Social Trends, Vol. 02, No. 01

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://ir.nbu.ac.in/handle/123456789/3491

EDITORIAL NOTE

I am happy that we are bringing out the second volume of Social Trends, The Journal of the Department of Sociology of North Bengal University. While the first volume, which was published in March 2014, contained articles exclusively on gender related issues the present volume includes papers dealing with various issues of social importance and contemporary relevance. The present volume is perfectly in line with our declared objective, which was spelt in the first volume out as thus: ‘We see Social Trends as a good platform for the young scholars where they can try their hands in scholarly writing and gain experience and confidence, which would help them in growing as mature scholars in future’. We have articles written mostly by the young scholars who represent social science disciplines like sociology, political science, economics and history. Alongside the articles by young scholars we have included two articles by two senior faculty of our Department and one senior anthropologist. We have one article by a friend from Chittagong University which has added an international flavor to the journal. Some encouraging signs are noteworthy. First, we have received a very good response from the contributors; second, we have received a book from a Delhi - based publisher for review; and third, we are on schedule in bringing out this volume. I acknowledge with deep sense of gratitude the cooperation that I have received from the contributors and my colleagues, the associate editors, in bringing out this volume.

I, on behalf of the editorial team, would thank the members of the Advisory Committee of the journal for their encouragement and suggestions on matters relating to publication of the present volume of the journal.

Sanjay K. Roy




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    Comment on the gurkha’s daughter
    (University of North Bengal, 2015-03) Chhetri, Kumar
    Although the British colonizers, anthropologist and administrators have produced a bulk of ethnographic accounts, travelogues, military accounts, and research papers there is no sufficient English literary work which centers on the life of the Nepalis. The earlier available works were either based on the life of Nepalis in Darjeeling or on the Himalayan kingdom (Nepal), whereas the present work The Gurkha’s Daughter by Prajwal Parajuly is unique in the sense that it engulfs the life of the Nepalis both in Nepal and its Diasporas around the world in eight short stories. Despite being fiction the stories carry the social reality of everyday life experiences of the Nepali people and its Diasporas.
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    Tracing the roots of missionary education in Darjeeling hills
    (University of North Bengal, 2015-03) Sharma, Niyati Rekha
    This is a brief historical narrative on the Christian missionary education in India, particularly in Darjeeling hills. The article examines whether missionary education was an agent of enlightenment, emancipation or as an instrument of colonial conquest. The history of colonial/missionary education has been examined in the light of Gramscian concept of ‘cultural hegemony’ and Althusser’s concept of ‘ideological state apparatus’, highlighting the strategies of the colonial governance. Darjeeling, a colonial enclave, more like a private domain to the ruling race then, turned out to be a hunting ground for the missionary, who, among other activities, played a lead role in spreading Western education which continued to shape post-colonial education not only in Darjeeling but in the rest of India.
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    Spirituality, healing and science
    (University of North Bengal, 2015-03) Sarkar (Das), Mallarika
    A growing body of literature suggests a positive connection between spirituality and physical health. Despite the strong research evidence that spirituality and health are positively correlated, spirituality has been regarded within mainstream medicine as largely irrelevant to the work of clinical team. In keeping with the growing scientific interest in spirituality and complementary treatments, this article attempts to explore the interface of science, spirituality and healing. The present article addresses the importance of the inclusion of the spiritual history in order to bring about faster healing of the individuals.
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    Fractured ethnic space of rabha tribe of North Bengal
    (University of North Bengal, 2015-03) Pal, Surajit Kumar
    In recent time North Bengal is turning out to be the seedbed of social unrest as different ethnic groups are out to establish their own ethnopolitical space. The Rabha, a small indigenous tribal group, who inhabit the forest and non-forest villages, were a single united group in terms of their socio-cultural system in the pre-independence period, but in post-independence period they seem to be a fragmented lot. They are fragmented along political and religious lines; the entry of Christianity, in particular, has brought about boundaries within the ethnic community.
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    Life of street children in howrah station
    (University of North Bengal, 2015-03) Mukherjee, Subrata
    This paper is based on case study of some children staying in both new and old complexes of Howrah Station. It examines how family pressure forces them to leave their house and what kind of ordeal they go through while staying in the station compound. The paper also discusses the problems they face in rescue homes once they are sent there and points to the limitations in the law and public attitude towards the street children. The prime finding is that once the station children get into the delinquent culture it becomes very difficult to get out of it.
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    Globalisation and identity: case of the lepchas in Sikkim
    (University of North Bengal, 2015-03) Kumari, Vandana
    The process of social change in India under the influence of external forces like Westernization, modernization and the globalization has produced vast sociological literatures covering the philosophical understanding of Indian society encountering with the political economy of modernization and globalization. The process has provoked a wide-range debate among the academic community on the issues of national character, the idea of nationalism and romanticisation of fragmented identities. The journey of democracy, development and the celebration of plural identities in postcolonial India has paradoxical in character in which both the resistance and co-operation between the local and national is the reality. This paper is an attempt to conceptualize the nature of identity formation, the value of cultural symbol and the local subsistence as found in case of Lepcha Movement in the state of Sikkim, particularly when
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    Ground reality of welfare measures: voices from below
    (University of North Bengal, 2015-03) Basistha, Nandini
    In spite of age-old Brahmin or upper-caste domination on the ecosocio- political life of Uttar Pradesh, we saw huge success of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in 2007 Vidhan Sabha election. It becomes the only National Party of India, which captures power for Bahujan, with Bahujan and by Bahujan. Ideologically, BSP wants ‘Social Transformation and Economic Emancipation’ of the Bahujan Samaj, which is comprised of the Scheduled Castes (SCs), the Scheduled Tribes (STs), the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) and Religious Minorities such as Sikhs, Muslims, Christians, Parsis and Buddhists. In a Press Release in 2009, the Party announced that the State Government of Uttar Pradesh is giving priority to the welfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and declared many schemes to achieve its objectives. This raised hopes among the so-called ‘backward’ and downtrodden classes of this province. But, how far these welfare programmes were effective was still to be proved. To unravel the ground reality, we had done an empirical survey on the awareness and impact of the welfare schemes of Uttar Pradesh on Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. In this paper is an outcome of the survey.
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    Gandhian method to peace
    (University of North Bengal, 2015-03) Roy, Saikat
    At a time when peace is threatened by violence at the individual, group, social, national and global levels it is time that we explore the essences of Gandian philosophy of peace and practice them in our lives for the sake of a better philosophy and life and work for a world order that would be free from violence.
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    Cultural dimension of ethnic identity: study on the Oraon tribe of North Bengal
    (University of North Bengal, 2015-03) Tirkey, John Breakmas
    The term ‘ethnicity’ has its origin in the distant past but it has acquired new significance and dimension in recent times, which, in broad sense, encompasses a form of social organization, sense of kinship, group solidarity, language, tradition and culture, identified objectively and subjectively. The present paper attempts to study the cultural dimension of ethnic identity of the Oraon tribe of North Bengal, which is one of the largest and the earliest inhabitants among the tribal communities in the region. The Oraons have a very rich stock of cultural heritage and tradition- real and mythical, which forms the basis of their ethnic identity, which has acquired a new significance in recent times in the new world order.