PROBLEMS AND PROSPECTS OF URBAN ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEARCHES IN INDIA

SOUMYAJIT DAS

Abstract

Urban Archaeology, the archaeological approach to a city is becoming a thrust area of archaeological research since World War II. The application of archaeology among cities has not gained much importance in India, though there are number of age-old urban centers. These cities are consisted of immense resources for studies relating to urban archaeology. With persistent increase in population and constant need of spaces, the heritage buildings of Indian cities are in threat of demolition, especially if in dilapidation. The present paper discusses about some heritage buildings of four major metropolitans of India, namely Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai and Kolkata. This paper also emphasizes on the need of urban archaeological work in these metros for the revival of the recent history of mankind in India.

Keywords

Urban archaeology, city, conservation, heritage

FESTIVALS AND RITUALS AMONG THE PAUDI BHUYANS: A FUNDAMENTALISTS APPROACH

ABISHEK BHOWMIK AND SUTAPA CHOUDHURY

Abstract

Festivals and rituals existed among the human beings from a very early time period. These are performed all over the world for a variety of purposes, such as, satisfaction of personal needs, improvement of socio-cultural bonds, social acceptance, ritual compliances, social recognition and social respect. Anthropologists took up study of festivals and rituals as with a focus in understanding the religion and their roots in tribal societies. Observation of festivals and rituals of a society provides information on faith, beliefs, norms and values of the society. At the same time it gives an idea about interaction of members of the society with each other and with cosmic forces. It is mostly documented as mode of worship, ritualistic behaviour, rites of passage, and celebrating mysteries of life as well as merry making. These are integral parts of most of the societies that help to shape culture and assist in establishing common connections between members of a particular culture. It also facilitates participants understanding of their culture and heritage, and provides legacies for the future. As an anthropological study, the focus of this research article is to understand tribal festivals and rituals among the Paudi Bhuyans, a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group of Keonjhar district of Odisha. Various elements of festivals, namely, description of dieties, place of celebration, role of religious specialists, sacrifices, offerings and prayers are discussed in this article. The functional role that is played by the festivals and rituals among the Paudi Bhuyans is discussed. The theoretical concept of functionalism is used here. This paper not only highlights the socio-cultural aspects but also the materialistic view and functional view of the festivals especially the Bisri Usha and Ma Mangalpatha Jatra. The findings of the study show that the festivals among the Paudi Bhuyans play a vital role in their society. Function is multifaceted and provides socio-cultural bond among them. It also facilitates inter village bonding, a time to rejoice, to cultivate social learning of the traditional knowledge and rituals as member of the village and in particular as community of Paudi Bhuyans.

Keywords

Paudi Bhuyans, Rituals, Functionalism, Bisri Usha, Jatra

EMPIRE, SCIENCE AND NATURE: UNEARTHING THE COLONIAL ROOTS OF THE BOTANIC GARDEN OF CALCUTTA UNDER THE EAST INDIA COMPANY (1786-1858)

KUNTAL NARAYAN CHAUDHURI & SHREYASHI CHAUDHURI

Abstract

This paper examines the origin and early evolution of the botanic garden of Calcutta under the East India Company in the late eighteenth and the first half of the nineteenth centuries to bring to light the prominent role played by this colonial institution in the wider colonial scheme of the commercial exploitation of plant wealth across the British Empire and the introduction of economically-valuable tropical plants into British India. This is also an attempt to relook at the remarkable early history of one the most prominent botanic gardens of the world in order to understand profound links that hadintimately connected empire, science and nature during South Asia's colonial past.

Keywords

Botanic Garden, Calcutta, Colonialism, Exotic Plants, Plant Introduction

COLONISING THE HILL FORESTS OF BRITISH ASSAM: A CASE STUDY OF KHASI HILLS

SRIJANI BHATTACHARJEE

Abstract

The paper is an attempt to understand the mechanisms of control engaged by the British government to administer the natural resources in the hill forests of British Assam. The focus is on Khasi Hills where the application of colonial governance was more intense compared to other hill areas of the region. The paper endeavours to comprehend the strategies applied by the colonial government to establish authority over the natural landscape of the region under various pretexts. It also aims to show that apart from exercising colonial control over lands and forests through the establishment of formal Colonial Forest Department in various parts of India, the British government dominated the indigenous lands under various ploys especially in the areas where establishing control over indigenous natural resources through the Colonial Forest Department appeared as a difficult proposition.

Keywords

Forests, Tribes, Natural Resources, British, Khasi.

BRIEF ASSESMENT OF SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL EXCHANGES BETWEEN CHINA AND INDIA DURING THE FIRST MILLENNIUM

YUKTESWAR KUMAR

Abstract

China-India interface is not a story of recent few years but the interaction has been continuous for over two millennium now. China and India did not only co-operate and learnt from each other in the field of art, literature and religion but also in the sphere of science and technology. China learnt from India and so did India from China. In this article, the author explores in which aspect of science and technology, China and India learnt from each other during the ancient times and what were the major inventions by the two countries during the past times.

Keywords

China, India, Science & Technology

ECO MUSEUM CONCERNING WOMEN’S PARTICIPATION IN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT WORKS IN INDIA

MALAY DE

Abstract

The status of women in India has been subject to many great changes day by day. Women in India now participate fully in fields such as education, science and technology, sports, politics, media, art and culture, service sectors, etc. But still majority of rural women suffer not only from economic poverty but also from ‘information poverty’. Rural women are vital and productive workers in India’s national economy. Increased awareness and education can help women to know the importance of participating in sustainable development works. Museums are important because they help us to identify ourselves and our position in the world. So, eco museum, a branch of new Museology, has a great role for securing women’s participation in sustainable development works in India. This article shows how an eco museum can help women to conserve their own identity and promote it to the outside world by engaging themselves in overall development works.

Keywords

Eco museum- sustainable development -women’s participation

DEPRIVING SCENARIO AMONG THE URBAN OLDEST OLD: A STUDY IN MEDINIPUR MUNICIPAL TOWN, WEST BENGAL

PARIKSHIT CHAKRABORTY

Abstract

The term ‘Super Senior Citizen’ is used to designate the elderly people above 80 years of age categorized by Department of Finance, Government of India for income tax assessment. However, the word ‘oldest old’ was coined in the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in 1984. The oldest old subpopulation in India is growing much faster than any other age group and due to their physical incapability they fall in peril situation which make them more dependent on others for their needs of financial support, medical assistance and social services etc. The present paper aims at highlighting the deprivation scenario found among the oldest old population residing in the urban areas of Medinipur Municipal Town. The scenario has been depicted on the basis of the first hand data collected by the author of the present paper on the aspects of financial support, living arrangement, house-hold chores, physical mobility, main source of care and measurement of activities of daily living (ADL) of the oldest old population under study. Data has been collected from about 500 oldest old population (across both the sexes) living in urban areas of Medinipur Municipal Town in Paschim Medinipur district. Respondents were selected by random sampling method using random sampling table from 10 Municipal wards of Medinipur Municipal Town. The study demonstrates that deprivation depended on financial status where relationship does not matter for the oldest old individuals in studied area. In addition, on average, the female oldest olds under study are more deprived compared to the male counterparts.

Keywords

oldest old, Super Senior Citizen, Deprivation, Financial support, Living arrangement, Mobility, ADL

বাংলা ভাষায় জ্ঞানবিজ্ঞানের চর্চা : সমস্যা ও সম্ভাবনা

সুভাষ ভট্টাচার্য

Abstract

২০০২ সালে অবভাস পত্রিকার জানুয়ারি-মার্চ সংখ্যায় সমাজবিজ্ঞানী প্রদীপ বসু একটি নিবন্ধ লেখেন। ওই নিবন্ধে তিনি বাংলা ভাষার প্রয়োগকে দুই ভাগে ভাগ করেছেন। একটি সাহিত্যের ভাষা বা সাহিত্য রচনার ভাষা। অন্যটি জ্ঞানচর্চার ভাষা।তার মতে ভাষার এই প্রথম প্রকোষ্ঠটি যথেষ্টই সমৃদ্ধ। কিন্তু জ্ঞানচর্চার অর্থাৎ দর্শন, সমাজতত্ত্ব, রাষ্ট্রনীতি, বিজ্ঞান ইত্যাদির প্রকাশে বাংলা ভাষা খুবই পিছিয়ে আছে। তিনি বেশ একটা চটুল কথাই বলে ফেলেছেন। বলেছেন, বাংলায় ‘জ্ঞানচর্চার ভাষা লিকলিকে। ফলে ভাষা বলে যে বস্তুটা আছে সেটাকে সামান্য ল্যাঙ মারলেই উল্টে পড়ার সম্ভাবনা।‘ আরও খানিকটা এগিয়ে গিয়ে তিনি বলেছেন, বাংলা ভাষার এই দুর্বলতার কারণ হল আমাদের চিন্তাচেতনার দৈন্য। | আমি শ্রীবসুর এইকথাটা দিয়েই আমার আজকের কথা শুরু করব। আমি অবশ্য জানিনা, শ্রীপ্রদীপ বসু এখনও তার ওই বক্তব্যে স্থিত আছেন কি না। কেননা, মাঝে মাঝেই দেখছি তিনি নিজেই সমাজবিজ্ঞান-বিষয়ক গম্ভীর নিবন্ধাদি লিখে চলেছেন, এবং তা ওই বাংলাভাষাতেই।যাই হোক, আমি তার ওই ২০০২-এর কথাটাতে ধরেই এগোতে চাই। প্রদীপ বসুর কথাটায় আমি শিবনারায়ণ রায়ের কয়েক দশক আগের একটা মন্তব্যেরই প্রতিধ্বনি শুনছি যেন। শিবনারায়ণ রায়কে আমরা জানি এক মননশীল লেখক হিসেবে। সেই তিনি তার মুখের ভাষা, লেখার ভাষা, মননের ভাষা’ নামে এক নিবন্ধে কী বলেছেন দেখে নিই—গত তিনশো বছরে ইংরেজি গদ্যসাহিত্যের ভাষা যে শক্তি অর্জন করেছে, বাংলা সে তুলনায় অনেক দুর্বল রয়ে গেছে। দর্শন, সাহিত্যতত্ত্ব, সমাজতত্ত্ব, অর্থনীতি, বিবিধ জড় এবং জীবিত সম্পর্কিত বিজ্ঞান—কোনও ক্ষেত্রেই বাংলা ভাষার উল্লেখ্য স্বকীয়তাসম্পন্ন গ্রন্থ বড় একটা রচিত হয়নি।আবার লিখছেন—‘কথাসাহিত্যে বাংলা ভাষা প্রভূত উৎকর্ষ অর্জন করলেও মননশীল সাহিত্যের ক্ষেত্রে বাংলাভাষা এখনও দুর্বল ও দরিদ্র। এই বিষয়ের কোনো আলোচনায় যেতে হলে প্রবেশক হিসেবে নিজেদের একটা প্রশ্নের মুখােমুখি দাঁড় করাতে হবে এবং সাধ্যমতো সন্ধান করতে হবে তার উত্তরও। তারপরই কেবল আমরা মূল আলোচনায় যেতে পারব। তবে তার আগে আমি বলি, আমি এই দুজনেরই বক্তব্য প্রতিবাদযোগ্য বলে মনে করি।