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Despite the accepted usage of 'marginality' as a subcategory of subalternity, seldom has the meaning of marginality as a concept been expounded. This paper sets out to address this lack by conceiving of 'marginality' as a condition, by focusing on the lived experiences of Adivasis in Kerala through the discourses constructed by a contemporary social movement, the Adivasi Gothra Maha Sabha (AGMS). Discourse analysis is the methodological frame that I have used in this paper to analyse the descriptions produced by the AGMS and the state of Kerala, and this is broadly situated within the post-colonial political-sociological approach. Premised on this, I argue that while marginality is an essential concept for looking at contemporary Adivasi movements in India, it is productive to interrogate and explore expanding the varied meanings attached to this concept. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The scholarship on cross-border labour migration in India is characterised by the notoriety of the labour intermediaries. However, such a focus often eclipses the mutually beneficial social exchanges found among the migrants, would-be migrants, and their larger social circle. Against this backdrop, this paper focuses on the migration strategies of a leading migrant community in India-the Mappila Muslims of Kerala. Our findings suggest that, although there is a thriving migration brokerage industry in Kerala, Mappilas secure the crucial labour market information, facilitate their cross-border movement, and obtain the much-coveted Gulf job using close interpersonal connections. With their familiarity and first-hand knowledge of the market practices of the Persian Gulf, the Mappila migrants have internalised and strategically invested in the Arab cultural practice of wasta (securing favours via social connections). The paper also argues how the wasta-based connections of Mappilas help us broaden our understanding of social networks as understood in the Granovettarian tradition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The CoVID-19 pandemic had a continuing impact on the agricultural sector, especially cash crops. This is despite the popular belief that agriculture was the only bright spot in the entire economic system which was somehow able to withstand the economic impact of lockdowns. This paper is an attempt in understanding the impact of CoVID-19 pandemic on the cash crops in Kerala and how it impacted the growers as well. This paper is a study of the impact on the cash crop economy. It also tries to suggest some specific policy intervention to revive and support the sector. This includes a package exclusively for the farm sector with immediate and long-term implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper has tried to review various gaps in research along with future scope of study on major factors influencing road accidents in Kerala, the southernmost part of India in Asia continent. The traffic accidents and injury to persons are of utmost concern in this area, where the life standard and general behavior of people is different from other neighboring states. In this paper, some important factors were studied for traffic safety along with researches done on the topic are studied and are reviewed thoroughly. It aims at to identify a Profile of the Respondents, to analyze the contributory factors influencing the road accident while driving, to explore the driver behavior such as drink and drive. For this study the sample size taken is 110. It used the tools such as percentage analysis, factor analysis and weighted average. This research work shall help to identify the factors where influence the road accidents in Kerala and to check the factors to reduce the accidents, leading towards a scientific traffic control to reduce accident rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper intends to explore the influence of Human Resource (HR) analytics on the training and development skills in the Information technology (IT) sector concerning Kerala in India. Furthermore, this paper investigates the approaches and practices followed by the HR officials and the IT professionals in the organization. Also, this paper explains how HR analytics can be applied in IT sectors for the betterment of the skills of IT professionals. Design/Methodology/Approach: This paper presents a quantitative study by considering the sample of 213 expertise, qualified, and knowledgeable employees in the IT sector and HR people of Kerala. The hypotheses were verified using Cronbach's Alpha reliability test, and Bivariate Correlation. Findings: From the findings, it is understandable that the HR analytical practices achievea straight and positive influence on the performance of IT employeesthrough practicing training and development skills. Research Limitations/Implications: As for scholars and experts, this study point towardthe practices of HR analytics that help to enhance employee skills through training strategy. Originality/Value: The paper plans perceptions on training, and development practices followed by HR analytics and professionals. Also, it delivers HR analytics that can cope with the development and retention of IT employees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Manchadikkari is a region in central Kerala occupied primarily by Dalit Christian communities. The majority of the people in the area are agricultural daily wage workers who have been economically and culturally marginalized. Caste discrimination and exploitation mark their past and present. The people in Manchadikkari articulate powerful anti-caste politics through their creative cultural productions like songs, stories, and plays that take shape in their community groups. The remembrance and reiteration of caste experiences in these community groups keep alive the history of caste exploitation and transmit these memories to the next generation. This paper analyses the play Azhakante Kutil ('Azhakan's Hut'), authored by Thankamma Titus from Manchadikkari in 2021 and performed by a group of women who are members of the community group 'Sanjeevani.' This study considers the processes of conceptualization, production, and performance of the play to show how these processes embody anti-caste politics. The play dwells on the community's caste history to show that caste is not an anachronism of the feudal era but actively determines the present cultural and material conditions. When contextualized in the community, the play exists as a moving narrative of the community's cultural activism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is a case study of NISA, an autonomous Muslim women's organization in the South Indian state of Kerala. This paper elaborates on the limitations of the Islamic framework embraced by women's associations affiliated with sectarian Muslim groups in Kerala by comparing NISA's works and strategies and explaining their unwelcome position within the community. The paper also considers Muslim women's organizations in Kerala from a global perspective compared to international platforms like Musawah while exploring their limitations in forming a transnational alliance with such organizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Property is one of the important instrumental elements, in the empowerment of women. Matrilineal system in Kerala had privileged Nayar women to inherit property. Inheritance of property rights among Nayar women had undergone dramatic changes during and since the British period. It is difficult to understand the relationship between property and women empowerment as property relations are imbricate and constantly changing. In this paper, I explore how the nature of property influences women empowerment in different regions of Kerala. The sociological contours of property relations of Nayar women are explored to understand how property becomes an agent that helps women to exercise power in the family and bargain within matriliny. The material, cultural and political relations around property need to be reckoned in understanding the power dynamics within the gender relations in Nayar community in Kerala. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Select research has indicated that widespread migration is catalysing the novel reimagining of eldercare and transformative changes in the local eldercare economy in the Global South. Yet research on ageing and migration from the South has largely focused on transnational care practices of providing emotional support and economic remittances. Drawing on ethnographic research among the privileged and affluent community of Syrian Christians of Kerala, India, I argue for a diverse and complex Southern reconfiguration of eldercare at the intersection of migration, which also includes 'market transfer' of proximate care services as reciprocal filial care. Further, the paper illuminates how specificities of migration, ageing and care are locally nuanced and shape diverse transnational care practices. In turn, transnational care strategies employed by the migrants to overcome distances transform the local eldercare economy and (re)produce class-stratified eldercare spaces. Through the study of a privileged community, the paper highlights the increasing marketisation of the eldercare landscape in the sending countries of the South and contributes to furthering diversified understandings of the ageing-migration nexus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Situating the Malayalam film Amma Ariyan in the context of radical Left politics in Kerala during the "long 1970s", this paper argues that Left-wing cultural productions during the period offered a melancholic vision of history that sustained a utopian imagination. In popular discussions, the 1970s is seen as a period of "misguided adventurism" and defeat, and the nostalgia for the period is treated as a paralyzing, backward looking attitude. Drawing on contemporary scholarship on Left melancholy, nostalgia, and utopia, this paper looks back at the 1970s from a perspective where melancholia is a stance that offers a critical vision of the past as well as the future. This paper argues that the "failed heroes" in Left-wing cultural productions in the 1970s refused to "resign themselves to... the inevitable and 'natural' character of the most monstrous inequalities". This "refusal to be realistic" has been very central to the sustaining of a utopian imagination which acquires more significance in the context of the perceived reactivation of "communist desire" in the contemporary times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

India is the hub of cultures and a bed of cinema in multiple languages. This research paper focuses on the cinema of two neighbouring states, namely, Kerala and Tamil Nadu from the South of India. While, Malayalam is the state language of Kerala or Keralites, Tamil is the state language of Tamil Nadu in India. The past decade has seen a phenomenon that has been observed constantly in Kerala with regard to some of the Tamil films which are earning massive revenues in Kerala as compared to their own Malayalam films-the language of Kerala itself. Despite receiving coverage of the same in many media outlets, there is a lack of research content in this field. This gap of intellectual observation of this phenomenon is being covered through this research which elucidates data from Malayali youngsters of Kerala who are a prime audience of Tamil Cinema as to why Tamil cinema is much more popular in Kerala despite having brilliant storylines in the state language. This exploratory research has used a quantitative survey research method to reach out to youngsters from Kerala and also carried out a cluster analysis of the sample to study the observation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the much-underplayed Jewish presence in Kerala for 2000 years and the songs of Jewish women, which preserved the community memories and the narratives of diaspora life. They also contain the emotional and intellectual diversity of hope and exile. Jewish Women's songs kept alive the stories of the race and the customs handed down from generation to generation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The empowerment of a person is a state of him in any way he becomes powerful to face all problems belong to him. Women's Empowerment can be defined as promoting women's sense of self work, their ability to determine their own choices and their rights to influence social change for themselves and others. Kerala is a land of baffling contradictions. Economic and social anarchy existed among women in Kerala centuries ago. Although Kerala was culturally superior, women were always behind men. None of the services of women were glorified. There was a social system in which all the burdens of society were concentrated only on women and they were marginalised and kept within the household. Women have been dominated by men since ancient times. In many families female life was like slavery and more over in society women were always behind. There was universal freedom for men and social exclusion for women in general. Women empowerment also means uplifting of all women to face all problems around them and make them powerful to live them in a social secure stage. The empowerment of women is an essential factor for the sustainable growth of the society. In Kerala, a southern state of India Kudumbasree, the women's empowerment organization, has given women a social and economic equality. Kudumbasree is a group of women working under the Kerala State Poverty Eradication Mission and under the jurisdiction of each local self government institutions. This paper describes how 'Kudumbasree in its nature and scope and its contributions to women's empowerment in general and describes the attempts of Kudumbasree program in the broader context of measures to empower the women's group, measures of alleviating poverty, improving financial inclusion and mainly how these things empower the women in total and also explain about how Kudumbasree helped the society in total, especially to women, by its actions and activities done through its organisational setup. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The corona virus that originated in Wuhan, China in December 2019, now called Covid-19, has spread globally and been deemed a 'pandemic' by the World Health Organization (WHO). It poses many questions for social workers. Key to this are those concerning what is the profession's role and purpose in fighting the pandemic; and how can social workers support those affected by the virus? Many healthcare organizations and government agencies are making detailed preparations for dealing with the pandemic Covid-19. All plans to date have recognized that there will undoubtedly be a greater need for resources than will be available mostly in form of mental support to people. Social workers everywhere are trying to find a way forward in the chaos. This paper is written from the point of view of a social worker from Kerala, who through this article aims to explore the impact of Covid-19 on social workers, the role social workers have been playing in this pandemic period and also the importance of understanding social work from a global and multicultural perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper critically evaluates the process of cultural renewal that took place in Kerala in the late 19th and the early 20th centuries, especially Kerala's engagement with modernity, modern culture and modern forms of subjectivity manifested chiefly in the unfolding of the reform movements and renaissance intellectual activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The institution of the Waqf plays philanthropic, religious and social roles in the well-being of the people, subject to the efficient governance it avails. In the context of Waqf, 'maqāșidic governance' refers to the protection and administration of waqf properties and distribution of waqf income to the deserving people, fulfilling the objectives of Sharī iah and the goals of Waqf while meeting the needs of the time. This paper attempts to conduct a preliminary analysis of existing practices of Waqf in Kerala. Adopting an analytical method and conducting open-end interviews, this research scrutinizes the current trends of waqf management in Kerala. Following the exploration of the synthetic relationship between Maqāşid al-Sharī iah and Waqf, this study delves into a discourse on the application of potential maqāşidic governance to the waqf administration in Kerala. This study affirms that the maqāșidic governance of Waqf has an undeniable scope in Kerala, which is hoped to concurrently meet the demands of Waqf and the needs of beneficiaries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Micro enterprises contribute significantly to an economy's balanced growth by creating and providing employment opportunities, thereby contributing to income generation. Financial performance is a subjective indicator of how well-run businesses can leverage their assets to generate future cash inflow (Ahmad & Jamil, 2020). The purpose of this paper is to investigate the variables that affect the financial performance of micro businesses. To that end, an empirical study was conducted in the Indian context, with a focus on the state of Kerala. A multistage random sampling technique was used to select 180 micro enterprises operating under the Kudumbashree Mission (KM) in three districts. The study examined the factors affecting the profit and sales performance of the group micro enterprises using a panel data regression approach with a pooled OLS model. The findings indicated that sales revenue, enterprise region, and product type all had a significant impact on profitability performance. However, the age of the enterprise, its location (rural/urban), and the product category had no effect on its profitability performance. While the age of the enterprise and the region had a direct positive relationship with sales revenue, the location of the enterprise and the product category had no significant effect on sales revenue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The floods of 2018 and 2019 have underlined the urgent need for development and implementation of efficient and robust flood forecasting models for the major rivers in the State of Kerala, India. In this paper, the development and application of two hourly flood forecasting models are presented - one using Support Vector Machine (SVM) and the other based on hybrid wavelet-support vector machine (WSVM). The study was performed on the Achankovil River in Kerala. Wavelet technique was used to denoise the input signal (rainfall and water level) and the effective components of the input signal obtained after denoising were input to the SVM/WSVM models for forecasting. These models' performance was assessed using standard performance rating criteria. Further, the performance of these models was compared with that of a flood forecasting model based on hybrid wavelet-artificial neural network (WANN) developed for this river in a previous study. Results of this study demonstrated the ability of the WSVM model to predict floods reasonably well. It was observed that the WSVM model performed better when compared to the WANN model. The WSVM model was able to accurately estimate peak discharge magnitude and time to peak, both of which are critical inputs in many water resource design and management applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is an ethnography among poor migrants from Kerala, India to the Middle East. This study offers insights into how the poor accumulate sacrificial money through sufferings and self-abnegation, and earmark it for consumption in Kerala. The hardships endured to earn the sacrificial money transform it into a sacred object. The phenomena of accumulation, earmarking, and meaning making of sacrificial money by the poor can be understood through the concept of sacrificial work. Sacrificial work is a spatially demarcated circuit of accumulation of money through hardships and its conflict-ridden transfer to family, community, and self for consumption. In sacrificial work, the poor erect a boundary around this money, and earmark it as caring, communal, and transformative. By delineating the various aspects of sacrificial work, this study brings to the center a behavior that has, in spite of its ubiquity, been relegated to the margins of consumer research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kerala, the southernmost state in India, much researched for its high standard of living and a model of development, largely dependent on international remittances, experienced one of its worst floods in 2018. The state also experiences a peculiar type of labor crisis; where the local population migrates internationally, attracting interstate migrants to compensate for the labor deficit. However, in times of calamities like floods, these unorganized laborers are the worst hit and still the last priority. The media widely reported their mass exodus, unhygienic living conditions, and mistreatment in relief camps during the floods, though the policy responses have been unsatisfactory to date. The paper tries to evaluate the role of inter-state migrants in the socio-economic profile of Kerala and comments on the necessity to include them as a priority in the migration policy discussions, particularly in light of the state’s extreme proneness to natural disasters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aspects of Literacy rate and Educational developments are the key variables in the case of demographic deviations. It is worthwhile mentioning that the list of scheduled tribes in Kerala had undergone drastic changes during the decade 2001-011, resulting in change in proportion of scheduled Tribes. The entire literacy rate of scheduled tribe according to 2001 Census has increased from 57.2% recorded at 1991 Census to 64.4%. In 2011 Census the literacy rate is 74.04%. Growth of Literacy and Education has a valuable role in every sphere of life such as population. This paper deals with preliminary study on population and literacy and its connection with education of Kadar and Kurumbar Community in Palakkad District. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Karkidaka charya is the seasonal regimen followed during Karkidaka, the last month of the Malayalam calendar (mid-July to mid-August). It is the month with torrential rain, low digestive fire and causing the vitiation of three humours (Vata, Pitta and Kapha) according to Ayurveda classics. Economic imbalances of the early farming communities, low immunity and environment which is favourable for epidemics, made the month of Karkidaka more vulnerable. Hence, our older generation followed a strict regimen to avert from this detrimental Karkidaka. The present study is a compilation of the traditional practices in Kerala during the month of Karkidaka and its critical analysis. About 22 unique practices were observed in different parts of Kerala during this month. Most of the practices were observed as a caution for any upcoming pandemic in the severe rainy month. The practices cover ethnonutritional, ethnomedicinal and sacred religious aspects of Karkidaka charya. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Integrated infrastructure has been considered the key to the development of the urban transport system. Studies have rarely focused on the benefits and issues related to the urban integrated transport system, including mobility hubs. The present study attempts to analyze different aspects concerning the urban integrated infrastructure with a special focus on the Kochi Rail Metro and the Vyttila Mobility Hub in Kerala. The study reveals that 41 percent of commuters rely on Hub and Metro for occupation-induced traveling, followed by education (28 percent) and health (20 percent). It is revealed that the existing fare of Kochi Metro does not appear to be attractive to passengers. Almost 90 percent of passengers consider fares as not reasonable. Most of the commuters of Metro Train services and Mobility Hub share the view that these are 'inclusive'. The most noteworthy aspect of Metro and Hub is that they are eco-friendlier and sustainable. However, as an integrated infrastructure mode, it has to travel a long way yet. The study shows that the metro rail services must be accessible and affordable to the people. The study suggests that metro authorities need to make policy decisions to rationalize the fare rates in accordance with different parameters to attract more passengers to the Metro services. As the commuters from the city area are averse to using the metro services, steps need to be taken to encourage the urban passengers to use the metro services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The notion of 'mental health literacy' has been proposed as a way of improving mental health problem recognition, service utilisation and reducing stigma. Yet, the idea embodies a number of medical-model assumptions which are often at odds with diverse communities' spiritual traditions and local belief systems. Twenty participants were recruited to this study consisting of mental health service users (N = 7), family carers (N = 8) and community members (N = 5) in a temple town in Kerala, South India participated in semi-structured interviews exploring the variety of beliefs and practices relating to mental health. Our findings indicate that the issue may be better understood in terms of multiple mental health literacies which people deploy in different circumstances. Even those sceptical of traditional and spiritual approaches are knowledgeable about them, and the traditional practices themselves often involve detailed regimes of activities aimed at effecting an improvement in the person's mood or condition. Therefore, we argue it is appropriate to consider mental health literacy not as a unitary universal phenomenon but instead as a mosaic of different literacies which may be deployed in different settings and in line with different experiences and which may operate in synergy with each other to enable treatment but also facilitate a sense of meaning and purpose in life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The identification and representation of Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) has been a contentious issue due to the lack of methodological standardization. This study scrutinizes the methodological innovation made by the Indian state of Kerala for identifying PwDs in its special census on disability in 2015. The study used disability data from the 15th Census of India and the Disability Census (DC) of Kerala and used descriptive statistics to compare the two on demographic, health, social, and economic dimensions. The prevalence of disability in Kerala was found to be around 2.2% in both the censuses. However, between the two data sources, the share of different disabilities varied from 1% in the case of mental retardation to as much as 10% in the case of locomotor disability. Robust data collection in two stages by trained health professionals, incorporation of detailed categories of disabling conditions, and inclusion of a large number of dimensions in DC made it an effective survey. It is important to improve the identification of PwDs to properly address their unique needs and promote an inclusive development. Defining "mental retardation" to capture disability can be derogatory to many; however, disability in mental health has been defined as "mental retardation" and "mental illness" in the 15th round of the Census of India. As a result, these are the terms that will be used throughout the article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Women's body has been the site of patriarchal control and the formation of gendered ideologies, often subjecting it to multiple cultural interventions, especially while experiencing pregnancy and childbirth. Childbirth is considered a state of ritual pollution for a woman that starts from the day of birth and lasts up to several weeks or months, depending on regional and religious contexts. Prasava Raksha is a traditional practice in Kerala where massages, herbal baths, and a specific diet are prescribed for the health and wellbeing of the mother and child. Prasava Raksha can be considered the culturally appropriated version of the practice of pollution, practised by women belonging to Hindu, Christian and Muslim religious sects in Kerala. The purpose of this qualitative ethnographic study is to investigate the cultural context of how women's body has been subjected to patriarchal control, particularly during pregnancy and childbirth, with food at the centre of analysis. This article aims to explore the practice of Prasava Raksha, its process and dietary prescriptions, to identify and analyse the cultural politics behind this practice that normalises the patriarchal exploitation of reproductive women. The study uses in-depth semi-structured interviews of 12 women from Kerala who have experienced childbirth and practised Prasava Raksha during the postnatal period, in addition to the interviews of a Prasava Raksha helper and an OB-GYN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pigs are under constant threat from many infectious diseases and post-weaning multisystemic syndrome (PWMS) is one among them. The syndrome is caused by the Porcine Circovirus 2 (PCV2) which belongs to the Circoviridae family. Because the symptoms of PCV2 infection and other porcine infectious illnesses, especially porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) overlap, diagnosis of the former based on clinical indicators could be challenging. A study was conducted to develop a TaqMan real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the detection of PCV2 genotypes prevalent in Kerala. Primers and TaqMan probes based on the ORF2 nucleotide sequences of the PCV2 prevalent in Kerala were designed. On testing, it was observed that the TaqMan real-time PCR was not able to detect the PCV2genotypes prevalent in Kerala. However, the designed primers (but not the probe) were able to detect these genotypes. Hence, another TaqMan assay specific for detection of 2d was designed as that genotype was predominant in Kerala. The detection limit estimated using the cloned template was found to be 310 copies of the viral genome. The assay was more sensitive in detecting the virus compared to conventional PCR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A number of communities, most of which have distinctive long-established knowledge and know-how base, populate Kerala state. Indigenous technological knowledge can be encouraged through a scientific approach as one of the means of sustainable agricultural practices, which will be environment-friendly. ITK that are in practice all over rural India is little acknowledged and there is a threat of loss of this knowledge. Hence some of the local knowledge and technologies were studied and the importance of the same has been evaluated. The study was carried out within the scaffold of poultry farming and allied activities. A broad range of varied sectors including poultry housing, feeding and disease management were taken into account for the purpose of the study. It is observed from the study that farmers adopt traditional knowledge in every aspects of poultry farming including housing, brooding, feeding management, hatching process, seasonal management, poultry health management etc. The documented ITKs showed the richness of the time-tested traditional knowledge applied to animal husbandry in the region specified under the study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, an updated checklist of spider diversity in the Kerala state of India is presented. A total of 598 species of spiders described under 260 genera belonging to 44 families are enlisted that have been described and/or recorded from all 14 districts of Kerala, India. The maximum number of species of spiders was recorded from Idukki (33 families, 155 genera, 290 species) followed by Wayanad (27 families, 146 genera, 274 species), Thrissur (28 families, 139 genera, 234 species), Palakkad (28 families, 116 genera, 218 species), Ernakulam (26 families, 109 genera, 183 species), Kannur (22 families, 105 genera, 182 species), Kasaragod (22 families, 105 genera, 182 species), Alappuzha (22 families, 95 genera, 161 species), and Thiruvananthapuram (24 families, 92 genera, 144 species) and less than 100 species of spiders in other districts. Among the families, Salticidae is the most abundant family which comprises 97 species belonging to 48 genera and is distributed in all districts of Kerala followed by Araneidae (86 species, 31 genera, all districts), Theridiidae (55 species, 25 genera, all districts), Thomisidae (47 species, 21 genera, 12 districts), Lycosidae (39 species, 12 genera, all districts), Oxyopidae (35 species, 4 genera, all districts), and Tetragnathidae (36 species, 9 genera, all districts). Representation of other families is moderate (10-22 species) to poor (1-9 species). Though, Cheiracanthiidae, Clubionidae, Corinnidae, Hersiliidae, Linyphiidae, Sparassidae, and Uloboridae are poorly represented in Kerala but are distributed in 12-14 districts of Kerala. Some of the national parks and wildlife sanctuaries, forest areas, agricultural fields, human dwellings etc. of Kerala still await intensive and extensive survey programmes to record a near complete spider fauna. Several spiders were identified only upto generic level, and are excluded from this checklist. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cultural Tourism implies "A type of tourism activity in which the visitor's essential motivation is to learn, discover, experience and consume the tangible and intangible cultural attractions/products in a tourism destination. Kerala, referred to as 'God's Own Country', enjoys unique geographical features and its classical art forms, colourful festivals, exotic cuisine etc., are some of the cultural marvels that attract travellers. Though the share of cultural tourism in the tourism development of the state has not been assessed in quantitative terms, the arrival of foreign and domestic tourists to cultural tourism destinations in Kerala undoubtedly accentuate the contribution of cultural tourism to the state's exchequer. The level of satisfaction that cultural products that the state tourism offers is subjected to analysis to explore the principal factors and confirm whether they are significant reflections of satisfaction from cultural products. The study asserts the need for redefining and revamping the role of cultural events, monuments such as the Synagogue and other religious places and aims to provide a high level of satisfaction so as to attract cultural tourists to destinations in Kerala. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The intervention of missionaries in twentieth-century Kerala offers fascinating insights into the intricate relationship between education and the reordering of social norms in late colonial India. Comprising of the former Princely states of Travancore, Cochin, and British Malabar, the region witnessed significant strides in administrative modernization and educational advancements by the early decades of the twentieth century. Several factors including the progressive nature of the princely state and the influence of Marxist ideologies, the role of the christain missionaries and the prevalence of matrilineal practice among caste groups were attributed for the advancements made in education and health. Yet what distinguishes Travancore, was the presence of a strong indigenous Syrian Christian group, whose presence attracted Western Protestant missionaries into Travancore. Missionary intervention extended byond the realm of religion and shaped had an important bearing on education, including women's education in shaping individual perceptions of sanity, morality, and hygiene, leading to the reconfiguration of social and community relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research compares the variation in the Communication skill of managers of the three prominent banking sectors-The Public Sector, The Old Private Sector and The new Private Sector-in Kerala. A multi-stage stratified random sampling technique was applied for the selection of sample bank managers from the complete list of bank managers in Kerala. The examination based on the 350 responses collected from the bank managers across the three sectors from the three prominent districts of the state, finds that there exists significant variation in the Communication skill of the managers. The variation was tested by using One-Way ANOVA in which the F value is found to be validated statistically at one percent level of significance. The results of the study reveals that the Communication skill of the bank managers selected for the purpose of study varies considerably according to the sector of the bank (public sector/old private sector/new private sector) where in they work. The Communication skill of old private sector bank managers are the highest among the three sectors followed by public sector and new private sector bank managers. This research would be relevant for bank managers as they may identify the gaps in their Communication skill and work on the improvements. The findings of this research will also provide the necessary groundwork for the Administrators in the Banking sector to further explore the reasons for the variation in the Communication skill among the managers working in the three different sectors. Key words: Communication, communication skill, Communication style, communication gaps, effective communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A questionnaire survey was conducted to obtain user feedback on various aspects of resources and information services provided by the Kerala State Central Library (KSCL), Thiruvananthapuram. The findings revealed that 43.2% of the respondents were aware of the reading circle and book display services available in the library. The study also found that only a few users (9.1%) are highly-satisfied with the e-resources provided by the library. The users are aware about the quiz programs (40.9%) conducted by the library. The study found that the primary barriers for library users are the lack of computers and internet services. About 34.1% of the respondents adhered to the hygiene guidelines provided by the library during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study suggests that the library should conduct conferences, workshops, and training programs for its users to enable them to use e-resources and ICT services effectively and efficiently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores how a devotional performance genre called the māla in Arabi Malayalam continues to fashion devotional piety for many Mappila men and women in contemporary Kerala. My analysis will focus on the practices of Mappila literary culture – especially that of reciting literary texts composed in Arabi Malayalam. Highlighting the performative dimensions of two māla songs, the early seventeenth century Muhyiddin Māla and the early twentieth century Nafisat Māla, I map out, in ethnographic detail, how these devotional song-poems punctuate everyday life for many contemporary Mappilas, thereby helping shape and hone these Mappilas' affects of piety and their larger ways of being and acting in the world. In so doing, my aim will also be to underscore the social life and tone of Mappila literary culture and to reiterate that literary genres are not mere ideas but also constitutive practices that are highly consequential for the practitioners' self-fashioning and ethical formation. The article urges a contextural approach to the study of devotional literature whereby due attention is paid to both the 'context(s)' and 'texture(s)' of genre and literary cultures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conceived as a life force, rain has a significant place in Indian thought. Sanskrit and vernacular literary and religious texts, as well as visual arts, emphasise its auspiciousness and importance in human life. Additionally, through the use of poetical images and metaphors, these texts and images associate rain with music and identify thunder with drums. Through the analysis of compositions from the repertoire of different drums such as the dhrupad pakhāvaj, the miḻāvu of Kūtiyāṭṭaṃ Sanskrit theatre, and the ritual music of Brahmanical temples of Kerala, this article studies the association of drumming with rain as a symbol of life force, consciousness and enlightenment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adolescence is a crucial developmental period characterized by intricate transformations.The goal of the study was to evaluate the association between socio- demographic characteristics and emotional adjustment among school-aged adolescents. In order to accomplish this, R.V. Patil's Emotional Adjustment inventory was administered to 100 school-aged teenagers (14-19) from Trissur District, Kerala, India. To investigate youngsters' emotional adjustment within their socio-demographic profile, the mean, standard deviation, and T-test were employed.Findings: The majority of school students (51 percent) showed a low level of emotional adjustment skills, according to the mean score. In terms of gender and residence area respondents revealed a substantial correlation.Application: This study paves the way for further research into the link between emotional adjustment and socio-demographic profile, as well as their impact on teenagers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The problems and challenges that Indian agriculture faces are numerous. These issues, ranging from low competitiveness to the costs and low-price realization, have become a major concern for all stakeholders. In terms of coconut value addition, the state was still doing poorly. According to R Chandrababu, vice-chancellor of KAU, only one-third of the coconut produced in the state is used for value addition. Farmers should be supported in lowering production costs, creating a remunerative market, and/or rising yields in order to achieve inclusive agricultural growth. Farmers' plight is no different in Kerala, where the agriculture industry is in a state of collapse. The current study is an attempt to know the Value addition used by coconut product producers and their channel choice in marketing of the products. The study is spread across 5 states in Kerala who have the highest production of coconuts. Convenient sampling technique is used and a sample of 100 farmers are taken for the study. Questionnaire is prepared using likert scale items and interviews were conducted to collect the data. Software for social sciences SPSS was used for analysis of data using the Andrew Hayes Process additional application. The findings of the study show that 84.4 percent of coconut product producers were involved in the production of Kernel-based coconut products and 66.1 percent were involved in the production of coconut convenience food products.56.1 percent of those who answered the survey said they added value to coconut by using coconut shell-based products. The study suggest that Coconut product producers should make an informed decision about the distribution channel they will use to reap the benefits of value addition to their products. The marketing effectiveness curve is showing an increasing trend as a result of channel selection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study offers an overview of Kerala's party-system development, media landscape and campaign dynamics against the backdrop of the 2019 parliamentary election. The 2019 election was widely predicted to be a golden opportunity for the BJP to secure its first parliamentary seat from Kerala, with the highly emotive and polarizing 'women's entry into Sabarimala temple' becoming the most salient campaign issue. The study situates this key campaign issue and its mobilisational potential in Kerala's party-system and hybrid media environment. Drawing from pre-election field research, it argues that the BJP's framing of the Sabarimala verdict, its use of religiously-coded campaign messaging, and its ability to adapt the form and style of campaign communication for the digital era enabled a sizable consolidation of the Hindu vote behind the BJP, moderately threatening the stability of Kerala's entrenched bi-polar party system. Yet, the Sabarimala issue did not deliver the anticipated electoral results for the BJP due to Kerala's unique political context. The residual effect of the Sabarimala issue in the 2021 legislative assembly election is discussed in conclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Sri Lankan species, Methocha ubiquita Krombein, 1982 is newly reported for the fauna of India. Differential characters, figures, distribution map and comparisons of the newly recorded species with original description of type material are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A field study was carried out in two-year-old bambusetum established at main campus, Kerala Agricultural University, Thrissur, Kerala to evaluate the growth performance of selected six bamboo species of potential relevance to the humid tracts of Kerala, India. The selected bamboos included are Dendrocalamus longispathus Kurz; D. brandisii (Munro) Kurz; D. asper (Schult.f.) Back.ex Heyne\ Bambusa balcooa Roxb; B. vulgaris Schrad and B. tulda Roxb. Growth parameters such as clump height, clump circumference (at 1.37 m), culm girth (at 1.37 m), internodal length and number of culms were observed in the field at periodic intervals of four months. The field result showed considerable variation in growth and productivity among the six bamboo species under study. Overall growth performance was better for B. vulgaris, D. brandisii and D. longispathus. For instance, B. vulgaris and D. brandisii were the toppers in terms of clump height, clump circumference and culm girth while B. tulda showed relatively poor growth for these parameters. Among the species, the highest internodal length was observed for D. brandisii and D. longispathus while B. tulda recorded the shortest internodal length. Number of culms per clump was highest for D. asper while it was the lowest for B. balcooa. Faster growth rendered by all the species except for B. tulda suggest their vast potential for integration in the farm lands of Kerala for enhancing the economic and ecological benefits to the farmers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses cultural practices and rituals in Medieval Kerala that allowed the lower castes to dominate the upper castes, presented in short story "Pulapedi," authored by N.S. Madhavan. It mentions (im)materiality of power and subjectivity; and also mentions translatability becomes philosophical and grants access to remote antiquity.

The increasing urbanisation trend over the decades has resulted in the rapid transformation of land use and land cover (LULC) patterns worldwide. One of the significant consequences of such an uncontrolled conversion process is on the environmental quality (EQ) of the regions, which needs to be addressed. Hence, the present study attempts to derive the environmental quality index (EQI) to measure the impact of LULC along a rapidly urbanising region. The study was divided into three phases. Firstly, the relevant variables were systematically identified from the literature and screened based on relevance, redundancy, context, and scale of the study. The variables then were finalised based on data availability and expert suggestions. The selected variables were grouped under biophysical, LULC, and socio-economic domains. Secondly, using remote sensing and geographic information system (GIS) techniques, LULC analysis was performed and the bio-physical variables were processed. The LULC maps (with five classes: water body, settlements, hill, forest, and agriculture) were prepared for the study region for 2000, 2009, and 2019 from Landsat images using a supervised classification algorithm. The LULC analysis showed an increase in the settlement over the past two decades. The relationship between the bio-physical indicators, namely, land surface temperature (LST), normalised difference vegetation index, and normalised difference built-up index (NDBI), was also established to examine the general perception that the increase in urbanisation is one of the main causes for the increase in LST of a region. The correlation indicated that the LST increased with a reduction in vegetation area and growth in settlement areas. Finally, the EQI was constructed using the entropy method of weighting. The spatial mapping of the EQ of the region was obtained and planning interventions were discussed. The EQI map demonstrated that the areas with more industrial belts had poorer EQ compared with other areas. The study also revealed that the conversion of the land cover into different land use types has led to the poor EQ of the region. The insights from the study can help the planners, administrators, and policymakers to make informed decisions regarding the EQ of a region and future urban construction activities in an area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]