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Item Open Access Exotic Food and Beverages of the Limbus in the Himalayas and Sub-Himalayan Region(University of North Bengal, 2024) Biswas, Samar Kumar; Sharma, GauravThe diverse and intriguing world of exotic food and beverages within the Limbu community, an indigenous group, of the Himalayan and Sub-Himalayan regions boast a rich culinary heritage deeply entwined with their cultural roots and local ecosystems. From fermented soybean delicacies like Kinema to various traditional dishes, the article delves into the unique flavours and preparation methods that define Limbu cuisine. Additionally, traditional beverages like Tongba and Jaar add a distinctive touch to the exploration of this culinary landscape. The discussion extends to the broader context of preserving and celebrating indigenous food traditions in the face of modern influences. Through this exploration, readers gain insights into the exotic gastronomic treasures of the Limbu people, highlighting the importance of cultural preservation and appreciation in the realm of diverse global cuisines.Item Open Access 322 Can We Protect Our Socio-Cultural Identity? Language Rights, Mother Tongue and Creation of a Constitutional Paradox(University of North Bengal, 2024-03) Chaki, Nishit RanjanIn India, The Constitution and the policy documents have always recognised the importance of mother tongue and have cherished the linguistic diversity of India. Language is a marker of identity and plays a key role in the formation of the socio-cultural identity of an individual. The various quantitative benefits of having mother tongue based education are well documented. Hence, this this paper specifically explores situations beyond these general statements. It attempts to study the various qualitative aspects related to mother tongue and how these ultimately shape the socio-cultural identity of the individual. Although people in India have the right to conserve their language and pursue education through it, a Hohfeldian analysis shows that there are complexities involved in realising this right. This paper attempts to understand some of the issues associated with non-realization of language rights and its effect on the loss of socio-cultural identity. It explores the position of language rights in the broader spectrum of constitutional structure related to language, especially the effects of transition from erstwhile multilingual States to primarily monolingual States. Further, it evaluates the importance of mother tongue being a specific focus of study within the broader concept of language rights. It explores the interface between language and education and argues that in this regard language rights ought to be non-negotiable. In this regard, it attempts to compare educational rights in the Constitution from the perspective of preservation of linguistic diversity of India. Finally, it details out the unique relationship of language and culture in India and also the role of language in the formation of socio-cultural identity of an individual. The paper is housed under the broad theme of evaluating whether the present linguistic rights and other constitutional provisions are sufficient in the long run to preserve the linguistic diversity of the country.Item Open Access Ethical issues of globalization: a kantian solution(University of North Bengal, 2024-03) Das, BeautyThe outline of “Ethical Issues of Globalization: A Kantian Solution” is grounded on the idea that in the contemporary world, the wave of globalization comes with so many benefits. However, its adverseeffects cannot be disregarded, especially when it comes to different ethical issues. In the era of globalization, everything is global in character, whether it is culture, religion, ethics, ideology, etc. However, in the case of globalization, the problem is that it is challenging to set an exact ethical or legal framework through which we can reduce its negative impacts. So, an ethical framework is needed for the process of globalization. In the present venture, I intend to give a Kantian solution to some global ethical problems by putting to use Immanuel Kant’s moral philosophy. To my mind, Kant’s idea of morality can be effectively utilized to find answers to contemporary ethicalissues engendered by the process of globalization.Item Open Access Socio-Economic and Cultural Life of the Bediyas of Bengal during British Rule(University of North Bengal, 2022-03) Sufia KhatunBediya is the generic name given to a number of gipsy tribes wandering in different parts of Bangladesh. In ancient and medieval Bengal, the Bediyas have been mentioned in contemporary literature as the ‘antyaja’ castes, displaying snake games and playing magic. During British rule, the Bediyas would live in boats or in houses raised on piles in different parts of Bengal. Unlike the settled cultivating class, they subsisted by selling snake venom, fancy goods, and small articles; by practising indigenous medicine; and by displaying magic, gymnastics, and shows of snakes and animals. A few Bediya families elected their own Sardar, whose decision was binding to all of them. A Bediya woman was more industrious compared to her husband. Their occupations, food habits, social organization, and everyday life were different from those of the settled communities of the country. In society, the Bediyas were treated as low-grade people. Most of the Bediyas followed Islam but were addicted to alcohol and ganja. They worshipped the goddess Manasa and observed many Hindu rituals.Item Open Access From Effeminacy to Revolutionary: A Historical Analysis of the Rise of the Revolutionary Movement in Colonial Bengal(University of North Bengal, 2022-03) Ghosh, SubirIn India, the origins of the revolutionary movement had a long-term historical process. In the early decade of the twentieth century, the revolutionary movement was mainly confined to Bengal, Maharashtra, and Punjab. This article focuses on the origins of the revolutionary movement in colonial Bengal. In Bengal, the revolutionary movement had a historical root. It was the result of the physical culture movement in Bengal. This paper is trying to argue that the concept of the revolutionary movement was not exported from Maharashtra. However, historians like Peter Heehs, Partha Chatterjee, and Bimanbehari Majumdar have argued that the idea of the Bengali revolutionary movement came from Maharashtra. This article discusses that the Bengali revolutionary movement started against the charge of effeminacy and cowardice of Bengali people. Some Bengali intellectuals, like Rajnarayan Bose, Nabagopal Mitra, Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, later Sarala Ghosal, Pramatha Nath Mitra, Aurobindo Ghosh, Sister Nivedita, and Jatindranath Banerjee, played a crucial role in forming a revolutionary organisation in Bengal.Item Open Access Rites and Rituals in the Life and Death Cycle of the Mangar(University of North Bengal, 2021-03) Mangar, Asudhahistory of origin of Mangar or Magar in India is shrouded in obscurity. Some scholars emphasized on the fact that the Magars or Mangars, are one of the aborigines of Sikkim and Nepal, belong to the Kirata community of the Eastern Himalayas. They are one of the oldest tribes of Sikkim. Rajesh Verma has reasonably stated that the Kiratis include Rai, Limbu, Gurung, Mangar and Tamang tribe of Sikkim. S.R. Timsina has also mentioned that the Mangars, Limbus and Lepcha are the earliest settlers of ancient Sikkim. J.D. Hooker has also described them as the aborigines of Sikkim. Hence, the rites and rituals of Mangars settlers of Sikkim, Darjeeling or sub- Himalayan region has a close affinity and can be found with similarity with other castes, yet holding its uniqueness and ethnic values. The paper here tries its best to bring out expansively the prevailing rites and rituals of Mangar among the inhabitants of Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri districts in respect of life and death cycle.Item Open Access Dynamics of Religious Transformation of the Tamang Community of the Sub-Himalaya: Historical Perspective(University of North Bengal, 2021-03) Lama, SudashStudy of religion and cultural change has always cherished the historian and ethnologist. The Tamang have been the subject of study for historians, ethnologists and philologists for many decades. The cultural peculiarity and ethnographic distinctiveness has attracted the scholar. The present paper intends to highlight the imbibed religious transformative character of animism to Buddhism. It also attempted to explore the reasons for the cultural shift of the tamang from animism to Buddhism.Item Open Access Babus and the Social Body in Conceptual Proposition in Early Colonial Bengal(University of North Bengal, 2020-03) Roy, Varun KumarEdward Said maintains: “Knowledge of the Orient because generated out of strength, in a sense, creates the Orient, the Oriental and his world” (Said 1978: 40). The emergence of the Babus brought new changes in the social atmosphere of early colonial Bengal. The elite, wealthy, western educated Bengalis began imitating western culture and were very much eager to forge a new social class, which would align them with the Britishers. This research paper tries to revisit existing literature in conjunction with historical texts to understand the formation of the Babu identity and how this was mirrored in the new social body that had come into existence.