Indian Roots Research Articles

Contextualizing the voice of a female pop artist: Western music and Indian modernity

ABSTRACT Dubbed a ‘fusion pioneer’, Asha Puthli straddled multiple cultural mediums and created an alternative niche for herself as a global performer. By charting her trajectory as a musician, the genres that influenced her, the rise and proliferation of her music in relation to the cultural landscape of India during that period, this paper, which is structured around an interview with her, tries to understand what made her different from her contemporaries. How did her Indian roots supplement her in navigating the global music arena? Did she, as a female performer singing Western music challenge entrenched notions of femininity in India? By situating her as a performer who blurred boundaries and opened avenues of alternative resistance to set cultural patrimonies, her global presence and its impact on the Indian music scene are discussed, contextualising her work in the cultural ecosystem of India as it embraced modernity, inscribing Puthli as a hidden pop icon of the 70s.

PERCEPTIONS OF OLDER ADULTS ON YOGA-BASED INTERVENTIONS FOR MULTIMORBIDITY IN MYSORE, INDIA

Abstract Globally, over half of older adults suffer from ≥2 chronic diseases. In India, proven exercise interventions are limited by individual, social, environmental and policy-level factors. We aimed to qualitatively explore perceptions about yoga interventions for healthy aging in Mysore, India. In collaboration with the Community Advisory Board, we developed a qualitative assessment of knowledge, attitudes and behaviors around yoga among seniors. Between August-September 2022, we conducted focus group discussions (FGDs) with older adults, after obtaining informed consent. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and translated from the local language Kannada. Data were coded manually, and emerging themes were identified. We conducted 4 FGDs of 7-8 participants each; 14 male and 13 female older adults participated, and their average age was 66.1±4.3 years; 88.9% had at least 10 years of education. Most participants expressed interest in yoga for health maintenance, specially mentioning its Indian roots, but did not prioritize it for routine practice. Yoga practice was also a means to reduce social isolation for many. Reported challenges in adopting yoga practice included inaccessibility to instructors and dependence on family members. Cultural barriers especially affected women, including ageism and gender role expectations. Women reported hesitancy to express their desire to learn yoga due to perceived negative reactions from their younger family members and their community. Promoting health promotion practices among older Indian adults is challenging primarily due to cultural norms and changing family dynamics with age. Promoting healthy behaviors among them through yoga will first involve family education and consent.

Yoga and Exercise for Fetal Heart Rate, Body Mass Index, And Blood Pressure of Antenatal Mothers

oga is a traditional practice with Indian roots that has many therapeutic benefits. Pranayama and dhyana on bodymass index (BMI) and mean blood pressure (MBP) of the antenatal mother (AM) and fetal heart rate (FHR) are critical for theantenatal mothers. Our aim is to determine Asana's impact in antenatal mothers. This Single blinded placebo-controlled trial wasconducted at Saveetha Medical College and Hospital, Chennai, India. Consecutive sampling was used to select the samplesconveniently. Then, they were randomly assigned into four groups using a random number table: control (CN), yoga group (YG),and Antenatal exercise group (EG), and Yoga and Antenatal exercise group (YAE) with 33 samples in each group. The CN groupreceived conventional management, the YG and EG groups received Yoga intervention and antenatal exercises, respectively, andthe YAE group received both Yoga and antenatal. The groups received their respective treatment 2 days a week for 16 consecutiveweeks. BMI, BP of the AMs, and FHR were assessed at the end of the 4th week, 8th week, 12th week, and 16th week. A total of 132samples accounted for the study results, which showed that the YAE group subjects performed significantly better than the YG,EG, and CN groups in all temporal outcomes (P<0.001). The CN group subjects did not progress significantly compared to theYG and EG group samples. The study concluded that instead of using Yoga as an individual tool in the training AM, addingantenatal exercise will be more beneficial in normalizing BMI, BP, and FHR among AMs.

Feminization Phenomenon of Guanyin: The Gender Transformation of Religious Icon in Song Dynasty

Guanyin, the Bodhisattva of Compassion, holds an esteemed and irreplaceable position within Mahayana Buddhism. The belief in Guanyin has flourished across various regions of China, becoming deeply entrenched in the religious and cultural fabric of the country. Throughout history, the image of Guanyin has undergone a significant transformation, evolving from a male representation to a revered female deity. This article aims to delve into the period spanning the Han Dynasty to the Song Dynasty, in order to unravel the origins of Guanyins gender and analyze the profound aesthetic implications associated with the shifts in Guanyins depiction over time. By scrutinizing the fusion and compromise of the Buddhist notion of equality from its Indian roots and its subsequent integration into Han China, alongside the prevalent Confucian belief in male superiority and female inferiority, the article seeks to illuminate the social and philosophical underpinnings behind the widespread acceptance of the female Guanyin during the Song Dynasty.

From Escape to Acceptance: A Tale of ‘Mrs. Sen’s’ Cultural Assimilation

"Interpreter of Maladies" by Jhumpa Lahiri is a charming collection of superbly crafted short stories. First book by author concentrates on postcolonial diasporic challenges affecting Indians and Indian-Americans who are trapped between the forcibly abandoned Indian roots and the completely new western society they must accept in order to live. They thus have erratic lives. It is necessary for the diaspora to maintain the balance between these two very different cultures. Because of the portrayal of female subalterns in the new social milieu and the postcolonial cultural identity question, the book is intriguing to read. Notable is how the female protagonists struggle to adopt the new cultural identity and get approval for it from both the culturally superior validator and the male validator.The female characters work hard to convey their subaltern viewpoint, despite their struggles with the painful anxiety of either success or failure as they create their new identities in the new situation. The women characters in Lahiri's works typically take the biggest hits when there is a diasporic shift in setting. Mrs. Sen, the titular character is one such example. Jhumpa Lahiri has adroitlyillustrated how difficult it is for women like Mrs. Sen to establish their presence and identities both in a foreign country and in their own homes, positioned against their husbands. The women characters in these diasporic settings suffer because their roots have been abandoned in favour of a new, captivating world, not by choice, which makes them even more sentimental about their beloved past and their own country. Mrs. Sen resisted the cultural assimilation and tried to safeguard her Indian identity only soon to realise that the static cultural stance will impede the survival in the new surroundings, with minimal support from her spouse. Although she heroically confronts the difficulties of her new life, she is painfully hollow within as she attempts to explain and defend her pointless lifestyle.Her realization helps her forge her new cultural identity, that is the state of ‘hybridity’or ‘multiculturism’.

Panentheism as cosmopolitanism: Karl Christian Friedrich Krause's conception of a global human league

AbstractKarl Christian Friedrich Krause (1781–1832) left for posterity an impressive and astonishingly contemporary corpus of philosophical creativity. Not only does it cover numerous topics of theoretical and practical philosophy, from a panentheistic-cosmopolitan point of view, but, in terms of the history of philosophy, it may be seen as one of the first works from a European pen which also appreciates the Indian roots of European thinking in their systematic importance. It combines them with Platonic metaphysics and Kant's transcendental philosophy to form a system of philosophy that is truly intercultural. In what follows, Krause's fundamental argument for panentheism is presented before it is argued that Krause's panentheism entails a cosmopolitan theory of human society according to which it is a postulate of practical reason to realize a cosmopolitan global league of humanity.

Yoga: unraveling the internal pharmacy – Impact on genome and epigenome

Complex and chronic lifestyle disorders have become the leading cause of death and disability worldwide. They involve multiple morbidities necessitating the attention of numerous healthcare facilities as well as community-based care too. Stress and anxiety brought on by the fast-paced life, unhealthy eating habits, sedentary lifestyle, poor quality of life, polypharmacy, and high medical costs have significantly influenced the development of such multimorbid conditions. Most chronic complex diseases share a similar underlying pathology including high levels of stress, inflammatory immune response, persistent activation of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis, oxidative stress, accelerated immune-aging, dysregulated blood flow, enhanced apoptosis and accelerated aging with shorter telomeres and DNA damage. These are modifiable factors which can impact disease progression and no single treatment modality in modern medicine can alone impact all these factors. As a result, the treatment must involve an integrated approach that targets both mind and body and each of these factors which form an architectural framework which supports the onset of these complex lifestyle disease and thus though we may enjoy longer lifespan, but it is accompanied by shorter health span. Yoga, a mind-body intervention with Indian roots, strives to bring about the synchronization of physical and mental health by unraveling and switching on the internal pharmacy and maintenance of homeostasis at cellular and molecular level.

“Гордый индус”: трансформация образа Риши Сунака в индийских медиа

This article deals with the issue of the transformation of the image of British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in the largest Indian media. In order to determine the dynamics of the development of key narratives associated with his name, the author used discursive-historical approach based on a corpus of 2855 headlines since January till December 2022 collected in ten English and three Hindi language media-sources. The articles were chronologically divided by month of the publication and then were split into two categories: a) before the election b) after the election. Moreover, the publications were assigned to seven thematic groups. The transformation of the narratives within these groups was analyzed with special emphasis on the context and frequency of word use. The analysis of intertextual connections made it possible to identify key international political issues related to the Prime Minister, which are of interest to the Indian public. The topic of Prime-Minister’s Indian origin, much spoken about in October, has changed significantly and was mostly illuminated during several active political struggles for the post of Prime Minister. If at the beginning of the year he was perceived as one in the list of politicians with Indian roots, then in October he was called the “pride of the nation” and “a gift to the Indians on Diwali”. Notably, amid the increased role in Britain’s political game this topic was followed by the topic of his religious affiliation – the phrase “hindu PM” has become widely used since July. The Hindi-language media, characteristically, paid more attention to this issue than the English-language media. Apparently, the appeal to the Indian origin could cause inflated expectations regarding the strengthening of relations between India and the UK, however, the expert community takes a reserved position on this issue and acts as a source of counter-discursive narratives. Finally, the analysis showed that issues of British domestic politics get a lot of attention from Indian public at large. In this particular case, they triggered vigorous political debates about minority rights issues.

Voice battle to be a saint in Love Medicine

AbstractLove Medicine is the debut novel of Chippewa writer Louise Erdrich, the winner of the 2021 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. On the basis of Michel Foucault's theory of discourse, this article examines the voice battle between the two American Indian heroines in the novel, pupil Marie Lazzarre and Sister Leopolda, who both aspire to be a saint. Marie, though muted and disempowered at first, by unveiling Leopolda's lies and fraud, relinquishes her Catholic‐saint identity, achieves harmony in her Self, regains her free voice, and finally becomes a real saint. Conversely, the initially sonorous and dominant Leopolda, after denying her Indian roots, persecuting her tribal people, cheating the nuns and her parishioners, turns out to be a fake saint, consequently losing her voice and power. By probing into the two women's conflicts, the paper unfolds that behind their voice battle lies the contradictions between Indian holistic ecological ideology and Euro‐American values which compete for discourse and power within the postcolonial context. It also contends that, for the oppressed Native Americans, retaining Indian ethnicity and strengthening cultural bonds could be the right way to deconstruct the dualistic power hierarchy and have their voices heard.

Pannikar’s Cosmic Monasticism: A spiritual resource for our time?

ABSTRACT Raimon Panikkar was a Spanish theologian with Indian roots whose reflections on monasticism were at once creative and inspiring. He aimed to renew the monastic tradition not in the sense of restoration but rather aggiornamento, namely, bringing it up to date. His scholarly considerations were matched with a personal tendency toward solitude, although seen as a complement to rather than a priority in an integrated life. This article is primarily a study of Panikkar’s engagement with monasticism as a positive resource for spirituality but also as an avoidance of accountability. While reviewing both Panikkar’s intellectual constructions and personal aspirations, reframed within the concept of ‘cosmic monasticism,’ I identify their main characters and limits. Among the former, I consider the assumption that the human spirit is naturally oriented toward grace; regarding the latter, I mention the omissions of the role of grace and of rules in spiritual development associated with ‘new monasticism’.

THE GAME THAT DAY WAS A TIGER1: IMPLICATIONS OF TIGER-HUNTING EPISODES IN SELECT AMAR CHITRA KATHA GRAPHIC HISTORICAL BIOGRAPHIES2 CONCERNING INDIAN RULERS

Amar Chitra Katha, being comics and described by its makers as a route to Indian roots, has replaced the stereotypical western comic book superheroes by narrating and celebrating native heroes fetched from Indian history, mythology, legends and folk culture satisfying the needs of comic-book adventurism as well as an education achieved through entertainment. The Amar Chitra Katha ‘heroic’ graphic historical biographies were not merely intended to be a source of historical knowledge about India but also an inspiration to emulate the ideals of such heroes of native history. The present paper is a study of graphic visualizations of certain episodes related to tiger-hunting in select historical titles of Amar Chitra Katha. The paper attempts to critically examine the politics of visual aesthetics and graphic narration of historical facts related to the tiger- hunting available in such graphic historical biographies and thereby tries to diagnose whether such historical representations need to be analyzed with regard to the methodologies of representation involving postcolonial nationalist writing back or communal stereotyping and rewritten according to the pressing needs of the contemporary world concerning erosion of wildlife and anthropogenic natural disorder.

A Deconstructive Analysis of Derrida’s Philosophy

This paper is designed to reveal some of the philosophical ideas of Algerian-born philosopher Jacques Derrida. Jacques Derrida, a leading figure of Post-structuralism and Postmodernism is best known as the founding father of ‘Deconstruction’ but many of his philosophical ideas such as, logocentrism, differance, phonocentrism, aporia, anti-representationalism, etc. still remain rarely focused. Therefore, in this paper the researcher has tried to explore various philosophical ideas of Derrida before the readers to get acquainted with Derrida’s contribution to the world of knowledge. This research work has done with the help of both primary sources i.e., original writings of Derrida and secondary sources including the texts written by others. Here, all of Derrida’s ideas are explicitly described and justified by an inductive method. Finally, a concluding remark on deconstruction has been made by comparing Derrida’s idea of “Differance” with Nagarjuna’s concept of “Emptiness” which left the Indian roots of deconstruction.

Transnational Identity in Unaccustomed Earth: A Study of Jhumpa Lahiri’s and Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s Short Fictions

This paper intends to examine transnational identity of first- and second-generation Indian diasporic and/or transnational subjects through the portrayal of protagonists in Jhumpa Lahiri’s and Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s short fictions: “Unaccustomed Earth” and “Hell-heaven” (2008), “Clothes” and “Silver Pavements and Golden Roofs (1995)”. Theories of transnationalism, identity and transnational identity were used to scrutinise the ways those fictional characters define themselves as well as the ways they negotiate homeland and the ‘unaccustomed earth’. This paper also discovers opportunities, and difficulties faced by first- and second-generation Indian immigrants, and the differences between the impacts of crossing national boundaries towards both communities. This study used textual analysis of selected narratives for an understanding of transnational identity in literature, and how Indian diasporic or transnational subjects made sense of their roots and routes when those fictional characters were trapped in between their Indian roots, and the need to make sense of unaccustomed earth.

Being Vocal for Local Brands: A New Mantra of Success for Indian FMCG Companies

On the call of our Prime Minister to be ‘Vocal for Local’, many Indian companies which are having strong consumer base and presence in Indian market have started incorporating ‘vocal for local’ themes across all advertising drives. They are proudly highlighting the Indian roots and promoting the products with a strong message of ‘Made in India’. As far as preference of consumers is concerned after suffering from economic loss during lockdown period, they are also demanding swadeshi products to boost the economy. This change in consumer perception has been observed due to increased awareness about strengthening the Indian economy and understanding of minimizing the dependency on foreign countries. We may easily observe the visible difference in economic slowdown due to nationwide lockdown induced by COVID-19 pandemic.All major manufacturers are focusing on establishing their brand into the consumers’ mind as an ‘Indian Product’ or product labelled as a ‘Made in India’ more specifically rather than ‘Made in China’. Since liberalization in 1990, Indian Government opened the doors for foreign companies to enter and invest in Indian market but this fact is more disturbing that now Indian market is filled with low cost Chinese products and people prefer those products without realizing that they are actually creating financial crunches for Indian producers. Now after getting the slogan of becoming ‘Atma-Nirbhar’ to mitigate the impact of COVID-19, it seems that in future ‘Made in India’ will be a significant factor to influence the consumer buying behaviour. This paper tried to explore the changes in advertising campaigns adopted by selected FMCG companies to boost the Indian economy and common themes to support the ‘Vocal for Local’ movement.

India’s new-found love for wine tourism: a decanter of expectations and change

PurposeThis study aims to investigate driving factors for wine tourists to revisit Indian vineyards. It explores the motivation for Indians engaged in wine tourism and specific behaviors related thereto. Framed in the theory of planned behavior, this paper proposes a conceptual model of revisit intentions for wine tourism. This model covers environmental concerns, escapism, countryside lifestyle, entertainment and spillovers of international traveling as direct antecedents for the revisit intentions.Design/methodology/approachA quantitative approach was adopted for this research. Data was gathered through a standardized questionnaire from 141 vineyard tourists in Nashik, India and evaluated by fitting a structural equation model.FindingsImportant drivers for wine tourists revisit intentions are countryside lifestyle and spillovers of international travel. Notably, entertainment does not have a significant direct effect, but a substantial impact moderated by escapism. Environmental concerns have a negative impact. The escapism component is the most influential motivation for revisiting the Indian vineyards.Research limitations/implicationsThe attractiveness of vineyards visits in contrast to nearby tourist attractions needs to be clarified, e.g. by calibrating gravitation models.Practical implicationsEscapism is a substantial antecedent for the revisit intention of the vineyards while environmental concerns are its major barrier.Social implicationsCountryside lifestyle contributes to overcoming the disadvantage of the contemporary hectic society of the Indian middle class and preserving Indian roots along with modernizing lifestyles.Originality/valueThe first evidence of Indian wine tourists revisits intentions. The current research fills a research gap by examining India’s wine tourism phenomenon.

Becoming a multinational desi: The entrepreneurial growth of Radico

Entrepreneurial marketing enhances corporate performance by enabling a firm to agilely adapt its strategy to market trends. The hair‐care company Radico, which began as a small start‐up in India, used entrepreneurial marketing techniques to pursue growth outside its home market and became a multinational firm with Indian roots—a desi. An analysis of its key stages of growth shows how even a small company can raise brand awareness and expand in international markets.

Social Entrepreneurship: Indian Roots

The author reviews fundamental concepts of social entrepreneurship and the roots of Indian culture and philosophy, which helps in creating a better understanding of Indian roots and philosophy. The author suggests that the ultimate goals of entrepreneurship should be creation of sustainable organisations. The author suggests that a culture can be created which can foster social entrepreneurship. The author believes that through concerted actions, we can create an environment, which fosters social entrepreneurship. The author gives examples from the initiatives of Mahatma Gandhi and Indian business groups to support his arguments. The author proposes that traditional institutions and modern institutions both should foster development of social entrepreneurs through age old Indian culture and philosophy and use of latest technologies.

Citizen of the universe. Konstantin Tsiolkovsky’s cosmic philosophy and science fiction

The paper discusses Konstantin Tsiolkovsky’s philosophy as it can be reconstructed from his writings of two kinds, the academic papers and the works generally, though not always correctly, classified as science fiction. It is stressed that Tsiolkovsky belongs to the large school of Russian philosophers known as the Cosmists, and he is placed within the group of 20th century academic-minded Cosmists. The first part of the paper reconstructs Tsiolkovsky’s cosmic philosophy on the basis of his philosophical works, which amount to half of his published works. The second part of the paper discusses all the works by Tsiolkovsky available in English under the science fiction label. The paper also contains comparisons of Tsiolkovsky’s views with the philosophicalreligious system propagated by Nicholas and Helena Roerich, known as Agni Yoga, and its ancient Indian roots. It is also mentioned that Tsiolkovsky played an important role in the development of the early Russian, or more properly Soviet, science fiction movies. The paper stresses that Tsiolkovsky always based his writings on solid scientific foundations, so that the label “science fiction” does not always apply to them.

Patanjali’s marketing mix: the monk’s new Ferrari

Subject area Marketing Management, Product & Brand Management, Entrepreneurship. Study level/applicability This case can be taught effectively to MBA/BBA students as part of Marketing Management, Product & Brand Management, Entrepreneurship. Case overview The case talks about the marketing mix strategy of India’s fastest growing fast moving consumer goods (FMCGs) brand Patanjali, with a tremendous revenue growth rate of 100 per cent for the past five years, leaving major FMCG companies insomniac. Patanjali Ayurved Limited riding on Baba Ramdev’s brand equity positioned itself as an authentic Ayurved brand with ancient Indian roots. Patanjali’s product line ranges from healthcare, personal care, home care, to food and more. Patanjali’s products were priced 10-40 per cent lower than that of its competitors. Run by franchisees, Patanjali had a three-tier distribution system. These included Patanjali Chikitsalayas which were franchise dispensaries and clinics along with doctors, Patanjali Arogya Kendra which were health and wellness centres and Swadeshi Kendra, non-medicine outlets. The company has 15,000 exclusive outlets across India and plans to grow to 1,00,000 exclusive outlets by 2020. Patanjali amazed the world by achieving phenomenal success without spending much on advertising in its nascent stage. Recently Patanjali adopted the multinational corporation (MNC) style of advertising by hiring two top advertising agencies McCann and DDB Mudra to prepare the company for the next phase of growth. Patanjali diversified into various segments of the market, ranging from FMCG products, Ayurvedic medicines, Ayurvedic hospitals and a medical college. Patanjali plans to enter various categories of products including the beauty products segment to compete with major MNCs, the baby care segment to compete with Johnson & Johnson, and the sports segment to compete with Nike and Adidas. Patanjali as a brand has a strong positioning in the minds of consumers as a natural and Ayurvedic brand. Will Patanjali’s foray into so many diversified segments lead to a brand extension trap and confused positioning? Because Patanjali as a brand, solely rides on Baba Ramdev’s image, if Baba Ramdev ever finds himself at the centre of a controversy, will Patanjali’s brand equity take a hit? Will it affect the brand Patanjali? Even if Baba Ramdev does not get into any controversy, what will happen to the brand Patanjali when Baba Ramdev is no more? Who should be the next face of Patanjali? Can the brand survive without a face? Expected learning outcomes The case is designed to enable students to understand the following key learning points: The concept of marketing mix. Product mix, Promotion mix branding (especially “Person as a Brand”), customer-based brand equity (CBBE) model or brand resonance pyramid. Supplementary materials Teaching Notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email support@emeraldinsight.com to request teaching notes. Subject code CSS 8: Marketing.

Spine Aid

ABSTRACT Spine Aid has helped Indian children with scoliosis, educates local surgeons and promotes local centres to perform these complex operations in partnership with Uk based Spinal Surgeons. The study highlights the need for valid outcome data to confirm treatments offered are cost effective. Dr Rai explores his Indian roots, education, and development of the charity Spine Aid. How to cite this article Rai AS. Spine Aid. J Postgrad Med Edu Res 2017;51(2):53-54.