nature. The common themes were psychological distress regarding the diagnosis and managing the recommended lifestyle and treatment, which were largely attributed to healthcare services, financial constraints, practical difficulties, familial issues, overpowering traditional conflicting recommendations, and lack of a support system. Gendered norms and stigma also compounded the difficulties of many women.
Conclusion
Despite the limited research on GDM specifically in the Asian context, the findings highlight common challenges and experiences of these women. There is a need for sustainable and culturally specific treatment protocols, greater support from healthcare providers, and increasing community awareness acknowledging the role of informal social support systems. Balancing cultural beliefs and practices with treatment recommendations can significantly improve adherence and reduce distress for women with GDM. Further research is rooted in stronger theoretical frameworks in other South Asian countries to be able to develop sustainable preventive and management programmes
Tackling The Practical Challenges of AI Bias
Get PDFArtificial Intelligence (AI) systems exert an ever-increasing influence over decision-making in myriads of sectors, which include hiring, finance, health, and the criminal justice system. However, the use of such systems in the quest to provide efficiency and objectivity also poses risk of biases creeping in. This may often make systems prejudiced against some groups, posing significant legal, ethical, and social challenge to their adoption. Addressing these biases is essential, as doing so lays the foundation for fairness and accountability in Al development and use
The Great Betrayal : Security Council Resolution on Gaza
No full textThe United Nations (UN) Security Council Resolution (SCR) 2803 (2025), “The Gaza Comprehensive Plan,” based on the Trump Declaration for Peace (13 October 2025), will be remembered as a betrayal of the Palestinian people by the collective international regime, as it violates several international laws, including the right to self-determination. This resolution has rewarded genocide, taken steps for institutionalising colonialism, set precedents for reversing the basic principles of international law and delegitimised the UN.
The resolution declares that the “situation” in the Gaza Strip threatens regional peace and security of neighbouring states and recalls earlier resolutions on this issue.1 So, the context of this SCR, which is now a legally binding international treaty, rests entirely on the security concerns of Israel and the regional others in West Asia, favours the financial interests of the United States (US) and its cronies, while excluding any mention of the ongoing genocide and safeguarding the basic rights of the Palestinian people.
The basis of this peace plan is a ceasefire and exchange of hostages, already in place. But Israeli forces continue the killings and violate the ceasefire daily with full impunity. Meanwhile, the text of the SCR 2803 that frames steps for Gaza’s future is in the execution stage
Transforming healthcare system in industry 5.0
No full textThe chapter describes the changes in healthcare systems using the framework of Industry 5.0, a human-centric approach with modern technology integrated into the system. This chapter delves into how artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, augmented reality, and blockchain can be applied to make improvements to patient care, operational efficiency, and system resilience. Ethical considerations, data privacy, and workforce transformations are underlined while discussing the challenging nature of this technological revolution. It focuses on the sustainable practices and necessities within regulatory frameworks that can innovate while protecting patient rights. In this regard, the health of the future is contemplated through a landscape where both human and artificial intelligence may merge for the betterment of decision-making and patient outcomes. This chapter, therefore, concludes by calling for a more balanced approach toward taking full advantage of technological capabilities without relenting on the fundamentals of the human element of care
10W GaN- Reconfigurable Multimode Power Amplifier for Multiband Transmitter Application
No full textThis work suggests a fully integrated power amplifier (PA) in GaN technology that supports multi-mode operation. The input matching network has assembled as a Ttype, which is working to construct the wideband MN. The designed MN realizes the impedance match. Decreases in the target impedance zone in the intended frequency band are achieved using load-pull and source-pull technologies. The 10 W GaN HEMT has been used to design, fabricate, and measure broadband, highly efficient PAs. A bandwidth of 70.8% is attained using PA between 0.9 and 5.4 GHz. With an output power of 59% to 70%, a drain efficiency and PAE of more than 33 dBm, and a gain between 10 and 12.1 dB
The Evolution of Artificial Intelligence Origin : impact on workforce and future implications
No full textArtificial intelligence (AI) has rapidly evolved from theoretical models to real-world applications that impact every sector of the global economy. While AI promises increased efficiency, productivity, and innovation, it also brings significant disruption to traditional labor markets. The transition from industrial automation to AI-driven decision-making has accelerated job displacement across both blue-collar and white-collar industries. This chapter explores the historical context of job displacement due to AI, the sectors most at risk, and potential strategies for mitigating the economic and social consequences of this transformation
AI and the Future of Talent Management : revolutionizing workforce strategies for a dynamic world
No full textAI is revolutionizing talent management by enhancing decision making, automating routine tasks, and optimizing HR processes. Initially limited to resume screening and candidate matching, AI now plays a pivotal role in hiring, performance evaluation, training, and employee engagement. It enables personalized learning, predicts employee turnover, and supports data-driven decisions, aligning human capital with organizational goals. Despite its benefits, AI adoption faces challenges like resistance to change, ethical concerns, and data privacy issues. Looking ahead, AI's integration with technologies like augmented reality and blockchain will create immersive, inclusive, and responsive work environments. Its continuous learning capabilities will drive real-time performance management, fostering innovation and sustainability. This chapter explores AI's transformative impact on talent management, highlighting its current applications, challenges, and future potential in reshaping HR into a strategic, data-driven function in the dynamic business world