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This detailed case study of India's "outsourcing" industry illustrates the challenges in linking macro and micro human resource policies with an economic development strategy based on export-oriented services. The rapid expansion in the outsourcing of services to India has raised the possibility that this sector will be a key engine of India's economic growth. Based on extensive field research carried out over a four-year period, the authors of this study argue that four interrelated human resource policy challenges threaten the outsourcing industry's growth: two "macro" problems (current skill shortages and the inability of the country to produce higher levels of skills for the long-term growth and sustainability of the industry), and two micro problems (very high levels of employee turnover and rapidly increasing employee costs). The authors evaluate current policy responses and suggest options. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In northeast India, there are several indigenous peoples who reside along the Sino-Indian border about whom there is very little academic research. Some communities are present on either side of the border, making research very difficult. The Mishmi is one such indigenous group living in the northeast region of India bordering southern Tibet. Out of four Mishmi clans, three reside on the Indian side and one on the Chinese side of the international border. After the 1962 Sino-Indian War, movement of Mishmi people across the border was restricted, impacting social ties and trade-related activities. We discuss relations between the Mishmi and the British, followed by their interactions with the Indian administration. We document how people used the borders before the war and how development on the border has impacted Mishmi lives. This research is a first attempt to document information about the Mishmis in India and China. In this article, we present our preliminary observations based on anthropological fieldwork in Arunachal Pradesh, India. Secondary information was gathered from websites, archives, and reports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay explores the legends surrounding the enigmatic figure of Zafar Khan Ghazi, whose tomb still stands at Tribeni (West Bengal, India), a major Hindu pilgrimage spot on the River Ganga. Zafar Khan has been seen variously as the spearhead of the Turkish conquest in late thirteenth-century Bengal, a harbinger of early Islam, and a founder of one of the first Sufi lineages in the region. It illustrates the conflicted nature of the ghazi pir figure, idealized as a Muslim warrior and martyr, but also remembered as a champion of the poor, a composer of odes to the river Ganga in Sanskrit, and a historical bridge between Muslims and Hindus. Examining the architecture of Zafar Khan's mosque and tomb built on the ruins of a Vishnu temple, along with iconic portrayals of the gaji in contemporary Bengali magalakabya verse poetry, the paper locates Zafar Khan as an interstitial and contradictory figure at the margins of what is commonly understood as Hindu devotional worship and iconoclastic Islam. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal on Masculinities & Social Change / Masculinidades y Cambio Social is the property of Journal on Masculinities & Social Change / Masculinidades y Cambio Social and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The growth of literacy from 12% at the end of British rule to 75% in the census of 2011 the country has registered a greater than six-fold improvement but with current rate it would take until 2060 to achieve universal literacy. The Government of India along with states executed successful programmes to boost literacy rate, it needs deliberate steps to engage the various communities/agencies to succeed effectively with purpose. In globalisation the bright prospect of literacy demands policy intervention required for accelerating the expected results in sphere of literacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Turkish Journal of Public Health is the property of Turkish Journal of Public Health and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: Caste is one of the traditional measures of social segregation in India and differs from other indicators as it is both, endogamous and hereditary. Evidence suggests that belonging to lower castes exposes one to social inequalities and affects health adversely. We examined the association of caste with childhood anemia in India and explored the effect modifying role of adult education and household wealth. Methods: A cross-sectional analysis of National Family Health Survey (NFHS) data of 43,484 children aged 6-59 months was performed. Poisson regression analysis was conducted to study the association between caste and childhood anemia accounting for various maternal, child, and household related variables. Caste was categorized as "other caste" (least disadvantageous), "other backward caste", "scheduled tribe" and "scheduled caste" (most disadvantageous). Anemia was defined as mild (hemoglobin level 7-11 g/dL), moderate (hemoglobin level 5-7 g/dL) and severe (hemoglobin level <5 g/dL). Results: We found that children in scheduled caste had higher risk of having anemia [mild anemia: RR = 1.10, 95 % CI = 1.05-1.15; moderate anemia: RR = 1.19, 95 % CI = 1.14-1.24; severe anemia: RR = 1.87, 95 % CI = 1.51 - 2.31] after accounting for child, maternal and household covariates including adult education and household wealth. The interaction of caste with adult education and household wealth was not statistically significant for any level of anemia. Sensitivity analyses for children born to mothers of age ≥ 18 years at first child birth and body mass index (BMI) ≥ 18.5 kg/m2, resulted in similar findings. Conclusion: Caste is an independent determinant of childhood anemia in India. The level of adult education and household wealth did not modify the association between caste and childhood anemia. The findings may be used for countering childhood anemia and it may be beneficial to target future public health actions towards disadvantageous castes in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban Indian households with a male first child are approximately 2 percentage points more likely to use clean cooking fuel than comparable households with a female first child. Given Indian son preference, there are at least two mechanisms by which child sex could affect fuel choice: by improving the intrahousehold status of women, who bear more of the costs of traditional fuels, or by presenting an opportunity to invest in children's health, in the context of a preference for healthier boys. If child sex is not selected for by biased abortion or other processes, then the sex of a first child has an exogenous causal effect on household fuel choice. We show that the association between fuel choice and child sex is not driven by terminated pregnancies or by household wealth or family size. Among a range of outcomes we study, the effect of child sex is unique to fuel choice; our finding that there is no effect on other assets indicates that it is unlikely that the result is confounded by real or subjectively anticipated wealth. In addition to the National Family Health Survey NFHS-3, the main data source studied, we approximately replicate the result using the NFHS-2 and the District Level Health and Facilities Survey DLHS-3. Finally, we show evidence for a "first-stage" effect of having a first son on women's social status: such women have a greater body mass index, on average. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article undertakes an empirical test of the proposition that natural disasters increase the risk of violent conflict. Climate change is expected to increase the risk of natural disasters, and India has been pointed to as being particularly at risk. State-level data from India for the period 1956-2002 are used to assess quantitatively whether climate-related natural disasters in India have contributed to increased rates of riots and politically motivated violence. The results indicate that disasters increase the risk of riots where literacy levels are high, and politically motivated violence where literacy levels are low. However, although statistically significant, the effect in both cases is so weak that it requires exceptional circumstances for disasters to have any substantially important impact. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article discusses the need for inclusive economic development in India, with a focus on the prevalence of human trafficking which targets women, children, and the poor. Topics include the financial pressures faced by Indian children making it necessary for them to work to support their families, the impact of Indian government reforms aimed at liberalizing the economy, increasing private investments, and stimulating economic activity, and the challenges of combating poverty in India posed by corruption, exploitation, and human rights violations.

The author discusses the deteriorating role of the parliament in Indian society. He believes that a disruption of parliamentary meetings could lead to the situation where important legislative bills could not be passed with discussion as expeditiously as possible. He explores the role of parliamentary language, the problems faced by parliamentary democracy and the positive role of constructive criticism.

This paper presents a new method for estimating the effect of child mortality on the total fertility rate (TFR). The method is based on discrete-time survival models of parity progression that allow construction of a multivariate multidimensional life table of fertility with four dimensions: woman's age, parity, duration in parity, and number of previous child deaths. Additional socio-economic variables are included in the set of predictor variables in the underlying survival models of parity progression. The life table yields a replacement rate, which measures the effect of one additional child death on the TFR. The method is illustrated by applying it to three Indian National Family Health Surveys. Major findings are that dead children are incompletely replaced, and that the replacement rate rises as the TFR falls, reflecting women's increasing ability to control their fertility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the social ramifications in India following the gang rape and murder of Jyoti Singh Pandey Delhi, India in December 2012. An overview of the protests of Pandey's rape and murder, including the participation of urban, upper-caste, middle class women, is provided. An overview of feminists' reactions to violence against women in India from 1978 through the early 2010s, including in regard to rape laws and the debate over whether to censor the Indian rapper Honey Singh, is provided.

The year 2012 began for India with a steep decline in the economy, disarray in politics, and paralysis in policy. While there were more immediate causes for this state of affairs, each malady reflected a deeper dilemma created by widespread corruption, a weakening central state, declining discipline within the ruling coalition, a loss of economic momentum caused by an unresolved balance between equity and growth, and a failure to harness popular support for reforms. Each dilemma called for a fundamental change in the power equation between different parts of the state and between state and society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyzes the interaction between theories of radicalization and state responses to militancy in India. Focusing on the interpretation of the increased frequency of terrorist attacks in Indian metropolises in the last decade, the article examines the narratives surrounding those classified as terrorists in the context of rising Muslim militancy in the country. Different state agencies operate with different theories about the links between processes of radicalization and terrorist violence. The scenarios of radicalization underlying legislative efforts to prevent terrorism, the construction of motives by the police, and the interpretation of violence by the judiciary all rely on assumptions about radicalization and violence. Such narratives are used to explain terrorism both to security agencies and to the public; they inform the categories and scenarios of prevention. Prevention relies on detection of future deeds, planning, intentions, and even potential intentions. "Detection" of potential intentions relies on assumptions about specific dispositions. Identification of such dispositions in turn relies on the context-specific theories of the causes of militancy. These determine what "characteristics" of individuals or groups indicate potential threats and form the basis for their categorization as "potentially dangerous." The article explores the cultural contexts of theories of radicalization, focusing on how they are framed by societal understandings of the causes of deviance and the relation between the individual and society emerging in contemporary India. It examines the shift in the perception of threat and the categories of "dangerous others" from a focus on role to a focus on ascriptive identity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We provide the first global assessment of the sources of population aging by tracing its origins to the demographic histories of more and less developed countries. In more developed countries, improvements in survival among successive cohorts have accounted for the large majority of the recent increase in the population's mean age. Improved survivorship and declines in the growth rate of births have made roughly equal contributions to the aging that is occurring in less developed countries. Aging is more rapid in less developed countries because the number of births has declined faster, with China and India making large contributions. Use of the proportion of the population above age 65, 70, or 75 as measures of aging produces results similar to those using the mean age. Mortality decline becomes an even larger contributor to aging using all these measures, and its contribution grows as age advances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses language dialects and differences in India as of June 2012, particularly the use of and evolution of Hindi. The article states that a majority of Indians speak Hindi and it is, along with English, the closest language that could be considered national in scope. The article also reviews the history of what the author calls modern standard Hindi and the differences between the Hindi and Urdu languages in India and Pakistan respectively. The article also linguistically compares Hindi to modern Hebrew and the development of what the author calls "Hinglish," a combination of Hindi and English.

The article discusses the political functions of caste associations in India, commenting on ways in which their role has changed from earlier social science research on the topic published by scholars Lloyd and Susanne Rudolph. The article details how various forms of the caste system, or society, in India have contributed to caste associations gaining little recognition as political entities in the country. Other topics include political literacy amongst Indian citizens, the reduction in power for caste hierarchies over rural residents, and decreased political influence from the Prime Minister's Office.

As regionalism has become a politically and economically advantageous policy across much of Asia, vernacular popular music has concomitantly become an important arena for articulating and codifying shared regionalist sentiment. This article explores the reasons for the emergence of subnational regionalism within post-independence India, and its more recent resurgence since the 1990s, arguing that expansion and diversification of popular music (in combination with other media) industries have been central to these processes. Examining the case of the protest song “Nauchami Narayana” from the Uttarakhand Himalayas, the article then investigates how vernacular popular music can blend local signs of devotion and cultural identity in order to effect political change and articulate a space of regional belonging. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

I examine the potential impact of the anticipated future marriage squeeze on nuptiality patterns in China and India during the twenty-first century. I use population projections from 2005 to 2100 based on three different scenarios for the sex ratio at birth (SRB). To counteract the limitations of cross-sectional methods commonly used to assess the severity of marriage squeezes, I use a two-sex cohort-based procedure to simulate marriage patterns over the twenty-first century based on the female dominance model. I also examine two more-flexible marriage functions to illustrate the potential impact of changes in marriage schedules as a response to the marriage squeeze. Longitudinal indicators of marriage squeeze indicate that the number of prospective grooms in both countries will exceed that of prospective brides by more 50% for three decades in the most favorable scenario. Rates of male bachelorhood will not peak before 2050, and the squeeze conditions will be felt several decades thereafter, even among cohorts unaffected by adverse SRB. If the SRB is allowed to return to normalcy by 2020, the proportion of men unmarried at age 50 is expected to rise to 15% in China by 2055 and to 10% in India by 2065. India suffers from the additional impact of a delayed fertility transition on its age structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the impact that national economic policies adopted during Indira Gandhi's final term in office (1980–84) had on four “national” social groups, namely the big industrialists, the middle class, the rich peasantry, and the poor. The study argues that the Congress (I) chose the former two as its major allies, while the rich peasantry and the poor were relegated to a secondary position. In the process, the focus of India's strategy of development shifted from the agrarian to the industrial sector, and from the rural to the urban world. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article presents an in-depth examination into the demographic characteristics and trends of India for the 21st century, highlighting the economic issues surrounding its large population. Details are given noting the scale of India's population growth between 1950 and 2010. Analysis is offered explaining the forces involved within the ongoing demographic transition in the nation, including infant mortality, life expectancy and fertility rates. Discussion is then offered proposing the possible challenges and benefits facing the labor market in response to the population trends.

The article examines the 2010 Commonwealth Games that took place within Delhi, India and discusses what they represent about the sociopolitical climate of the nation. The author analyzes the legacy of this sporting event, as well as how it impacted the economy of India and transformed it into a competitive sporting nation. By examining the nervous optimism of the Indian Games Organizing Committee, the performance of Indian athletes within the games, and the potential future for sports within the country, this paper comments on the transformations undertaken by postcolonial India. Also discussed are Indian ethnography and the Indian bid to host the 2020 Olympics.

The study examines overall and region-specific mortality changes and regional mortality variation in India since the 1970s, using data from the Sample Registration System (SRS). An evaluation of the quality of SRS data confirms their reliability for children and adults under age 60. The results suggest the convergence of mortality across the regions of India with important inter-state differences in the pace of health improvements over time. After spectacular progress during the 1970s and the 1980s, many Indian states have witnessed slower mortality improvements in both young and adult age groups. India faces difficulties in making further reductions in infant mortality and in the burden of chronic and man-made diseases at adult ages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How and to what extent do different citizens experience democratic governance on a day-to-day basis? What agencies do they utilize in order to have their voices heard and grievances addressed? How do they gain access to government agencies responsible for delivering social welfare services, such as education, security, health care, and poverty relief? Investigations conducted in two states of India inquired about the manner in which different social groups living in rural areas gain access to the welfare services of the Indian state. These results show that an intermediary is required for gaining access. Different types of intermediaries are consulted by separate segments of society. For a large majority of poorer individuals, a newly arisen type of mediator, the naya neta (literally, new leader), is the intermediary of choice. Neither usually low status nor high status, but younger and better educated than other types of village leaders, naya netas play important roles in shaping welfare consequences in these villages of Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh, most importantly, by affecting equity of access. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the effects of globalization on higher education and social conditions for women living in urban Kolkata, India. Topics include the increase in higher education for urban youth, the advances in education and employment opportunities for women, and gender bias and dowry in Indian families. Information about the academic debate over the role of globalization in social factors or economic factors for Indian women is included. It is suggested that globalization has brought changes to Indian society in which the social attitudes, social mobility, and education opportunities for women have increased.

The desire for male children is prevalent in India, where son preference has been shown to affect fertility behavior and intrahousehold allocation of resources. Economic theory predicts less gender discrimination in wealthier households, but demographers and sociologists have argued that wealth can exacerbate bias in the Indian context. I argue that these apparently conflicting theories can be reconciled and simultaneously tested if one considers that they are based on two different notions of wealth: one related to resource constraints (absolute wealth), and the other to notions of local status (relative wealth). Using cross-sectional data from the 1998-1999 and 2005-2006 National Family and Health Surveys, I construct measures of absolute and relative wealth by using principal components analysis. A series of statistical models of son preference is estimated by using multilevel methods. Results consistently show that higher absolute wealth is strongly associated with lower son preference, and the effect is 20%-40% stronger when the household's community-specific wealth score is included in the regression. Coefficients on relative wealth are positive and significant although lower in magnitude. Results are robust to using different samples, alternative groupings of households in local areas, different estimation methods, and alternative dependent variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

India and Indians, after 1857, came into the clutches of British rulers. The disgusting attitude of the rulers, and the hatred of the Indians, was the core cause of the tension in India. Hostile relations between various communities made the social life very miserable. The violation of human rights and values further deteriorated the situation. In A Passage to India, the average Englishman and woman in India seem to have been bent on seeing propaganda, or scheming behind every event and consider mistrust as their best guide. However, the rude attitude, race, racism and racialism are also the tools exploited by the various communities. E. M. Forster, in the novel, shows an extraordinary fairness and insight in portraying the British ruling class in India. His main focus is the human norms and their violation. He also criticized the intolerance of the communities. The sensitive and sensible behavior of characters makes them different from others. The etymological aspects of Racism and Racialism have also been explained with a different approach. The conclusion is the external or physical and genetically or internal phenomena. The tension in the society can be reduced by adopting a sensible attitude based on human values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

India's 2005 Right to Information Act (RTIA) is among dozens of national laws recently adopted similar to the U.S. Freedom of Information Act. Drawing on several large studies examining the act's implementation, the author finds that Indian citizens filed about 2 million requests for information under the RTIA during its first two and half years. However, use of the law was constrained by uneven public awareness, poor public planning, and bureaucratic indifference or outright hostility. Requirements for proactive disclosure of information are often ignored. The necessary mechanisms for enforcing the new law are also strained by a growing number of complaints and appeals. Nonetheless, RTIA advocates demonstrate its transformative potential and continue to press energetically for more effective implementation. Public authorities and civil society organizations have developed a number of practical innovations that may be useful for other developing countries to adopt when considering similar laws. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses feminist theories of political economy and economic development, focusing particularly on notions of the new middle class in India. The authors assert that the idea of a new middle class is both a political and popular culture construct and they track its origins and development in both colonial and post-colonial India. Other subjects explored include national identity, women's social roles and status, the social impact of globalization, modernity, and the political activity of the middle class.

The article discusses medical costs and health care in India. The author explains that India's annual health care expenditure per capita is $21. The author states that most of this money does not come from federal finances so people have to pay for most care themselves. The author mentions that few hospitals receive subsidies from the government and that only five percent of the population in India has insurance coverage. The conditions of a municipal hospital in a Mumbai, India suburb are detailed. The article also discusses user fees at public hospitals.

there is no abstract [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To study the effectiveness of planning and management interventions for ensuring children in India are immunized at the appropriate age. Methods The study involved children aged less than 18 months recruited from Haryana, India, in 2005--2006: 4336 in a pre-intervention cohort and 5213 in a post-intervention cohort. In addition, immunization of 814 hospitalized children from outside the study area was also assessed. Operational barriers to age-appropriate immunization with diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus (DPT) vaccine were investigated by monitoring vaccination coverage, observing immunization sessions and interviewing parents and health-care providers. An intervention package was developed, with community volunteers playing a pivotal role. Its effectiveness was assessed by monitoring the ages at which the three DPT doses were administered. Findings The main reasons for delayed immunization were staff shortages, non-adherence to plans and vaccine being out of stock. In the post-intervention cohort, 70% received a third DPT dose before the age of 6 months, significantly more than in the pre-intervention cohort (62%; P = 0.002). In addition, the mean age at which the first, second and third DPT doses were administered decreased by 17, 21 and 34 days, respectively, in the study area over a period of 18 months (P for trend < 0.0001). No change was observed in hospitalized children from outside the study area. Conclusion An intervention package involving community volunteers significantly improved age-appropriate DPT immunization in India. The Indian Government's intention to recruit village-based volunteers as part of a health sector reform aimed at decentralizing administration could help increase timely immunization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the often misconceived problem of insurgency and various political, social, and law and order problems of northeast India, which Sanjib Baruah calls "Northeast India's Durable Disorder." The region has been stereotyped by the postcolonial state of India as a "disturbed area" infested with insurgents and militants. In its attempts to resolve this "durable disorder," India fails to engage with its underlying causes in the construction of new political boundaries in both the colonial and postcolonial eras. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the agricultural and social condition in India in 2009. It is noted that 33% is the total primary energy consumption of renewable energy sources in India with traditional biomass as a major contributor. It highlights the services offered by nonprofit organizations to promote renewable energy projects to implement change in the rural area.

Democracy requires criticism. A significant feature of democracies outside the West, though often ignored by liberal traditions of analysis, is the practice of internal criticism. This article examines some experiences of internal criticism that may be found in the writings of some Indian philosophers, focusing especially on the work of Swami Vivekananda. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our is a country of great social and cultural diversity often we take pride in the country's colourful multi-cultural diversity. Nonetheless, social and economic disparities are in deed despairingly vast. India is the homeland of people, who are different to each other on the basis of language, religion, caste, race and community. The exploitation and deprivation of one section by other is the out come of strict social division and prejudice. As a result, a large section of Indians have been identified as underprivileged, backward, and deprived. To uplift the socio-economic conditions of these large sections of people in order to end the exploitation from their lives, social reformers and leaders of the country have been organising social and legal movements. Andaman & Nicobar Islands society has been playing a significant role by setting an example for other societies regarding unity in diversity multi-ethnic, multi-linguistic society. It is a casteless society. People from all parts of India have come to set a unique example of unity and social harmony. There is no communal tension, no caste barrier and social prejudice. Expect notified tribes of the Union Territory, no such reservation policy in jobs has been exercised among other communities, as it is enjoying by the people of other states since independence. But the announcement of reservation benefits in jobs for a section of Indians has been received with sake by others who did not come under the new privileges. The implementation of OBC's reservation policy has become a controversial issue in the Islands society. Neither the communities who have come under reservation benefits are not happy nor the communities denied the benefits are accepted, the decision of the commission reports. Many associations on behalf of their communities have given strong representation to the union as well as local administrations demanding revocation of the reservation notifications. They have come out with the opinion that the notification for reservation is out and out a retrograde step which is bound to deface the "mini India" image of this society and disrupt the social harmony which is often quoted as a model for the entire India. It would erect artificial barrier among the people and is going to disturb the peace and social harmony of these Islands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the anthropological exploration of Indian society through its cities. The notion of the metropolis as originated by sociologist Georg Simmel is discussed. The relation between modernity and metropolitan form is explored through the materiality of urban infrastructure. These insights are then used to understand the Indian city, which the author concludes presents a challenge to the terms of the discursive relationship between India and the West.

Dr.Jaya Arunachalam, recipient of Padmasri founded Working Women's Forum in 1978 with an objective of social and economic up-liftment of poorest of poor women in Tamilnadu, India. Now WWF has more than 7,00,00 women members. This case study deals with how technology has helped these micro entrepreneurs to accomplish their business more effectively and efficiently and how it has introduced drastic changes to their lifestyle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a discussion of political, economic and social trends in India, focusing on the country's global position relative to China and the United States. An overview of India's late 20th century history, and an attempt to forecast likely geopolitical and sociocultural changes for the early decades of the 21st century are provided. The question is addressed whether India's established tradition of democracy will, in the long term, provide it with a durable and significant competitive advantage over less free nations, such as China. Difficulties India faces in alleviating the poverty of its lower classes are also discussed.

India has a tradition of ancient wisdom and spirituality and now is surging in the field of economics and military capability, but it has failed to win back its lost glory, and is often thought to be backward. India has not adequately utilized its soft power resources at home and through the Indian Diaspora. India should realize where its strengths lie if it wants to resurrect its image. The alluring India nurtures the values of love, peace and brotherhood. Through its ancient wisdom and spirituality, it is ready to serve humanity and show to the world that it can remain the cultural essence of a modern prosperous India. This should encourage other nations to acknowledge that India can have a great leadership role in the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the complex state-building process in Mizoram requires the systematic mapping of the discourses and narratives of 'inclusion' and 'exclusion' at all levels which is thoroughly dictated by those in power. The region's 'Histories' of statecraft and policies displays a distinct narrative than that of mainland India. The 'Northeast' in general and Mizoram in particular, provides a unique experience in understanding the trends in everyday politics as 'a living space' in contemporary India. Mizoram, as a category in contemporary Indian politics reminds one of 'the protracted insurgency led by the legendary Laldenga and the Mizo National Front'. The region remains a geo-political puzzle and mapping its location becomes a perplexing task for most Indians. The complexities involved in the regions politics, state-building and citizen-building efforts based on the logic of exclusions and inclusions, hardly echoes beyond the Zo tlang ram. Against this silhouette, the paper attempts, first, at peeping through the 'Zo' Oral traditions; and the impact of Colonialism and Christianity- the timeless gendered practices in the Zo/Mizo society. Second, it attempts at reflecting on the Human Rights situation of women in the state building process of Mizoram from the Insurgency period onwards. Third, it attempts at highlighting the survival strategies adopted by the women to create their own spaces and have their voices heard in the public sphere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the relation between religious conflict and economics in Indian cities. The article describes how Muslim-Hindu conflict often arises due to a struggle over resources, and studies the various factors which lead to violence in localized areas of residentially segregated cities. The study uses neighborhood-level data on religious diversity and compares it to data on riot-related deaths in Ahmedabad, India to show that incidences of violence were more likely to occur in integrated areas. The study explains this phenomena by suggesting that weak tenancy rights prevented less-tolerant people from relocating to segregated neighborhoods.

This paper considers the needed adaptation and mitigation agenda for cities in India - where the urban population is likely to grow by around 500 million over the next 50 years. It considers the likely changes that climate change will bring in temperature, precipitation and extreme rainfall, drought, river and inland flooding, storms/storm surges/coastal flooding, sea-level rise and environmental health risks, and who within urban populations are most at risk. It notes the importance for urban areas of an effective rural adaptation agenda - especially in maintaining the productivity and functioning of rural systems. It highlights the importance of today's infrastructure investments, taking into account climate changes, given the long lifespan of most infrastructure, and the importance of urban management engaging with changing risk profiles. One important part of this is the need to connect official adaptation initiatives to the much-improved natural hazard risk assessment, management and mitigation capacity that responded to major disasters. The paper ends by describing a possible urban climate change adaptation framework, including changes needed at the national, state, city and neighbourhood levels, and linkages to mitigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]