49 research outputs found
The Eki-Beki Dispute and the Unification of the Gauda Saraswat Brahman Caste
No full textabstract: During the early twentieth century, a caste dispute known as the Eki-Beki dispute erupted among a group of historically related Konkani-speaking Brahman castes on the western coast of India. A faction among the castes argued that the variously related Konkani-speaking Brahman castes were originally one caste called the Gauda Saraswat Brahman (GSB) caste, which got split into several sub-castes. They further argued that the time had come to unite all these castes into one unified GSB caste. This faction came to be known as the Eki-faction, which meant the unity-faction. The Eki-faction was opposed by the majority of the members of the above-mentioned castes who disagreed with the idea of unification. This opposing faction came to be known as the Beki-faction, i.e. the disunity-faction. Despite the opposition from the majority, the Eki-faction managed to unite these different castes to form the contemporary unified GSB caste. The Gaud Saraswat Brahman caste in its current form is the product of this dispute. The formation of the GSB caste was initiated by members of these castes who had migrated from different rural regions of the western coast of India to the urban center Bombay. The rise of the GSB caste, however, became a contested process. Dominant non-GSB Brahman groups in Bombay discredited the migrants as being outsiders of lower ritual status. The unification movement was also opposed by the majority of these Konkani-speaking castes residing in the rural regions of the west coast of India. The struggle of the urban migrants for unification involved publication of Hindu texts and changes of normative practices, such as dining regulations and marriage arrangements, that affected the long-standing norms of maintaining ritual purity. Despite the opposition, the urban migrants partially succeeded in unifying the variously related Konkani-speaking Brahman castes. My dissertation is a history of this process.Dissertation/ThesisDoctoral Dissertation Religious Studies 201
Reflexive ethnography as a tool in researching Hungarian Krishna devotees reflections on the margin of a long-term fieldwork among the Hungarian Community of Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math
No full textThe paper deals with some aspects of reflexive fieldwork by analysing the author's Couchsurfing experience in Brno during the workshop "Towards a Symmetrical Approach: The Study of Religions after Postmodern and Postcolonial Criticism". The experience is interpreted as a field situation and the author is regarded as an ethnographer. The author's modes and codes of behaviour are being scrutinized in a reflexive way. The situation and its reflexive analysis can throw light upon certain modes of fieldwork practices which stayed unnoticed during real field situations among a certain group of Hungarian Krishna devotees; the Hungarian Community of Sri Chaitnya Saraswat Math. Making these actions of the researcher conscious may help producing more honest and sensitive ethnographies and may offer a deeper insight into the complex nature of ethnographic fieldwork. In addition, the experience can be useful in my research among Krishna devotees.The paper deals with some aspects of reflexive fieldwork by analysing the author's Couchsurfing experience in Brno during the workshop "Towards a Symmetrical Approach: The Study of Religions after Postmodern and Postcolonial Criticism". The experience is interpreted as a field situation and the author is regarded as an ethnographer. The author's modes and codes of behaviour are being scrutinized in a reflexive way. The situation and its reflexive analysis can throw light upon certain modes of fieldwork practices which stayed unnoticed during real field situations among a certain group of Hungarian Krishna devotees; the Hungarian Community of Sri Chaitnya Saraswat Math. Making these actions of the researcher conscious may help producing more honest and sensitive ethnographies and may offer a deeper insight into the complex nature of ethnographic fieldwork. In addition, the experience can be useful in my research among Krishna devotees
A study to describe the pattern of cutaneous adverse effects of COVID-19 vaccines (Covishield and Covaxin)
No full textBackground: Vigorous administration of COVID-19 vaccines to tackle the ongoing pandemic has led to increasing research on adverse effects including both systemic and cutaneous. Objective: A prospective observational study to delineate the cutaneous adverse effects of two vaccines, namely Covishield and Covaxin, administered in two doses in northern India. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted in a tertiary hospital in northern India wherein patients were asked to report voluntarily any cutaneous adverse effects after COVID-19 vaccination to the dermatology department. The data were collected using excel sheets and later analyzed taking into consideration the age, vaccine types, and duration of onset of adverse effects. Results: Of the 19,672 vaccination jabs, 296 (1.5%) developed cutaneous adverse effects of which the incidence was higher in Covishield vaccine group compared to Covaxin vaccine group. The incidence of side effects was more with the first dose of either vaccine compared to the second dose. All the side effects were benign and were managed symptomatically or were self-limiting. Limitations: The number of vaccine recipients was limited and there was a considerable overlap of adverse effects with both vaccines. Voluntary reporting of cases is not an accurate representation of the scale of patients with adverse effects. Conclusion: Rampant administration of vaccines along with widespread advertisement of vaccine-induced side effects via social media has created apprehension in the general population. This warrants studies improving awareness about the most vital preventive measure available to halt and eventually end the COVID-19 pandemic
Vitiligo-like lesions following imatinib mesylate therapy: a case series and review of literature
No full textImatinib mesylate (IM), a tyrosine kinase inhibitor, has become a standard of care for the management of chronic myeloid leukemia. The safety profile of IM is favorable; however, few adverse effects such as gastrointestinal disturbances, fluid retention, skin rashes, and myelosuppression have been reported. Hypopigmentation of the skin is a rare adverse effect of IM. In this report, we describe two cases of chronic myeloid leukemia who developed skin hypopigmentation while on IM
Colloidal Allostery: Exploring the pathway to innovative separation technologies
No full textColloidal allostery is a regulatory mechanism where specific metabolites regulate the protein activity by binding to them and changing their energy landscape. The first steps to model this system on a colloidal scale were made by studying the depletion interaction between the hydrogel posts and the rigid polystyrene particles. Using soft lithography, hydrogel posts of different rigiditywere synthesized inside the microfluidic channel. Polystyrene particles and depletant (dextran) were added and the interaction between the posts and the particles was studied using optical microscopy and particle tracking.However, major issues such as poor statistics, incomplete cross-linking of the hydrogel posts and irreversible sticking of polystyrene particles to the hydrogel hindered with the experimental results. Therefore, in this project, efforts are made to improve the experimental implementation of the model.At the end of the project, it was observed that while optical tweezers offer a more controlled and refined way of measuring the interactive forces than the particle tracking using video microscopy, the limitations of the equipment in providing the location of the particle normal to the base of the channel hinder the estimation of the desired parameter. Furthermore, despite curing the hydrogel posts for a long period of time under the UV light, the rigid polystyrene particles still stick irreversibly to the post.It is therefore recommended that the optical tweezer apparatus must be upgraded to provide the researcher with the position of particle normal to channel bottom. This can allow better estimation of the effect of the wall on the motion of the particle. The photo-crosslinking characteristics of thehydrogel must be studied to determine the effect of the UV light on the gelation process.The ultimate vision of the project is to develop innovative separation technologies based on the fundamental understanding of the interplay of the depletion forces and elastic energy of deformation.of the hydrogel posts.Chemical Engineerin
Recurrent urinary retention: An unusual presentation of laryngo-onycho-cutaneous syndrome
No full textA patient with Fontan physiology for laparoscopic cholecystectomy: A challenge for an anesthesiologist
No full text
