Space and Culture, India
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The Pachyderm Dread: A Case Study of Human-Elephant Conflict in the Fringe Areas of Sonai-Rupai Wildlife Sanctuary, Assam
Get PDFThe conflict between man and animal has been a problem since time immemorial. However, this problem has been increasing day by day with the advancement of technology like the construction of rail and road networks through the forest, establishing stone quarries near the forest, etc. and the increase of population. Human-animal conflict may occur with leopard, wild buffalos, tigers or even with rhinos. However, the most common encounter of human occurs with the largest mammal on earth, the pachyderm. Perhaps, a conflict with wild elephant kills more people than the others. The Asiatic elephant is gradually becoming an endangered species due to the fast decrease of its population. Human-elephant conflict is one of the major causes of decreasing elephant population.
Moreover, loss of animal habitat even in protected area poses a threat to their habitat and also becomes a cause for a decrease of the elephant population. Sonai-Rupai Wildlife sanctuary is one of the most suitable abodes of Asiatic elephant. However, rapid deforestation has compelled the elephants to enter into the human settlements, which leads to human-elephant conflict. This study attempts to understand the nature of the human-elephant conflict in the fringe areas of Sonai-Rupai Wildlife Sanctuary and to explore the reasons behind such conflicts. It focuses mostly on those human-wildlife conflicts that result from a direct interaction among humans and wildlife
Comparative Analysis of Educational Attainment among Different Social Groups in Some Selected Mouzas of Saltora C.D. Block of Bankura District, West Bengal, India: An Empirical Study
Get PDFEducation plays multifarious instrumental roles in the realisation of certain ends both at individual and societal level. A large number of research works carried out in and outside India have identified and established a whole range of externalities produced by education such as raising human capital beyond individual level. Despite debates on economic returns to education, most scholars agreed about the positive impact of education upon economic return. The present study has mainly focused on a comparative analysis in attainment of education among three different social groups that is, scheduled castes (SC), scheduled tribes (ST) and other non-scheduled castes at school level. This is a micro-level empirical study focusing on one of the least developed Community Development Block (CDB) of Bankura district in West Bengal. The analysis of the study reveals that disadvantaged social groups—SCs and STs are the marginalised depressed classes experiencing high level of educational deprivation compared to that of other communities. One has to note that affiliation to a particular caste can no longer be tagged as a sole determinant of relative backwardness. So what is called for is a careful stratification of the community on the basis of socio-economic attributes so as to diagnose the problem of the community at hand properly. The study uses logistic regression as an analytical tool to probe net effects of the predictor variables including castes on enrolment and discontinuation rates for the study area as a whole as well as for boys and girls separately. It is important to note that when other variables are controlled, the net effect of caste factor becomes statistically inconsequential either on enrolment or on discontinuation or dropouts. Rather, it is the combination of several socio-economic factors that are taken together which pulls down the enrolment of ST and SC children vis-a-vis those belonging to others non-scheduled castes
Culture of Friendship Among the Apatanis of Arunachal Pradesh
Get PDFThe Apatanis of Ziro Valley are a tribe in Arunachal Pradesh. The community is known for their sedentary agriculture among all dry farming communities in this state. It is sustained without the use of draught power and an indigenously developed irrigation system. Inhabiting a small sequestered plateau, their agriculture represents the most efficient in terms of energy use. Among the traditional institutions of the Apatani is the labour gang known as the Pataň. Its composition is based largely on village friendship cutting across genders that are equally represented, in addition to kinship-based unity. This aspect is evident in a tradition during Myoko festival where friends visit across villages to renew their ties. The festival and its associated rituals also assign a special position to friendship. The paper seeks to explore the ritual aspect of friendship and its relevance of friendship in the circulation of labour for sedentary agriculture
Unwanted Hysterectomies in India: Paid by Public Insurance Schemes: Unwanted Hysterectomies
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Systematising the Microstructure of a Modern Dictionary of the Arabic Language
Get PDFThis article is concerned with studying the influence of conservatism on the modern Arabic lexicography, namely the structure of its dictionary entries and interpretation methods. "The Large Arabic Dictionary" of the Academy of the Arabic Language in Cairo has been chosen as the object of research since lexicographers regard it as the newest stage in the centuries-long evolution of the Arabic lexicography. Based on "The Large Arabic Dictionary", the comparative analysis touches upon the peculiarities of a modern general purpose dictionary of the Arabic language, definitions, methods of recording primary and derived verbs, and types of supporting data. The consistency between modern dictionaries of the Arabic language and their classical, medieval counterparts is analysed with regard to methods of organisation and interpretation. Omissions made by medieval lexicographers due to complex definitions and unsystematised dictionary entries are critically examined
Ayodhya: The Imageability and Perceptions of Cultural Landscapes
Get PDFMost of the visitors (pilgrims in the majority) and the dwellers (mostly Hindus) perform some sorts of rituals at varying degrees and become involved in the religious activities to gain solace or soul healing. Of course, as sidetrack visitors also perform other activities of recreation and side-show. However, these are the marginal activities. It is obviously noted that personality of pilgrims and dwellers in the context of economic, social, cultural, job status, and perspective of life, has a direct effect on the nature of environmental sensitivity to its sacred landscapes and mythologies that support and make them alive. Ongoing rituals, continuous performances of Ramalila in the evening, pilgrimages and auspicious glimpses to the divine images, and associated happenings together make the whole are a part of the sacred environment. These are categorised within the frame of responsive perception, testing Kevin Lynch’s scale of imageability represented with the five elements, viz. path, edge, node, district, and landmark. The perceptual survey of dwellers and pilgrims are codified into a composite cognitive map that reflects the generalised images of various behavioural attributes that fit the cultural and natural landscapes of the city; this is similar to other holy cities of north India like Varanasi, Mathura, and Chitrakut
Institutionalisation of Women\u27s Studies Research Centre, Gauhati University: A Struggle for Space and Identity
Get PDFInstitutionalisation of Women\u27s Studies (WS) in India although started in the 1970s, it took a decade further to cross the threshold of Northeastern States. The isolation which the Northeast of India has always faced in the social, economic and political spheres was also reflected in the case of establishment of the Women\u27s Studies Centres as the then Vice Chancellor Dr. Deba Prasad Barooah had to struggle against the University Grants Commission for establishing it in Gauhati University. Again, the narrative of WSRC, GU do not find mention in the book Narratives from Women\u27s Studies Family: Recreating Knowledge where experiences of 17 centres from across the country are illustrated. This paper investigates all such structural difficulties, negligence and struggle faced by one of the first Women\u27s Studies Centre of Northeast India, established in Gauhati University (GU), since its conceptualisation to inception in 1989 till the present. It attempts in revealing the experiences of the Directors, yielding the efforts behind the setting up of the centre, the role played by different individuals both internal and external of the University towards the establishment of the Centre, the catalysts that prevented the premature decay of the Centre and most importantly the struggle for space, identity and recognition the constraints faced to obtain them. To achieve these goals oral history method was applied to explore the experiences of the previous directors and the author (2nd author) herself. The narratives illustrate the history of struggles, challenges and the subsequent development over a span of more than twenty five years. The paper documents the support the University provided despite being a patriarchal institution for fostering of the WSRC, which in gradual years took steps to produce the Department of Women\u27s Studies. It will also look into the progressive role Women\u27s Studies played not only in the varsity internally but also at the external front through research and advocacy by inducing new panoramic view towards and discussion of women\u27s issues in a multidimensional framework
Measuring Spatiality in Infrastructure and Development of High School Education in Hooghly District of West Bengal, India
Get PDFAn increasing access and enrolment do not necessarily ensure school effectiveness or educational progress. They are, of course, other parameters of development of education, rather than being measures of standards of quality education. The present paper opts to scrutinize whether infrastructural development in schools at all ensures good educational development or not. To accomplish this, Education Infrastructural Index has been prepared through Access, Facility and Teacher Index whereas a combination of Enrollment Index and Literacy Index gave rise Educational Development Index. The study reveals that accessibility factor begets a division within rural spaces in the form of backward rural, rural and prosperous rural that manifests through the availability of the teachers and facilities. In the urban areas, wherein accessibility is not a matter of concern, facilities and teachers matter in making difference between the less developed and developed urban areas. The higher Educational Development Index at the non-rural areas indicates town- centric nature of the development of our educational system. Superimposition of the infrastructural and developmental parameters revealed that good infrastructure does not always ensure good educational achievement. In the light of these backdrops, the key purpose of this article is to measuring spatiality in infrastructure and development of high school education in Hooghly District of West Bengal, India
Peculiarities of Applying the Theory of International Business by Russian Oil and Gas Companies
Get PDFThe article is devoted to the specific use of theoretical and methodological provisions of the international business of domestic oil and gas companies in practical entrepreneurship. It addresses the following issues— the importance of the agreement of OPEC+; international oil and gas business as a system, criteria of allocation of categories of oil and gas majors; options indicators and international megaprojects; the changing of the vector of cooperation of high-profile domestic companies with foreign partners. The implementation of the agreement will change the balance of supply and demand in the world oil market. As a result, prices will rise to 58 to 63 dollars per barrel. This price is acceptable for the domestic core businesses, and for Russia, which is one of the main manufacturers and main suppliers of this resource. However, probably the level of prices can persist for a relatively short period because this indicator affects a large number of factors. It has been established that the participation of foreign companies in business projects is beneficial for Russian companies, since they are investors and innovators, which help to accelerate the development of deposits or the construction of infrastructure facilities. It is determined that the most important parameter, which can characterize the position of a major, is a high level of competitive advantages, which is measured by indicators linked to a specific year. The conclusion is that the Russian specialised companies successfully adapt to new macroeconomic conditions, including prices for hydrocarbons and increase their competitive advantage, increase production efficiency, increasing the volumes of supply to world markets