Indian State Of Odisha Research Articles

Relationship between emotional maturity, self-esteem and life-satisfaction: A study on traditional dancers of Odisha region

AbstractDance is a dynamic root point to develop emotional maturity, self-esteem and life satisfaction. The present study aims to examine emotional maturity towards dancer’s life satisfaction through the presence of self-esteem. The study intentionally portrays co-association between study variables like, emotional maturity, self-esteem and life satisfaction through SEM. It divulges direct and indirect model with elucidating path relationship by using structural equation model. Data were collected from traditional dancers (176 Odissi and 116 folk dancers) at Odisha state in India by administering Rosenberg’s self-esteem scale, emotional maturity scale, life satisfaction scale and demographic information profile. The results reveal that all the variables of factor loading are greater than 0.40 based on EFA and CFA. The multivariate analysis technique used to perform the structural model of variables and their inter-relationship. Furthermore, the indirect model declared satisfactory model that the magnitude...

Vulnerabilities to flood hazards among rural households in India

Flooding constitutes the most predominant natural disaster in India. The degree and causes of vulnerability to flood risk vary by society, geographical region and over time. The rural people of India are highly vulnerable to flood hazards due to high dependence on natural resources for livelihood and poor socio-economic situations. The information regarding the degree of vulnerability of these people is limited. In order to formulate improved adaption policies and effective programmes to reduce vulnerability, it is crucial to quantify the vulnerability of rural households affected by floods at a regional level. Our study provides insight into the vulnerability of rural households affected by floods in India. We use primary data of 220 flood-prone rural households of Odisha state in India for analysis. The vulnerability is analysed using the Livelihood Vulnerability Index and the Socio-economic Vulnerability Index. Our results show that these households are vulnerable to flood in more than one dimension. Sociodemographic characteristics such as a low literacy rate, a high dependency ratio and a weak housing structure increase these residents’ vulnerability. Access to social networks and social institutions plays a significant role in uplifting poor rural households. Our study concludes that the vulnerability of a household is governed by both non-climatic factors and the incidence of floods. The findings of our study may be considered in developing policies and programmes that will reduce the flood risk. The recommendations we suggested in this study can be applied in other south Asian counties with similar socio-economic profiles.

Determinants of households’ resistance against land acquisition for mining: Experiences at Talcher coalfields in India

In the context of people's protests against land acquisition for mining in the Indian state of Odisha, the present paper attempts to identify the underlying household level factors. The paper uses primary data collected from the Talcher coalfield region of the state and estimates limited dependent variable models. It is found that the households belonging to the scheduled tribe category or having larger per capita income or with greater access to basic amenities are more inclined to give up their land for mining. However, such inclination is lower when they have more land or better education or are concerned about deforestation and pollution. As regards the amount, the paper finds that households with higher per capita income or larger per capita asset base or greater access to basic amenities desire to give up more land. On the other hand, willingness to give up land is less either when households possess more land holding or when there is a larger male workforce in the family.

Differential Subalterns in the Niyamgiri Movement in India

This essay discusses the politics of the non-Adivasi activists who participated in the Niyamgiri movement in the state of Odisha in India, which was aimed at preventing the mining of a mountain which an Adivasi community that lived on it considered sacred. It argues that these non-Adivasi activists were differentially subaltern, that some of them were as marginalized as the subaltern Adivasis they were representing and that they viewed the Adivasis through a mythopoeic lens. With the help of these arguments, it critiques some of the views of postcolonial scholar Gayatri Spivak pertaining to the representation of subalterns by activists.

Post-disaster Field Trips: Building Expert Knowledge through Itineraries, Memory Sticks, and Cameras

Field trips play a significant role in the building of expert knowledge of numerous institutions. So why is their nature and significance for knowledge production rarely discussed in the anthropology of expertise? In this paper, I draw on the particular instance of an expert field trip undertaken by a disaster management organization in the Indian state of Odisha in the aftermath of Cyclone Phailin in 2013. I show that field trips are contingent practices defined by their sequential logic, relationships, interests, and by the personal perceptions of people who undertake them. The choice of personnel to carry out this field exercise is fundamental and depends on institutional views of aims and understandings of what constitutes expertise. In line with E. Summerson Carr’s argument that expertise is something people “do” rather than “hold”, I show that enacting expert status serves to assert power and to enable its holder to achieve their aims.

Neo-Liberalism, Mining and Labour in the Indian State of Odisha: Outlining a Political Economy Analysis

ABSTRACTIn a context of mining privatisation and a drive towards labour informalisation in India, this article investigates the implications for labour of the neo-liberal agenda in the mining sector of the Indian state of Odisha. This is part of a broader research project investigating the social dynamics underlying the neo-liberal project in Odisha. The article initially summarises previous analysis of the political economy of mining privatisation policies in order to provide the background for understanding the implications of neo-liberal mining policies for labour. Acknowledging the complexity of labour’s situation and future, the article focuses first on mining labour relations and labour conditions in private iron ore mines; and second, the article seeks to detail the implications of the expansion of opencast mining in forest areas on the livelihoods of that part of the population – mainly consisting of Scheduled Tribes or Adivasis and partially of Scheduled Castes or Dalits – who in some measure depend on forest resources and/or agricultural land in mining areas. In sum, the article attempts to raise the issue of the dynamic interaction between the reproduction of a specific, local, socially and politically dominant class, and the reproduction of labour fragmentation within the neo-liberal turn of capitalism.

Speech Based Access of Agricultural Dealers Information in Odia Language

A wide range of voice-enabled technologies are evolved over the last two decades as a result of advancements in speech recognition technology. Most of the applications developed were need based to automate a number of applications. Most of the information/ resources which are very much useful for the farmers are available online. But the statistics indicate that most of the farmers do not have access to these source of information because of the huge adoption gap between farmers and technology. This digital divide is a serious problem of the present. The mode of information access is one of the reasons for it. Speech is the most natural mode of communication among human beings and it has the potential to be the most convenient mode of interface for accessing information.in other words of voice-enabled technologies has the potential to bridge the digital divide gap. The objective of this work is to develop a voice interface using Odia speech recognition system by which farmers and other users can get information about the Agricultural Dealers in their native language, Odia. Odia is the language of the state of Odisha in India.

Recharge source identification using isotope analysis and groundwater flow modeling for Puri city in India

The holy city of Lord Jagannath is situated on the sea shore of the Bay of Bengal in Odisha state in India. Puri is a city of high religious importance and heritage value, details of the rituals, fairs, and festivals, and related aspects are covered extensively. It is found that water levels in two wells (Ganga and Yamuna) are declining and the causes are studied by undertaking modeling study of rainfall-recharge processes, surface water–groundwater interactions, and increasing demands due to urbanization at basin scale. Hydrochemical analysis of groundwater samples indicates that pH value is varying from 7 to 8.4 and electrical conductivity (EC) is found in between 238 and 2710 μmhos/cm. The EC values indicate that the shallow groundwater in Puri is not saline. Stable isotopic signatures of O-18, Deuterium indicate two different sources are active in the city area. In most of the handpumps, water recharged by the surface water sources. From the current investigation, it is evident that in a few handpumps and most of the dug-wells, isotopic signatures of water samples resembles with local precipitation. The groundwater recharge is taking place from the north-southern direction. Visual MODFLOW has been used for studying groundwater aspects and different scenarios have been developed. It is suggested to maintain water level in Samang Lake to restore depletion in groundwater level in two wells.

Phenotypic characterization of native chicken populations reared underfamily-based free-range scavenging system in Odisha, India

The genetic architecture of 10 rural poultry populations in two distant tribal districts of Mayurbhanj and Kalahandi of Odisha state in India were studied for 15 quantitative and 11 qualitative characteristics through a field survey. Analysis of dispersion was conducted to test the simultaneous significance of mean differences in above characteristics and was found to be highly significant (p is less than 0.01). Cluster-I (Khairi and Kabri), cluster-II (Hansli, Gujuri, Dumasil, Dhabla, Kalua and Khadia), cluster-III (Jhinjiria), and cluster-IV included Chitri populations. The maximum D2 value was found between Hansli and Kabri (513.825) followed by Gujuri and Kabri (410.312) while minimum D2 value was observed between Khairi and Kabri (1.50). The average inter cluster distance was high between cluster-I and cluster-II (17.218) and also between cluster-II and IV (17.207). The genetic variation can be confirmed using biochemical and DNA markers which will help to obtain phenotypically pure local fowl genetic resources for future selection and breeding.

Placental thickness used as an indicator of gestational age and fetal weight in uncomplicated singleton pregnancies: A USG study in a tertiary care hospital

In the context of people's protests against land acquisition for mining in the Indian state of Odisha, the present paper attempts to identify the underlying household level factors. The paper uses primary data collected from the Talcher coalfield region of the state and estimates limited dependent variable models. It is found that the households belonging to the scheduled tribe category or having larger per capita income or with greater access to basic amenities are more inclined to give up their land for mining. However, such inclination is lower when they have more land or better education or are concerned about deforestation and pollution. As regards the amount, the paper finds that households with higher per capita income or larger per capita asset base or greater access to basic amenities desire to give up more land. On the other hand, willingness to give up land is less either when households possess more land holding or when there is a larger male workforce in the family.

Linking disaster management to livelihood security against tropical cyclones: A case study on Odisha state in India

Odisha, a state in India, experienced two catastrophic tropical cyclones, the first in 1999 (Super Cyclone) and the second in 2013 (Phailin). Although these cyclones drastically impacted people's livelihoods, there was not much focus on centering livelihoods in discussions on disaster management. This article aims to relate disaster management to livelihood security to develop a meaningful understanding of lessons learned from Phailin compared to Super Cyclone. The findings revealed that initiatives with national and local commitments for disaster risk reduction helped protect human life and mitigate damages in 2013. Key to disaster risk reduction was promoting community initiatives in the stages of preparedness, sounding early warnings, response, and recovery. This article shows a wide range of stakeholder engagement in disaster risk reduction and highlights necessary improvements to the mainstream livelihood-centered approach to disaster management to reduce the impact of tropical cyclones.

Universal food security program and nutritional intake: Evidence from the hunger prone KBK districts in Odisha

This article provides evidence on the role of consumer food subsidies in improving nutritional intake and diet quality by evaluating the expansion of the government food assistance program coverage in the hunger prone state of Odisha in India. In 8 districts of Odisha, popularly known as the Kalahandi-Balangir-Koraput (KBK) region which is notable for extreme poverty and starvation deaths, the government did away with the targeted food assistance program in 2008 and made the scheme universal. Using a Difference-in-Difference methodology over two repeated cross sectional household surveys, this article finds that the shift from targeted to a universal food security program in the KBK region of Odisha has led to an improvement in the household nutritional intake and diet quality. Further examination suggests that proportion of households consuming below the recommended dietary allowance of calorie, fats and protein has declined significantly in this region post the intervention.

Erythropoietin Levels Increase during Cerebral Malaria and Correlate with Heme, Interleukin-10 and Tumor Necrosis Factor-Alpha in India.

Cerebral malaria (CM) caused by Plasmodium falciparum parasites often leads to the death of infected patients or to persisting neurological sequelae despite anti-parasitic treatments. Erythropoietin (EPO) was recently suggested as a potential adjunctive treatment for CM. However diverging results were obtained in patients from Sub-Saharan countries infected with P. falciparum. In this study, we measured EPO levels in the plasma of well-defined groups of P. falciparum-infected patients, from the state of Odisha in India, with mild malaria (MM), CM, or severe non-CM (NCM). EPO levels were then correlated with biological parameters, including parasite biomass, heme, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-10, interferon gamma-induced protein (IP)-10, and monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP)-1 plasma concentrations by Spearman’s rank and multiple correlation analyses. We found a significant increase in EPO levels with malaria severity degree, and more specifically during fatal CM. In addition, EPO levels were also found correlated positively with heme, TNF-α, IL-10, IP-10 and MCP-1 during CM. We also found a significant multivariate correlation between EPO, TNF-α, IL-10, IP-10 MCP-1 and heme, suggesting an association of EPO with a network of immune factors in CM patients. The contradictory levels of circulating EPO reported in CM patients in India when compared to Africa highlights the need for the optimization of adjunctive treatments according to the targeted population.

Role of Social Capital Formation in Entrepreneurship Development among the Underprivileged Class of Odisha

In this paper an attempt has been made to analyse such dimensions which support or otherwise impact the entrepreneurial environment that perpetuates prevalence of social capital leading to growth of entrepreneurship among the underprivileged class in an Indian State of Odisha. For example, various sources of owner’s capital, entrepreneurs affiliation to community groups, how existence of various forms of support system available for entrepreneurial orientation benefitted Govt.’s role vis-à-vis the social groups perception of existence of state support are discussed so as to derive the role and contribution of social capital for entrepreneurial orientation among the underprivileged class of Odisha particularly at the micro level. In a backward State like Odisha understanding of the existence of social conditions towards preference for entrepreneurship as an occupational choice would pave ways for policy initiative towards realization of widespread entrepreneurial engagement.

Quantifying household vulnerability triggered by drought: evidence from rural India

Drought is a complex, slow-onset phenomenon that imposes serious challenges on human beings and ecosystems. The vulnerability associated with drought may vary at different social, geographical and temporal scales. These differences emphasize the need for regional-level vulnerability assessments, which in turn helps to formulate efficient adaptation policies and strategies that are suitable for the region to mitigate the drought risk. The objective of this paper is to quantify the livelihood and socio-economic vulnerability of rural households that are affected by drought in rural India. The Livelihood Vulnerability Index and Socioeconomic Vulnerability Index were applied to analyse the vulnerability of rural households. A sample size of 157 rural households from the state of Odisha in India was surveyed in 2015. Socio-demographic characteristics such as low literacy rates, high dependency ratios and weak housing structures make people more vulnerable, whereas access to social networks plays a significant role in supporting poor rural households. The research concludes that the impacts of drought make people who are already vulnerable due to poverty, inequality and marginalization even more vulnerable. The outcomes of this study may be considered in formulating effective coping strategies and policies that may help mitigate the drought risk. The findings and recommendations of this study will find applicability in other rural, natural resource-dependent countries with similar socio-economic profiles such as other south Asian countries.

The Role of Meso-level Facilitating Conditions in the Emergence of Community-based Forest Management in Boudh District of Odisha

The emergence and diffusion of community-based forest management (CBFM) in India over the past several decades has been of interest to scholars and natural resource managers alike. The prevailing view in the existing academic literature presupposes that CBFM arose spontaneously in individual villages, evolving into a grassroots movement that spread across districts and states. Previous studies of the phenomenon have focused on the micro-level (individual or community) and macro-level (national or global) factors that gave rise to CBFM; the role of meso-level (organizational) conditions in facilitating the rise and spread of CBFM has garnered significantly less attention. This study presents the results of structured interviews with key informants in 345 villages throughout the district of Boudh in the eastern Indian state of Odisha. Results suggest that meso-level conditions were vitally important in the development of CBFM. Nongovernmental organizations and the Indian Forest Department promoted CBFM and facilitated networking and sharing across villages, while informal networks between the villages expedited the diffusion of the new management model. The study also discusses the interaction between various meso, micro, and macro level facilitating conditions and concludes that the dynamics of CBFM in Odisha and in India more generally are significantly more complex than has previously been supposed.

Enabling Spaces and Supporting Structures - Enhancing Women's Participation in the Self-initiated Community-based Forest Management in Odisha

Gender and equity studies on participatory natural resource governance in India have remained highly concentrated only to the aspects of men vs. women in the joint forest management (JFM), and the reasons for failure and non-participation of the women in JFM. Research studies thus far on gender lacks focus on the diversity existing among women as a forest resource user group. Earlier studies have also ignored the role of women in large scale self-initiated CBFM systems found in the states of Odisha, Jharkand and Bihar. Although, earlier studies mentioned about the spaces and supporting structures that would enable better participation of women in participatory natural resource management programmes, however, they did not identify the spaces and structures that are in operation at the grassroots. A case study adopting the multiple case study approach was conducted on the self-initiated community-based forest management in the Indian state of Odisha to identify the enabling spaces and supporting structures that might be helping women to participate actively in participatory forest management in Odisha. In this article based on our case study we present the enabling spaces and supporting structures that were perceived to be enhancing women's participation in the self-initiated community-based forest management in the Indian state of Odisha.

Evidence of IL-17, IP-10, and IL-10 involvement in multiple-organ dysfunction and IL-17 pathway in acute renal failure associated to Plasmodium falciparum malaria.

BackgroundPlasmodium falciparum malaria in India is characterized by high rates of severe disease, with multiple organ dysfunction (MOD)—mainly associated with acute renal failure (ARF)—and increased mortality. The objective of this study is to identify cytokine signatures differentiating severe malaria patients with MOD, cerebral malaria (CM), and cerebral malaria with MOD (CM-MOD) in India. We have previously shown that two cytokines clusters differentiated CM from mild malaria in Maharashtra. Hence, we also aimed to determine if these cytokines could discriminate malaria subphenotypes in Odisha.MethodsP. falciparum malaria patients from the SCB Medical College Cuttack in the Odisha state in India were enrolled along with three sets of controls: healthy individuals, patients with sepsis and encephalitis (n = 222). We determined plasma concentrations of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines for all individuals using a multiplex assay. We then used an ensemble of statistical analytical methods to ascertain whether particular sets of cytokines/chemokines were predictors of severity or signatures of a disease category.ResultsOf the 26 cytokines/chemokines tested, 19 increased significantly during malaria and clearly distinguished malaria patients from controls, as well as sepsis and encephalitis patients. High amounts of IL-17, IP-10, and IL-10 predicted MOD, decreased IL-17 and MIP-1α segregated CM-MOD from MOD, and increased IL-12p40 differentiated CM from CM-MOD. Most severe malaria patients with ARF exhibited high levels of IL-17.ConclusionWe report distinct differences in cytokine production correlating with malarial disease severity in Odisha and Maharashtra populations in India. We show that CM, CM-MOD and MOD are clearly distinct malaria-associated pathologies. High amounts of IL-17, IP-10, and IL-10 were predictors of MOD; decreased IL-17 and MIP-1α separated CM-MOD from MOD; and increased IL-12p40 differentiated CM from CM-MOD. Data also suggest that the IL-17 pathway may contribute to malaria pathogenesis via different regulatory mechanisms and may represent an interesting target to mitigate the pathological processes in malaria-associated ARF.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12967-015-0731-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

A difficult whole: reading Ananya Chatterjea’s Mohona, Estuaries of Desire

This article elucidates a pedagogical formulation delineating the collaborative, relational, and process-oriented nature of viewing dance as a practice-as-research (PaR) enquiry emanating in the field of South Asian Dance Studies. Being an Odissi practitioner, an Indian classical dance form from the eastern Indian state of Odisha, I account for my perspective as my embodied learning gets in the way of how I analyze Mohona: Estuaries of Desire, a dance-theater production by Ananya Dance Theatre (ADT) that premiered on 20–21 September 2013 in Minneapolis. Mohona is directed by dance-scholar-activist, Ananya Chatterjea, Artistic Director of ADT and a trained Odissi dancer. Mohona means “estuary” in Bengali and refers to confluence of the river with the ocean. I see Chatterjea’s work as a confluence of various elements because the choreography draws movement from Odissi and other Indian somatic practices like Yoga and Chhau. Architect Robert Venturi inspires me to think of contemporary Indian dance as “difficulty unity of inclusion rather than the easy unity of exclusion.” Through a combination of choreographic analysis and PaR, I read Mohona as a self-reflexive phenomenon where theory and practice are imbricated within each other into Venturi’s “difficult whole.”

Molecular identification of indigenous manganese solubilising bacterial biodiversity from manganese mining deposits.

Manganese (Mn) ranks twelfth among the most exuberant metal present in the earth's crust and finds its imperative application in the manufacturing steel, chemical, tannery, glass, and battery industries. Solubilisation of Mn can be performed by several bacterial strains which are useful in developing environmental friendly solutions for mining activities. The present investigation aims to isolate and characterize Mn solubilising bacteria from low grade ores from Sanindipur Manganese mine of Sundargh district in Odisha state of India. Four morphologically distinct bacterial strains showing visible growth on Mn supplemented plates were isolated. Mn solubilising ability of the bacterial strains was assessed by visualizing the lightening of the medium appearing around the growing colonies. Three isolates were gram negative and rod shaped while the remaining one was gram positive, coccobacilli. Molecular identification of the isolates was carried out by 16S rRNA sequencing and the bacterial isolates were taxonomically classified as Bacillus anthrasis MSB 2, Acinetobacter sp. MSB 5, Lysinibacillus sp. MSB 11, and Bacillus sp. MMR-1 using BLAST algorithm. The sequences were deposited in NCBI GenBank with the accession number KP635223, KP635224, KP635225 and JQ936966, respectively. Manganese solubilisation efficiency of 40, 96, 97.5 and 48.5% were achieved by MMR-1, MSB 2, MSB 5 and MSB 11 respectively. The efficiency of Mn solubilisation is suggested with the help of a pH variation study. The results are discussed in relation to the possible mechanisms involved in Manganese solubilisation efficiency of bacterial isolates.