Browsing by Author "Dural, Ramesh"

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Leadership and protest movement dynamics : study in the context of Gorkhaland and Kamtapuri movements in West Bengal
(University of North Bengal, 2010) Dural, Ramesh; Yasin, M
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Media and Politics: An Exploration of the Role of Media in Political Movements in the context of Darjeeling Hills in West Bengal
(University of North Bengal, 2015) Dural, Ramesh
All forms of media impact society and politics. The media are commonly understood to be able to—and many would argue, obligated to—provide a forum for the expression and discussion of a diverse range of oftentimes conflicting ideas. However, the role of media has been such that it has impacted political processes enormously with its twin contributions of empowering as well as silencing the ‘people’/audience it targets so much so that politics has changed and transformed from a largely interpersonal to a predominantly mediated activity. There are many different forms of media that affect the political landscape. The use of print media, and in the recent years, the emergence of the electronic media, has been instrumental in shaping the nature of politics. The present study purports to investigate the role of media in the social and political transformations and political movements in Darjeeling hills.
Open Access
Media and regional movements: an examination of the role of print media in the hill politics since the emergence of Gorkha Jana Mukti Morcha Movement in Darjeeling
(University of North Bengal, 2024) Kepchaki, Jaya; Dural, Ramesh
Media and politics are at the edge of relationship in a functioning democracy. Despite their divergent missions, it is a symbiotic correlation. Political forces turn to the public to motivate their actions, to campaign for their ideas and to win people's trust. Media, in turn, have to inform people about politics and to exercise control over politicians when the latter perform their duties. The present study is an attempt to explore the role of the media in the movement for a separate state under the Gorkha Jana MuktiMorcha (GJMM) in the hills of Darjeeling and for the purpose of making the study more penetrating; the focus has been restricted only to print media. The study was conducted to focus the issue of the role of the print media in a regional movement. One may notice divergent views expressed and positions taken by different publications. While some of these favoured the movement, others opposed it. There is a section which has taken a kind of 'neutral' position, neither opposing nor supporting the course of action of the movement. The overall impact of this movement on the national, state and sub-state level politics has been highlighted in the media. The study elaborately historicizes the movement since its inception and points out that there have been significant contributions from scholars with regard to its historical, psychological, political, economic, ethnic and other dimensions, however, no systematic study have been made to address the role of print media in the context of the political movements in the hills of Darjeeling.The study proposes to highlight the role of the media, specifically the print media, in shaping and constructing people's perspectives on the movement. The study further elaborates the roots of political movements in the hills of Darjeeling. It highlights the significance and the emergence of major political parties in the hills, and tries to establish their role in exploring and exploiting the media in the context of the movement. The study proposes to establish that in case of the Gorkhaland movement, print media, along with other media forms was mobilized by the leadership since the inception of the movement, that is, from the colonial period in the 1920s to the 1980s and the post 2007. In the recent times, however, controversies surrounding the politics over the media itself have taken ground, with strong voices of the necessity of democratizing the media itself. These owe to multiplicity of factors like market forces, unethical turn in journalism, ideological differences, role of the state, interest of the dominant group, depleting resources, among others. Yet, media in general and print media in particular has significantly shaped the Gorkhaland movement since its inception, validating it, accelerating it and empowering it at times; and weakening it, relegating it and uprooting it at the other, thereby determining its life, course, content and contours.
Open Access
People, PRIs and Rural Development: A study in the context of the hills of Darjeeling in West Bengal and Sikkim
(University of North Bengal, 2017) Dural, Ramesh
Rural Development in India has been a major concern and has drawn attention since independence. It is a multi-dimensional concept encompassing every aspect of rural life, which primarily involves alleviation of poverty and unemployment through the creation of basic social and economic infrastructure, thereby, bringing a quality rural life. The necessity for rural development arises with the intent to develop the rural area as a whole in terms of culture, society, economy, technology, health, etc. and developing the living standard of rural mass. It involves the development of human resources, infrastructural development; provide minimum basic amenities; develop rural institutions like that of Panchayats, Cooperatives, Post, Banking; develop rural industries, develop agriculture, animal husbandry; promote employment opportunities, eradicate poverty; promote peoples’ participation, empowerment. Since development in general and rural development in particular, involves peoples’ programme; peoples’ participation, through the Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) is imperative to rural development. The present paper, therefore, is an attempt to interrogate peoples’ involvement and participation in rural development, in the context of the hills of Darjeeling in West Bengal, and Sikkim, which exhibit similar geographical and other characteristic features.