Space and Culture, India
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Majuli at the Crossroads: A Study of Cultural Geomorphology
Full text linkAlthough well established elsewhere, cultural geomorphology has not yet been well-grounded in Northeast India where a perceived dearth of studies in this sub-branch of geography exists. The Brahmaputra valley, which has a long physical and cultural history, is a unique laboratory, which offers opportunities to study anthropo-geomorphologic, achaeo-geomorphologic and cultural landscapes. The Majuli river island, ostensibly the largest island in the world, houses traditional art crafts and dances, despite being continually under the siege of a plethora of physical obstacles such as flooding, bank erosion, etc.. The present study aims at studying how the physical processes that constantly reshape the map of the island exert their influence on the socio-economic and cultural milieu of the region. The paper further analyses why despite all odds Majuli thrives and continues to preserve and maintain its rich natural and cultural heritage, in ways that are perhaps unparalleled in the region or even elsewhere in the globe
Safeguarding the Dignity of Women under the Criminal Law Amendment Act 2013-A Critical Analysis
Full text linkThis viewpoint aims to analyse the Criminal Law Amendment Act 2013 from a legal perspective. In doing so, it discusses the statutory safeguards of rights to a dignified life of a woman by analysing the various existing laws, which have been significantly amended to build the Criminal Act, 2013. These laws are: Indian Penal Code (IPC) 1860; Indian Evidence Act 1872, Code of Criminal Procedure as amended in 1973, Immoral Trafficking Prevention Act 1956, Information Technology Act 2000, The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act 2000, The Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act 2005, The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012, The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act 2013. In the conclusion, I urge that although efficient laws are in operation in India towards protecting the right to live with dignity of women, however, incidents of violence against women are on the rise. Hence, a concerted effort in bringing appropriate attitudinal change is the task ahead for all Indians
A Mirage or a Rural Life Line? Analysing the impact of Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Act on Women Beneficiaries of Assam
Full text linkoai:oai.spaceandculture.in:article/10The National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA), launched in February 2006 was renamed in October 02, 2009 as the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (henceforth, MGNREGA). It is an anti-poverty flagship programme of the Government of India. The key purpose of MGNREGA is to enhance wage employment in the rural areas by providing at least 100 days of guaranteed employment to every household in a financial year. The MGNREGA implementation status report for the financial year 2012-2013 unfolds that the programme has already provided employment to 44.9 million households across 28 districts and five union territories. Hence, it is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore the impact of MGNREGA on women beneficiaries. A plethora of research argues that MGNREGA, which promotes inclusive growth, is a vehicle of change, a lifeline for rural women. So far, however, there has been very little discussion about the impact of MGNREGA on women beneficiaries of Assam. This research is an attempt to examine the participation of women in MGNREGA, Assam. It critically looks at the issues, problems and challenges confronted by the women while working at MGNREGA. Written from a feminist perspective on gender, poverty and women’s empowerment, the research seeks to address the problems of the women beneficiaries through their lived experiences. For this, we conducted in-depth interviews with the women beneficiaries in the months of August and September, 2009 in four remote areas namely, Burka, Chandrapur, Barbhang and Muguriya, the first two situated in Kamrup, while the third and the fourth in Barpeta districts of Assam, where the programme of MGNREGA is on-going. The findings of the research suggest measures so that the programme can be made more effective in the long run
Demographic Invasion, Assamese Identity and Geopolitics
Full text linkThis article critically examines several dimensions of the Bangladeshi migration to Assam, beginning with the historical background and the factors that led to the Assam Movement. It is argued that the seeds of the apparent failure of deporting illegal Bangladeshis were already implanted in Assam Accord. An analysis of the numbers of the Bangladeshi migrants in Assam and the problems of ascertaining such numbers has been carried out. The impact of large-scale migration on Assamese culture and politics is discussed in view of the balkanisation of the ethnic groups in Assam. Attention has been drawn to the dangers of geopolitics in terms of the proposed North East economic zone. Lastly, a relatively conciliatory and accommodating approach to solve the Bangladeshi issue has been suggested in light of the fact that historical events have overtaken some significant  provisions of the 28-year old Assam Accord
How do the poor handle money? What do the financial diaries of char dwellers tell us about financial inclusion?
Full text linkDerived from livelihoods surveys and ethnographic material about people living on the chars, or river islands, in deltaic lower Bengal, this paper illustrates the complex, diverse and ingenious ways that the poor manage money. These islands constitute some of the most vulnerable housing locations of some of the poorest communities; state services and facilities do not reach the chars because they are not listed as land in revenue records. It demonstrates that the poor live in a diverse economy where community spirit, family assistance and trust play roles equally important to markets. In doing so, it puts forth a grounded-in-the-field, evidence-based, critique of the slogan ‘financial inclusion’ that has gained prominence in recent years
Forests, Tribals and the Voice of Dissent: The Story of a Social Actor
Full text linkThis is a biography of an activist who has been working in the interiors of Madhya Pradesh with the indigenous people. He has been living amongst the tribal communities and has contributed significantly in the people’s struggle for resource rights. He is one of the very few activists who has been quoted by different writers but is not written about. This article, thus, makes a humble endeavour to trace his life and his commitment towards the cause of tribal rights
An Urban-Spatial Analysis of the Women in the Informal Sectors of Greater Guwahati City of Assam, India
Full text linkThis article reflects the use of urban space by women in urban informal sectors in the city of Guwahati located in North East India. The population influx from across the borders in the aftermath of the partition has huge implications both on polity and on economy of the northeastern states in general and Assam in particular. Importantly, the urban informal sectors have a sizeable share in terms of its significant contributions towards Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as well as generation of employment opportunities largely. Using a feminist perspective, the research is an attempt to investigate the engagement of women in the informal sector in greater Guwahati. Research findings reveal that the occupations of the women workers are location-specific, that is, the manufacturing sectors (textiles, food preparation, printing and skilled service) are mainly home/shop based production (fixed locations) whereas the service sectors (leisure, caring, elementary construction, elementary sales and cleaning occupation) operate at variable locations (construction sites, street pavements, marketplaces and other various locations). Further analysis shows that the informal sector is highly demand dependent and such demands are in the central business areas of the city, therefore informal sector services (skilled services and elementary services) are found to be located in and around the central areas of Guwahati city. Women operators in the informal sector are attracted to the central business district because of the many advantages that it enjoys relative to other parts of a city. The paper concludes by calling on policy makers and physical planning agencies to evolve more pragmatic strategies for urban development matters in order that urban informal sector activities can be integrated into urban development plans. Finally, further research is called for on how urban planners could redesign the urban space with appropriate consideration of the informal sector operators
Reinterpreting the‘Bard’: Shakespearean Performances in India and (East)Germany
Full text linkThis essay attempts to undertake a comparative study of the Shakespearean appropriations in late 19th century India under colonial rule on one hand, and in mid-20th century (East) Germany on the other. While 19th century Indian responses to Shakespeare carried a covert nationalist agenda against the British rulers who had made him complicit in the colonial project, the mid-20th century German adaptations found in him, a potent site for voicing their opposition against the governments, which had imposed censorship regulations upon newspapers, books and television. Within this framework and making use of the textual, performative and audience sensibility components, the paper would endeavor to: a) explore the nuances in the performance strategies of selected playwrights from both the countries, and understand the extent of divergences and departures from the English text; and b) scrutinise the location of these performances respectively within the overlapping currents of colonial modernity, nationality and regional identity in the 19th and 20th century India, and the post-war communist regimes operating in (East) Germany