Space and Culture, India
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Online Education during COVID-19: Prospects and Challenges in Bangladesh
Get PDFCOVID-19 has forced the authorities to introduce online education at all levels in Bangladesh. Students from primary to tertiary levels had initial hiccups to adapt to the newly introduced online education system because of genuine reasons like lack of appropriate device, absence or limited access to internet networks, disinterest in online education, disruption in electricity, etc. Perhaps, most of the stakeholders involved in education had a kind of hope of witnessing the crisis caused through COVID-19 over within a short period of time. Thus, none of the stakeholders was very serious in online education, expecting offline in-person education to be back pretty soon. It seems to have been realised by most of the stakeholders after almost one and a half years of the corona crisis that the pandemic may not disappear quickly. As a result, online education has recently been reinforced in Bangladesh, considering it the only alternative to the previous system. This review study explores the prospects and challenges of online education in the context of Bangladesh and finds out that prospects of it could be pretty high as an alternative education system. However, its challenges may be described as daunting given the socioeconomic and cultural constraints that prevail in the country
Strong and Vibrant Social Sector is sine qua non for Social Development
Get PDFAs the largest country, India faces several social issues, and all governments— central or states, have supported several welfare and developmental programmes and schemes. Unfortunately, many of these programmes were politicised and resulted in politicising interest and farewell to welfare. As a result, the social sector expenditure has grown just 7.7% of the GDP between 2015 and 2019, and of the total 7.7% GDP expenditure, 3.1% went to education, 1.6% to healthcare and the rest to other social services segments. India has a large social sector compared to many other countries having around 3.9 million NGOs and a substantial social service workforce. While India has announced its vision 2030 to become and is poised to become a five trillion-dollar economy in the next five years, it needs to emphasise that a healthy, strong and vibrant social sector is essential necessity to ensure its citizens\u27 quality of life and happiness
Juxtaposing Farmers’ Suicides and Climate Change Vulnerability: An Empirical Analysis of Indian States
Get PDFIndia’s overall ranking on the Global Climate Risk Index has been deteriorating in recent years, making it more vulnerable to climate risks. It has been indicated in the literature that climate change is also associated with agrarian distress. However, empirical analyses are scanty on this, especially in the Indian context. In this analytical exercise, we tried to explore the association between farmers’ suicides and climate change vulnerability across Indian states. Using data from various sources, we arrive at an Agrarian Vulnerability Index and juxtaposed that with farmers’ suicide data between 1996 to 2015 collected from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). We noted a strong association between climate change vulnerability and farmers’ suicides. The essence of this analysis is to indicate and understand the broad trends and associations. This research, in the process, informs and presses for a systematic, more comprehensive study with an agenda at micro and meso levels to understand the nuances of this association.
 
Enhancing Oneness through a Co-Housing Community
Get PDFMany of us live in conventional housing facilities, and recent changes in the demographic shift and economic changes create a more significant impact and reshape the spaces we live, work, etc. Modern life makes it challenging to find an answer for the housing crisis and social change, and this, when paired with a safety and security crisis, we can see the decline in meaningful social connections, isolation, leading to sparse human interactions and a lack of vibrant community life. These issues, in turn, threaten not just the quality of life but also human well-being. In response, architecture must create an inclusive urban fabric that meets all groups of people’s social, physical and economic needs. One way to deal with these issues is by revisiting previous models of inhabitation, analysing and modifying them in order to achieve a sustainable living model. This study aims to understand and compare the existing models of co-housing communities across the globe and provide insights into how the concept of co-housing is evolving and how it is likely to impact India. A survey has been conducted with 150 people of diverse age groups to understand the needs and trends of people and further by developing a framework for co-housing communities in an urban setting, where it has the potential to offer a different scale of social organisation and to provide a supportive housing environment emphasising more on sustainable lifestyle practices. Architecture must enhance a person’s lifestyle, and co-housing can catalyse the same.
 
Creating a New Experience for Tourists through City Branding (Case Study: City of Shiraz in Iran) :
Get PDFThe utility of the destination brand experience directly originates from the type of feelings of audiences present in a city. In this study, after recognising the components affecting the sense of place, their relationship with the tourism brand experience in the city of Shiraz, Iran was assessed, and the way the components made effects were investigated as well. To achieve this end, as stated above, this research was conducted using a case study of Shiraz city. The data collection was performed through observation and questionnaire, and the data analysis technique was a combination of quantitative (using SPSS software) and qualitative methods. The obtained results demonstrated that all factors in each form, activity and meaning components affected the sense of place in Shiraz; however, factors associated with the city’s history, such as historical attractions and famous people, had a remarkable effect when compared to others. Overall, consideration of the indicators influencing the sense of place in all aspects, particularly the management and operational ones (design and execution), results in a more robust connection of the audience with the destination brand, growth of sustainable tourism in Shiraz, and successful competition in the international arena.
 
Sarah Everard & Nirbhaya: Comparisions and Commonalities
Get PDFThis brief communication in the form of the editorial attempts to draw out the parallels between two grisly incidents in two parts of the world. The vertiginous ferocity of the incidents jostled outrage across the nations— Sarah Everard’s kidnap and murder on 03 March 2021 and barbarity on Nirbhaya through gang-rape and subsequent murder in December 2012. Both the cases unveil an underlying culture of misogyny. The question remains how do we tackle misogyny. Perhaps, deployment of Ubuntu through community engagement is a way forward to magnify respect for women via-à-vis respect for humanity
Economic, Social and Demographic Impact of Burmese Invasion of Manipur
Get PDFAdversarial relationship best describes the history between the Kingdom of Manipur and Burma. As expected between neighbours, there had been frequent wars, alliance formation through intermarriages, trade ties, and cultural exchanges. The watershed in the bilateral relationships was the Burmese occupation during 1819-1826; a period described as the ‘Seven Years Devastation’. It was the last and the most destructive in the series of invasions that befalls the Kingdom of Manipur. Considered the darkest phase, the seven years left an indelible mark in the mindset of the Manipuris. The trail of destruction and devastation that the invading Burmese armies left in the psyche of the Manipuris are still retold in the popular folklore, ballads, and enacted in plays. It had left a penetrating impact on the social, economic, demographic, cultural, and even foreign relations of Manipur.
 
Interpretation of Symbols, Veneration and Divine Attributes in Dieng Temple Complex, Central Java
Get PDFThis study aims to discuss the divine symbols and attributes used as a medium of worship in the Dieng Plateau. The research was phased in according to Wallace\u27s empirical cycle and was conducted in the Dieng Plateau, Central Java, Indonesia, a spiritual centre in ancient Java. The discovery of the Śiva Triśirah statue in the Dieng Temple Complex reveals new things in the past Hindu Nusantara Theology construction. Several divine symbols and attributes are served as a medium of worship at the Temple Complex in the Dieng Plateau. The concept of Deity in the Dieng Plateau is Śivaistic in character with the worship of Lord Śiva Triśirah, that is, Śiva with three faces and four hands, as the Supreme Deity. However, some divine symbols and attributes also serve as a medium of worship and connected to divinity. In Hinduism, the sacred symbols and attributes of God are inseparable. Divine attributes generally define God. In the discussion of theology, God is described with various excellent attributes. The central divine attributes found are as follows: Omnipotence, Creatorship, Omniscience, Eternity and Omnipresence, Personhood, Goodness⁄ Perfection, Non-Physicality, Necessary, Existence, Simplicity, Immutability, and Impassibility. These divine attributes are depicted in various forms of sacred symbols found in the Dieng Plateau
Cultural/Social Media Space of the Digital Generation
Get PDFTaking the example of Kazakhstan, this study examines the formation and analysis of the cultural media space of the digital generation. Information and communication technologies are the basis of a communicative media environment that has an internal regulated structure, which affects the socialisation of a person. The content of the cultural media space of the digital generation is formed on the basis of digital technologies and represents people’s visual worldview with images, signs and symbols.
The processes of transformation of society affect the young generation and the content of the media space that determines their social and ethnocultural identity. The study presents the results of working with schoolchildren and students aged 14-18 using focus groups to explore the impact of digital culture (media culture) on adolescents in Kazakhstan. Based on the interdisciplinary approach, the findings demonstrate intergenerational contradictions because of the active involvement of Kazakhstan in the global internet community. The cultural media space of Kazakhstan has been shaping the social communications of the digital generation that has grown up in a sovereign state. The theoretical concepts of P. Bourdieu, C. Mannheim and other scientists served as a methodology for this study. Based on the interdisciplinary approach, the findings demonstrate intergenerational contradictions because of the active involvement of Kazakhstan in the global internet community. The findings also unravel that the transformation of the value orientations of adolescents is influenced by the factors of geographical location and ethnicity