Aureole Book

ISSN : 2249-7862 (Print) : 2455-877X (Online)
www.aureoleonline.in
AUREOLE
St. Stephen’s Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies and Research
Volume XV, 2023

Seminar Proceedings
QUAESITIO 2022-23
Multidisciplinary Online International Conference

15th to 22nd December 2022
Organized by
Research Cell & IQAC of St. Stephen's College, Uzhavoor, Kerala, India
In Association with
Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, Kerala, India
Published by
Research Cell
St. Stephen’s College, Uzhavoor
Kottayam, Kerala- 686634
www.ststephens.net.in
Email: researchcell@ststephens.net.in
Aureole,Vol.XV, 2023
Patron Saint: St. Stephen

Patron: H.G. Mar Mathew Moolakkatt
Metropolitan Arch Bishop,Kottayam
Advisory Board 2022-23

◆ H.E. Mar Joseph Pandarasseril, Auxiliary Bishop, Kottayam
◆ Rev.Fr. Alex Akkapparambil,Manager, (The Corporate Educational Agency,
Kottayam)
◆ Dr. Stephen Mathew, Principal, St. Stephen’s College, Uzhavoor
◆ Fr. Jins Nellikkattil, Bursar, St. Stephen’s College, Uzhavoor
◆ Dr. Francis Cyriac E., Former Principal, St. Stephen’s College, Uzhavoor
Editorial Board 2022-23

◆ Chief Editor : Dr.Jisha George (Asst. Professor, Dept. of Commerce)
◆ Co-Editor : Dr. Sincy Joseph (Asst. Professor, Dept. of Botany)
Associate Editors
◆ Capt. Jais Kurian (Asst.Professor, Department of Mathematics)
◆ Prince Joseph (Asst. Professor, Department of Economics)
◆ Blessy P James (Asst. Professor, Department of Malayalam)
◆ Dr. Merly K. Punnoose (Asst. Professor, Department of Hindi)
◆ Tina Jose (Asst.Professor, Department of English)
◆ Dr. Bindhu Baby (Asst.Professor, Department of Chemistry)
◆ Dr. Rahul S (Asst. Professor, Department of Physics)
◆ Manoj K Yesodh (Dept. of Computer Science)
Research Cell
◆ Dr. Stephen Mathew (Principal)
◆ Fr. Jins Nellikkattil (Bursar)
◆ Dr. Sincy Joseph (Vice - Principal)
◆ Dr. K. C. Thomas (Vice - Principal)
◆ Capt Jais kurian (IQAC Co-Ordinator)
◆ Dr. Jisha George (Convenor)
◆ Dr. Merly K. Punnoose
◆ Dr. Thomas Mathew
◆ Dr. Arun Thomas
◆ Dr. Bindhu Baby
◆ Dr. Christy Philip
◆ Dr. Adon Jose
◆ Sri. Jasimudeen S
CONTENTS
Sl No: Title Page No:
:
1. Arman Nisha Ansari 1-8

A Study on Emerging Trends that are Reshaping the Digital
Marketing and Its Sustainable Growth in India
2. Aamila T A, Shahina N K 9-16

Mycorrhizal Association of Verbenaceae and Lamiaceae Plants A
Systematic Study
3. Abhisha N, C L Jeba Melvin 17-24

Green Human Resource Practices in Information Technology Sector
4. Balaram Panda 25-36

Revisiting the Ramayana: A Character Cursed for Centuries!
Deconstructing the Folk Poet Haldhar Nag
5. Sruitson L, N. Arun Fred 37-45

Advanced Framework to Analyse the Impact of Digital Marketing
on Online Purchase Intention with Respect to Organic Food
Products
6. Amala Mary G, Aparna K R, Jayalekshmi L, Akhila Baiju,

Ardhra S, Maneeja Murali and Reshmi V 46-57
A Study on the Faunal Diversity of Sree Narayana College Cherthala
7. Parvathy S 58-65
Forensic Accounting – Role in Corporate Fraud Investigation in
India
8. Anju T R, Ashly Babu, Divyaja Shaji, Hiba Fathim S 66-72

Effect of Green Synthesised Silver Nanoparticles on Germination
and Growth of Allium Parvum
9. Sonet Simon, Rose V.J 73-77

Impact of Non- Performing Asset Upon Profitability of State Bank of
India
10. Aiswarya Joy, Aby Jimson, Annu Thomas 78-87

Insilico Studies of Remdesivir Triphosphate on Hemorrhagic
Fevers and Molecular Dynamic Simulations of Hemorrhagic Fever
Viruses
11. Dhaya K M, Nisha Leela Jose 88-93

Banking Awareness and Banking Habit Among Kudumbashree
Members of Thrissur District
12. Arathi Chandran R I, Lekshmi V 94-107

Machine and Deep Learning Techniques for Cancer Regions
Detection in Thyroid Ultrasound Images
13. Manya Jayakumar, Deepak Baby 108-117

A Comparative Analysis of Growth of Retail Stores During the Pre
and Post Covid Period in the Kottayam District
14. Jince Mary Joseph, Ashmi Saji, Geethika Thambi, Therese Joseph 118-129
A Brief Study of Certain Anti- Hair fall Plants in 7th and 8th Wards
of Thalappalam Panchayat in Kottayam District
15. Nila P 130-135

Cloaked in Shadows and Bloomed in Fire: A Critical Engagement on
the Radical Potential of Indian Queer Literary Narratives
16. Thara Benny 136-140

नया सोच का आगारा कराता उपन्यास - अस्ततत्व
17. Krishnapriya M 141-146

Navigating Through Patriarchy: A New Historicist Reading of the
Subversion and Containment in Chirutha
18. P-bvkntamÄ- A-K-kvän-³ 147-151

{]-W-bw-, am-\-hm-\-´-c- Im-e-L-«-¯n-Â- kv-ss]Iv -tPm¬-kn-sâ -slÀ- F-¶-
kn\n-asb B-kv]-Z-am-¡n- H-cp- ]-T-\w-
19. Amrutha Hari 152-157

Tracing out Toxicity: Prioritising Life over Relationships
20. Bibina P B, Ammini C J, Sreekumar V B 158-173

Taxonomic Studies of Desmids from Peechi Vazhani Wildlife
Sanctuary Kerala
21. Luku Mornag 174-179

The Nation at War in the Bollywood Movie Anek: A Semiotic
Analysis
22. Alsha Jaino, Gayathri B Raj B, Sandra A, Aby Jimson, Annu Thomas 180-184
Synthesis Characterisation and Antibacterial Study of Zinc Oxide
Nanoparticles
23. Ashna K Asok 185-190

Art Speaks History: A Study in Transitioning Ideas of Gender and
Modernity in Raja Ravi Varma’s Portraits
24. Jinsu Ann Mathew, Joe Jacob, Ninan Sajeeth Philip 191-194
Cosine Similarity for Question Matching
25. Sherin C Baby, Ambili T R 195-201

A Study on the Effect of Shampoos on Vigna Angularis
26. Kripa Gladys Mena 202-204

Need for Innovative Praxis in Environmental Education
27. Soorya Anand 205-214

Development Practice at the Crossroads an Overview
28. Jasmin Baby 215-219

Maya Krishna Rao’s Walk and Indian Monologues: Perusing the
Non- Dramatic Turn in Indian Theatre
29. Keerthana Pradeep K V, Aby Jimson, Annu Thomas 220-228

In Silico Study of Potential Activity of Tenofovir Derivaitves Against
Hepatitis
30. Radhika R, Sojomon Mathew 229-247

Studies on Water Quality Parameters of Kodoor River Kottayam
Kerala South India
31. Sayana Sam 248-251

Liminality and Gender: A Study on Munshi Premchand’s The Chess
Players
32. Sijo Francis, Akshaya Sasikumar, Manasy K S 252-258

Microwave Assisted Green Synthesis of Luminescent Graphene
Quantum Dot- Gold(GQD-AU) hybrid Nanomaterials for
Environmental Applications
33. Teddy C Anthappai 259-264

Outcaste Tribes and Untouchable Castes as Dalit Collective: A
Critical Study
34. Parvathy B R, Suja T V 265-272

The Making and Mechanism of Self- Help Books: A Reader
Response Critique
35. Jomia George, Amaljith N K, Robin George 273-281

Patriarchy through Patriotic Lens: A Study on the Portrayal of
Women Freedom Fighters in Indian Patriotic Films
36. Deeya Deep Anand 282-291

Medical Tourism: An Exemplar of Price Discrimination
37. Ansiya P A, A Sulekha 292-302

Retirement Planning Behaviour: The Effect of Financial Literacy
and Demographic Variables of Middle Income Groups in Kerala
38. Meera Mary Joseph 303-306

Rise and Reach Theatre and Poetry: A study of Little Magazine
Kerala Kavitha
39. Ninikala K, B Johnson 307-315

The Effect of Covid- 19 on the Digitalization of Purchasing Process
40. Sandra Mariam Xavier 316-321

Presencing the Invisible: Historical Revisionism through the
Graphic Narrative
41. Sharad Kashyap 322-324

An Eco- Critical Study of William Wordsworth’s “The Tables
Turned”
42. Rachappa Malge 325-331

Option Trading Strategies for Volatile Market Conditions: A Study of
Select Steel Companies in India
43. Vinaya G Naik 332-338

A Study on Colonia Intrusion, Displacement and Migratory Slavery
in Abdulrazak Gurnah’s Novel Paradise
44. Nizamole Abdul Kader, Ansala N L 339-346

A study on role of Insurance Companies in Driving Growth of
MSMEs with Special Reference to ICICI Lombard Insurance
Company
EDITORIAL
It is with great pride, enthusiasm and anticipation that I invite you to

read the XV volume of "AUREOLE" the Annual Multidisciplinary Research
Journal of St. Stephen's College, Uzhavoor. This Volume Consists of 44 Articles
of Young scientists. Youngsters are the backbones of our nation, who has to be
given ample support and recognition for their relevant ideas and contributions for
research field. I appreciate the time and effort that have been devoted by the
different authors. I take this opportunity to express my heart felt thanks to our
Principal Dr. Stephen Mathrew and Bursar Rev.Fr.Jins Nellikattil. I am proud of
our advisory board members, Peer reviewers and editorial board members who
could draw up on their individual and collective knowledge and disciplinary
backgrounds to advance its quality. On behalf of Research Cell I also thank the
technical team for putting a creative layout in it. I look forward to our journey
together as we develop AUREOLE in to its fullest potential.
Dr. Jisha George
(Asst. Professor, Department of Commerce)
Chief Editor
A Study on Emerging Trends that are Reshaping the Digital

Marketing and Its Sustainable Growth in India
Arman Nisha Ansari
Ph. D. Research Scholar,
Barkatullah University, Bhopal
Email: armannishaansari@gmail.com
Abstract: The emergence of digital marketing has gradually changed the

phenomenon towards half of the nation. The marketing strategies are curated upon the
digital foundation. With the evolution of the internet, human brains have started
thinking technically. So, to promote a brand, make an advertisement, or record
customer feedback, instead of traditional marketing props like billboards, hoardings,
and television ads, people gradually started using various forms of digital marketing
tools. So, with the growing needs, digital marketing agencies have introduced new
trends of digital marketing that have made an appearance to shape digital marketing
sustainable growth in India in a more innovative way. The ultimate goal of digital
marketing strategy is to attract new customers for marketers and increase awareness
of the brand using different digital technology. The present study examines the
emerging trends and tools of digital marketing to help marketers grow their businesses.
This paper also discusses as what is the role of emerging digital marketing technology
in the success of businesses as well as ethical and moral limitations related to digital
marketing strategies. The paper also highlights the sustainable growth and future
perspective of digital marketing in India. The study is supported by empirical findings
based on secondary data analysis.
Keywords: Digital Marketing, Trends, Tools, Digital technology, Sustainable Growth,
and Future Perspective.
INTRODUCTION
"Being Digital is Being Global"which states that from a small start-ups to
business tycoons. Everybody nowadays prefers digital technologies and platforms to
get visible in front of their target zone.
Digital marketing's development since the 1990s and 2000s has changed the way
brands and businesses use technology for marketing. As digital platforms are
increasingly incorporated into marketing plans and everyday life and as people use
digital devices instead of visiting physical shops digital marketing campaigns are
becoming more prevalent and efficient. Digital marketing is a platform that enables
the market to have a digital presence and also provides business solutions for each
business best on their problem and providing customized solutions. Digital marketing
is the marketing of products or services using digital technologies, mainly on the
internet, but also including mobile phones, display advertising, and any other digital
medium.
The objective behind digital marketing strategies and campaigns includes reaching
the right audience, engaging with prospective customers, motivating the audience to
take action, and efficient spending on the campaign. The digital marketing goal is
about generating sales or capturing leads from customers that are searching on the
Aureole,Vol.VX , 2023 1
internet for different answers. Digital marketing is a subcategory of marketing that

uses digital technology to promote and sell products and services. Digital marketing is
often referred to as 'online marketing, 'internet marketing, or ' web marketing '.
Examples of digital marketing include social media marketing, search engine
optimization, search engine marketing, email marketing, digital advertising, content
marketing, etc. A world of digital technology is made of digital systems. The digital
world is the availability and use of digital tools. To communicate on the internet, the
digital world uses digital devices, smart devices, and other digital technology. The
digital world includes websites, blogs, buying and selling online, and social media
(Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Youtube, Pinterest, Netflix, and amazon).
Need of the Study
Digital marketing is a part of the digital economy. The digital market requires
digital promotion and marketing strategies. The telecom sector is also playing an
important role in the digitalization movement. Digital marketing helps marketer
ability to reach a global marketplace, save money and reach more customers than
traditional marketing methods, it caters to mobile consumers and builds brand
reputation. Long-term strategies help marketers achieve steady and sustainable growth.
Successful digital marketing plans are grounded in strategic thinking, informed by
data, and guided by what customers are looking for. So digital marketing is an if we
evitable component in the marketing strategy in the present scenario.
Title of the Study
A Study on Emerging Trends that are Reshaping the Digital Marketing and Its
Sustainable Growth in India
Operational Definition of the Term Involved
Digital Marketing
Marketing efforts using the internet and electronic devices. Digital marketing refers to
the marketing of any kind of business through digital media and devices such as
Google, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, etc. In which marketers promote and sell
products and services through online marketing.
Social Media
Social media refers to the means of interaction among people in which they create,
share, and or exchange information and ideas in virtual communities and networks.
Digital Technology
Digital technology includes the data that is generated and stored in binary form and
the hardware that is used to store and transmit such data.
Digital Tools
Digital tools are online platforms or software applications adopted by businesses or
marketers to perform quickly and optimize a function that can ordinally take forever
to accomplish without them. It can be used with computers, mobile devices, or other
digital devices.
Sustainable Development
Sustainable development means ensuring prosperity and environmental protection
without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.
Review of Related Literature
Ms. Lavanya. A., Mrs. Radhikamani. M. (2021). “A study on digital marketing
and its impacts”. In this study, the researchers study the impact of digital marketing
and how important it is for consumers and marketers. Major findings include that
individuals are investing more in online content and companies that find it hard to
digest this fact in their advertising strategy need to adjust quickly. The more time
individuals spend on the internet every year, the more digital platform they use play
an ever–developing function in their lives.
Kumar Deepak, (2020), “The study of Digital Marketing Tools in the Promotion
E-Commerce Websites”. In this study, the researchers aim at understanding the values
and practices of sustainable digital marketing by studying the breadth of digital
marketing, challenges to its implementation, and strategies for developing local digital
capacities. Major findings include that digital marketing functions play an important
growth function in the industry. Since there is the little scope and less Worldwide
advertising. And if there are any improvements in the product, we must adapt quickly
and build more exposure rather than conventional Ads.
Bharti Kumar Pankaj, Kumar Akhilesh (2020), “Traditional Vs. Digital Marketing:
A Comparative Study”, In this study, the researchers’ findings include that with the
help of technology companies can know the behaviors and habits of the consumers
and can make products and services accordingly to satisfy their needs and wants. So,
technological improvement leads business firms to enter into digital marketing to
leave their competitors behind.
The Objective of the Study
1. To study the emerging trends of digital marketing.
2. To study the digital marketing tools which help marketers grow their businesses.
3. To study as what is the role of emerging digital marketing technology.
4. To study the ethical and moral limitations related to digital marketing strategies.
5. To study the sustainable growth and future perspective of digital marketing in India.
Research Methodology
This work is based on a literature review and various data related to digital
marketing tools and techniques and on the sustainable growth of digital marketing in
India published by various research publishers. Secondary data has been used to carry
out analysis and reach conclusions.
Digital Marketing Tools:

1. Canva: Canvas is a graphic design tool in which one can choose from different
logos, templates, and creativity. canvas is one of the amazing tools, especially for the
Youtubers where one can freely work and create thumbnails without wasting time. It
is easy to use, no much effort is required as readymade templates are available. It's a
free accessible tool.
2. Alexa: Amazon-powered alexa.com is an unexplored tool. The stool is used for

SEO (keyword planning and competitive analysis). It is designed by Amazon and it’s
a trusted platform.
3. VidlQ: It is especially for YouTubers. This tool is used for keyword analysis, and
YouTube optimization, to generate the content idea. It has both free and paid versions
that marketers can use in video marketing and client marketing.
4. Buzz Sumo: This tool is for SMO (social media optimization), social media
marketing, content research, and influencer analysis. One has to type a keyword in the
search menu related to recent trends several posts get displayed. This tool is especially
for SMO.
5. Grammarly: This tool is specially used by content creators, and bloggers to check
grammar and for paraphrasing. It is also used in SEO for description writing, title, and
heading. Grammar checker and paraphrasing are available in the free version but in
paid version, all add on available.
6. Answer the public: It is a website on which typing a keyword in the search menu
the related questions are displayed which has been asked by the client. It is an
interesting tool that helps marketers to answer queries.
7. Uber suggests: It is used for keyword analysis and keyword research which is one
of the best tools which gives several suggestions for keyword ideas. It is easy to use
and for complete SEO it can also be used. It is a cheaper tool than others.
8. Mozbar: It is an amazing extension for competitive analysis. It works on search
engines.
It is easy to know top-ranking websites. It makes SEO more interesting.
9. Social blade.com: If marketers want to know the analytics of other marketers. It is
a useful tool for them in knowing about others’ channels and the growth of their
business (i.e. number of videos, number of subscribers, their blogs their content can
be seen by the marketers)
10. Fiverr: Fiverr.com is one of the mobile applications where marketers can register
there and get different freelancing projects of digital marketing. one has to log in to
the account and get connected with clients throughout the world which is a free
application. As a client one can register and also make accounts where they can get
help from a web developer, content creator and graphic creator is also available.
11. Title generator: This tool will help marketers to generate 700 headlines with one
click. One has to enter keywords in the search bar and click on get headlines. Several
numbers of headlines get displayed. The tool helps with content ideas, catchy
headlines, emotional titles, and ad campaigns. This tool is very simple and it gives
inspiration to marketers for their content. It is efficient for marketers in generating
titles for their websites, YouTube videos, or blog videos.
12. Hostinger: If marketers want to develop a website for their business and they are
not technology savvy. With this hostinger, on their premium shared hosting marketers
can host up to 100 websites and get 100 gigabytes of super-fast SSD storage as well
as a free domain name when they sign up. It is super - fast and actually, it is one of the
top-performing web hosts in the world. In case of any technical issues, one can send
an email where within 30 minutes the queries are resolved and provide one of the best
customer support systems. Its a user is friendly. One of its standouts is that it's
affordable on its 12 monthly, annual plan. ($2.40 per month is payable).
13. Pickfu: this tool helps in the comparison of different options and gives
feedback( polling system) on different options as to which one is to be chosen. Pick
does not come up at cost if one signs up and gets a $50 credit that can be used for
polling. So pick is a great tool if a marketer wants to do some market research and
perhaps validate a product idea before start spending thousands of dollars and
spending many hours on a product that may not even sell.
14. Storybrand website blueprint: the story brand website blueprint is a free
accessible template that shows exactly what to write and where to write it with
confidence. It's provided by a clear brand. The steps involved are is to simply click on,
download free PDF, enter your details, download the PDF, and then the given
template is displayed in which logo, navigation bar, and call to action are there.
15. Headline analyzer: this is a tool provided by coschedule.com. In which one has
to simply enter the title or the headline. By clicking on analyze it will show the
headlines score as well as the SEO score. This score gives a clear indication as to
what things can be improved, optimized, and tweaked. And where it provides several
suggestions use of regarding power words, emotional words, uncommon words,
words, emotionally positive or negative words complex words, or phrases. And details
such as what count, character count, reading grade levels, and type of headline. Using
a headline analyzer gives a fine tune to the headline.
16. Keyword tool: It provides search volume data for English keywords. It gives
basic suggestions according to the trend.
Role of Emerging Digital Marketing Technology:
 Entry resistance is low.

 Measurable and real-time.
 high return on investment.
 Its 24 x 7 marketing approach.
 It has a global customer reach.
 It is precise targeting.
 Digital marketing allows marketers to work from any location.
 It is easy and affordable.
 Digital marketing offers flexibility to marketers as different marketing campaigns
can be designed and run for various types of customer segments.
 Digital marketing goes a long way in helping any organization in expanding its
reach.
 Digital marketing promotes two-way interaction where even the customer gets to
interact with the organization and the product/ service on a digital platform.
 Digital marketing allows marketers to have total control and authority over the
marketing process instead of depending on third-party vendors.
Trends in Digital Marketing:

1. Artificial intelligence trend: Artificial intelligence is being implemented in all
different ways across various business processes and marketing. One can use it to
improve communications, analyze, the available data, track operations, and predict
consumer, behavior patterns thus helping in reducing manual work. Artificial
intelligence can majorly be used for improving customer satisfaction as it can help in
easily reading what the customer expects.
2. Search engine optimization trend: For local businesses like plumbers, Tailors,
mechanics, etc, the best way to have a digital presence is to have a presence on
Google My Business (GMB) profile. This will also give the geographical locations to
the users searching. Verifying Google listing and keeping it up to date is necessary.
GMB profile will ensure a better chance to make it to the top search results on Google.
It also helps in responding to queries on the business, feedback, etc. which makes it
easy for a customer to opt for the service.
3. Video marketing trend: APPs developments are now updating their features to a
level to create customer loyalty and reduce the shift from various applications. A few
such examples are Instagram reels and LinkedIn stories. Apps companies promote
such features on their own to get the user hooked on it making it the right option for
marketers to showcase their product /service.
4. Voice search trend: With rapid technological advances like Google home and
Alexa disrupting the innovation space they have created a boom for voice search. The
voice search queries need to be optimized. While choosing the content and keyword,
ensure to choose the keywords based on what the users would ask Google, Alexa, or
Siri.
5. Google Ads trend: Automated bidding strategies allows Google to analyze a large
amount of data, and adjust bids in real time. This strategy helps in maximizing the
results based on campaign goals. The first step in an automatic bidding strategy is
choosing the right strategy as per the business model.
6. Social media marketing trend: increases brand awareness, increases marketers’
traffic, helps in lead generation, and increases sales.
7. Chatbots trend: Improves customer service, increases customer engagement, saves
lots of time and money, and helps to grow business.
8. Conversional marketing trend: It includes convincing customers, quality leads
generation, improving customer relationships, and collecting customer feedback.
9. Omni- channel marketing trend: Omni-channel marketing is the seamless
integration of branding, messaging, and online and offline touch points as consumers
move down the sales funnel, enabling a more impactful customer experience. And
Omni channel approach ensures that the consumer has a positive consistent
experience on each channel, by offering a few key elements that are consistent
identifiable brand tone and vision, personalized messaging based on specific interests,
and content that is informed by past interaction and current stage of the buyer’s
journey.
Ethical Issues in Digital Marketing
1. Web tracking - The companies track the user’s movements and collect and share
information about their activities on the internet through software related to tracking
which is unethical to some point.
2. Social exclusion - In this tough competitive marketing environment, every digital
marketing organization needs technical knowledge to take advantage of these job
opportunities. Without technical knowledge, it creates ethical issues such as the
uneven distribution of employment opportunities.
3. Digital divide- Expansion and advancement in methods of communication make
internet technology more accessible to people around the world due to certain gaps
between demographics and regions of developing and developed countries.
Legal Issues in Digital Marketing

1. Privacy and data - A digital marketer can face legal issues if they don't secure the
information of consumers according to data regulations and guidelines of government
agencies. Cybercrime is also punishable due to sensitive interactions between
consumers and businesses.
2. Intellectual property issues- The patents trademarks, and copyrights among other
items because this is the personal property of a particular business enterprise. It
protects trade secrets between different business parties and the legal identities of
businesses.
3. Online terms and conditions - online protection approaches are delivered by a
private organization for an individual organization. The protection law of their host
nation influences the abroad organization. Each association is to be exceptionally
watched full while applying terms and conditions for the electronic exchange for
internet clients
4. Legal issues in the website: The website needs to be protected from the following
issues those are the unique underline design of a web page and its content may
include links, video, original text, audio, graphics, HTML, etc.
5. Domain name: domain name reflects the internet address once the domain name is
assigned to any vendor it should not resend the same domain name without the
original vendor.
Sustainable Growth of Digital Marketing in India.
Digital marketing is the fastest-growing industry. It is growing at a rate of 25% to
30% rate per year. The leading factors to generate digital marketing growth are social
media channels, online portals, and high-speed digitization. As per the reports it is
estimated that the digital marketing sector to grow up to 539 billion by end of the
financial year 2024 which certainly indicates a huge digital marketing growth in
India. The movement of digitalization is perhaps the fast-moving event in the history
of any innovation. Today India believes that digital marketing is the lifeline of
business, adds fuel to the marketers, and multiple channels like search engine
optimization, content marketing, per-pay click, social media marketing, etc, play a
very important role to enhance communication sales, exposure and reach. With
growing needs, digital marketing agencies have introduced recent trends of digital
marketing that have made an appearance to shape digital marketing growth in India in
a more innovative way. Consumer buying behavior has changed to the online mode.
Future Of Digital Marketing in India
 People are getting aware of the digital marketing and power of digital marketing
in India
 The government is also taking initiative by introducing and promoting digital
India
 Institutions and universities recognize the power of digital marketing and
working on the course for the same.
 Reach the internet to remove the location of India.
 Affordable, businesses equipped with digital marketing are generated in
numerous amounts of revenue.
As per the data, India ranks second in the world on the internet-using list. By 2023
it is predicted that in India there will be more than 650 million and by 2025, 900
million internet users which is a massive number and can build easily a strong digital
ecosystem in the country India. Small towns and the rural belts of the nation from the
past few years have shown drastically digital drive according to a report which is 31%
of the population, adopting the internet actively in their life. In fact, by 2025 rural
India will precede urban India in terms of internet usage. Digital marketing in India is
going to be booming at a faster wait and the new trends are just about to show their
magical performance in online marketing. As per the study video, voice, and
vernacular, the 3 V's can be proved as a game changer for digital marketing in the
coming scenario. It has accelerated the digitalization of the nation by generating 100
million consumers towards a digital platform. Digitalization can be considered as the
new concept of progress and it is the pillar of the economy, triggering promotion,
reach, sales and payments everything under one niche.
CONCLUSION
Digital marketing promotes the interaction of sellers and buyers for a better
understanding of products as well as the choice of customers which builds a strong
rapid within the seller by a community. The various digital tools should be adopted by
marketers to grow their businesses. Various budding technology like artificial
intelligence, metaverse, short-form content, and YouTube advertising can be
incorporated into digital marketing which further emancipates this marketing branch
of business. Digital marketing is easy to measure with help of analytics tools, it is
efficient and fast for brand building. Digital marketing is more cost effective and has
a great commercial impact on the business. It is experiencing a radical change in India
towards digitalization. Consumers are looking and searching more on the internet to
find the best deal from sellers around India. Today each one of us is connected
through WhatsApp and Facebook and the increasing use of social media is creating
new opportunities for digital marketers to attract customers through a digital platform.
REFERENCES
Ms. Lavanya. A., Mrs. Radhikamani. M., “A study on digital marketing and its
impacts”, International Journal of Creative Research Thoughts (IJCRT), Volume 9,
Issue 5 May 2021; ISSN:2320-2882; Page No – h677- h684.
Kumar Deepak, “The study of Digital Marketing Tools in the Promotion E-Commerce
Websites”. PalArch’s Journal of Archaeology or Egypt/Egyptology 17(9), ISSN -
1567-214x, 2020, Page No 10411-10425.
Bharti Kumar Pankaj, Kumar Akhilesh, “Traditional Vs. Digital Marketing: A
Comparative Study”, ZENITH International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research,
Vol. (12), December (2020) ISSN – 2231-5780, Page No – 16-26.
https://intellipaat.com/blog/importance-of-digital-marketing/
https://iimskills.com/digital-marketing-growth/
https://www.heymarketing.com.au/sustainable-growth-all-things-strategy
https://www.rootandbranchgroup.com/
Mycorrhizal Association of Verbenaceae and Lamiaceae Plants:

A Systematic Study
Aamila T A, Shahina N K *
Bharata Mata College Thrikkakara
*
Email ID: shahinank@bharatamatacollege.in
Abstract: The growth of medicinal plants is assisted by mycorrhizal techniques

to employ Arbuscular Mycorrhizal (AM) fungus to boost the quantity and quality
of pharmaceuticals made from indigenous medicinal plants is an area of interest.
In the present work mycorrhizal occurrence was evaluated in the roots of
medicinal plants Stachytarpheta jamaicensis, Lantana camara, Duranta erecta,
Vitex Negundo, Ocimum tenuiflorum, Coleus amboinicus, C. zeylanicus, Leucas
aspera, and Clerodendrum infortunatum. Coleus zeylanicus, Lantana camara, and
Stachytarpheta jamaicensis plant roots showed the highest levels of colonization
of AM fungi.
Keywords: Lamiaceae, Verbenaceae, mycorrhizal fungi, systematic study
INTRODUCTION
Two significant families of angiosperms that contain blooming plants are the
verbenaceae and lamiaceae. Both exhibit physiological traits that are largely
comparable. Trees, shrubs, and plants belong to the verbenaceae family. It has 77
genera and 3,020 species, of which India is home to 21 genera and 125 species. The
family includes residents of temperate and subtropical areas as well as tropical and
subtropical areas. The majority of flowers have inflorescences that smell pleasant and
most of them have medicinal qualities. The bilabiate corolla and persistent calyx of
this family demonstrate its close kinship with the Lamiaceae (Labiatae).
The mint family (Lamiaceae) is an important medicinal plant family. There are
around 6000 species in it, distributed among 236 genera. By having square stems and
opposing leaves, this family's species are simple to identify. The zygomorphic, often
bisexual and verticillaster blooms have five united petals and five united sepals. The
majority of plants in this family are fragrant and have essential oils. Despite being
present in all of the plant's above-ground components, fragrant essential oils are more
frequently detected in leaves. They are valuable in the pharmaceutical, flavouring,
fragrance, and perfumery industries in addition to the cosmetic and beauty care
sectors (Arijit and Arpita , 2013).
Verbenaceae is very important in the field of medicine for treating a variety of
illnesses, including eczema, skin conditions, rheumatism, etc. Additionally, it helps
with recurrent fever, ulcers, ophthalmia, pleurisy, etc. Children are treated for colic
and stomach aches with milk and powdered roots of Lantana camara var. aculeata;
bronchitis and catarrh are treated with whole plant infusion; and constipation and
febrifuge are treated with leaf decoction (Srivastava and Choudhary, 2008). Over the
past few decades, there has been an increase in the use of medicinal herbs and the
cultivation of medicinal plants is steadily expanding to keep up with the rising
demand.
Vesicular arbuscular mycorrhizal (VAM) fungi are most commonly arbuscular

mycorrhizal fungi. The association of VAM with host plant play essential role in
enhancing plant growth (Van der Heijden et al, 2015). Through this relationship,
mostly potassium uptake happens where hyphae create sheath inside by piercing the
cortical cells of plants' roots or outside the root to exchange nutrients. The
colonisation of VAM fungus is found to be affected by temperature change. The
manner and intensity of root colonisation rate, as well as the ability of VAM fungus to
produce propagules. Along with the host plant's growing season, the number of spores
also varies (Supriya and Purshotam, 2012). Arbuscular mycorrhizae (AM) fungi are
present in most natural settings and offer a variety of significant ecological functions,
including enhancing plant nutrition, stress resistance, and tolerance, soil structure, and
fertility. Arbuscules and vesicles, two distinct structures that distinguish arbuscular
mycorrhizae, form within them (Fiddermann, 2010; Sing et al, 2011).
The current study focuses on the systematic examination of plants from the
Verbenaceae and Lamiaceae families as well as their mycorrhizal associations.
MATERIALS AND METHODS

Plant Sampling: Various field collections are carried out between November and
March 2021 to gather soil samples and roots from local regions in Kerala's Ernakulam
district. A small amount of soil and the root hairs from plants belonging to the
Lamiaceae and Verbenaceae families are dug out and placed in sample vials for future
research.
Identification of plants: Plants were identified with the support of local name and
morphological observation
Isolation and identification of mycorrhizal roots: We use the Philips and Haym(1970)
technique to determine if arbuscules and vesicles are present or not. According to
protocol, the herbaceous plant was gently uprooted. Only a portion of the root system
needs to be cut off and collected in polythene bags if the plant is woody. To get rid of
the connected dirt particles, the harvested roots are thoroughly rinsed with tap water.
After that, it made 1-2 cm-long cuts. The test tube was then filled with the root
fragments, which were subsequently treated with a 10% potassium hydroxide solution.
After that, the test tube's roots were autoclaved at 15 lb of pressure for 10 minutes.
The test tube was rinsed three times with tap water after the KOH solution was
emptied off, leaving the roots inside.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

In total, nine plants were gathered for this investigation (Figure 1), five of which
were Verbenaceae species and four of which were Lamiaceae species. The taxonomic
category of the plants is determined by the morphological features of the leaf, stem,
and flower. A more thorough description of each plant can be found below.
1. Stachytarpheta jamaicensis
Local name: Blue porter weed
Habit : Woody herb
Habitat : Grows on moist fertile soils
Stachytarpheta jamaicensis is a woody perennial or sporadically annual herb with a

strong tap root and tall, erect annual shoots that culminate in several thin, upright
flower spikes. From the plant's base, a large number of woody stems emerge that are
initially green, 4-angled, cylindrical, and frequently purplish with swollen nodes. The
leaves are opposite, paired, elliptic, somewhat leathery, highly nerved, and either
hairless or have extremely fine hairs that blend into the short petioles. The margins
are also consistently serrated. Lilac, lavender, blue, or purple flowers appear in
clusters of one to three at a time on long spikes at the ends of branches. Each bloom is
partially buried in the spike and has five uneven petals.
2. Vitex negundo:
Local name : Chinese chaste tree
Habit : Shrub
Habitat : Common, by riverbanks, along roadsides as hedges.
A tiny tree or shrub with a height range of 2 to 8 metres, Vitex negundo is classified
as a taxon. Reddish brown describes the bark. The plant has five, occasionally three,
lanceolate leaflets on its digitate leaves. With the exception of the central leaflet,
which is the largest and has a stalk, each leaflet ranges in length from 4 to 10 cm.
Both the bottom surface and the leaf margins are hair-covered and toothed or serrated.
In panicles 10 to 20 cm in length, the many flowers are produced. They each measure
about 6 to 7 cm length and range in colour from white to blue. The centre lower lobe
of each petal has the largest length out of all of them. There are thick hairs on the
calyx and corolla.The fruit is a succulent drupe, rounded to egg-shaped. It is black or
purple when ripe.
3. Lantana camara
Local name : Common lantana
Habit : Shrub
Habitat : Occurs in forest, forest-edge, riparian or riverine, staff villages, roadsides,
and other disturbed areas.
Lantana camara is a perennial shrub that normally grows to be around 2 metres tall
and forms dense thickets in a range of situations, according to its taxonomic
classification. It features tiny, four-petalled tubular flowers that are clustered in
clusters towards the terminal parts of the stems. Among the many colours of flowers
are red, yellow, white, pink, and orange. The flower has a peppery undertone to its
tutti frutti scent. The fruit of L. camara is a drupe that resembles a berry and matures
from green to dark purple.
4. Duranta erecta:
Local name : Golden dewdrop
Habit : Shrub
Habitat : Grown in waste areas, roadsides, open woodlands and densely forested
areas.
The erect duranta is a tiny tree or a widespread shrub. It has an equal width and a
maximum height of 6 m. Axillary thorns are present in mature specimens but are
frequently lacking in younger ones. Light-blue or lavender flowers are produced in

small clusters on terminal and axillary stems, occasionally resembling panicles,
commonly recurved or pendulous, and flowering throughout the summer. The leaves
are opposite, light green, elliptic to oblong, and up to 7.5 cm long and 3.5 cm broad.
The fruit is a tiny, globular berry that might be yellow or orange and has numerous
seeds.
5. Clerodendrum infortunatum
Local name : hill glory bower
Habit : shrub
Habitat : Moist evergreen forests, along river banks
Clerodendrum infortunatum is a flowering shrub or small tree, and is so named

because of its rather ugly leaf. The stem is erect with no branches and produces
circular leaves with 15 cm diameter. Leaves are simple, opposite; both surfaces
sparsely villous pubescent, elliptic, broadly elliptic, ovate or elongate ovate
inflorescence in terminal, peduncled, few-flowered cyme; flowers white with
purplish pink or dull-purple throat, pubescent. Fruit berry, globose, turns bluish-black
or black when ripe, enclosed in the red accrescent fruiting-calyx. The stem is hollow
and the leaves are long, borne in whorls of four on very short petioles. The
inflorescence is huge, consisting of many tubular snow white flowers in a terminal
cluster up to 0.6 m long. The tubes of the flowers are about 10 cm long and droop
downward, and the expanded corollas are about 5 cm across.
6.Ocimum tenuiflorum:
Local name : Holy basil
Habit : Herb
Habitat : Tropical and subtropical regions.
Family : Lamiaceae
Sessile glandular hairs on the stem have a rectangular cross section, the leaves are
simple, opposite decussate, and have a fragrant sweet scent from the essential oils
present; Verticillaster inflorescence; zygomorphic, hermaphrodite, hypogynous,
bracteate flowers; persistent gamosepalous calyx; bilabiate corolla; four epipetalous,
didynamous stamens; axile placentation; gynobasic style; sitting on lobed disc; fruit;
schizocarpic carcerulus.
7. Coleus amboinicus :
Local name : Mexican mint
Habit : Semi succulent perennial
Habitat : Cultivate everywhere, commonly in tropics.
Family : Lamiaceae
The height of Coleus amboinicus can reach 1 m. About 30-90 cm long and fleshy, the
stem has long, rigid hairs. Smooth old stems (glabrescent).
The leaves are broad, egg- or oval-shaped, undivided, and about 5-7 cm long, with a
tapered tip. Except for the base, the margins are coarsely crenate to dentate-crenate.
They are pubescent, heavily covered with hairs, with the most glandular hairs on the
lower surface, giving them a frosted look. The flavour of the leaves can be compared
to a potent blend of oregano's flavours.
8.Coleus zeylanicus
Local name : Iruveli
Habit : Semi succulent perennial
Habitat : Cultivate in everywhere, commonly in tropics
Family : Lamiaceae
Coleus zeylanicus is an annual plant that may reach a height of 1 m and is typically
found in fertile soil. Its leaves are green, hairy, and heart-shaped, measuring 4 inches
long and 2.5 inches wide, and its stems are violet in colour and scented.
9. Leucas aspera
Local name : Thumba
Habit : Herb
Habitat: Found throughout the India
An underbrush or annual herb. The leaves are obtuse, narrowing at the base, opposite,
subsessile or short petioled, linear or narrowly oblong-lanceolate, whole or distantly
crenate. Petioles are normally between 2.5 and 6 mm long. The stem is heavily
branched and quadrangular.Flowers are produced in highest leaf axils in distant,
spherical whorls that are 1-4, about 2.5 cm in diameter, and between 16 and 20
flowers. Flowers are 8–10 mm wide, white, with a short, thickly bearded upper lip and
a distinctly longer, protruding lower lip.
Mycorrhizal Assessment of Plants
The goal of the current experiment is to determine the prevalence of mycorrhizal

associations in specific plants from the Lamiaceae and Verbenaceae plant families.
All of the therapeutic plants that were chosen for study showed signs of AM fungal
interaction. In the forms of arbuscules, vesicles, and mycelium, the root colonisation
was seen. Mycelia of various shapes, including Y-shaped, H-shaped, coiled, beaded,
and parallel mycelia, have been found in the roots of plants (Figure 2). Extensive
mycelial development was also seen in some instances. Vesicles are elliptical, circular,
globose, oval or elongated in shape. Ocimum tenuiflorum, Coleus species (C.
amboinicus and C. zeylanicus), Leucas aspera, Clerodendrum infortunatum belongs
to lamiaceae, Stachytarpheta jamaicensis, Lantana camara, Duranta erecta, and Vitex
negundo belong to verbenaceae all exhibit arbuscular mycorrhizal associations.
Coleus zeylanicus (21±3 number) and Coleus amboinicus (18±4 number) of the
Lamiaceae are the two species where colonisation is most prevalent followed by
Leucas aspera and Ocimum tenuiflorum. Clerodendrum infortunatum has the lowest
count (13±2)among Lamiaceae. Both Lamiaceae and Verbenaceae members have
AM of the Arum type. Our findings concur with those of Karagiannidis et al. (2010).
In the verbenaceae, Stachytarpheta jamaicensis had the highest count (22±3) and the
lowest count (9±2) in Duranta erecta (Table 1).
The high level of AM root colonisation is an indication of improved fungal-

root contact and that the AM fungal symbiosis is providing more benefits. The host
plant, growing season, edaphic variables, and environmental conditions can all affect
the degree of root colonisation. According to reports, seasonal spore generation,
seasonal changes, and soil nutrient accessibility all have an impact on the mycorrhizal
root colonisation. The results of the current studies showed that the number of
mycorrhizal associations varied depending on species. An earlier investigation
comparing AM fungal diversity with specific medicinal plants in the Hamirpur district
of Himachal Pradesh, India, had made a similar observation (Kumar et al, 2019).
Table 1. The Average Vesicular Numbers of VAM
Sl no Scientific name Family No.of

vesicles/arbuscules
1. Clerodendrum Lamiaceae 13±2

infortunatum
2. Leucas aspera Lamiaceae 15±3
3. Ocimum tenuiflorum Lamiaceae 15±5
4. Coleus amboinicus Lamiaceae 18±4
5. Coleus zeylanicus Lamiaceae 21±3
6. Vitex negundo Verbenaceae 15±5
7. Duranta erecta Verbenaceae 9±2
8. Lantana camara Verbenaceae 21±3
9. Stachytarpheta jamaicensis Verbenaceae 22±3
There are numerous studies being done right now on the utilisation of
mycorrhizae to increase the crop yield and active components of medicinal plants
(Zhang et al, 2022). According to ethnobotanical knowledge, Coleus species in the
family Lamiaceae have higher therapeutic properties, which may have led to more
colonisation. In the same way, the Vebenaceae family includes Lantana species and
Stachytarpheta jamaicensis, which have higher economic worth and thus exhibit
increased colonisation. We can infer from the articles that these species play a
dominant role in increasing the solubilization of phosphorus. These plants can also
increase soil surface accessibility by penetrating the soil pores and paces and have an
impact on phosphorus absorption outside of the depleted zone (Srinivasa Murthy and
Narayanamurthy,2015;Aggangan et al,2015).
Figure 1 a. Clerodendrum infortunatum, b. Ocimum tenuiflorum c. Leucas aspera

d. Coleus amboinicus, e. Coleus zeylanicus f. Vitex negundo g. Duranta erecta
h. Lantana camara, i. Stachytarpheta jamaicensis
Figure 2 AM fungi observed in various plants
CONCLUSION
The extent of root colonization of mycorrhiza found varied with the plant
species. The plant roots of Coleus zeylanicus, Lantana camara, and Stachytarpheta
jamaicensis displayed the highest levels of AM fungus colonisation. Arbuscular
mycorrhizal fungus inoculation of the roots may be able to boost the vigour and
growth of medicinal plants as well as the production of bioactive compounds. In
this area, additional in-depth research is required.
REFERENCES
1. Arijit, S., & Arpita, B. (2013). Documentation of some ethno-medicinal
plants of family Lamiaceae in Bankura district, West Bengal, India.
International Research Journal of Biological Sciences, 2(6), 63-65.
2. Srivastava, R. C., & Choudhary, R. K. (2008). Species diversity and
Economic importance of the family Verbenaceae in Arunachal Pradesh.
Bulletin of Arunachal Forest Research, 24(1&2), 1-21.
3. Van der Heijden, M. G., Martin, F. M., Selosse, M. A., & Sanders, I. R.
(2015). Mycorrhizal ecology and evolution: the past, the present, and the
future. New phytologist, 205(4), 1406-1423.
4. Supriya, G., & Purshotam, K. (2012). Effect of seasonal variation on
mycorrhizal fungi associated with medicinal plants in central Himalayan
region of India. American Journal of Plant Sciences, 2012.
5. Feddermann, N., Finlay, R., Boller, T., & Elfstrand, M. (2010). Functional
diversity in arbuscular mycorrhiza–the role of gene expression,
phosphorous nutrition and symbiotic efficiency. Fungal ecology, 3(1), 1-8.
6. Singh, M., Singh, P., & Vyas, D. (2011). Mycorrhization in medicinal
plants. Mycorrhizal News, 23, 14-21.
7. Feddermann, N., Finlay, R., Boller, T., & Elfstrand, M. (2010). Functional
diversity in arbuscular mycorrhiza–the role of gene expression,
phosphorous nutrition and symbiotic efficiency. Fungal ecology, 3(1), 1-8.
8. Kumar, A., Parkash, V., Gupta, A., & Aggarwal, A. (2019). Biodiversity of
arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi associated with selected medicinal plants of
Hamirpur district of Himachal Pradesh, India. Intl J Phytopharm, 8(6), 306-
311.
9. KM, S. M., & Narayanappa, M. Study of Growth Promotion Effect of
VAM Fungi and Trichoderma Species on Medicinal Plant.
10. Zhang, M., Shi, Z., Zhang, S., & Gao, J. (2022). A Database on
Mycorrhizal Traits of Chinese Medicinal Plants. Frontiers in plant science,
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11. Srinivasa Murthy & Narayanappa, M (2015). Study of Growth Promotion
Effect of VAM Fungi and Trichoderma Species on Medicinal Plants.
12. Aggangan, N., Pampolina, N., Cadiz, N., & Raymundo, A. (2015).
Assessment of plant diversity and associated mycorrhizal fungi in the
mined-out sites of atlas mines in Toledo City, Cebu for bioremediation.
Journal of Environmental Science and Management, 18(1).
Green Human Resource Practices in Information Technology

Sector
Abhisha N*, C.L. Jeba Melvin

Research Centre of Management Studies,
Nesamony Memorial Christian College, Tamil Nadu
*
Email: nabhisha@gmail.com
Abstract: “Green Human Resource Management (GHRM)” is the use of human

resource management policies to promote the sustainable use of resources within
business organizations and more generally, promotes the cause of environmental
sustainability. In large firms where human resource departments actively participate
in going green at work, green human resource management (GHRM) has emerged as
a critical business strategy. The main goals of the green HR strategy are talent
retention and lowering individual employee carbon footprints. This research article
examines the role of Green Human Resource Management (HRM) practices in the
Information Technology (IT) industry in Chennai. A survey was conducted to collect
data from the respondents through a structured questionnaire. The researcher used
simple random sampling for companies and convenience sampling for employees.
The article concludes with a discussion of the implications of the study and
suggestions.
Keywords: Green HR Management, Green HR Practices, Green Environment,
GHRM Sustainability, Green Initiatives
INTRODUCTION
Being environmentally sensitive and knowledgeable does not automatically
translate to protecting the environment and preventing future catastrophes from
occurring. Realize the economic environment of today that to fulfill people's needs
and desires, they must cultivate a strong conscience and a sense of environmental
responsibility. Efficiency, electricity usage, and the implementation of green HR
policies and practices are becoming important considerations in the business world
when making informed decisions. With the adoption of green HR policies and
practices as well as the provision of training and awareness programs for employees,
green human resource management is now playing a significant role in every industry
in the effort to address environmental-related concerns.
Green HRM is an approach to HRM in IT companies that focuses on
achieving environmental sustainability through the organization's practices, policies,
and approaches. This approach is based on the understanding that the IT industry,
with its energy-intensive operations and global supply chains, has a significant
environmental impact. Green HRM can help IT companies reduce their environmental
footprint by focusing on energy efficiency, resource use, waste management, and
employee engagement. Companies can also use green HRM to create a culture that
encourages environmental responsibility and develops sustainable practices while
providing employees with the opportunity to learn and develop new skills. Green
HRM can help IT companies to become more sustainable, while also increasing their
competitive advantage by providing cost savings and improved operational efficiency.
Green HR Practices:
Recruitment and Selection: A substantial effort must be made to build the corporate
environmental culture of new hires during induction to ensure understanding on the
part of the staff.
Performance Management System: How to measure environmental performance
standards and indicators in performance management and gather meaningful data
based on managers' environmental performance is explained in the application of
performance management in green HR. With the use of E-HR management, an
electronic HR system (e-HR) may be implemented, and staff members can monitor
their own carbon emissions.
Training and Development: Social and environmental issues should be covered in
employee training and development programs. The training and development process
should include green orientation seminars for newly hired staff. Employees should
learn about the company's green procedures, policies, and vision/mission statement
during the training itself. Additionally, green teams can be developed in each
department to offer general education and targeted training regarding green human
resource management.
Pay and Reward: The management offers compensation as part of a benefits package
to encourage employees to adopt greener behavior. According to Mandip (2012),
businesses must create staff incentive programs to encourage the right behaviors
regarding environmental performance.
Review of Literature
Carter & Dresner, (2001) An organization's reward and pay policies may help with
environmental management. Employees' commitment to being environmentally
friendly is encouraged and increased via intrinsic and extrinsic benefits. Environment
management is taken into consideration in HR activities including performance
management, compensation management, and reward systems. It makes it easier to
employ green HRM strategies for environmental safety concerns.
Mankotia, Shambhu, and Tiwari (2011) attempted to determine the importance that
IT companies place on adopting green practices and products, as well as the
perceptions of IT employees regarding environmental sustainability. In addition, it is
found that employees of software companies are becoming more knowledgeable
about the implementation of green IT practices.
Pooja popli (2014) researched green human resources practices in Nasik-based
businesses. The goal was to determine whether organizations in Nasik were aware of
the idea of "Green HRM" and whether they were aware of the various initiatives they
take to make their HR practices and environment more eco-friendly. The results
showed that although most organizations in Nasik are familiar with the Green HR
concept that has been proposed to help them preserve the environment, a small
number of companies are still unable to put it into effect in various functional areas of
HRM.
Parida et. al., (2015) conducted a study to investigate the various Green HRM
practices and policies established by IT enterprises and to assess employee awareness
of these environmentally friendly activities inside their workplaces. The results
showed that these companies are using a variety of strategies for sustainable
development, including double-sided printing, less paper use, encouraging carpooling,
turning off lights and other electrical devices like air conditioners after 6 p.m.,
promoting online job applications, conducting interviews via video conferencing, etc.
The results also showed that the majority of employees are aware of the techniques
used and adhere to policies out of a sense of responsibility to the environment. The
HR managers agreed that GHRM policies had increased the company's profit share.
Pavitra Mishra (2017) researched to examine the state of GHRM practices in the
Indian manufacturing sector and to look into potential motivators for green behavior.
According to the findings, the organizations already engage in some GHRM practices,
however, neither these practices are formally organized under GHRM initiatives nor
are they strictly followed. Even though there are instances of organizations trying to
raise awareness through informal ways, it also demonstrates that very few of them
offered environmental training. Organizations primarily use social media and online
portals for recruitment and selection purposes. There is no specific point concerning
green behaviors in the context of performance evaluation.
Statement of the Problem
It is difficult for employees to be aware of the green environment, thus being
green does not necessarily mean that the employees are environmentally conscious.
Employees are unaware of the green environment due to a rigorous workload and
high targets. Employees are not held accountable for protecting the environment while
at work and are not aware of their obligations to do so. Employees are not informed
about green HR issues such as green working conditions, safety, health, green HR
policies, and practices because organizations are conducting induction programs for
newly hired employees but are only instructing them regarding their work and
responsibilities. Management is also failing to provide green orientation programs for
employees.
Scope of the Study
One of the most significant sectors of the Indian economy is information
technology. IT professionals would be encouraged to be more productive while
enjoying their work via effective human resource management practice. As a result,
the need for green sources is becoming more important in the IT sector. A sustainable
green HR environment among IT professionals depends on strong human resource
policies and practices. The purpose of the current study is to determine the value of
green HR practices and green HR management in the IT industry and to encourage the
adoption of these practices to address environmental challenges. This study also aids
management and staff in considering the harm that pollution does to the environment,
society, and its own citizens. Employees and the rest of society will become more
conscious of how to use natural resources wisely. By incorporating digital procedures,
green HR efforts also help the organization in finding cheaper and less wasteful
alternatives. Significant cost and energy savings will result from this.
Objective
The objective of the study is to determine the best green HR practices of
organizations in the RMZ Millenia Business Park, Perungudi, Chennai
Sampling Size
RMZ Millenia Business Park consists of 17 companies out of which 5 companies
have been taken by the researcher through simple random sampling. The data for the
present study was collected from a sample of 120 employees. The researcher used
convenience sampling for selecting employees from these 5 companies. In this
research, the researcher followed descriptive research to solve the research problem.
In the present study, the Friedman test is used for one-way repeated measures analysis
of variance by ranks.
Data Collection:
In the present study, the primary data was collected from professionals from IT
companies through structured questionnaires. Secondary data was also collected
through web links, books, journals, and magazines.
Data Analysis and Interpretations
Demographic Characteristics of the Respondents
The study analyzed the demographic characteristics of the participant’s age, gender,
marital status, educational qualification, and work experiences. This will basically
help to understand the overall demographic profile of the employees of RMZ Millenia
Business Park, Perungudi, Chennai.
Table 1: Gender Distribution of the Respondents

Gender No. of Respondents Percentage
Male 85 70.8
Female 35 29.2
Total 120 100
Table 1 represents the gender distribution of the respondents. The majority of the
participants are male which consists of 70.8 % of total participants and the remaining
29.2% are female.
Table 2: Age Distribution of the Respondents
Age No. of Respondents Percentage
18-29 26 21.7
30-39 70 58.3
40-49 21 17.5
Above 50 3 2.5
Total 120 100
Table 2 represents the age distribution of the respondents. It is found that the
majority of the respondents, i.e., 58.3% of the respondents belong to the age group of
30-39 years, 21.7% of the respondents belong to the age group 18-29 years, 17.5%
belong to the age group 40-49 years, 2.5% belong to age group above 50 years.
Table 3: Educational Qualification of the Respondents
Educational Qualification No. of Respondents Percentage
UG 101 84.2
PG 19 15.8
Total 120 100
Table 3 represents the educational qualification of the respondents. The majority

of the respondents i.e., 84.2% of total respondents are Undergraduates and 15.8% are
postgraduates.
Table 4: Work Experience of the Respondents
Work Experience No. of Respondents Percentage
1 to 3yrs 32 18.4
4 to 6yrs 60 58.3
7 to 9yrs 19 15.8
Above 9yrs 9 7.5
Total 120 100
From Table 4 it is found that 58.3% of the participants have worked for 4 to 6
years. 18.4% of participants have worked for 1 to 3 years followed by 15.8% of
participants who worked for 7 to 9 years further followed by 7.5% who have work
experience of above 9 years.
TABLE 5: Marital Status of the Respondents
Marital Status No. of Respondents Percentage
Married 94 78.3
Unmarried 26 21.7
Total 120 100
Table 5 represents the marital status of the respondents .78.3% of the respondents
i.e., the majority of the respondents are married and only 21.7% are unmarried.
Table 6: Representation of Mean and Rank of green HR practices in the

organisations
Green HR Practices Mean Rank Chi- Asymptotic
square Significance
The company encourages storing 10.48 1
paperwork using electronic methods
(word document, pdf, etc)
company encourages/facilitates Car 9.63 2
Pooling
The company has the infrastructure for 8.71 3
maximum usage of Daylight
The company uses Recycling Ink and 8.14 4
Toner Cartridges
The company encourages Video 8.01 5
Conferencing over the physical meeting
The company provides Flexi-timing for 7.91 6
employees
Does your company purchase “Energy 7.62 7
Star‟ labeled electronic products
Company-run corporate social 7.53 8 586.175 < .001
responsibility (CSR) programs such as
planting trees in deforested areas, (or)
building solar-powered computer labs for
underprivileged schools
your company provides Company 6.13 9
transport such as office bus for employees
company purchase Green Office Products 5.87 10
such as recycled mouse pad, recycled
plastic pens, hand-powered paper
shredder, green whiteboard markers,
nontoxic cleaners
The company offers monetary benefits for 5.10 11
employees to get hybrid vehicles
The company uses Eco-friendly paper 4.19 12
bags
Companies use solar panels or any other 1.69 13
renewable sources of electricity
The mean score for the variations of green HR practices in the organizations is
shown in Table 6. whereby the organization, which has a mean score of 10.48,
actively promotes the use of electronic solutions for document storage, contributing
significantly to the preservation of the paperless office. This element secured the 1st
place. With a mean score of 9.63, the organization promotes carpooling, which aids in
fuel efficiency. This factor secured the second rank. With a mean score of 8.71, the
organization has the infrastructure to maximize the use of daylight, helping with
energy conservation. This factor secured the third rank. The mean score for the
company that recycles ink and toner cartridges is 8.14. which leads to a reduction in
wastage. This factor secured the fourth rank. With a mean score of 8.01, the
organization prefers video conferencing to in-person meetings. This lowers carbon
emissions. This factor secured the fifth rank.
Above mentioned Factors such as Flexi- timing for the employees, purchase of
“Energy Star‟ labeled electronic products, corporate social responsibility (CSR)
programs, Company transport such as office bus for employees, purchase of Green
Office Products, monetary benefits for employees to get hybrid vehicles, using Eco-
friendly paper bags, use of solar panels or any other renewable sources of electricity
has a low mean score.
Findings
From the study, it is found that the organization plays a significant part in
preserving the paperless office by promoting the use of electronic solutions for
document storage, promoting carpooling which aids in fuel efficiency, maximizing
the use of daylight, and helping with energy conservation. recycles ink and toner
cartridges which leads to a reduction in wastage, organization prefers video
conferencing to in-person meetings Which lower carbon emissions.
Suggestions
Employees should be given access to online training and development programs
from management on environmental and social topics including waste management,
banning plastics, developing eco-friendly products, cutting carbon emissions, etc.
Going green is a trend that's gaining popularity as a crucial business approach. In
addition to lowering carbon footprints and emissions, green HR practices also help
organisations save money by reducing expenses and consuming less energy. These
factors all contribute to an organization's increased profitability.
CONCLUSION
According to our study's findings, every firm would benefit greatly from
implementing green HR practices advancing both social and environmental
challenges. The advantages would be beneficial to both the organizations and the
employees, and it would also improve employee morale and performance. It was also
shown that online training programs on topics like lowering carbon emissions,
recycling programs, energy conservation, etc., will raise knowledge among the
workforce regarding the green environment. This may increase corporate branding
and employee engagement.
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Revisiting the Ramayana: A Character Cursed for Centuries!

Deconstructing the Folk Poet Haldhar Nag
Balaram Panda
Ph.D. Research Scholar
Department of English
Jamia Millia Islamia
New Delhi
Email: balram75panda@gmail.com
Abstract: The present paper basically pertains to interpret and analyze the discussion
and accelerate the search for a better understanding and appreciation of this
spectacular and beautiful form of literature. Indeed, the folk poet Shri Haldhar Nag’s
work, in this context, is a masterstroke in the sense that the poet has shown, with
brilliance and elegance through his poetic work, that our folklores could be used both
to identify with today’s aspirations, sensibility and our worldview to create the
counter discourse to subvert it. This paper also aims at constructing identities that
engages and endures with reference to our myths and legends which have taught us to
protest the evil and so also promote the good in the folklore tradition. The other
objective of the assignment, at hand, however, is primarily to accelerate our
understanding of how our rich mythological character and philosophy have built in
the collective consciousness in the creation of a new voice and the inflexions of a new
sensibility. We have also to understand and examine the basic and immediate question:
Does any poet have the freedom to recreate our mythological and epic characters, in a
light different from that in which the original poet/author, etc. shows it, of a new
dimension to such projections that have been looked down upon by us and have been
cursed for centuries.
Keywords: Mythology, legend, Recreation,Counter Discourse Constructing Identities
INTRODUCTION
No one with an interest in Western Odisha, art, culture, literature and folklore can
afford not to know Padma Shri Lok Kabi Ratna Haldhar Nag’s poetic works. The
myths that provide the source material for the poet’s torrent of poems are all linked
together by the theme of Indian feminism and womanhood. Shri Nag’s writings,
basically, deal with deep moral concerns of life that effect people permanently and
help us gain insight by expanding our mind-sets and our awareness of life. To put in
other words, the poetic works of the poet presents a universal truth focusing on the
contemporary reality and the conditions of our life’s utter desperation and obsession.
Let’s have a look at the importance of these great characters of our myth. When
we talk about, the Ramayana, we invariably recall the major characters. All of them
admirably fulfill their assigned roles dutifully with a sacrificial intent. Urmila,
Lakshman’s wife, has always been the neglected of all characters in the Ramayana
and the character of queen Kaikeyi, the second queen of king Dashratha of Ayodhya
and the mother of Bharat, has been shown traditionally as a paragon of 'designed
deadly devil' mother, an eternal curse and a bad omen to reckon with.
The above basic but complex questions and related issues need to be addressed
and discussed by interpreting the existing facts with new lights. In these contexts, and
perspectives, we will try to make a sincere attempt to study and analyze the present
topic on the character of queen Kaikeyi by deconstructing Haldhar Nag’s the
Ramayana, written in the Koshali- Sambalpuri folklore tradition, with a critical

approach and evaluation.
Our mainstream Indian epic literature is so comprehensive and so cyclopedic with
regard to the portrayal and presentation of characters and their pivotal roles in the
available different classic versions of the Ramayana, originally written in Sanskrit and
Awadhi1 and, subsequently adapted in many Indian languages by many great poets
barring a few exceptions in the writings of the much-acclaimed Hindi poet Maithli
Saran Gupt and few others. Does an important epic character like that of Kaikeyi
deserve such an unfortunately negative portrayal in our psyche and sensibility of the
billions of Indian over the ages? The overall Indian sub-continent literary scene, at
present, perpetually questions the very 'content' and the invincible 'intent' of the
contemporary intellectual class and their stereotyped preferences and complete denial
of a recreation of lesser-known aspects of a larger- talked about mythological
character. S K Mahananda observes:
This, probably, is the precise reason why Lok Kabi Shri Haldhar Nag writes on
one of the lead characters and the most stereotyped and one of the most
complicated characters of the iconic queen Kaikeyi in his epic-poem through
the folk tradition in the Koshali-Sambalpuri dialect2.
Experimenting with many poetic devices, folk poet Shri Nag, a true balladeer of
the soil, has tried not only to project in a newer dimension and but also to
justify Kaikeyi as the most benevolent amongst all other female characters in the
Ramayana.
Emphasis on instilling a progressive idea, in using poetry and thereby giving a new
direction, is an obvious example of experimentation that we can see in Shri Nag’s
epic- poem, ″Mahasati Urmila″ (1995). It is pertinent here to mention that while
writing the Mahabharata, our genius Sarala Das derives his lead from
Vishakhadutta’s Mudrarakshasam, whereas Shri Nag crafts his story from his own
creative imagination, poetic skill and critical interpretation in the same characteristic
style that a folk singer or for that matter a balladeer does. Manoj Das observes:
The poet seems to have wandered in an inner world of his own self- in the company
of the Muse- under whose guidance he has had glimpses of aureoles around characters
mythological or otherwise3.
1
Awadhi is an Eastern Hindi language of the Indo-Aryan branch spoken in the bnorthern India. It is
primarily spoken in the Awadh region of present-day Uttar Pradesh, India. The name Awadh is
connected to Ayodhya, the ancient town, which is regarded as the homeland of Śrī Rām. It was, along
with Braj Bhasha, used widely as a literary vehicle before being displaced by Hindustani in the 19th
century. Linguistically, Awadhi is a language at par with Hindustani.
2
Koshali/Sambalpuri dialect: Sambalpuri is the local dialect of the undivided Sambalpur region which
includes the current districts of Sambalpur, Bargarh, Debgarh and Jharsuguda in the western part of
Odisha. It does not have script of its own and although some Sambalpuri writers have started writing in
Odia script, it is still largely a spoken variation of Odia language. With smaller variations it is also
spoken in not just the adjacent districts of Sundargarh, Bolangir, sonepur, Nuapada and Kalahandi but
also in the central districts of Baudh, Kanhamal and Phulbani. Even the southern district like Koraput
presents a similar dialect. S K Mahananda’s essay, Folkalization of the Ramayana: Decoding Folk Poet
Haladhar Nag.
3
Manoj Das’ Foreword to Kavyanjali Vol I.
Lok Kabi Ratna Haldhar Nag is blessed with a rare gift of wideness of vision and
creative intuition. The folk poet, in his extraordinarily uncommon poetic skill, can
have us the possibility of an altogether different interpretation of the action of a major
mythological character that has been seen by us as unfortunate. In his relatively longer
poem with an epic touch, ″Mahasati Urmila″, Shri Nag projects queen Kaikeyi’s role
as the instrumental in causing prince Ram’s exile. What Shudra Muni Sarala Das, our
great poet, in his Odia Mahabharata shows Shakuni’s role in the decimation of the
Kauravas, ensuring the wellbeing of the Pandavas. Shakuni manipulates all his
mischief tricks in order to take the revenge of his own sister’s, Gandhari, marriage to
the blind king, Dhrutarastra of Hastinapur. Ved Vyas,the original creator of the
Mahabharata, on the other hand, has not shown any such hint of Shakuni’s pretext.
Like Shudra Muni Sarla Das, the folk poet, has shown Kaikeyi’s unexpected
action ″by claiming for the two boons, as the king, Dasharatha once promised, is
really meant for prince Ram’s safety from a prophetic doom4.
Poets do have the freedom to interpret or recreate an epic character the way they want
to portray unlike the way the original poet has shown to us. Seeing in this scenario,
the poet’s creative faculty entirely depends on the quality of his inspiration which is a
reflection of the interpreter’s manner of understanding. It is not for the first time that a
poet has shown an epic character in a different light. Even the poets like Kamban and
Goswami Tulsi Das have explored their poetic license in re-interpreting and
recreating the characters from the Ramayana. The pretext for such a literary endeavor
is certainly of any body’s guess!The re-interpretation and re-creation of a character is
to feel the presence of a new dimension in the personality of the character from the
subtext of the narrative, ″hitting upon a hidden possibility.5″ It is not surprising if the
artist’s main aim is to receive more attention and wider acknowledgement by
presenting the traditionally known original stuff in a different 'avtar' of the character’s
projection in a such a way that would certainly shock the readers and wholesomely
entertain them.
The same analogy we can establish in the re-making of Hindi feature films like
Vishal Bhardwaj’s recreation of Shakespearean plays or Prakash Jha’s re-making of
the Mahabharata and for that matter the re-making of many Hindi classic movies by
the present-day film makers. Many writers belonging to different languages and
genres have also made the 're-make' of their Draupadis portraying her in different hue
and color as per their need and preferences unlike Ved Vyas’ projection of the
princess of Panchal, popularly known as Panchali, with a real 'intent' and for a
specific 'purpose'. The numerous adaptations and recreations of the said legendary
epic character, also called as Yajnaseni6, not belonging to a normal mortal but an
unrevealed personality from a yajna for a particular objective, has been shown in a
relatively darker light. She has amply been described as an archetype of the reflective
of their narrow outlook, vested interests and utter sympathies or compassion.
4
5
6
Yajnaseni: the story of Draupadi is a 1984 Odia language novel by Pratibha Ray. The story revolves
around Draupadi from the famous epic the Mahabharata. The word Yajnaseni means a woman born
out of fire
In other words, Draupadi has been described in the frame of an insignificantly

psychological scale or grade in the lens of today’s notions of ethical versus unethical
and whims and fancies of ordinary human beings. There is limit to everything
including our freedom of expression. Nobody has the right to become licentious under
the pretext of artistic freedom. Manoj Das observes:
Coming back to the present poet, when, in the process of singing the merits
of Urmila, poet Shri Nag shows her as superior to some other great female
characters, we can look at that as his exuberance, but happily acceptable
application of poetic license, not a sign of questionable inaptitude; our
knowledge that from another point of view each of these characters are equally
lofty is not disturbed. A discerning reader or listener can feel the spirit of such
recreations –can understand whether they emerged out of a feeling of
compassion nor an ordinary passion7
In his longer poem on Urmila’s iconic personage, the poet has projected the
sacrifice and sanctity; dedication and devotion of the Mithila princess. He has also
never failed to intimate us about his serious and deep concerns: the all-time
marginalized and dehumanized portrayal of queen Kaikeyi by the classical poets and
the contemporary intellectuals in acknowledging the same through his extraordinary
poetic endeavor. Written in the Bangalashree Raga, a unique Odia poetic rhyme with
a colloquially lyrical rhythm, and is composed in five cantos (Sarga), Shri Nag’s
stupendous poetic accomplishment is undoubtedly a milestone in the annals of
contemporary Koshali-Sambalpuri folklore wholly for its creatively genuine
adaptation and typically vernacular presentation of an original epic narrative in a
different perspective of ideas, of innovations and of re-interpretations. The poet
writes,
Her son will be king, excited she is,
Like a horned beast in the swamp.
What reason have you to celebrate?
You are hornless, yet you romp.
Women’s ploys are unknown,
Even to Gods in heaven.
The poet’s spontaneity is infectious and palpable and the metaphors he employs
exposes a picturesque inventiveness.
In the poetic descriptions, we usually notice the life-style, behavioral patterns,
manners and morals and the rich cultural tapestry of our land and locale, culture and
cuisines. The indigenous people of Western Odisha, popularly known as the
Sambalpuria8, intensely associate themselves with the writings of Shri Nag in such a
way that they are the same beings, typically and essentially deep rooted with the flora,
fauna and the flavor of their own soil, as it has rightly been reflected in the poet’s
sculpture of words.
The marvel and the magic of a Haldharian style of such an exceptionally spectacular
poetic pageant, we find in his poem, reminds us of either a James Joyace’s style of
writing or for that matter a Virginia Woolf’s kind novel! The place and the persons
are personified! This is how the poet has so brilliantly communicated with the readers
that as if he (like a cultural ambassador) has sincerely tried to strike an emotional curd
of the indigenous folk- both literates and the non-literates. J K Nayak observes:
7
8
Sambalpuria: Koshali/Sambalpuri Identity-Identity with reference to the mythological Koshal
Pradesh/ region mentioned in the Ramayana. The typical indigenous folk of Western Odisha.
Such a description enables the readers to reconnect with a living human voice
that invests the ordinary and the everyday with a rare depth of feeling9.
Shri Nag’s poems are essentially the message and the medium of the common people
deeply rooted in their culture and custom and with their soils and the sands- bound by
a garland called the cultural consciousness- of a common myth, of a shared history, of
a collective memory with the local sensibility and aspirations and, of course, a living
and inspiring identity!
S K Mahananda rightly observes:
Shri Nag’s poems are like deft fusions of exotic paintings with symphonies of local
music, one witnesses a ringing endorsement of the poet’s creative credential and
which may be studied in its wider aspects10.
An epic-poem, essentially, revolves round its characters. Characterization and its
significance are unique with regard to their upbringing, high social status- their
knowledge and nobility; valor and virtue. Shri Nag’s relatively longer poem, with an
epic touch, on Sita’s Sister is not an exception in this regard in portraying the human
attributes of the character. Each character, more or less familiar with the sensible
Indian folk, is endowed with their exceptional qualities of value and virtue and that of
manners and magnanimity.
Needless to mention, but it is obvious that space, scale and emphasis are skillfully
attributed to particular character. Since the epic-poem is pre-dominantly centered
around Urmila, what we see that the poet has not only meticulously attempted to
sketch the rare qualities of the elan and class of Lakshman’s lady but also
exceptionally placed queen Kaikeyi in the highest esteem.
The poet has, with precision and clarity, mentioned how queen Kaikeyi, the soul
with a good heart of Shri Nag’s one of the leading characters, has rightfully proved
herself a living symbol of inner purity and a compassioned mother despite her
unspeakable mental agony in leading a hatred, ostracized and eternal cursed life.
In contrast, one can find no mention of Kaikeyi’s greatness with such a scale and
magnitude, of inventiveness and newer dimension unlike a Haldharian poetry, in all
the seven books of the Ramayana written in many a variety and versions by the
greatest minds! Great poets have, no doubts, written volumes on the life and idea of
the Satis (virtuous women) as per their preferences and predilections but Kaikeyi’s ’s
rightfully deserved portrayal is hardly found to be seen except a little mention in the
footnotes that too even in a derogatory and demeaning sense. It appears, such an epic
character of such a sacrificial and dedicated dimension is lost somewhere in the
precious pages of our shared history, collective myth, our treasured literature and epic
and in the consciousness of our living memory from our great Sanatani11 culture and
civilization. A real lady, made up of uncommon living entity of a rare beauty of heart
and a soul of compassion with a greater of sense insecurity of all time, is
unfortunately overlooked by our literary artists and the eminent intellectuals, possibly
due to their pre-conceived observations, unprogressive outlook or an invincible intent!
9
Comment by Prof. Jatindra K Nayak, Professor of English, Utkal University, in Kavyanjali VolI,
Selected Poetic Works of Haldhar Nag
10
Saroj K Mahananda’s Folkalization of the Ramayana: Decoding Folk Poet Haladhar Nag (2020).
11
Sanātanī is a term used to describe Hindu movements that incorporate various teachings from the
Vedas, Upanishads, and other Hindu texts such as the Ramayana and Bhagavad Gita, which itself is
often described as a concise guide to Hindu philosophy and a practical, self-contained guide to life.
A Shakespearean description of Cleopatra, though not so contextual, nevertheless

deserves a must mention here: “Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale/Her infinite
variety” (Antony and Cleopatra 2.2). This shows how conservative and unprogressive
our great and genius poets are as compared to their western literary counterparts with
having a highly unconventional and progressive worldview.
It may also be emphatically noted here that, in no sense, we can afford to ignore
Shri Nag’s poetic ingenuity and creativity of any lesser kind or class. The poet’s
entirely different interpretations on the action of the character of Kaikeyi are so
comprehensive and so extensive in convincing the readers, with a far-sighted insights
and vision, that the protagonist deserves all the accolades and appreciations, in every
respect, for being truly categorized as the quintessential of a mother with an architype
Karma!
The poet is of the view that Urmila, a woman of extraordinary grace and superior
value, never thinks ill of others even if an enemy let alone the queen Kaikeyi. She
even conveys her deepest gratitude to Kaikeyi, for who being the instrumental in
sending Ram for the exile, since it is Kaikeyi who has tried to save the life of Ram
(who she loved the most) by letting her own son, Bharat, assigned to rule the kingdom
and face the outrage and the wrath by the people of Ayodhya. The queen Kaikeyi
desperately wants prince Bharat to encounter the threats and dangers of death. In the
words of the poet,
Rather I shall bear the death
Of my own son, Bharat,
Than let Ram meet with tragedy;
I will save Ram at any cost.
Out of love for Ram, mother Kaikeyi,
Has made of this pretext;
She has saved Ram, and her own son,
She has pushed to Yama12 instead.
This analogy reminds us of Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra, where Antony says,
Let Rome in Tiber melt, and the wide arch
Of the ranged empire fall: here is my space.
The poet, it so appears, is of the view that Kaikeyi really wants Ram should go on
a noble mission, in the form of an exile for fourteen years, to destroy the evil forces
and conquer the earth by establishing the order of goodness and the safe return to
Ayodhya after being victorious. In other words, ensuring the wellbeing of her loved
one, Ram, Shri Nag emphatically shows, in his poem, that Kaikeyi’s terrible deed was
meant to assure Ram’s safety from a predictive destiny.
The world has never tried to understand the real intention behind queen Kaikeyi’s
rift with her husband, king Dasharatha, while deliberately claiming for 'the two boons'
that the king once promised to fulfill as and when she so desires, The poet, in his
words,
12
Yama: God of Death.
The good dove has cautioned me,

In advance of this disaster.
My dreams will be shattered,
Ramarajya13 will mix in the dirt.
Ram is my life’s purpose,
Ram my favorite child″.
If Ram dies then for Kaikeyi,
Life will be unfulfilled.
In the words of Manoj Das,
The source of inspiration that glorifies in the poetry of Shri Nag is
undoubtedly a sign of compassion built up over time, may be in the
subconscious hearts of multitudes for centuries. It does not contradict the
factual elements in the original, but expresses only a human and sentimental
pity for a character that had been cursed for centuries14.
Our mythological characters, especially their traditional portrayal, are highly
strange and really unique. Both Shakuni in the Mahabharata and Kaikeyi in the
Ramayana have been projected by our genius minds in their best possible way of
'brighter darkness'. Such characterizations, implicitly or explicitly, have been highly
read and widely accepted as the canons of cultural constructs- an integral part of our
social behavior and our collective consciousness. Seen in this context of tarnished
textual structure, a deconstruction approach is really a progressive endeavor to revisit
our age-old indigenous tradition and incredible human expression- our mythologies
and our folklore. This, exactly, is the irony of the world that we look at things we
want to see them as per our wishes. A person who thinks logically is a nice contrast to
the real world!
It is also pertinent to know that Kaikeyi has also been gifted with the rare talent
and ability to comprehend the sounds of the chirping and tweeting birds and the
buzzing animals. The poet writes:
As a young girl, mother Kaikeyi,
Did receive a boon from a saint;
She understood animal talk,
To reveal she had no consent.
The exchanged tweets of warning from a pair of doves’ forecast about the sudden
and untimely death of the king Dashratha and after the king’s tragic demise, the eldest
prince who would be crowned as the king of Ayodhya, is surely going to suffer from
severe heart stroke and thereafter the death. The poet describes:
A pair of doves was chatting,

* * *
A young bride the king has wedded,
When his death is not very far.
* * *
He who sits on Ayodhya’s throne,
For the fourteen years next,
His hear will burst, he will die.
Do not forget this forecast.
13
Ramarajya: An ideal country with ideal governance.
14 Manoj Das’ Foreword to Kavyanjali Vol I.
Hearing doves’ such an unpleasant conversation, Kaikeyi, is not at all convinced

about prince Ram’s coronation and instead thinks the right time to claim for the
realization of the 'two boons' as promised by the king long ago. Accordingly, one of
the boons, the first one being-the exile for the prince Ram to the forest for a period of
fourteen years; the second one, her own son, Bharat, would be the king of Ayodhya.
Such a loud and clear demand, behind Kaikeyi’s pretext, is to let Bharat face the
fierce of the inescapable death and Ram be spared from such an inevitably looming
and impending dance of death! We see a similar human situation, though in an
unlikely context, in Shakespeare’s inimitable lines,
The odds is gonne
And there is nothing left remarkable
Beneath the visiting moon. (Antony and Cleopatra 4.15)
Urmila, well aware of Kaikeyi’s real intention, tries really hard to bring calm
down Lakshman’s extreme anger and unruly behavior towards Kaikeyi. Urmila
pursues Lakshman, ″It’s for you an opportunity. Such occasion comes to those, who
have lived with morality″, to go to the forest along with Ram, and thereby she herself
invites her own destiny to be prophetically doomed in the darkness of skepticism and
uncertainty, ″The entire kingdom faced misfortune, For Urmila it was good luck″.
One should note here that Lakshman’s accompanying Ram in the exile was not one of
the pre-requisite conditions in Kaikeyi’s two boons (promises) before the king.
Blessed are those who unconditionally cares and serves the elder and the respected
one, Urmila, wholeheartedly, says, ″You also follow the two (Ram and Sita). Small
service from Sita you snatch, Blessings will be sprinkled on you″ and let Lakshman
be with Ram’s exile. Lakshman, finally, moves to the forest along with Ram and Sita;
To their utter surprise and absolute bewilderment, the Ayodhya folks feel and realize
Kaikeyi’s selfishness and jealousy. How a queen like Kaikeyi of highness and stature
of an exceptionally remarkable dedication, though not towards her own son, and talent
can afford to ignore such a great Indian value of being loyal and respectable to one’s
loving husband?
In one of his longer poems, Prem Paechan (Manifestation of Love), based on the
story of Shri Krishna, Shri Nag has shown how Krishna showers his love for all
including his enemies. The poem, in an epic length, is not merely a retelling of
Krishna’s life as we have been associated with but have many episodes with dramatic
twists at the end rightly endorsing the creative credential of the poet. In the words of
Shri Surendra Nath, the English translator of Haldhar Granthavali, Kavyanjali Vol. I,
II, and III:
Readers will be surprised to know that Haldhar’s Pootna is not a devilish woman
but a pretty, adorable mother, who having lost her own baby is roaming around
crazed, and upon finding the new-born Krishna rushes to suckle him. By sucking
the life out of her, Krishna testifies that she was devoted enough to dwell
permanently within god15.
The poet seems to have described that there is a little bit of madness that we usually
find in a genius. Only madness in love towards a person or an object is the ultimate
goal and nothing else! She thinks that Ram can read her mind. According to her Ram
is born to kill the devils and the demons and he would free the world from tyranny
and terror, death and destruction, ″God he was, born to kill demons and free the world
of terror.″
15
Haldhar Granthavali, Kavyanjali Vol.III.
The sub-text of the narrative is an analogical reference quite resemblance that we

all know from the celebrated sloka (a couplet in Sanskrit verse) of the Gita:
अ ु ानमधम तदा ानं सृजा हम् ॥

प र ाणाय साधूनां िवनाशाय च दु ृताम् ।
धमासं थापनाथाय संभवाि◌म युगे युगे ॥16
This shows Kaikeyi’s worldview and her profound vision for a peaceful and
progressive world order, of harmony and of existence, with civility and humility
nonetheless her name is quite synonymous with selfishness, jealousy, a sign of bad
omen, cruelty, hard-heartedness, and what not.
She remains in absolute persistent-cool and composed in the times of Ayodhya
undergoing a severe political instability and serious internal turmoil. Are all these
things possible for a mentally agonized mother seriously suffering for her Karma -
right or wrong?
Kaikeyi’s credibility as a woman character of rare quality of dedication despite
her so- called and so acknowledged ‘Devil Deeds’ is reasonably presented and
argumentatively substantiated by Shri Nag with utmost sincerity and subtlety.
CONCLUSION
Shri Nag, a true minstrel and a noble bard, has so succinctly and wonderfully,
with precision a clarity, analysed the two extremes of the issues and events at hand
that the presentation of his point of view- one is just prior to the exile and the other
before the climax of the exile that he has stricken a reasonably moderate balance of
the role of the queen Kaikeyi in the emergence of conflict and the position of the
lead lady, Urmila, in striking the score in the resolution of the crisis in his verse
narrative. This poem, a spectacularly crafted folkloric sculpture of words, of imagery
and with rhythmic richness, essentially discovers a new voice and a new sensibility.
As J K Nayak has rightly observed:
A typical Haldharian masterstroke, this relatively epic-poem enables readers to
reconnect with a living human voice that invests the ordinary and the everyday
with a rare depth of feeling. Shri Nag has a rare ability of transforming episodes
from the Indian mythology into songs that reverberate so well with the local
sensibility and aspirations17.
Poet Shri Nag has portrayed Kaikeyi as the pioneer and the maiden character. Had
she not been there, Ram would not have been to the exile. Lakshman would not have
been to the exile with Ram and Sita? Had Lakshman been not to the exile, Meghnad
would not have been killed. Had Meghnad been not killed, Sita would not have been
freed from Ravan’s clutch and captivity. Ravan could have never been slain had
Meghnad been not killed! Moreover, it must be noted here that, with queen Kaikeyi
begins the exile of Ram as a prince just before the coronation and ends with Ram, the
destroyer of devil and evil forces on earth, as Lord Maryada Purusottam Ram – a
journey from a mere Prince to the ultimate Prabhu, one of the incarnations of the
Supreme lord, Vishnu.
16
Bhagvat Gita, Chapter 4, Verse: 7-8 Whenever, there is decline of Dharma, and rise of Adharma, For
the protection of the good, for the destruction of the wicked, and for the establishment of Dharma I
come into being in every age.
17
Comment by Prof Jatindra K Nayak, Professor of English, Utkal University, in Kavyanjali Vol.I,
Selected Poetic Works of Haldhar Nag.
Kaikeyi’s karma, therefore, is the quintessential for 'the Pilgrim's Progress' from
an ordinary mortal to an extraordinary immortal icon of belief, an ideal of faith and an
idol of worship for generations of human on earth ever since in the known history of
mankind! Queen Kaikeyi, indisputably, is the leading and iconic epic figure as she is
the instrumental in the thematic transcript and the structural texture of the folk poet
Haldhar Nag’s 're-make' of the Ramayana.
This present work of Shri Nag may be considered as one of his finest works if we
look at it in a spiritual perspective with in the archetype of a social framework.
Like ″Sakala Ghate Narayana; Anadi Param Karana. ″18 All these great sacred
scriptures’ pure and absolute texts can well be connected in the course of study,
analysis and interpretation of the text.
On reading Shri Nag’s ″Mahasati Urmila″, a sincere and sensible reader can also
better comprehend, appreciate and inculcate the immortal sanatani -sayings of the
treasured wisdom by our ancient sages, seers and profound philosophers, like 'Naari
Narayani.19' A woman, therefore, is the source, the sustenance, and the charioteer of
the universe, with all its beauty and diversity according to our sanatani scriptures and
the canon of our great culture.
Apart from Urmila’s, most of all other major characters, exclusive of Kaikeyi,
Bharat and Sulochana, are more or less portrayed as per their positions, roles and
narrative significance. It would have been more appreciating and engaging had there
been some added thematic portrayal given by the poet while projecting the characters
of Kaikeyi, Bharat and Sulochana distinctively with regard to their value, virtue and
other personal attributes. A reasonable narrative content space we find about Bharat
as marginally as a patrolling guard looking after Ayodhya in the absence of Ram and
Sulochana’s copious details on her mere enigmatic and ethereal beauty and evasively
tempting charm!
Adequately more deserved artistic space in the poem, probably, could have been
given to Kaikeyi’s role and character had there been a comparative description on
Bharat’s ideal and value, virtue and abstinence, and other responsibilities with that of
Kaikeyi’s role and significance. The text of the poem cannot, of course, be read as the
ultimate representations of the role of these characters. It is important to acknowledge
their layered, diverse traits; and the full array of riches that emerge in a careful and
comparative reading of them. At least a moderate and fair artistic space, for the
characterization of Sulochana as per Urmila’s scale of projection, could have enriched
and upgraded the overall texture and standard of the work.
Despite the marginal literary flaw, as has been observed by some literary critics,
the poet has not only penned down in the language of Western Odisha, its beauty and
intricate melody, but also has kept alive, revive and upheld the richness of our lesser-
known dialect, in connecting to the readers to their roots, through his own creative
credential in reinterpreting the lesser-known aspects of the lesser -known female
characters of our mythology and epic.
18
According to Odia Bhagavata by Atibadi Jagannath Das, God is everywhere and He is the source of
everything.
19
A woman is the Goddess, she is the Narayani, the Aadi Shakti.
A poet is a human being with his limitations let alone his artistic and creative
perfection. Nothing is absolute except the truth and beauty. A poet is a creator; an
artist and his ingenuity and imagination are independent to be expressed and
articulated. He has the liberty to feel and the poetic licence to express the way he
wants to write and present as per his vision and objective. Persistence to proximate
the perfection is a poet’s vision. A poet yearns to reach out the world through his
works. To him, the poem is his soul’s language. A poet writes what he thinks
genuinely right and relevant; and if his writings are accepted and acknowledged by
the reading public and the target audience, then he is extensively read and widely
respected. Poet Shri Nag has accomplished this.
In the present epic-poem, essentially a recreation of the Ramayana by Shri Haldhar
Nag, the singing bard of the Koshali-Sambalpuri soil, we largely observe that
Kaikeyi’s rare portrayal of her attitude, affection and action towards prince Ram, not
her own son, unlike the great literary masters- ancient and modern, have considerably
been spoken about. This poem, undoubtedly, has also the strength and the prospect for
a wider reach and a vast readability. But the time has arrived for the rest of the world
to understand and to celebrate this timeless beauty of both our age-old indigenous
tradition and incredible human expressions- our mythologies and our folklores.
WORK CITED
Alan, Dundes. The Morphology of North American Indian Folktales, Folklore
Fellows Communications, 1964.
Charles, Francis Potter. “Folklore.” Funk and Wagnalls Standard Dictionary of
Folklore, Mythology and Legend.
Claude, Levi-Strauss. “Structure and Form: Reflections on a Work by Vladmir
Propp.”
Das, K.B., and S.K. Mahapatra. Folk Tales of Odisha, NBT, 1979.
Das, K.B. A Study of Orissan Folklore. Vishwa Bharti University Publication,1953.
Francis, Lee Utley. “Folk Literature: An Operational Definition.” Journal of
American Folklore, 74(1961) Reprinted in Dundes; The Study
of Anthropology, Vol.II, New York, 1976.
Leach, Maria, ed. Standard Dictionary of folklore, Mythology and Legend, Funk
and Wagnalls.1949.
Lok Mahostav, Smaranika, Sambalpur,2008.
Lok Kabi Haldhar Granthavali, Bidya Prakashan, 2014
Mahananda, Saroj K. Folkalization of the Ramayana: Decoding Folk Poet
Haladhar Nag (2020). Published in Reading the Margins: History, Culture
and Literature (Ed.) by Provakar Palaka, People’s Literature Publication.
Nath, Surendra, Kavyanjali: Selected Poetic Works of Haldhar Nag, Vol.I Zenith
Star Publisher, 2016.
Propp, Vladmir, Morphology of the Folktale, 1970.
Thompson, Stith. “Folklore at Midcentury.” Midwest folklore, I (1951), II.
The Oral History Review, Vol. 36, No. 1.
Wan-chuan, Hu. What is Folk Literature. Black Line, 1976.

Wordsworth, William. Preface to Lyrical Ballads (1798). Routledge, 2002.
Advanced Framework to Analyze the Impact of Digital Marketing

on Online Purchase Intention with Respect to Organic Food
Products
Sruitson L*, N Arun Fred
Department of Management Studies,
Nesmony Memorial Christian College,
Marthandam, Tamil nadu
*
Email: sruitsonlazer@gmail.com
Abstract: Purpose- Digital marketing is an important medium for promoting online

sales in this modern era. Different techniques are adopted to research the features that
improve customers' online buying behavior. In this paper, we use an advanced
framework called the Conceptual Marketing Analysis Model (CMA) which identifies
the important features that promote the online purchase intention of customers. The
model inputs the identified features and tracks the best one to use for promoting
online organic food sales
Design/methodology/approach- The study was carried out using the advanced
framework of the UTAUT model. The questionnaire was prepared and distributed
among 250 online customers using an online survey. The population was selected
using convenience sampling techniques.
Findings- Based on the SPSS software result it is found that digital marketing induces
a huge positive impact on the buying behavior of customers promoting online
business sales for organic food products.
Research limitations/implications- The study is mainly conducted only on localities
of Kanyakumari eliminating data from other areas. Also, the study did not
differentiate customers who are interested in health-oriented concepts.
Originality/value- This study proposed a modern CMA model for empirically
analyzing the impact of digital marketing affecting customer behavioral change in
online purchases of organic foods.
Keywords: digital marketing, organic food, purchase intention
INTRODUCTION
Digital marketing has revolutionized the way we shop, with more and more
people turning to online stores to purchase goods and services. Digital marketing has
had a significant impact on online purchase intention, as it has enabled businesses to
create more effective campaigns, target the right customers, and increase engagement
with potential buyers. Additionally, digital marketing can create a more interactive
shopping experience for customers, making it easier for them to find the best deals
and make informed decisions. With the rise of digital marketing, businesses are able
to capitalize on the latest trends and technologies, driving more conversions and
increasing customer loyalty.
People spend a short time buying effects on e-commerce sites. Still, judges
prognosticate that it'll increase extensively because people now feel safe and secure
buying online, and they also think that their time savings will also change the way
people communicate (Gilchrist, 2016). The development of social media provides

openings for enterprises as emotional marketing tools (Kujur & Singh, 2017). Social
media is an essential tool for profitable growth as its tools include two-way
communication and low-cost marketing to gain information, connect and establish a
relationship with its guests (Irfan et al., 2019). The use of social media technologies is
growing, and, in the future, we should anticipate it to have the same effect on
businesses. With social media marketing, business possessors want to learn how it can
produce interest in their business. Platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, Hi5, YouTube
and Twitter have made it easy for consumers to post reviews of products and reach
out to other like-inclined people in their communities. Before people make purchases
currently, they're decreasingly reaching out first to their social media communities for
opinions (N. Hajli,). Consumers pierce online groups through social media to
understand their views and get a better sense of a product or service (Dedeoğlu et al.,
2020). In the fields of marketing, announcement and communication, social media is
much more applicable, with the number of druggies adding dramatically every time
(Appel et al., 2020). Guests who have a close relationship with the establishment
partake in their relations on social media with other people and suggest the goods or
services of the company to their musketeers through positive word of mouth. The
consumer’s purchase intentions have always been an important marketing content to
be considered. In this scenario there arise a need to analyse the factors to be taken into
consideration for increasing customer purchase intention.
Nowadays most of the people are motivated by organic food. But there is no
proper channel to distribute organic products from suppliers to consumers globally.
So there arises a need to create a proper channel to make use of modern digital
marketing techniques to sell organic food products. Also, there arises a need to
analyse the best factors that have a positive influence on customer purchase intention.
Digital marketing plays an important part to make a brand because of the fact
it attracts guests. People nowadays are largely attracted to Digital Media (Yuvaraj &
Indumathi, 2018). Dastane (2020) relate or examine the connection between Digital
advertising and buying thing with the interceding effect of CRM (client Relationship
operation) for Malaysiane-commerce diligence. An empirical exploration of
Malaysiane-commerce assiduity was carried out which suggests that digital marketing
has a positive and noteworthy effect on buy anticipation. The main factor that
influences purchase intention is marketing. Digital marketing increases the purchase
intention of a client by 68%. It's true as people in this period are technologically
advanced and use widgets similar to mobile, computers Tablets etc. These biases give
a platform to consumers or open new approaches to shopping online and pass joy and
adventure. There are numerous online platforms that give consumers to have effective
communication through which they can partake in their happiness of being using the
product or wrong experience which impacts the intention to buy. Balakrishnan et al.,
(2014). The study concentrated to accept social media platforms and company
websites to digitally vend their products and services. Three tools were being
anatomized as digital technologies are online announcements, WOM (word of mouth)
and Online Communities. It was subordinated to the study of generation. The survey
was particularly limited to undergraduate university scholars. All the factors were set
up effectively in promoting brand fidelity and social media is also adding the
purchase intention. The study also stressed income position as the important factor
which affects the buying power of consumers (Balakrishnan et al., 2014). Mohammed
& Alkubise( 2012) explored online announcements as a tool to vend products and
services digitally. It's significantly set up that the World Wide Web is the most
espoused online announcement platform with further interactive services and
effectiveness. The results show that online announcement is an effective way which
increases purchase intention and effectiveness depending on income position, internet
operation and announcement content.
Online purchase intention
Purchase intention is very important in the advancement of computerized
promoting and E-trade. Buying the expectation of a consumer is a complicated
process linked with their behavior, perception & attitude (Mirabi) A study of factors
affecting customers’ purchase intention, 2015)). (Dehghani, 2015) revealed that
branding is directly proportional to purchase intention. As consumers move to social
media platforms they heavily rely on online purchase reviews before making the final
decision. According to Raza et al., (2014), purchase intention is a phase where a
customer is about to buy something from a seller. Due to the hefty amount of profit e-
commerce service providers are more inclined towards understanding the factors to
improve consumers’ purchase intention. Client aim is the most significant factor in
studying purchase intention. Consumers’ behavior can be best judged through
purchase intention. This intention is valuable in finding out customers’ real behavior
(Eid, 2011). Purchase intention depends on the customer’s attitude and other
environmental factors, & predicting consumer behavior in online purchase of products.
(Fishbein&Ajzen, 1975).
Frugality
(M. Kukar-Kinney, N.M. Ridgway, K.B. Monroe) the e-commerce point has to give
a price reduction that could evoke a consumer’s favourable response. As the main
magnet of social commerce, consumers could admit large abatements through group
buying. Price plays a part in perfecting consumer comprehension and easing buying
geste. There is a u-shape function for prepossessions on price and total prepossessions
on a runner with respect to price for ladies who buy for themselves and males who
buy for their mates.( R.G.V. Menon, V. Sigurdsson, N.M. Larsen) (E.N. Berkowitz,
J.R. Walton)
Necessity
(D.M. Szymanski, R.T. Hise 2000) the utilitarian value of an internet shopping
boardwalk is a determinant of shopping satisfaction. This utilitarian value
significantly influences the frequency of point visits, which formerly again reinforces
purchase intention. Social presence factors predicated in social technologies
contribute significantly to the structure of secure online swapping connections. (B. Lu,
W. Fan, M. Zhou 2016)
Trustability
R.E. Speckmam (1998) the conception of trust is honoured as important in exchange
connections. It forms the base of strategic hook-ups by perfecting the quality of
commerce. It also improves the position of cooperation and increases the position of
involvement. Trust in an internet shopping boardwalk is defined as the cognitive
aspects of trust, and it's considered a reasonable selection process by defining trust as
the consumer's intention to count on a dealer and leave a dealer in a vulnerable state.
Trust in a social networking point increases information dogging, which in turn

increases familiarity with the platform and the sense of social presence. (N. Hajli, et
al., (2017)
Interaction
(Y. Liu, L.J. Shrum 2002) Interactivity has been defined as the degree that two or
further communication parties may affect each other, communication media,
dispatches, and similar impacts contemporaneously. Interactivity has also been
defined as noway - ending two-way communicational characteristics between two
parties, the buyer and the dealer. Consumers gave more positive assessments and
made more favorable opinions for the spots increasing perceived interactivity. (Joseph
et al., 1997)
Fig1; Marketing Analysis Model

Methodology
The present study is descriptive research and is based on primary data. The
primary data for this study was collected through an online survey of the potential
respondents across the Kanyakumari district online consumers. The target respondents
of this study were consumers of online customers. The questionnaire consists of
questions like socio-demographic factors and items for evaluating the experience of
the consumers. The measurement of the questionnaire items in this study used a 5-
point Likert scale ranging from strongly disagree to strongly agree. To ensure the
validity of the scale used in the survey, the items were adapted from the relevant
research and existing literature to fit the theme and context of this study.
Sampling and Data Collection

The questionnaire targeted the customers in Kanyakumari. Thus a relatively
large sample size is recommended. The sample consists of 250 customers across
Kanyakumari. Since the convenience sampling method was adopted in the study. A
reliable and valid questionnaire has been used for this study, and the analysis was
done with 250 complete responses. The respondents’ demographic profile is given in
Table 1.
Table 1; Demographic Profile
Category Subdivision Frequency Percentage
Male 103 41
Gender
Female 147 58.6
Below 10000 48 19.1
10000 to 20000 95 37.8
Family income(monthly)
21000 to 30000 42 16.7
Above 30000 65 25.9
Social media 203 80.9
Websites/blogs 20 8
Multimedia
Digital channel awareness 8 3.2
advertising
Email 8 3.2
Others 11 4.4
Yes 80 31.9
Online organic food customers
No 170 67.7
Below 10000 143 57
Hours per week spent on social 10 to 20 hours 66 26.3
media 21 to 30 hours 20 8
Above 30 21 8.4
Data Analysis and Discussions
Table 2; Relation Between Frugality and Online Purchase Intention
Coefficients a
Unstandardized Coefficients Standardized Coefficients

Model t Sig.
B Std. Error Beta
(Constant) 2.552 .187 13.673 .000

1 .238
OPI .216 .056 3.862 .000
a. Dependent Variable: Fragality
Table no.2 shows that the p-value is less than .01 H0 is rejected at the 1% level
of significance. Hence it is concluded that frugality positively influences online
purchase intention. The R square value is .057
Regression equation
F= (OPI *0.216) +2.552
Table 3; Relation Between Necessity and Online Purchase Intention
Coefficients a
Unstandardized Standardized
Coefficients Coefficients
Model t Sig.
B Std. Error Beta
(Constant) 2.960 .169 17.468 .000

1 .147
OPI .118 .051 2.334 .020
a. Dependent Variable: Necessity
Table no.3 shows that the p-value is less than .01 H is rejected at the 1% level
0
of significance. Hence it is concluded that necessity positively influences online

Regression equation
N= (OPI *0.118) +2.960
Table 4; Relation Between Trustability and Online Purchase Intention
Coefficients a
Model t Sig.
B Std. Error Beta
(Constant) 2.400 .174 13.787 .000

1 .278
OPI .237 .052 4.553 .000
a. Dependent Variable: Trustability

of significance. Hence it is concluded that trustability positively influences online
Regression equation
T= (OPI *0.237) +2.400
Table 5; Relation between Interaction and Online Purchase Intention
Coefficients a
Model t Sig.
B Std. Error Beta
(Constant) 2.007 .173 11.578 .000

1
OPI .329 .052 .373 6.337 .000
a. Dependent Variable: Interaction
of significance. Hence it is concluded that interaction positively influences online
purchase intention. The R square value is 0.139
Regression equation
I= (OPI *0.329) +2.007
Hypothesis R square value Result
H frugality → online purchase intention

1 0.057 Accepted
H Necessity → online purchase intention

0.021 Accepted
2
H Trustability → online purchase intention

3 0.077 Accepted
H Interaction → online purchase intention

4 0.139 Accepted
CONCLUSION
Digital marketing had a positive effect on online purchase intention with respect
to organic food products. Consumers are more likely to purchase organic products
online if they have been exposed to digital marketing campaigns. Digital marketing
campaigns have increased brand awareness, increased trust and loyalty, and provided
an easy and convenient way to purchase organic products. Digital marketing also
helps to educate consumers about the benefits of organic products, which further
increases their intention to purchase organic products online. By leveraging the power
of digital marketing, organic food companies can increase online purchase intentions
and generate more sales. Overall, digital marketing is a powerful tool for organic food
companies to increase sales and build brand loyalty. Digital marketing campaigns are
essential for organic food companies to reach their target audience, increase brand
awareness, and build trust and loyalty. Moreover, digital marketing can help organic
food companies educate their target audience about the benefits of organic products,
which can further increase online purchase intentions. Thus, digital marketing is an
effective way for organic food companies to reach their target audience and increase
their online purchase intentions.
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A Study on the Faunal Diversity of Sree Narayana College,

Cherthala
Amala Mary G*, Aparna K R,
Jayalekshmi L, Akhila Baiju, Ardhra S,
Maneeja Murali, Reshmi V
Department of Zoology
Sree Narayana College, Cherthala
*
Email: amalamarygrierson@gmail.com
Abstract: Biodiversity or biological diversity is the variety and variability of life on

Earth. Documentation of biodiversity is a foundation of any conservation action. As
biodiversity provides a variety of environmental services from its species that are
essential at the global, regional and local level, the preservation of biological
resources is essential for the wellbeing and the long term survival of mankind.The
studies of biodiversity have now assumed greater significance as ecologist try
seriously to document global biodiversity in the face of unprecedented
perturbations, habit lossand extinction rates. In view of this, we selected SN College
campus to examine the biodiversity around there.The campus has diverse ecological
communities performing a variety of functions.The study was conducted in
association with ATREE which is to document the local biodiversity of Kerala and
to prepare a backyard biodiversity register book.
Main objective of our project is conservation and protection of biodiversity
around our campus. Around 120 different species were recorded and it was found that
we are facing an unprecedented biodiversity crisis that threatens the very future of
humanity. Species numbers have been collapsed around us, and once they go extinct,
they will be lost forever. While the issue of biodiversity loss is overwhelming and
hopeless, there are steps that every one of us can take to help. To safeguard our future,
we must protect biodiversity
Keywords: Campus biodiversity, conservation, documentation, global
biodiversity,biodiversity Crisis
INTRODUCTION
‘Biological diversity’ or biodiversity is that part of nature which includes the
differences in genes among the individuals of a species, the variety and richness of all
the plant and animal species at different scales in space, locally, in a region, in the
country and the world, and various types of ecosystems, both terrestrial and aquatic,
within a defined area. Therefore, preservation of biological resources is essential for
the wellbeing and the long term survival of mankind.Documentation of biodiversity is
a foundation of any conservation action. Biodiversity documentation is the process of
identifying/recording species of plants, animals, fungi, etc. in a given area such as a
prairie remnant by methods photography, sound recordings and collection of
voucher specimens such as pressed plant specimens or butterflies.
The studies of biodiversity have now assumed greater significance as ecologist
try seriously to document global biodiversity in the face of unprecedented
perturbations, habit loss and extinction rates. In view of this, we selected SN College
campus to examine the biodiversity around there. The project came from a citizen
science initiative of ATREE CERC named A Kerala BioBlitz which is to document
the local biodiversity of Kerala and to prepare a backyard biodiversity register book.
The role of Kerala BioBlitz in our project is that they help us to identify many species.

The study was restricted from January 2022-April 2022. The SN College is
situated in the SL Puram, Pokkalassery Road, Kanjikuzhy, S.L. Puram, Mararikulam,
15 km away from Alappuzha.
A VES (visual encounter survey) is one in which field personnel walk through an
area or habitat for a prescribed time period systematically searching for animals. Time
is expressed as the number of person-hours of searching in each area to be compared.
The VES is an appropriate technique for both inventory and monitoring studies. The
VES is used to determine the species richness of an area, to compile a species list
(species composition of an assemblage), and to estimate relative abundances of
species within an assemblage. This is the main method used in the study.
The fauna in the campus is critically surveyed in different localities of the campus.
Direct observation of animal species present around each of the building locations
were done. Aquatic and terrestrial vegetation around the college were observed.
Efforts were also taken to check area under green cover, various environment friendly
activities carried out by the institution, threat to the local biotic components,
awareness activities undertaken by the college, etc Digital photographs were taken for
some of the fauna. Mainly the observations were done in morning and evening for one
hour. The photographs were taken in mobile phones. Images of different species taken
are identified by their morphological characters and some are identified with the help
of India Biodiversity Portal (IBP) via, Kerala BioBlitz. This feature finds details of
any species that have been sighted and reported from any location.
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
The most unique feature of Earth is the existence of life, and the most
extraordinary feature of life is its diversity. Approximately 9 million types of plants,
animals, protists and fungi inhabit the Earth. So, too, do 7 billion people. Two
decades ago, at the first Earth Summit, the vast majority of the world’s nations
declared that human actions were dismantling the Earth’s ecosystems, eliminating
genes, species and biological traits at an alarming rate. This observation led to the
question of how such loss of biological diversity will alter the functioning of
ecosystems and their ability to provide society with the goods and services needed to
prosper. (Jones, C. G., Lawton, J. H. & Shachak, M. Organisms ,1994)
Human needs and actions have, and will continue to, extensively alter ecosystems
and biodiversity on a global scale (Vitousek, P.M., Mooney, H.A., Lubchenco, J. and
Melillo, J.M. ,1997). Predictions of changes in biodiversity, not only in marine, but
also terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems (Sala, O.E., Chapin, F.S., Armesto, J.J.,
Berlow, E., Bloomfield, 2000), have raised substantial concern over the consequences
of biodiversity loss on ecosystem processes and ecosystem function, which
subsequently affect the provision of ecosystem goods and services, and ultimately
affect human well-being.( Diaz, D., Fargione, J., Chapin, F.S. III and Tilman, D.,
2006)
The documentation and organization of biodiversity remains largely the task of

the systematics community (taxonomists, systematists, phylogeneticists) of
evolutionary biologists, whose work governs the rate of discovery and description on
which biodiversity inventories and conservation efforts depend. The tasks of this
community range from identifying the intraspecific taxonomic units that are important
for conservation (Waples 1991; Moritz 1994; Crandall et al. 2000) all the way to
disentangling branches of the tree of life that orient all biological
knowledge .(Cracraft and Donoghue 2004).
Our planet is losing biodiversity at unprecedented rate due to land-use change,
direct exploitation, climate change, pollution and the invasion of exotic
species(Cardinale et al., 2012; IPBES, 2019; Millennium Ecosystem Assessment,
20015: Tilman, 1999)
Biodiversity conservation is closely related to other global environmental changes
and globalization issues, such as climate change, land use and land cover change, and
sustainable development (Gude et al. 2007: Liu et al.2011). Over the last century
humans have been changing ecosystems more rapidly than in any comparable period
in history, as a result biodiversity or the variety of genes, species and ecosystems has
declined rapidly. (Balmford et al.2003).
SL COMMON
NO CLASS ORDER FAMILY GENUS SPECIES NAME
1 Insecta Lepidoptera Crambidae Diaphania indica Cotton
caterpillar
2 Insecta Lepidoptera Crambidae Ptychopseusti plumbeolineal Snout moth
s is
3 Insecta Lepidoptera Crambidae Udea rubigalis Greenhouse
leaftier
4 Insecta Lepidoptera Crambidae Uresiphita reversalis Sophora
worm
5 Insecta Lepidoptera Erebidae Amata phegea Nine spotted
moth
6 Insecta Lepidoptera Erebidae Lymantria dispar Gypsy moth
7 Insecta Lepidoptera Erebidae Orgyia antiqua Rusty tussock

moth
8 Insecta Lepidoptera Erebidae Sphrageidus similis Swan moth
9 Insecta Lepidoptera Geometridae Hyposidra talaca Black looper
10 Insecta Lepidoptera Notodontidae Thaumetopoe processionea Oak

a processionary
11 Insecta Lepidoptera Pyralidae Oncocera semirubella Prachtmot
12 Insecta Lepidoptera Pyralidae Plodia interpunctella Indian meal

moth
13 Insecta Lepidoptera Saturniidae Actias luna Luna moth
14 Insecta Lepidoptera Tortricidae Endothenia hebesana Verbena bud

moth
15 Insecta Lepidoptera Hesperiidae Hesperia comma Silver spotted
skipper
16 Insecta Lepidoptera Lycaenidae Rathinda amor Monkey
puzzle
17 Insecta Lepidoptera Lycaenidae Spalgis epius Apefly
18 Insecta Lepidoptera Nymphalidae Acraea serena Dancing

acraea
19 Insecta Lepidoptera Nymphalidae Acraea terpsicore Tawny coster
20 Insecta Lepidoptera Nymphalidae Hypolimnas misippus Danaid eggfly
21 Insecta Lepidoptera Papilionoidae Chilasa clytia Common

mime
22 Insecta Lepidoptera Papilionoidae Ypthima huebneri Common four

ring
23 Insecta Lepidoptera Pieridae Leptosia nina Psyche
24 Insecta Odonata Coenagrionidae Ischnura hastata Citrine

forktail
25 Insecta Odonata Libellulidae Acisoma panorpodies Trumpet tail
26 Insecta Odonata Libellulidae Brachydiplax chalybea Blue dasher
27 Insecta Odonata Libellulidae Brachythemis contaminata Ditch jewel
28 Insecta Odonata Libellulidae Diplacodes lefebvrii Black percher
29 Insecta Odonata Libellulidae Diplacodes trivialis Chalky

percher
30 Insecta Odonata Libellulidae Libellula saturata Flame
skimmer
31 Insecta Odonata Libellulidae Urothemis signata Greater
crimson
glider
32 Insecta Orthoptera Acrididae Acrida cinerea Chinese
grasshopper
33 Insecta Orthoptera Acrididae Acrida ungarica Cone-headed
grasshopper
34 Insecta Orthoptera Acrididae Chorthippus parallelus Meadow
grasshopper
35 Insecta Orthoptera Acrididae Dichromorph viridis Short-winged

a green
grasshopper
36 Insecta Orthoptera Acrididae Gomphocerip rufus Rufous
pus grasshopper
37 Insecta Orthoptera Acrididae Trimerotropis pallidipennis Pallid winged

grasshopper
38 Insecta Orthoptera Pyrgomorphidae Sphenarium purpurascens Corn-field
grasshopper
39 Insecta Orthoptera Acrididae Patanga succincta Bombay

locust
40 Insecta Orthoptera Acrididae Trimerotropis maritima Seaside locust
41 Insecta Coleoptera Coccinellidae Coccinella transversalis Transverse

ladybrid
42 Insecta Coleoptera Coccinellidae Harmonia axyridis Asian
ladybeetle
43 Insecta Coleoptera Coccinellidae Harmonia octomaculata Ladybird
44 Insecta Coleoptera Dermestidae Anthrenus scrophulariae Common

carpet beetle
45 Insecta Coleoptera Elateridae Agriotes sputator Common
click beetle
46 Insecta Coleoptera Scarabaeidae Strategus aloeus Ox beetle
47 Insecta Coleoptera Tenebrionidae Blapstinus histricus Darkling

beetle
48 Insecta Coleoptera Chrysomelidae Crioceris duodecimpunc Spotted
tata asparagus
beetle
49 Insecta Coleoptera Chrysomelidae Cassida circumdata Tortoise
beetle
50 Insecta Coleoptera Chrysomelidae Gastrophysa viridula Green dock
beetle
51 Insecta Coleoptera Scarabaeidae Maladera castanea Asiatic

garden beetle
52 Insecta Hymenoptera Crabronidae Sphecius speciosus Cicada killer
53 Insecta Hymenoptera Evaniidae Evania appendigaster Blue-eyed

ensign wasp
54 Insecta Hymenoptera Siricidae Sirex noctilio Wood wasp
55 Insecta Hymenoptera Sphecidae Chalybion californicum Common blue

mud dauber
56 Insecta Hymenoptera Sphecidae Podalonia luctuosa Thread
waisted wasp
57 Insecta Hymenoptera Sphecidae Sphex pensylvanicus Great black
wasp
58 Insecta Hymenoptera Vespidae Vespa orientalis Oriental

hornet
59 Insecta Hymenoptera Vespidae Vespula germanica German wasp
60 Insecta Hymenoptera Sphecidae Sceliphron curvatum Asian mud-

dauber wasp
61 Insecta Hymenoptera Apidae Xylocopa latipes Tropical
carpenter bee
62 Insecta Hymenoptera Formicidae Camponotus japonicus Japanese
carpenter ant
63 Insecta Hymenoptera Formicidae Camponotus cruentatus Carpenter ant
64 Insecta Hymenoptera Formicidae Oecophylla smaragdina Weaver ant
65 Insecta Hymenoptera Formicidae Solenopsis invicta Red imported

fire ant
66 Insecta Hymenoptera Formicidae Solenopsis geminata Fire ant
67 Arachnida Araneae Lycosidae Hogna radiata Wolf spider
68 Arachnida Araneae Oecobiidae Oecobius navus Wall spider
69 Arachnida Araneae Salticidae Menemerus bivittatus Gray wall

jumper
70 Arachnida Araneae Salticidae Menemerus semilimbatus Fairly big
jumping
spider
71 Arachnida Araneae Salticidae Platycryptus undatus Tan jumping
spider
72 Arachnida Araneae Salticidae Plexippus paykulli Jumping
spider
73 Arachnida Araneae Salticidae Plexippus petersi Small zebra
jumper
74 Arachnida Araneae Araneidae Argiope keyserlingi St Andrew's
cross spider
75 Arachnida Araneae Araneidae Argiope amoena Zipper spider
76 Arachnida Araneae Salticidae Hasarius adansoni Adanson's

house jumper
77 Arachnida Araneae Cheiracanthiida Cheiracanthiu mildei Northern

e m yellow sac
spider
78 Arachnida Araneae Pisauridae Dolomedes tenebrosus Dark fishing
spider
79 Insecta Diptera Asilidae Efferia albibarbis Robber fly
80 Insecta Diptera Asilidae Machimus atricapillus Robber fly
81 Insecta Diptera Bombyliidae Exoprosopa jacchus Silver bee-fly
82 Insecta Diptera Calliphoridae Calliphora vomitoria Blue bottle

fly
83 Insecta Diptera Drosophilidae Drosophila melanogaster Fruit fly
84 Insecta Diptera Ephydridae Hydrellia griseola Rice leaf

miner
85 Insecta Diptera Muscidae Musca domestica Housefly
86 Insecta Diptera Psychodidae Psychoda grisescens moth fly
87 Insecta Diptera Sarcophagidae Sarcophaga africa Flesh fly
88 Insecta Diptera Ulidiidae Euxesta pechumani Picture

winged fly
89 Insecta Diptera Culicidae Aedes aegypti Yellow fever
mosquito
90 Insecta Diptera Culicidae Aedes vittatus Bigot
91 Insecta Diptera Culicidae Aedes albopictus Asian tiger

mosquito
92 Insecta Orthoptera Gryllidae Acheta domesticus House cricket
93 Insecta Orthoptera Gryllidae Gryllodes sigillatus Tropical

house cricket
94 Insecta Orthoptera Gryllidae Gryllus campestris European

field cricket
95 Insecta Orthoptera Gryllotalpidae Gryllotalpa gryllotalpa European
mole cricket
96 Insecta Orthoptera Rhaphidophorid Diestrammen japanica Camel cricket
ae a
97 Insecta Orthoptera Tettigoniidae Phaneroptera falcata Sickle-
bearing bush-
cricket
98 Insecta Orthoptera Tridactylidae Xya pfaendleri Pygmy mole
cricket
99 Insecta Hemiptera Aphrophoridae Philaenus spumarius Meadow
spittlebug
100 Insecta Hemiptera Cicadellidae Aphrodes makarovi True bug
101 Insecta Hemiptera Cydnidae Sehirus cinctus White-

margined
burrower bug
102 Insecta Hemiptera Lygaeidae Nysius huttoni Wheat bug
103 Insecta Hemiptera Pentatomidae Halyomorpha halys Brown

marmorated
stink bug
104 Insecta Hemiptera Delphacidae Sogatella furcifera White-backed
planthopper
105 Insecta Hemiptera Cixiidae Cixius nervosus Planthoppers
106 Insecta Diptera Stratiomyidae Microchrysa polita Black-horned

gem
107 Insecta Hemiptera Cicadidae Cicada barbara Brown baker
108 Insecta Blattodea Blaberidae Pycnoscelus surinamensis Greenhouse

cockroach
109 Diplopoda Spirobolida Pachybolidae Xenobolus carnifex Millipede
110 Gastropoda Stylommatoph Helicidae Cornu aspersum Garden snail

ora
111 Actinoptery Cyprinodontif Aplocheilidae Aplocheilus panchax Blue panchax
gii ormes
112 Actinoptery Characiformes Characidae Paracheirodoninnesi Neon tetra
gii
113 Reptilia Squamata Agamidae Calotes versicolor Common
garden lizard
114 Reptilia Squamata Gekkonidae Cnemaspis littoralis Coastal day
gecko
115 Aves Columbiforme Columbidae Streptopelia risoria Barbary dove
s
116 Aves Passeriformes Corvidae Corvus macrorhyncho Jungle crow
s
117 Mammalia Carnivora Canidae Canis familiaris Dog
118 Mammalia Carnivora Felidae Felis catus Cat
119 Unidentified
Pontoscolex corethrurus Diaphania indica Udea rubigalis
Vespa orientalis Xylocopa latipes Machimus atricapillus
Acrida ungarica Coccinella transversalis Platycryptus undatus
Spinotarsus colosseus Achatina fulica Aplocheiluspanchax
Duttaphrynus melanostictus Calotes versicolor Streptopelia risoria
Felis catus Canis familiaris Unknown
CONCLUSION
The entire bio rich campus was surveyed to collect information of different fauna.
High diversity of animal species within the college vicinities are recorded. Around
120 different species are seen in the college. In the present investigation, a total of 96
insect species belonging to 55 families and 8 orders have been recorded and described.
A lot of spiders were noticed in different areas of college. The dragonflies are mainly
seen in the plants on the border of pond. Other vertebrates and invertebrates except
insets are less spotted around the college.
Several anthropogenic influence, like construction works in the college have been
involved in environmental modification. This construction works causes the habitat
loss. Habitat loss negatively influences biodiversity directly through its impact on
species abundance, genetic diversity, species richness, species distribution, and also
indirectly. Invasive alien species were entered and established in the environment
from outside of their natural habitat, are also one of the main causes of biodiversity
loss in college. In college, the inappropriate development is degrading the land, water,
and atmosphere, and progressively extinguishing a broad array of the Earth's
organisms and the habitats they inhabit. The fluctuations in the climatic conditions
were administrating the diversity and abundance of insect population. Sudden peak in
insect population of certain species followed by disappearance of the same, and
dominance of another was observed. Birds are also currently confronted with many
threats, the most important of which are habitat loss and deterioration.
Measures to protect the biodiversity of campus includes the protection of
microhabitats of insects which includes trees, grasslands, small ponds, etc.the fire to
grass should be controlled, no chemical pesticides should be used within the campus,
which helps to protect the butterfly,plantation of seed bearing and flowering plants,
the organic waste in the college campus is recycled in Vermicomposting units, reduce
the cutting of trees, place bird feeders throughout the grounds, restriction or marked
use of vehicles in campus area, which would avoid disturbance for bird diversity, the
green campus should be maintained through adequate tree plantation.
REFERENCES
1. Bharucha Erach, 2020.The Biodiversity of India, Mapin Publishing Pvt. Ltd.
Ahmedabad – 380013, India.
2. B. B. Hosetti,2002. Glimpses of biodiversity, Daya publishing house, New Delhi
3. The national geographic book, animal encyclopedia, 2012
4. NJ Scott ,1994. Standard Techniques for Inventory and Monitoring, Variation:

Biological diversity
5. handbook series. Washington, D.C: Smithsonian Institution Press
6. Sudha Premnathv, 2012.Journal of the Krishnamurti schools, Issue 4, Studies of

Biodiversity on Campus
Forensic Accounting – Role in Corporate Fraud Investigation in

India
Parvathy S
Assistant Professor,
Department of Commerce
Bishop Jesudasan CSI Arts & Science College,
Mulayara, Trivandrum
Email: parvathyparz@gmail.com
Abstract: Fraud is any activity that is undertaken to deceive a party. In India, fraud in
public and private sectors of the economy has been seen as one of the major factors of
the dwindling economy. Forensic Accounting is an area of study which specializes on
financial fraud investigation. A number of financial experts agree that there is an
inverse relationship between economic development and fraud & because of the
mindless obsession with profit maximization when carried to any extreme level can
lead to failures like WORLDCOM, SATYAM has extreme negative impact on the
survival and growth of any economic entity. A vast research work is needed for the
implementation of the forensic accounting and auditing in India. There are many
hindrances which hinder the use of forensic accounting in the general course of
accounting. This paper examines the techniques which have been used for the fraud
detection and also looks at the perceived level of effectiveness of the various fraud
prevention and detection methods used in India.
Keywords: Financial Fraud, Corporate scams, white collar crimes, financial
irregularity.
INTRODUCTION
Accounting is more than just maintaining financial transactions and
preparing reports on the transaction and books of accounts. It is also an accountant's
responsibility to ensure that there is no malpractice in the accounting process.
Whether internal or external, the auditing process is to verify if the company is
abiding by the accounting standards and to identify any accounting malpractices.
When fraud has been detected, the company usually takes the necessay legal action.
Forensic Accounting is an approach to accounting which utilizes accounting,
auditing and investigative skills to conduct an examination into the finances of
individual or business. George A. Manning in his book "Financial Investigation and
Forensic Accounting" defines Forensic Accounting as the science of gathering and
presenting financial information in a form that will be accepted by a court of
jurisprudence against perpetrators of economic crimes. It consists of two major
components:
a) In case of litigation, investigative skills of forensic accountant are used in
two ways, he can be called upon to give his expert opinion based on his
investigation and may require possible courtroom testimony.
b) Forensic accountant's investigative skills are required for collecting,
analyzing, and evaluating financial evidence, as well as the ability to identify,
interpret and communicate findings.
Forensic accountants analyze financial records and accounts that may be used as
legal evidence and often testify in court cases as expert witnesses. They may work on
cases such as fraud and embezzlement and explain the nature of a financial crime in
court. The work done by a forensic accountant is far more detailed and in depth than
that of an auditor. This paper attempts a look into the major financial frauds
committed in India and how forensic accounting can help in identifying the financial
frauds
Literature Review
Bhasin (2007) finds that the services of forensic accountants are in great demand in
the areas which include criminal investigation, settlement of outgoing partner;
settlement of insurance claims, detection of employee fraud and case relating to
professional negligence.
Arokiasamy and Cristal-Lee, (2009) Dhar and Sarkar, 2010)studied that from an
auditor’s perspective, forensic accounting deals with the application of auditing
methods, techniques or procedures to resolve legal issues that require the integration
of investigative, accounting, and auditing skills
Mazumder (2011) remarked that law enforcement personnel in recent years have
become more aware of white-collar crimes and have lacked the training and expertise
in combating such crimes. They are better trained at combating violent or personal
behavior crimes, but now it has the responsibility to expand its knowledge and
expertise into the economic crimes area.
Objectives
1. To know the types of Financial and Corporate Frauds.
2. To understand the significance of forensic accounting by examining various
scams in India.
3. To examine the services rendered by Forensic Accountants.
4. To examine the techniques used by forensic accountants in investigating
corporate frauds and scams.
Methodology
This paper and study is based on secondary data and few prominent cases of
financial fraud in the corporate sector have been discussed. The study is a theoretical
analysis of the role of forensic accountant who keeps a watchful eye on the financial
operation of the firms to minimize the occurrences of financial frauds. However,
forensic accounting covers a wide range of operations of which fraud examination is a
small part where it is most prevalent. For the purpose of the study, scams were
selected which are political, financial, corporate etc. Entries are arranged in
chronological order.
Types of Frauds
Frauds are usually not exhaustive as fraudsters use new methods each time. As
technology is advancing, fraudsters are able to perpetrate a fraud in a variety of ways.
Corporate fraud can be classified as:
Financial Statement Fraud: Such types of frauds are committed intentionally by

misstatements or omissions of amounts or in disclosures of financial statements.
These frauds involve manipulation, falsification, or alteration of accounting records or
supporting documents from which financial statements are prepared. According to a
study conducted by the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, fraudulent financial
statements, as compared with the other forms of fraud perpetrated by corporate
employees, usually have a higher dollar impact on the victimized entity as well as a
more negative impact on shareholders and the investing public (THOMAS W.
GOLDEN,2006).
Banking and insurance Fraud: These types of frauds are also popular. It’s illegal
means to receive money or assets from any bank or financial institution. It is as
considered being a white collar crime. Bogus health, insurance claims, business
insurance claims and fraudulent bankruptcies are common types of frauds in this
area.
Employee Fraud:This type of fraud involves the theft of cash or inventory, skimming
revenues, payroll fraud, and embezzlement etc. Some examples of frauds that
employees commit to benefit themselves may be as:
 Embezzlement of the money during its collection but before it is recorded in
accounts.
 Creating fictitious debts and having payments done in favor of oneself.
 Inventory and scrap theft.
 Office supplies and fixed asset theft.
 Creating fictitious expenses and obtaining disbursements.
 Creating ghost employees and embezzling their wages/salaries.
 Accepting bribes from the customers and suppliers of the business with various
reasons.
 Manipulating the overtime periods and obtaining extra payment.
 Selling business assets under the market value.
Cyber Frauds: These are the frauds committed using the Internet and electronic
transactions. Fraudsters are using technology in a variety of ways to commit frauds.
These may be creation of false or misleading information in accounting records. Most
accounting software systems allow users to have specific access to only certain
aspects of the system. However, unauthorized access and password sharing is another
area by which fraudsters have access on company’s sensitive information. This is a
potential threat to organizations.
Scams in India
According to the Association of Certified Fraud Examiner’s “Report to the
Nations 2016” India ranks second in terms of victim organizations reporting the cases
and, India ranks 84 out of 180 countries in terms of corruption as per the report by
Transparency International, a UK-based anti-corruption organization. A joint Grant
Thornton and ASSOCHAM survey conducted in 2015 revealed that cases of financial
fraud have risen in India over the last few years and has become one of the main
factors deterring foreign companies from investing in India.
India has witnessed hundreds of scams since independence like–Haridas Mundhra
(1957), Nagarwala (1971), Antulay and cement (1982), Bofors (1989), Harshad
Mehta (1992), palmolein oil imports in Kerala (1992), Telgi (1995), SNC Lavalin in
Kerala (1995), Sukhram and telecom (1996), fodder in Bihar (1996), Jain hawala
(1997), Ketan Parekh (2001), the Barak missile (2001), Kargil coffins (2002), the Taj
corridor (2003), the PDS scam in Arunachal (2004), oil for food (2005), Scorpene
submarine deal (2006), stamp papers (2005), cash for votes (2008), Satyam (2008),
Madhu Koda and mining (2009), 2GSpectrum Scam (2010), Commonwealth Games
(2010), Adarsh Housing Society (2010), housing loans by banking and financial
institutions (2010), Belekiri port in Karnataka (2010), foodgrains in Uttar Pradesh
(2010) and Bellary mines (2011), Coal Allocation Scam (Coalgate), Chopper deal
Scam (2012), Sharadha Group Financial Scam (2013) which have adversely affected
development of the corporate and non corporate sectors. For the purpose of this paper
some scams from the year 2000 are provided as follows:
Scam/Fraud Loss Fraud details

Suffered
UTI Scam of ₹4800cr The UTI scam involved US-64 scheme which was
2001 meant to channel the funds of small investors into
instruments bearing high returns. UTI Chairman, P.S.
Subramanyam along with a few executive directors,
duped lakhs of small investors through false
propaganda, while allowing windfall profits to the
handful of big corporate who had invested in UTI.
Ketan Parekh ₹1250cr Ketan Parekh created a trading ring of his own and
Security Market identified a number of stocks (popularly called the K-
Scam of 2001 10), and took up huge positions in these. For this
purpose, he used a large number of Benami accounts
and traded in smaller stock exchanges. He also
borrowed heavily from banks by pledging shares as
collateral security when their prices were high
UP Food Grains ₹35,000cr Food which the government purchased to give to the
Scam of 2003 poor for the public distribution system and other
special schemes for those below poverty line (BPL)
was sold off by nearly 150 government officials to
private entities in open market, while in the
government records, the stocks were shown as
distributed among the target population.
IPO Scam of - A number of corporate stock brokers such as Karvy
2004 and Indiabulls, were involved in the IPO scam. The
operators opened thousands of fake DEMAT
accounts to purchase shares in IPOs, in the hope of
selling later at huge profits. Many provisions of SEBI
guidelines were not followed by depository. This
obviously has bought the role of Depository System
in question.
Satyam Scam of ₹140000cr Inflated figures of cash & bank balance, operating
2008 profit artificially boosted from 61 crores to 649
crores, fictitious names of employees
2G Spectrum ₹1,75,000cr This scam shows the worst use of power, as a
Scam of 2010 collusion of businessmen, journalists and political
leaders. While awarding 2G spectrum licenses,
License were issued on first cum first serve basis

instead of auction resulting heavy loss to
government. Then telecom minister A. Raja was
accused of conniving with telecom companies,
extending cutoff date and issuing licenses with
irregularities
Common ₹35,000cr Allegations of corruptions and mismanagement by
Wealth Games the organizing committee chairman Suresh
Scam of 2010 Kalmadi,delay in the construction of main venue
leading to misuse of funds, infrastructural
compromise, hefty payments made in the name of
nonexisting parties
Coal Gate scam 1,86,800Cr Govt of India alloced coal blocks in an inefficient
of 2012 manner without competitive bidding process leading
to windfall gain to allottees who were the politicians
and big corporate.
VVIP Chopper ₹3620 cr It has been alleged that former IAF chief has
Deal Scam of accepted bribes to win contract worth Rs. 36 billion.
2013 Two Indian firms played key role in the controversy.
(Augusta
westland
Chopper Scam)
Vijay Mallya - ₹9,000cr In 2016, Mallya absconded the country and sought
Kingfisher refuge in the UK after he was accused of fraud and
Fraud of 2016 money laundering in the country. Vijay
Mallya allegedly owes various banks over Rs 9000
crores, which he'd taken as a loan to keep his now
defunct Kingfisher airlines from failing. He was
recently declared a fugitive economic offender under
the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act.
Nirav Modi ₹11,400cr This fraud reportedly took place through Punjab
PNB Bank National bank’s Brady house brand. Not just Nirav
Fraud of 2018 Modi, his uncle Mehul Choksi and two senior PNB
officials were also involved in this fraud. In 2018,
PNB filed a case with CBI accusing Nirav Modi and
the companies he was connected to of obtaining
Letters of Undertaking (LoUs) from PNB without
paying up the margin amount against loans. This
meant that if those companies failed to pay the loan,
PNB would have had to pay the amount.
Forensic accounting has played a major role in all the above scams. It has been
used as an investigative tool (rather than a preventive tool) where the documents
pertaining to the scams are sent to the forensic laboratory. Many scams could have
been detected and prevented in the early stages if forensic auditing is made mandatory
in India
Services Rendered by Forensic Accountant

1. Fraud detection when employees commit Fraud: When employees make any
fraudulent activities then it is a case of fraud committed by employees. In such
situation forensic accounting need arise. The forensic accountant use their skills
and trying to find out the secret truth.
2. Detect fraud in criminal matters: Forensic Accountant render their services as
an investigator inthe field of criminal matters. Many criminal and white collar
crimes are investigated by forensic accountant for the purpose of civil and
criminal actions. Different investigation department and law society take help of
forensic accountant.
3. Fraud related to professional negligence: In India there are some principles and
standards which provide a base for preparing financial statements. Mostly
corporate made frauds in this area. Forensic accountants keep eye on these
practice and accounting principles. They also detect frauds in auditing practices
and ethical codes.
4. Detection and settlement of Insurance Claims: Forensic Accounting engaged
in settlement of Insurance claim. Forensic accountant handles different claims
like loss policy matter, poverty loss due to various risks and other type of
insurance claims. When the policy holder challenge the claim settlement as
worked out by the insurance company then policy holder take help of forensic
accountant.
5. Dispute Settlement: Multiple problems have been introduced in growing
business trade. Sobusiness firms engage forensic accountants to handle and solve
these types of matters like construction claims, contract disputes, trade mark
cases etc.
Techniques Adopted by Forensic Accountants to Identify Frauds
a) Benford's Law: It is a mathematical tool to determine whether variable under
study is a case of errors or frauds. Use of parametric test called the Z test is
carried to measure the significance of variance between two populations i.e.
Benford's percentage numbers for first digit and observed percentage of first digit
for a particular level of confidence. Benford's Law is not affected by scale
invariance and is of help when there is no supporting document to prove the
authenticity of transactions.
b) Theory of relative size factor: It highlights all unusual fluctuations, which may
be routed from fraud or genuine errors. RSF is measured as the ratio of the largest
number to the second largest number of the given set. In practice there exists
certain limit (e.g. financial) for each entity such as vendor, customer, employee,
etc. These limits may be defined or analyzed from the available data- if not
defined. If there is any stray instance of that is way beyond the normal range,
then there is a need to investigate further into it.
c) Data Mining Techniques: It is a set of assisted techniques designed to
automatically mine large volumes of data for new, hidden or unexpected
information or patterns. Data mining techniques are categorized in three ways:
Discovery, Predictive modeling and Deviation and Link analysis. It discovers the
usual knowledge or patterns in data, without a predefined idea or hypothesis
about what the pattern may be i.e. without any prior knowledge of fraud.It
explains association, trends and variations. In predictive modeling, patterns
discovered from the database are used to predict the outcome and to guess data
for new value items. In Deviation analysis the norm is found first, and then those
items are detected that deviate from the usual within a given threshold (to find
anomalies by extracted patterns). Link discovery has emerged recently for
detecting a suspicious pattern. This method involves "pattern matching"
algorithm to 'extract' any rare or suspicious cases.
d) Ratio Analysis: Another useful fraud detection technique is the calculation of
data analysis ratios for key numeric fields. Like financial ratios that give
indications of the financial health of a company, data analysis ratios report on the
fraud health by identifying possible symptoms of fraud. Using ratio analysis, a
financial expert studies relationships between costs and some measures of
production, such as units sold, dollar of sales or direct labor hours.
CONCLUSION
India has already faced substantial losses due to rapid increase in white-collar
crimes and the belief that our law enforcement agencies do not have sufficient
expertise or the time needed to uncover frauds. Moreover, the Forensic Accounting is
in an infancy state in India. But due to ever increasing cases of bank & cyber frauds
its growing importance cannot be denied. In the emerging economic scenario, given
the pervasiveness of fraud and the necessity of special skills in order to uncover fraud,
it becomes important to train forensic accountants – and colleges and universities
have an important role to play. International bodies like the CFA Institute have
included forensic auditing into its curriculumICAI should also formulate an
accounting standard on Forensic Accounting so that Forensic Accountant helps the
law enforcement agencies and regulatory bodies in curbing white-collar and financial
scams.
KPNG has set up an investigation detection centre in India. Networks Limited, a
Delhi based organization, working in the similar field, they are also trying to innovate
ways and means to detect financial irregularities and crimes in India. Serious
Investigation Fraud Offices(SIFO), has been established in India for the same reason,
i.e. detection and prevention of economic irregularities and crimes. The need for such
bodies and the importance of Forensic Accountants have been highlighted by
L.N.RoyCommittee, Lenin Parekh Committee has also expressed the view that one
"fraud detection committee" need to be established. The main aim of such boards
should be to prevent the interest of the stakeholders.
REFERENCES
1. https://www.investopedia.com/terms/f/forensicaccounting.asp
2. https://www.gqindia.com/get-smart/content/vijay-mallya-pnb-nirav-modi-10-
biggest-scams-in-india-that-sucked-the-country-dry-of-money.
3. Bhasin, M.L. (2007) ‘Forensic Accounting and Auditing – Perspectives and
Prospects’, Accounting World Magazine.
4. Mazumder, Mohammed. (2011). Forensic Accounting – An Investigative
Approach of Accounting. SSRN Electronic Journal. 10.2139/ssrn.1864346.
5. Arokiasamy, L., and Cristal-Lee. S. (2009). Forensic Accounting: Public
Acceptance towards Occurrence of Fraud Detection. International Journal of
Business and Management, 145-160
6. Wadhwa, L., & Pal, V. (2012). Forensic Accounting and Fraud Examination in
India. International Journal of Applied Engineering Research
7. Sana Moid (2016).Application of Forensic Accounting to Investigate Scams in
India. MIJBR - MITS International Journal of Business Research Vol III, Issue
1m pp 24-31
8. Yadav, S., & Yadav, S. (2013). Forensic Accounting: A New Dynamic Approach
To Investigate Fraud Cases. EXCEL International Journal of Multidisciplinary
management Studies , 3 (7).
Effect Of Green Synthesised Silver Nanoparticles on Germination

and Growth of Allium parvum
Anju T R1,*, Ashly Babu2, Divyaja Shaji2, Hiba Fathim S2
1
Department of Biotechnology,
2
Department of Botany and Biotechnology,
Newman College, Thodupuzha, Kerala
*
Email:anjutr@newmancollege.ac.in
Abstract: The advancement in nanotechnology has resulted in an exponential
increase in the synthesis of nanoparticles like silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and its
wide spread use. This in turn, resulted in an increased leaching of these particles to
the ecosystem, especially soil, from various industrial and household wastes. The
alarming consequence of this cycle lies in the extent of toxicity that can be
contributed by chemically synthesised NPs. In this study, we targeted a green
synthesis protocol for AgNP preparation using the whole leaf extracts of Aloe vera L.
and evaluated its effect on seed germination and growth of Allium parvum. The
formation of AgNPs using A. vera whole leaf extract was confirmed by visual and
UV- spectroscopic analysis. Our study showed that there is no significant variation in
germination percentage between seeds grown in presence of water (control) and green
synthesised AgNPs with 100% germination on day 3. Interestingly, the growth
parameters indicated a slight decrease in the root length of green synthesised AgNP
group on day 5, which can be attributed to the slight variation in initial germination
time between the groups. Seeds grown in presence of the A.vera extract alone also
showed similar germination and rooting pattern as that of control. Thus, the positive
effects of green synthesised AgNPs on germination and growth might be partially due
to the presence of the phyto-components in the plant extract. Even though
phtotoxicity due to AgNPs are widely reported in many plant species, the production
and use of these NPs cannot be replaced easily. In this context, our study opens the
possibility for a safer option for AgNP preparation.
Keywords: green synthesis, silver nanoparticles, Allium parvum
INTRODUCTION
Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are nanosize (1-100 nm) particles of silver with
unique physiochemical and biological properties which makes them suitable for
various industrial applications with high commercial potential (Chaloupka et al.,
2010). Since early 2000s, the applications of AgNP in food and agriculture industry
have been reported; and hundreds of commercial agricultural products with AgNP
have been marketed (He et al., 2019). It is estimated that by the coming years the
AgNP application in food and beverage industry will increase many
folds. Consequently, AgNP will be released into the environment and the majority
will get accumulated in the terrestrial environment. This will pose critical adverse
effects on the ecosystem and agriculture. The adverse effects of AgNP to crop plants
were investigated by many researchers and possible mechanisms of adverse effects
were reported as Ag intake, metabolic and proteomic response upon AgNP exposure
etc (Mahakham et al., 2017; Anju et al., 2022). This information provides a reference
to design the sustainable strategies for synthesising metal nanoparticles for its use in
industrial products in an environment friendly manner.
Metallic NPs are routinely synthesised by different chemical methods; which pose
the serious issue of being toxic and less eco friendly (Popesco et al., 2010). There was
an intense need for the development of cleaner and safer methods for NP synthesis.
This pave way to green synthesis which utilizes microorganisms (Natarajan et
al., 2010; Vigneshwaran et al., 2007; Kowshik et al., 2002) and plant extracts
(Willner et al., 2006) for the reduction of silver to silver nanoparticles. The major
disadvantage of the use of microbial source is the maintenance of aseptic conditions,
high cost of isolation, and their maintenance in culture media due to which plants
promise to be excellent sources for reducing agents for the synthesis of nanoparticles.
There are numerous examples of AgNPs synthesis from diverse plant sources,
like (He et al., 2013; Sathishkumar et al., 2009). In the present study we targeted a
plant of known antibacterial, antioxidant and medicinal properties for the green
synthesis of AgNP. The present study used the leaf extract of Aloe vera as the
reducing and stabilising agent for green synthesis of silver nanoparticles and
evaluated the impact of AgNPs synthesised using green protocol on seed germination
and plant growth capabilities of Allium parvum. The study will help in understanding
the potential of green synthesised nanoparticles in sustainable agriculture practices.

Preparation of Aloe vera Leaf Extract
The preparation of leaf extract was carried out as per the protocol of Khan et
al., 2017 with slight modifications. Fresh Aloe vera leaves were collected and rinsed
many times with distilled water to remove dirt particles and cut into small pieces. 20 g
Aloe leaves was crumpled and shredded with a glass rod and after adding 200 ml
sterilized distilled it is boiled for 20 min. After cooling the extract, it was filtered
through Whatman filter paper and leaf extract was collected.
Preparation of Silver Nanoparticles
1 mM AgNO3 solution was added to 20mL of the leaf extract drop by drop with
continuous stirring. After that, 20 drops of 1% ammonia solution was added and
shaken. The reduction of silver ions by the liquid plant extract, as well as the
production of stable silver nanoparticles, resulted in a gray-black colour. The
preparation procedure followed the earlier protocol of Khan et al., 2017 with slight
modification.
Confirmation and Characterization of the Silver Nanoparticles
The confirmation of AgNPs formation by the reduction of Ag+ to Ag0 was
confirmed by the colour change of solution from colourless to brown. Further the
characterisation was done by reading the absorption peak using a UV–Vis
spectrophotometer.
Measurement of Seed Germination and Root Growth.
Healthy seeds of Allium parvum were surface sterilized and was incubated in
presence of water (control), chemically synthesised AgNP and green synthesised
AgNPs on a rotary shaker 25 ± 1 °C for 1 h. The seeds were then transferred to sterile
filters kept on petri dish (3 seeds per dish) and incubated under standard conditions of
temperature and light for germination.
Seeds germinated showed a radicle extension of ≥ 3 mm and the final germination

percentage (GP) was calculated as follows:
GP = Ng/Nt × 100
where Ng is a total number of germinated seeds and Nt is a total number of seeds

evaluated. The seedling germination capability was further examined by measuring
the root growth. The spectrum was plotted in Origin software.

Green Synthesis of AgNPs from Aloe vera Leaf Extract
Green synthesis of silver nanoparticles was carried out in the present study using
Aloe vera leaf extract. Bioreduction of silver ions into AgNP after addition of aqueous
Aloe vera leaf extract was confirmed with change in colour. Initially, after addition of
aqueous extract, the colour was pale yellow; with the increase in incubation time the
colour changed from pale yellow to light brown. The setup was incubated in dark
chamber to minimise photo-activation of silver nitrate at room temperature. The
colour change from colourless to brown confirms the reduction of silver ions (Fig. 1).
The colour change clearly indicates the formation of AgNP from the extract. Here, the
phytocomponents present in the plant extract acts as the reductant which converts
Ag+ ions to metallic silver and crosslinks and stabilises Ag0 to AgNPs.
Figure 1: Colour change of Aloe vera leaf extract during the synthesis of AgNP
The spectrum analysis of the AgNP formed using UV Visible spectrophotometer

showed a strong excitation peak near 470nm (Fig. 2) corresponding to the surface
Plasmon resonance of metallic silver. This confirms the formation of AgNP.
Figure 2: UV- Visible spectra of green synthesised AgNPs
Effect of AgNPs on Seed Germination Capability and Root Growth
The effect of chemically synthesised and green synthesized AgNPs on

germination of Allium parvum seeds was monitored. Under standard conditions,
control seeds showed 100% germination on the second day of incubation itself. The
use of green synthesised AgNPs also showed 100% germination on day 3 (Table 1;
Fig. 3A and 3B).
The influence of NPs on plant cells is intricate with varying effects. The same
type of nanomaterial have shown different biological impacts (Hatami, 2017; Yan &
Chen, 2019; Pacheco et al., 2017). Nanoparticles were reported to have both positive
and negative impact on plant growth. One of the most studied methods of identifying
the effect of nanoparticles on plant growth is the assessment of germination capability
of seeds (Pacheco et al., 2017). In the present study, it was observed that the green
synthesised AgNPs have no significant adverse effect on the germinating capability of
an edible plant Allium parvum. The phytocomponents in plants like flavonoids and
polyphenols are antioxidant molecules produced by plants and are involved in
protection against stresses by mediating detoxification reactions, acting as metal
chelators and participating in ROS scavenging through peroxidases (Thiruvengadam
et al., 2015; Homaee & Ehsanpour, 2016). In green synthesised AgNPs, the silver ions
are reduced and stabilised by phytocomponents in the leaf extract which might have
conferred the positive impact of biologically synthesised AgNPs.
The root growth was analysed by measuring the length of root formation on day 5
of experiment. Interestingly, the growth parameters indicated a slight decrease in the
root length of green synthesised AgNP group on day 5 (Table 1), which can be
attributed to the slight variation in initial germination time between the groups. Seeds
grown in presence of the A.vera extract alone also showed similar germination and
rooting pattern as that of control. Thus, the positive effects of green synthesised
AgNPs on germination and growth might be partially due to the presence of the
phyto-components in the plant extract. Even though phtotoxicity due to AgNPs are
widely reported in many plant species, the production and use of these NPs cannot be
replaced easily. In this context, our study opens the possibility for a safer option for
AgNP preparation.
Figure 3A: Germination percentage of experimental groups of Allium parum
Figure 3B: Germination of Allium Parvum seeds on day 5 with control (water),
Aloe vera leaf extract and green synthesised AgNP
Table 1: Germination percentage and root length of experimental groups of

Allium parvum
Experimental group Percentage of seeds Length of root on day 5

germinated (cm)
Day 1 Day 2 Day 3
Control (water) 0 100 100 3.5
Aloe vera leaf extract 0 33 100 3.5

alone
Green synthesised 0 0 100 0.9

AgNP
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, a simple and safe process is utilized for the synthesis of silver
nanoparticles by using the Aloe vera leaf extract extract. The extracts act as a
reducing agent for nanoparticles synthesis. No chemical reagent or surfactant template
is required in the process, which consequently established the bioprocess with the
advantage of being environmentally friendly. The evaluation of the effect of green
synthesised AgNPs on seed germination and root growth showed promising results
for development of a suitable AgNP synthesis route without deleterious
environmental hazards for future use.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The authors acknowledge Newman College, Thodupuzha for providing the
infrastructural facilities to conduct the work. This work was supported by the
financial assistance from DBT, Govt. of India under DBT Star College Scheme to
Newman College, Thodupuzha, Kerala
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nanoproduct in biomedical applications. Trends Biotechnol 28:580–588
2. He X, Deng H, Hwang H-M. (2019) The current application of nanotechnology
in food and agriculture. J Food Drug Anal. 27(1):1–21.
3. Mahakham W, Theerakulpisut P, Maensiri S, Phumying S, Sarmah AK. (2016)

Environmentally benign synthesis of phytochemicals-capped gold nanoparticles
as nanopriming agent for promoting maize seed germination. Science of the Total
Environment. 573: 1089–1102
4. Anju TR, Parvathy S, Mohanan VV, Rosemary J, Ansalna TH, Shahzabanu MM,
Devika S. (2021) Green synthesis of silver nanoparticles from Aloe vera leaf
extract and its antimicrobial activity. Materials Today: Proceedings. 43 (6): 3956-
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5. Popesco M. Valea A. Lorinczi A. (2010) Biogenic production of
nanoparticles. Dig. J. Nanomater. Bios. 5: 1035 –1040
6. Natarajan K, Selvaraj S, Murty VR. (2010) Microbial production of silver
nanoparticles. Dig J Nanomater Biostruct. 5(1):135–40.
7. Vigneshwaran N et al. (2007) Biological synthesis of silver nanoparticles using
the fungus Aspergillus flavus. Mater Lett. 61(6):1413–8.
8. Kowshik M et al. (2002) Extracellular synthesis of silver nanoparticles by a
silver-tolerant yeast strain MKY3. Nanotechnology. 14(1):95.
9. Willner I. Baron R. Willner B (2006) Growing metal nanoparticles by enzymes
Adv. Mater. 18: 1109 –1120
10. Sathishkumar M, et al. (2009) Cinnamon zeylanicum bark extract and powder
mediated green synthesis of nano-crystalline silver particles and its bactericidal
activity. Colloids Surf B: Biointerfaces. 73(2):332–8.
11. Khan A et al (2017) Novel synthesis and characterization of silver nanoparticles
from leaf aqueous extract of Aloe vera and their anti-microbial activity. J Nanosci
Nano-Technol 1:103
12. Hatami M. (2017) Stimulatory and inhibitory effects of nanoparticulates on seed

germination and seedling vigor indices. In Nanoscience and Plant-Soil Systems;
Ghorbanpour, M., Manika, K., Varma, A., Eds. Springer International Publishing:
New York, NY, USA, pp. 357–385
13. Yan A, Chen Z. (2019) Impacts of silver nanoparticles on plants: A focus on the
phytotoxicity and underlying mechanism. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 20: 1003
14. Pacheco I, Buzea C. (2017) Nanoparticle interactions with plants. In Nanoscience

and Plant-Soil Systems; Ghorbanpour, M., Manika, K., Varma, A., Eds.; Springer
International Publishing: New York, NY, USA, pp. 323–355.
15. Thiruvengadam M, Gurunathan S, Chung IM. (2015). Physiological, metabolic,

and transcriptional effects of biologically-synthesized silver nanopartciles in
turnip (Brassica rapa ssp. rapa L.). Protoplasma 252: 1031–1046
16. Homaee MB, Ehsanpour AA. (2016) Silver nanoparticles and silver ions:
Oxidative stress responses and toxicity in potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) grown
in vitro. Hortic. Environ. Biotechnol. 57: 544–553
Impact of Non-Performing Assets Upon Profitability of State

Bank of India
Sonet Simon*, Rose V. J
PG Department of Commerce & Research
Vimala College (Autonomous), Thrissur,
*
Email:sonetsimonsonu@gmail.com
Abstract: Banking is considered as the axis on which the whole economy spins. A
strong banking Sector is required for the smooth operation of an economy. In the past
decade, Non-Performing Assets have long been one of the most visible and
frightening issue that have shaken the whole banking industry around the world.
India’s NPA’s are increasing year by year hitting its maximum in March 2018 and
currently showing a decreasing trend slightly. There are many impacts that are caused
by non-performing assets and the major impact is on the profitability of the bank.
Like any other business banks also focuses on increasing the profitability and also
maximising shareholders value. It has been argued that public sector banks, especially
State Bank of India contributes more to India’s NPA. This study aims to find out
whether there is any significant relationship between net profits and level of NPA and
also the impact of NPA on earnings per share (EPS) and return on assets (ROA). The
study is based on secondary data collected from annual reports of State Bank of India
for a period from March 2018 to March 2022. Regression analysis is used to find out
the relationship and nature of relationship existing between NPA, net profits, EPS and
ROA.
Key words: Non-Performing Assets (NPA), Profitability, Earnings Per Share (EPS),
Return on Assets (ROA)
INTRODUCTION
The economic future of the country is wholly dependent on banking sector. As
said by Manish Kapoor in his study ‘Non-Performing Assets of Public Sector Banks
in India’, “the three letters strike terror in banking sector and business circle today-
NPA, the short form of non-performing assets, shows the signs of persistent bank of
hitherto developmental policies”. Like any other business banks should be profitable,
but in recent decades the profits of banks are eaten up by NPA’s.
The concept of NPA came into existence with the recommendation of the
Narasimham Committee in the year 1992-1993. As per committee recommendation
NPA is defined as a loan asset which has stopped to generate any income for a bank
whether in the form of interest repayment or principle repayment. In order to adopt
international practices and to ensure more transparency, it was decided to adopt the 90
days overdue norms for identification of NPA’s.
According to RBI’s financial report, statistics shows that the banks total NPA fell
to 5.97 as a percentage of total advances in financial tear 2021 – 2022, which hits its
peak in March 2018 with a total NPA at 11.5% of gross advances. Even though
NPA’s fell in recent years, India is still in the second largest position in its NPA in the
world.
It has been argued as a problem that the problem relates to public sector banks
because they have disproportionate share of NPA. State Bank of India topped the list,
with its bad loans rising to 1.27 lakh crores as of March 2022.
Objectives
1. To study the trend of gross and net NPA during 2018-2022
2. To identify the impact of NPA’s on profitability, Return on Assets (ROA) and
Earnings Per Share (EPS) of State Bank of India.
Hypothesis
 H: NPA has no significant impact on net profit.
 H: NPA has no significant impact on return on assets.
 H: NPA has no significant impact on earnings per share.
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
This study is based on secondary data collected from annual reports of State Bank
of India and RBI reports. The data collected were analysed with the help of statistical
tools correlation and regression to identify the relationship and nature of relationship
between the variables. Here non-performing asset (NPA) is the independent variable
and net profit, return on assets and earnings per share are the dependent variables.
This study aims to find out the impact of NPA on above recognised dependent
variables in the period March 2018 to March 2022.
Ahmed (2013) investigated the management of non-performing assets in commercial
banks using evidence from the Indian banking sector. The main objective was to study
the asset portfolio of commercial banking groups in India and the nature & growth of
NPA over these years. Relevant data were collected from secondary sources for
periods from 2000 to 2009. He argued that increasing a bank's NPA would reduce its
financial health in terms of profitability, liquidity, and economies of scale, while
managing the NPA would challenge the resilience of the bank.
Das & Dutta (2014) undertook a study on the distressed assets of Indian public sector
banks. The researchers explained that non-performing assets are a pressing issue for
public sector banks as the management and control of NPA’s is of great importance.
The primary objective of the study was to examine whether there was a significant
difference in the average volatility of the banks involved. The paper also focuses on
the rationale behind the NPA and its impact on banking. Using secondary data from
the RBI website, this paper uses ANOVA statistics and SPSS software to analyse this
six-year (2008-2013) the data. The researchers found a significant variation of among
the NPA’s mean of public sector banks.
Chellasamy P.et.al (2018), The purpose of this study was to measure the relationship
between NPA and profitability for selected banks and to determine the impact of NPA
on the net income of selected banks. The study applied correlation analysis to measure
the relationship and regression analysis to determine the impact of NPA on

profitability. The study found that NPAs had a significant impact on the net income of
some public sector banks during the study period.
B. Senthil Arasu, et.al (2019), aims to understand the level of non-performing assets
(NPA) and its impact on banks profitability. It found that both public and private
banks gradually increased their gross and net NPAs during the period April 2014 to
March 2019. The study revealed a significant negative relationship between NPA and
return on assets (ROA) for public and private sector banks. The study recommends
that regulators and respective banking officials to take necessary steps to reduce
NPAs and improve recovery mechanisms.
Analysis and Discussion

The analysis revealed that non-performing assets of State Bank of India is
currently shows a decreasing trend and profitability, return on assets and earnings per
share of the bank has increased during the relevant study period as shown in Table 1
below. The following chart 1 shows the graphical representation of the same.
TABLE 1: Summary of Data
Net Net
% of Net Return on Diluted
Year NPA Profits
NPA Assets % EPS.
(in Cr.) (in Cr.)
2018 110854.7 5.73 -6547.45 -0.19 -7.67
2019 65894.74 3.01 862.23 0.02 0.097
2020 51871.3 2.23 14,488.11 0.38 16.23
2021 36809.72 1.5 20,410.47 0.48 22.87
2022 27965.71 1.02 31,675.98 0.74 35.49
Source: SBI annual reports from 2018-2022
TABLE 2
Correlation Analysis
Variable Correlation
Net profit -.932
Return on Asset -.944
EPS -.928
Source : computed data
Table 2 shows the correlation between net NPA and EPS, net profit and return on
assets of State Bank of India. From the above it is evident that there is high negative
correlation between NPA and other variables analysed. As NPA decreases, the
profitability, return on assets and earnings per share of SBI is increasing and vice
versa.
TABLE 3
Linear Regression Analysis
Variables R R 2 Adjusted Coefficients t Sig.

R2
Beta
Net profit .932 .869 .825 -.932 -4.455 .021
Return on Asset .944 .891 .854 -.944 -4.942 .016
Earnings Per .928 .862 .816 -.928 -4.323 .023
Share
source: computed data
Table 3 shows the results of regression analysis between dependent variables net
profit, return on assets & earnings per share and the independent variable net NPA.
From R (.869) value of net profit, states that NPA
2
has 86.9% impact on the net profits of the bank. The p value of F-test is 0.021, which
is less than the significance level 0.05 hence the null hypothesis (H : NPA has no 01
significant impact on net profit.) is rejected. Thus, it can be concluded that NPA has
significant impact on the net profits.
The results of regression analysis between dependent variable return on assets and
the independent variable net NPA, R (.891) states that NPA has 89.1% impact on
2
return on assets of the bank. The p value of F-test is 0.016, which is less than the
significance level 0.05 hence the null hypothesis (H : NPA has no significant impact
02
on return on assets.) is rejected. Thus, it can be concluded that NPA has significant
impact on the return on assets.
From R (.862) of earnings per share it is clear that NPA has 86.2% impact on the
2
earnings per share of SBI. The p value of F-test is 0.023, which is less than the
significance level 0.05 hence the null hypothesis (H : NPA has no significant impact
03
on earnings per share.) is rejected. Thus, it can be concluded that NPA has significant
impact on the earnings per share of shareholders in State Bank of India.
CONCLUSION
Banking companies are exposed to various types of risks in conducting their core
business, particularly lending. This leads to an increase in bad assets. Non-performing
assets are a big problem for developing countries like India. In banking it may not be
able to eliminate NPAs entirely, but we can control them. While much research has
been done on managing NPAs, it is also important to understand the impact of NPAs
on bank profitability. An attempt was therefore made to examine the impact of NPAs
on the profitability and performance of State Bank of India. This study found that
NPAs had a significant impact on the net income, earnings per share and return on
assets during the study period. It is also found that there exists a negative relationship
between non-performing assets with profitability, return on assets and earnings per
share of State Bank of India. As a result, decreasing trend of NPA during the period
March 2018 to March 2022 shows an increasing trend in the net profits, return on
assets and earnings per share.
REFERENCES
1. Ahmed (2013), Management of Non-Performing Assets of Commercial Banks:
The Evidence from Indian Banking Sector”, International Journal of Financial
Management, 3, 49-62.
2. Das & Dutta (2014), A Study on NPA of Public Sector Banks in India, IOSR
Journal of Business and Management, 16(11),75-83.
3. Chellasam D., & Prema A. (2018), Impact of NPA on Profitability Performance
of Select Public and Private Sector Banks in India, International Journal of
Economic and Business Review, 6(2).
4. B. Senthil Arasu, P. Sridevi, P. Nageswari, R. Ramya, (2019). A Study on
Analysis of Non-Performing Assets and its Impact on Profitability. International
Journal of Scientific Research in Multidisciplinary Studies, 5(6), 1-10.
5. https://m.rbi.org.in
6. https://sbi.co.in
7. https://www.moneycontrol.com
Insilico Studies of Remdesivir Triphosphate on Hemorrhagic Fevers

and Molecular Dynamic Simulations of
Hemorrhagic Fever Viruses
Aishwarya Joy1, Aby Jimson1, Annu Thomas2

1
Department of Chemistry, St.Stephen’s College, Uzhavoor,
2
Bishop Chulaparambil Memorial College, Kottayam
Abstract: Viral hemorrhagic fevers (VHFs) are a spectrum of diseases that are caused
by several families of viruses. It is a major threat to humans, especially in developing
countries, millions of people are severely infected by many of these diseases9. Some
VHFs are relatively mild, but others can be fatal. No completely curable drug or
vaccines are found for most of these diseases. Thus, there is an urgent need for the
development of novel drugs as well as vaccines. Here we study the effect of the drug
metabolite Remdesivir Triphosphate against RdRp of various hemorrhagic fever
viruses like Zika, Japanese Encephalitis (JE), Dengue, and West Nile and the real-
time behavior of the viral proteins via Molecular Dynamic simulations. Autodock
4.2.6 was used for docking studies. The most stable conformation, binding energy,
and protein-ligand interactions. Molecular dynamics simulation of viral RdRp was
done with GROMACS 2021.6. The ligand was found to be effective against all RdRp
and the MD simulations proved that the RdRp was stable up to 20 nanoseconds except
JE RdRp.
Keywords: RNA dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) Remdesevir Triphosphate,

Zika, Dengue, Japanese Encephalitis (JE), West Nile. Autodock, GROMACS.
INTRODUCTION
Computational chemistry is a branch of chemistry that uses computer simulation
to assist in solving chemical problems. Computational docking and scoring techniques
have revolutionized structural bioinformatics by providing unprecedented insights into
key aspects of ligand-protein interaction. Docking is used to optimizing known drugs
and identifies novel binders by predicting their binding mode and affinity. AutoDock
and AutoDock Tools are free-of-charge techniques that have been extensively cited in
the literature as essential tools in structure-based drug design.
The aim of molecular docking involves binding mode identification, for which
there is a need for a search algorithm to perform native protein-ligand interaction
simulations. AutoDock 4.2.6 works on the principle of the Lamarckian Genetic
Algorithm (LGA) which is a combination of the genetic algorithm(GA), Monte Carlo
simulations, and hybrid local search Genetic .The VHF's protein RdRp under study
are Zika, West Nile, Dengue, and Japanese Encephalitis
The ligand used is Remdesivir Triphosphate, which is the active metabolite of the
drug Remdesivir. It resembles the structure of biomolecule ATP. It inhibits the RNA-
dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) activity in a range of viruses, making it a
potential threat to RNA viruses..
Molecular Dynamic Simulation of viral RdRp’s where done using GROMACS

to study the real-time behavior of proteins. The structural stability of proteins where
thus analyzed to determine the time frame required for protein-ligand MD simulations.

1. Preparation of Protein
The 3-dimensional structure of the RdRp of the protein viruses was retrieved from
the Protein Data Bank database (https://www.rcsb.org/) The Graphical User
Interface program ''Auto-Dock Tools'' was used to prepare, run, and analyze the
docking simulations. The protein structure says 6LD5 (Zika) is prepared for
AutoDock by adding the polar hydrogens & Kollman charges and defining the
rotatable bonds that will be explored during the docking. Water molecules, inhibitors,
and other heteroatoms were removed from the protein and used for docking. The
protein was then saved in PDBQT format which was then used as the target for
docking studies.
2. Preparation of Ligand
The ligand Remdesivir Triphosphate was retrieved in ‘SDF’ format from
PubChem (https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/) and is converted into ‘PDB’ format
using OpenBabel for docking. (Openbabel is an open platform for inter-converting
chemical file formats, thereby aiding in converting the 2D structure of ligands to 3D
PDB structure and hence customizing them for molecular docking).
Remdesivir Triphosphate is prepared for AutoDock by adding Kollman charges.
AutoDock ligands require partial atomic charges for each atom.
AutoDock ligands are written in files with special keywords recognized by
AutoDock.
The keywords ROOT, ENDROOT, BRANCH, and ENDBRANCH establish a
“torsion tree” object that has a root and branches.The ligand was imported into the
workstation; the torsion tree was defined by choosing the root; the number of
rotatable bonds was identified and saved in PDBQT format.
3. Running Autogrid and Autodock

The grid parameter file (GPF) tells AutoGrid 4 which receptor to compute the
potentials around, the types of maps to compute, and the location and extent of those
maps. It may also specify a custom library of pairwise potential energy parameters. In
general, one map is calculated for each atom type in the ligand, plus an electrostatic
potential map and a desolvation energy map. These grid maps are necessary for
AutoDock, and they describe how various "probe" atom types (e.g., aliphatic carbons,
hydrogen-bonding oxygen, and hydrogen) interact at regularly spaced intervals
throughout the grid box. AutoDock version 4 also requires electrostatic potential maps
and desolation energy maps.
The AutoGrid was executed by providing the AutoGrid executable and GPF files
as input and converted to the grid log file (GLG).The grid was then launched. After
the successful execution of AutoGrid, the genetic algorithm was set to default and is
as follows:
The number of GA runs: 25
Population size: 150;
The number of energy evaluations: 2.5 million (2.0 Å clustered tolerance)
The Lamarckian genetic algorithm was used and the output was saved in docking
parameter file (PDF) file format. The docking parameter file (DPF) tells AutoDock
which grid map files to use, which ligand molecule to dock, what its center and
number of torsions are, where to start the ligand, which flexible residues to move if
side chain motion in the receptor is to be modeled, which docking algorithm to use,
and how many runs to do.
The AutoDock was executed by providing the AutoDock executable and DPF files
as input, converted to the docking log file (DLG), and docking was launched. The
final DLG file contained essential details viz., top ten free binding energies for every
run, RMSD value, and inhibitory constant.The results were analyzed; ranked based on
their binding energies; saved in PDBQT format; the lowest binding energy complex
was saved in PDB format for further analysis.
4. Determination of Interactions using PLIP

The active site of the protease was predicted using the Protein-ligand interaction profiler
(PLIP). The amino acid residues predicted were then selected on the protein molecule and
specific docking was conducted. Using PLIP the correct binding pocket was predicted.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS
Docking Analysis
The details about Free Binding Energy, Internal Energy, Inhibition Constant, and
RMSD value of the drug with each protein are obtained from the 'DLG' file. In
docking, the RMSD value is used to compare the docked conformation with the
reference conformation or with other docked conformation. Lesser the binding energy,
the greater the binding efficiency, hence augmented inhibition. Greater the number of
hydrogen bonds, the higher the binding efficiency, and inhibition. The inhibition
constant value is the half-maximum inhibition of an enzyme by a chemical compound.
The AutoDock predicted binding conformation is given below
PROTEIN RDRP ESTIMATED INTERNAL ESTIMATED

FREE BINDING ENERGY INHIBITION
ENERGY CONSTANT
ZIKA(6LD5) -8.07 Kcal/mol -6.51 1.21 µM
Kcal/mol
WEST NILE(2HFZ) -9.35 Kcal/mol -8.39 139.24 Nm
Kcal/mol
DENGUE(6J00) -9.42 Kcal/mol -8.42 123.55 nM
Kcal/mol
JAPANESE -12.16 Kcal/mol -11.42 1.23nM
ENCEPHALITIS(4MTP) Kcal/mol
MOLECULAR INTERACTIONS OF LIGANDS WITH RdRp

PROTEIN RDRP HYDROGE HYDROPHOB PI SALT
N BOND IC STACKIN BRIDG
INTERACTIO G E
N
ZIKA(6LD5) 9 NIL NIL 3
WEST NILE(2HFZ) 14 1 NIL 2
DENGUE(6J00) 8 NIL NIL 4
JAPANESE 15 2 1 2
ENCEPHALITIS(4MT
P)
Interaction of Zika (6LD5) with ligand Interaction of West Nile (2HFZ) with ligand
Interaction of Dengue (6J00) RDRP with ligand Interaction of JE (4MTP) RDRP with ligand
Molecular Dynamic Studies

The molecular dynamic simulation of all the proteins was conducted. 20 ns MD
simulation was done to verify the protein's structural stability and real-time behavior.
The JE viral protein (4mtp) was subjected to a longer simulation of 50
nanoseconds. The protein MD simulations were carried out using OPLSAA and
GROMOS force fields. In all cases, the energy minimizations were done and potential
was verified to be converged to a negative value between 105 − 106. Temperatures
were equilibrated to 300 K and Pressure to 1 atm. RMSD analysis was performed on
all the proteins and the radius of gyration values where determined to identify
structural stability and conformational changes
1) Zika RdRp
I. Using GROMOS force field

The structure 6ld5 was found to be relatively reliable. Energy minimization followed
by npt and nvt equilibrations was carried out and pressure, temperature, and density
were assured to have been converged. The density was found to be invariant and
stable over time.
The radius of gyration was found to be averaged near 0.245nm indicating the protein
is stable. RMSD and crystal RMSD were stable between .35 nm (3.5 Å) and 0.4 nm (4
Å), indicating that the structure is relatively stable.
II. Using the OPLSAA force field

The structure 6ld5 was found to be relatively reliable. Energy minimization followed
by npt and nvt equilibrations were carried out and pressure, temperature, and density
were assured to have been converged. The density was found to be invariant and
stable over time.
The radius of gyration produced a constant plot slightly higher than that predicted by
GROMOS and both plots indicate an equilibrated stable structure. RMSD produced
an excellent linear plot around 0.02nm (0.2 Å) which indicates that the system is
highly stable and well equilibrated. Crystal RMSD analysis produced a stable plot
near 0.8nm(8A)which again indicates a well-equilibrated structure.
2) West Nile RdRp

The structure 2hfz was found to be relatively reliable. Energy minimization
followed by npt and nvt equilibrations was carried out and pressure,
temperature, and density were assured to have been converged. The density
was found to be invariant and stable over time.
The radius of gyration was found to be stable at 0.55 nm without fluctuations
indicating the protein is compact and stable.
Both RMSD and crystal RMSD plots were stable but crystal RMSD was
found to be at much higher values nearly 2 nm (20 Å) relative to the much
more stable RMSD curve at 0.225 nm (2.25 Å).The linear RMSD plots
indicate that the structure is stable without conformational changes.
II. Using OPLSAA force field nm

The structure 2hfz was found to be relatively reliable. Energy minimization followed
were assured to have been converged.The density was found to be invariant and stable
over time.
The radius of gyration analysis produced a similar value of 0.6 nm to GROMOS and
both plots indicate an equilibrated stable structure. As predicted by GROMOS the
crystal RMSD was found to be at much higher values nearly 1.97 nm (19.7 Å) very
much similar to the values predicted by GROMOS.A stable RMSD curve at 0.175 nm
(1.75 Å). The linear RMSD plots indicate that the structure is stable without
conformational changes.
3) Dengue RdRp (6J00)

The structure 6j00 was found to be relatively reliable. Energy minimization followed
over time.The radius of gyration fluctuates initially but is later found to be stable
indicating that the protein has attained equilibrium. RMSD and crystal RMSD were
found to be stable at .4 nm (4 Å) which indicates that the structure is relatively stable.
II. Using the OPLSAA force field
The structure 6j00 was found to be relatively reliable. Energy minimization

followed by npt and nvt equilibrations were carried out and pressure,
temperature, and density were assured to have been converged.The density
was found to be invariant and stable over time.
The radius of gyration was found to be stable at a value slightly higher than
that predicted by GROMOS and both plots indicate an equilibrated stable
structure.RMSD and crystal RMSD were found to be stable near 0.225 nm
(2.2 Å) and more linear, which indicates a slightly more stable structure than
predicted by GROMOS.
4) Japanese Encephalitis RdRp(4MTP)
The Japanese Encephalitis RdRp (4MTP) was analyzed for 20 ns and it was found to
have a nonlinear RMSD curve and radius of gyration which indicates that the
structure was not equilibrated and may involve large conformational
changes.Therefore a longer 50 ns simulation was also conducted to study the viral
protein in detail.
20 ns simulation

The structure 4mtp was found to be relatively reliable. Energy minimization followed
by npt and nvt equilibrations was carried out and pressure, temperature, and density
over time.
The Radius of Gyration showed a steep increase and decrease and was unstable up to
20 ns. Both RMSD and crystal RMSD plots also indicated the same pattern with non-
linear plots with a high value of RMSD.
II. Using OPLSAA force field nm

The structure 2hfz was found to be relatively reliable. Energy minimization followed
over time.
The radius of gyration analysis produced a fluctuating plot like GROMACS. Both
RMSD and crystal RMSD wrw found to increase over time and not equilibrated up to
20 ns indicating the system undergoes some conformational changes with time.
CONCLUSION
In this study, we concluded that Remdesivir Triphosphate was identified to be an
active metabolite against all the VHFs under study i.e. Zika, West Nile, Dengue, and
Japanese Encephalitis. The estimated Inhibition constant where found to be in the
order of nM and µM which indicates a highly potent drug. The molecular dynamics
simulation reveals that Zike, West Nile, and Dengue RdRp are stable over a time
frame of 20 nanoseconds with a relatively invariant radius of gyration and RMSD
values. Whereas the Japanese Encephalitis RdRp has shown conformational changes,
a longer simulation is recommended. The radius of gyration of Zika, Dengue, and
West Nile had constant values which indicate structural stability and Dengue had the
highest value of Radius of Gyration.
REFERENCES
1. Protein-ligand interaction studies of retinol-binding protein 3 with herbal

molecules using AutoDock for the management of Eales' disease
Anshul Tiwari & Sandeep Saxena & A. B. Pant & Prachi Srivastava
Published online: 30 December 2012
2. Using AutoDock for Ligand-Receptor Docking
Garrett M. Morris, 1 Ruth Huey, 1 and Arthur J. Olson1
3. AutoDock and AutoDockTools for Protein-Ligand Docking: Beta-Site Amyloid

Precursor Protein Cleaving Enzyme 1(BACE1) as a Case Study.
Nehme El-Hachem, Benjamin Haibe-Kains, Athar Khalil, Firas

H.Kobeissy,and Georges Nemer
4. Computational protein-ligand docking and virtual drug screening with the

AutoDock suite, Stefano Forli, Ruth Huey, Michael E Pique, Michel F Sanner,
David S Goodsell & Arthur J Olson
5. In silico structural elucidation of RNA dependent RNA polymerase towards the

identification of potential Crimean – Congo Hemorrhagic fever viruses’ inhibitors.
M U Mirza, M Vanmeert, M Froeyen, A Ali, S Rafique
6. Molecular Dynamic Simulations
Tomas Hansson, Chris Oostenbrink, WilfredF van Gunsteren
7. Molecular dynamic simulations of biomolecules
Martin Karplus and J. Andrew McCammon
8. MDAnalysis: A toolkit for the analysis of molecular dynamics simulations
Naveen Michuad-Agrawal, Elizabeth J. Denning, Thomas B. Woolf, Oliver

Beckstein
9. https://www.cdc.gov/vhf/index.html
10. Revealing the Inhibition Mechanism of RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase

(RdRp) of SARS- CoV-2 by Remdesivir and Nucleotide Analogues:
A Molecular Dynamics Simulation Study: Padmaja D. Wakchaure, Shibaji Ghosh,

and Bishwajit Ganguly https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpcb.0c06747
11. A Study of Potential SARS-CoV-2 Antiviral Drugs and Preliminary Research of

Their Molecular Mechanism, Based on Anti-SARS-CoV Drug Screening
and Molecular Dynamics Simulation: Xiaomeng Zhao, Ruixia Liu, Zhi Miao,
Nan Ye, and Wenyu Lu: https://doi.org/10.1089/cmb.2020.0112
12. Molecular dynamics simulations
Kurt Binder1, Jürgen Horbach1, Walter Kob2, Wolfgang Paul1 and Fathollah
Varnik3
Published 23 January 2004 • IOP Publishing Ltd
13. Molecular dynamics simulations of large macromolecular complexes
Author links open overlay panel Juan R Perilla, Boon Chong Goh, C Keith
Cassidy,
Bo Liu, Rafael C Bernardi, Till Rudack 1, Hang Yu, Zhe Wu, Klaus Schulten
14. Pharmacophore-based virtual screening and molecular docking studies of

inherited compounds against ebola virus receptor proteins
Ronak Shah, Pritam Kumar Panda, Priyam Patel, and Dr. Hetalkumar Panchal
15. Flavonoids as Multi-target Inhibitors for Proteins Associated with Ebola Virus:
In Silico Discovery Using Virtual Screening and Molecular Docking Studies
Utkarsh Raj & Pritish Kumar Varadwaj
16. Relevance of Molecular Docking Studies in Drug Designing
Authors: Jakhar, Ritu; Dangi, Mehak; Khichi, Alka; Chhillar, Anil K.
17. Lead discovery using molecular docking
Author links open overlay panelBrian K Shoichet, Susan L McGovern, Binqing

Wei, John J Irwin
18. ADME and Pharmacokinetic Properties of Remdesivir: Its Drug Interaction

Potential by Subrata Deb, Anthony Allen Reeves, Robert Hopefl, and Rebecca
Bejusca
19. New Nucleoside Analogues for the Treatment of Hemorrhagic Fever Virus
Infections
Prof. Dr. Erik De Clercq
20. Computational Methods in Drug Discovery
Gregory Sliwoski, Sandeepkumar Kothiwale, Jens Meiler and Edward W. Lowe

Jr. Eric L. Barker
Banking Awareness and Banking Habit Among Kudumbasree

Members of Thrissur District
Dhaya K M*, Nisha Leela Jose
Vimala College (Autonomous), Thrissur

*
Email: dhayakm151@gmail.com
Abstract: Banks are the backbone of an economy. Access to organized banking

system can prevent a large section of the population from exploitation. Realizing the
need for financial inclusion, several initiatives has been developed. Kudumbashree in
Kerala is one such initiative to ensure financial inclusion among women, thereby
empowering them. This paper discusses the awareness level about various services
offered through banks and the change in savings as well as borrowing habits among
kudumbashree members. Data was collected from 60 kudumbashree members of
Division 04 of Thrissur corporation and was analyzed using percentage analysis and
weighted average. Bar diagrams and tables are used for data presentation. The study
found out that majority of the members have knowledge about traditional banking
services, however they are ignorant about the modern services. Also, after joining
kudumbashree here is a significant change in their borrowing habit and savings mode.
This study was successful in identifying the significant role played by the Self-help
group initiative in making the women financially inclusive.
Keywords: Kudumbashree, financial products and services, Savings habit, Borrowing

behaviour
INTRODUCTION
Indian economy is a developing economy and is expected to scale greater heights
in the coming years. However, an important part of the population of this economy
particularly the disadvantaged and vulnerable group of people does not have access to
most of the basic financial services. Lack of collateral, low credit profile, huge
transaction cost and several other factors have deprived these marginalized sections
from formal banking system.
The realisation that this sort of inequitable development could not lead to
sustainable development of the society raised the need for financial inclusion.
Financial inclusion is the provision of access to financial services like bank accounts,
savings product, financial advisory services remittances and payment services,
insurance and micro credit to weaker sections at an affordable cost. It also involves
actions to provide access to formal financial system like nationalized banks. Since the
formal banking system is limited to collateral-based lending, there arose a need for
developing a new system for providing finance to the marginalized sections.
By providing access to small loans and banking services to those who were once
excluded from formal financial services, microfinance has offered a wider scope in
the area of financial inclusion. The main aim of microfinance is that it empowers poor
people to pull themselves out of poverty if given access to economic inputs. The
major microfinance providers in India are SHG-Bank linkage model, Non- Banking
Financial Institutions and some trusts. Among these programs, Self Help Groups have
evolved out as the most efficient alternative as they are uniquely positioned among
the beneficiaries.
In Kerala, Kudumbashree Mission has emerged as a renowned Self- help group
initiative with worldwide recognition. Even though it was incorporated with the
primary aim of women empowerment, it has grown out as source for economic
empowerment for the marginalized sections of the society. This initiative has
outnumbered other financial institutions and microfinance initiatives in the case of
provision of banking facilities and has emerged out as a reliable tool for financial
inclusion. This study analyses the banking habit and the extend of banking awareness
among the members of this initiative.
Objectives of the Study

1. To assess the level of awareness about financial products and services among
Kudumbashree members.
2. To analyze whether there is any change in the savings habit and the borrowing
behavior of women after joining Kudumbashree.
The study adopts a descriptive research design. Both primary and secondary
sources of data were used for study. Primary data was collected using questionnaire.
Secondary data was obtained from journals, websites and annual reports. The study
was conducted over a period of three weeks. The population for the study constitutes
the kudumbashree members in ward. 04 of Thrissur corporation, out of which a
sample of 60 members were drawn. The sampling technique for the purpose was
convenience sampling and questionnaire was the instrument used for data collection.
Weighted averages and percentages were used for analyzing data. Graphs and tables
were used for presenting data.
Review of literature analyses the previous studies conducted on this topic by

researchers, economists and other related authorities. The opinions collected through
literature review helps to develop a framework for the study.
 James Copestake (2018) investigated the microfinance initiatives and
development finance in India. The paper aimed to study the impact of
microfinance on the economic regime of India. It used basic tools of analysis and
derived information from secondary sources. The study concluded by stating the
immense capacity of microfinance initiatives on developing the economy of a
nation.
 Sharif Mohd (2018) studied the performance of microfinance institutions in
India and identified that microfinance institutions play a significant role in
development of the nation. The study focused on identifying the concept and
delivery models of microfinance along with its role and importance. The tools for
study were percentage analysis and averages and data was collected from
secondary sources. The study concluded by stating the importance of
microfinance in improving the standard of living of poor.
 Dr. Ashalakshmi R K, Elsy Johnson, Megha Babu (2017) conducted research
titled “Financial inclusion and impact on women empowerment in rural area with
special reference to central Travancore region of Kerala”. The primary objective

of the study was to assess the role of financial inclusion through self-help groups.
The study adopted descriptive research design, collected data using questionnaire
and data was analyzed using correlation and Garret Analysis. As per the study it
was concluded that provision of financial services through self-help groups are
highly beneficial and it could contribute enormously towards economic
development.
 Asoora. K (2015) conducted research titled “A study on the microfinance
through kudumbashree units”. The main focus of the study was to find the
impact and identify the purpose of acquiring microfinance among kudumbashree
members. The researcher used Z test, ANOVA, correlation and percentage
analysis to analyze the data collected using questionnaire. As per this descriptive
study it was concluded that microfinance acts as a catalyst in the lives of poor
people. The findings stated that microfinance helps in reducing the indebtedness
to outsiders and increased savings which resulted in increased standard of living
in long run.
Analysis and Discussions
For analysis, the data was grouped into tables and studied using percentage
analysis, weighted average and ranking. The data is presented using graphs. Majority
of the respondents (57%) have joined Kudumbashree for developing savings habit.
Each and every SHG to which the respondents belong have been linked with bank and
all of them have a bank account of their own. The study also revealed that majority
(93%) had savings account with bank, very few have opened other types of accounts
Service Expert Basic Ignorant Weighted
F % F % F % mean
Interest rate of deposits 12 20 32 53 16 26 19.33
Interest rate on loan 18 30 37 61 5 8 22.17
Filling of bank slip 17 28 34 56 9 15 21.33
Usage of cheque 16 27 39 65 5 8 21.83
Repayment period 14 23 34 56 12 20 20.33
Subsidy facilities 8 13 30 50 22 36 17.67
Credit card and debit card 6 10 12 20 42 70 14.00
ATM card facility 14 23 30 50 16 26 19.67
Internet banking 3 5 16 26 41 68 13.67
Awareness About Banking Services

Table showing awareness level of respondents
Source: Primary data
The study reveals that even though most (68%) of them have had bank account
before joining Kudumbashree more than half of the respondents came to know about
the banking services after joining Kudumbashree. Majority of the respondents have
knowledge about interest rate on deposits, interest rate on loans, filling of bank slip,
usage of cheque facility, repayment period, subsidy and ATM facilities. Majority are
found to be ignorant of credit card, debit card and internet banking.
Change in the Savings Habit and the Borrowing Behavior

Savings Habit
Table showing ranks allocated to different savings options by Kudumbashree
members
Source of Rank Rank Rank Rank Weighted Weighted Rank
Depositing fund 1 2 3 4 Total Average
Kudumbashree 33 21 6 0 207 20.7 1
Bank account 16 25 15 4 173 17.3 2
Cooperative society 11 8 25 16 134 13.4 3
Private chitties 0 6 14 40 86 8.6 4

Analysis of ranks assigned by the respondents reveals that Kudumbashree is the
most preferred source of depositing fund. Ease of access is the major reason (68%) as
identified by the respondents for preferring Kudumbashree over other savings options

Most of the respondents (46%) deposited their savings in private chitties before
joining Kudumbashree. But, after joining Kudumbashree (90%) their savings option
has shifted to Kudumbashree. Safety offered by Kudumbashree savings option is the
major reason for this shift from private chitties as stated by majority of respondents
(74%).
Borrowing Behaviour

Majority (55%) of the respondents were dependent on their friends and relatives
for meeting immediate needs before joining kudumbashree. However, major portion
of the respondents (93%) have shifted to kudumbashree loans for meeting immediate
needs after joining kudumbashree. Major reason for attractiveness of Kudumbashree
loans over other sources of loans are stated in the table below:
Major attraction for taking this Number of Percentage of
source respondents respondents
Low interest rates 29 52.72
No collateral loan 29 52.72
Easy availability 17 31
Flexible repayment 12 22
Source:Primary data
Suggestions
 Even though they have knowledge about traditional banking services, they should
be given guidance on modern services like internet banking and related services.
 The members should be encouraged to use more and more banking products.
 The members should be equipped for using internet banking services.
CONCLUSION
Financial inclusion is critical to the process of development of the economy. It
plays a crucial role in the alleviation of poverty which in turn leads to equitable
growth of nation. Organisation of women into kudumbashree is an effective way to
attain the same. From the project it is evident that kudumbashree members consider
their kudumbashree units as “bank at doorstep”. It has liberated women from the
clutches of informal monetary system. Banks which were reluctant to provide services
to poor individuals have changed their attitudes as Kudumbashree effectively
strengthened the community -based organisation. It is evident from the present study
that Kudumbashree project has been instrumental in attracting the deprived sections to
formal banking system. In spite of different constraints and challenges, the
kudumbashree project has the potential to transform the entire economy of the state.
REFERENCES
1. Asoora, K. (2015). A study on the microfinance through kudumbashree units.
International journal of Business and Administration Research review, Volume .2,
Issue.11, July-Sep,2015 PG:44-51
2. Copestake James (2010). Microfinance and development finance in India:
research implications, Journal of research in management science, volume 12
3. Mohd Sharif (2018). A study on the performance of microfinance institutions in
India. International academic journal for accounting and financial management,
volume 5, PG: 116-128
4. R K Ashalakshmi, Johnson Elsy, Babu Megha (2017). Financial inclusion and
impact on women empowerment in rural area with special reference to central
Travancore region of Kerala. International journal of application or innovation in
engineering and management. Volume 6, issue 11, PG:17-23
Machine and Deep Learning Techniques for Cancer Regions

Detection in Thyroid Ultrasound Images
Ms Arathi Chandran R I*, Ms Lekshmi V
Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Science and Applications,
Christ Nagar College, Thiruvananthapuram.
*
Email: arathy.chandran@gmail.com
Abstract: The endocrine system is responsible for controlling and regulating all of
the body's major activities and functions. It controls child development, adult physical
function, and the process of reproduction. This is why complete recovery and
society's survival are more likely with an early, precise diagnosis. The gland's
abnormal cells give rise to tumour areas. These locations are separated into benign
and malignant. Malignant tumour in thyroid glands is more hazardous than benign
tumour. In this work, tumour sites in thyroid pictures were identified using machine
learning and deep learning algorithms in two separate ways. The strategy allows for
the use of NN and SVM classification methods to identify tumors with the aid of
computers. It consists of two different techniques for locating tumors. In the first
method, thyroid images are preprocessed, and then some features are obtained. In the
second suggested technique, the source thyroid pictures are registered using geometric
modifications, and then the pixels in the changed image are improved using histogram
equalization. Spatial domain pixel of the enhanced image is subsequently transformed
into multi domain pixels by means of the Gabor algorithm. In the end, the
effectiveness and precision of these two classifiers are evaluated and compared.
Key words: Thyroid tumors, Thyroid hormones, Endocrine gland
INTRODUCTION
The thyroid is the organ with the largest endocrine gland. Additionally, it is a
significant global public health issue. This is why early, accurate diagnosis can
increase the chances of total recovery and survival for society. Therefore, reducing
morbidity and mortality requires early thyroid prediction. The risk of malignancy is
approximately 10% in individuals with thyroid nodules, and it is between 5% and
13% in patients with incidentalomas found via ultrasonography, CT, or MRI [6]. TSH
is a common diagnostic and laboratory tool that is utilised in percentage of hormones
to investigate thyroid. Thyroid is situated beneath the thyroid cartilage on the front of
the neck. Thyroid hormones, which are produced by the gland, control metabolic rate.
The body's energy and temperature are controlled by thyroid hormones. Thyroid
disorders can cause the thyroid to produce too much thyroid hormone, which is
known as an overactive thyroid, or too little thyroid hormone, which is known as an
underactive thyroid, which causes thyroid nodules and goitre. An endocrine gland
system that emerges from a bodily cavity is the thyroid gland. Its little gland, which
measures 28 grammas and is situated in the neck behind the laryngeal voice box, is
modest. T4 and triiodothyronine are secreted by the gland (T3). The level of calcium
in the blood is regulated by this hormone [19].
The brain's hypothalamus initiates the hormone-secretion process. It is the area of
the brain where TRH, which is secreted and travels to the pituitary gland, is produced.
Following this, thyroid gland is stimulated to release its hormone, thyroxin (T4),
triiodothyronine, by the pituitary gland, which then begins to emit Thyroid-

Stimulating Hormone (TSH) (T3). Iodine is a component of these hormones; hence
iodine content is necessary for their production. All patients underwent a whole or
partial thyroidectomy and a central compartment neck dissection after being evaluated
for cervical lymph node metastases [13]. As seen in the illustration in figure1, located
near the front of the neck and have a shape of a butterfly.
Figure1 Thyroid Gland

Both hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism have a variety of causes.
Hyperthyroidism is the overproduction of thyroid hormones, which causes the body to
burn through more energy more quickly. Hypothyroidism, on the other hand, is
characterized by lower hormone production and lower energy expenditure than usual.
Thyroid disease currently affects 42 million people in India, with more people in the
West of the world suffering from the condition. People of all ages can have thyroid
deficiencies, which are more common in women than in males. Numerous
histological and clinical variables have been linked to a poor prognosis for thyroid
cancer patients as of late [2].
Both hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism frequently result in thyroid goiter. Both
deficiency illnesses cause goiter, which is the swelling of the thyroid gland. In rare
cases, goiter can develop into benign and cancerous nodules. It is very typical for the
thyroid to have many levels; a small percentage of these nodules progress to thyroid
cancer. Iodized salt consumption has led to a decline in thyroid goiter in recent years.
Thyroid cancer deaths are extremely rare; however the number of people affected by
thyroid cancer has been rising by 6% year. Since thyroid cancer has become more
common over the past few decades, effective thyroid cancer care has gained
significant attention [16].Iodine plays a crucial role in both the T3 and T4 molecules
and is a necessary component of the thyroid's function. Thyroid hormones cross the
cell membrane like other steroid hormones and attach to intracellular receptors, which
affect DNA transcription associated with basal metabolism.
Regulation hormones from the pituitary and hypothalamus serve as feedback
mechanisms to regulate T4 and T3 production from the thyroid gland. Thyrotropin
Releasing Hormone (TRH) is released in response to stimuli to the hypothalamus,
such as heat, cold, and hunger. Thyroid-Stimulating Hormone (TSH) causes the
production of thyroxine and triiodothyronine by attaching to TSH Receptor (TSHR).
On the other side, a negative feedback loop caused by increasing blood levels of T3
and T4 inhibits the generation of TSH. An important tumour marker for post-
operative monitoring is TG, which is typically secreted into the blood by
differentiated thyroid carcinoma. The parafollicular cells, often known as C cells, are
responsible for calcitonin production. The metabolism of calcium and phosphorus is

connected to the actions of calcitonin. Since individuals with Medullary Thyroid
Carcinoma (MTC) frequently have high levels of calcitonin, this condition is
diagnosed by using calcitonin as a marker. Although thyroid nodules are becoming
more often discovered during neck imaging tests, only a tiny percentage of these
lesions ultimately turn out to be cancerous [9].
The principal thyroid tumour forms identified by the WHO classification are
shown in Figure 2. Follicular Thyroid Adenoma (FTA), which develops from the
thyroid's follicular epithelium, is the most prevalent kind of tumour. FTA is an
encapsulated solitary tumour that typically arises in multiples, unlike nonneoplastic
thyroid nodules. FTA is categorized as benign, and the absence of vascular and
capsular invasion is necessary for the diagnosis. The below figure2 depicts different
types of Thyroid tumors.
A typical Follicular Thyroid Adenoma (AFTA) and Hurthle Cell Adenoma are
two more kinds of follicular malignancies (HTA). Adenomas with high levels of
cellularity, an erratic pattern of development against the capsule, and elevated mitotic
activity are classified as having AFTA. More than 75% of the cells in HTA, also
known as an oxyphilic cell adenoma, are eosinophilic and have a lot of mitochondria.
Well-differentiated thyroid cancer (WDTC), Poorly-differentiated thyroid cancer
(PDTC), and anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) are the three broad categories used to
describe malignant thyroid tumors. Patients with WDTC typically have better
prognoses than those with PDTC or ATC. Nearly 80% of thyroid cancers are papillary
thyroid carcinomas (PTC), which typically metastasis to the cervical lymph nodes [7].
PTC commonly enters lymph nodes and arteries. The prognosis for papillary thyroid
cancer is often favourable, and its death rate is less than 10% [15].
Figure2 Types of Thyroid Tumors

The second most prevalent form thyroid cancer is FTC which accounts for 10% of
all cases. Hurthle cell thyroid carcinoma commonly referred to as oxyphillic or
oncocytic carcinoma is a subtype of FTC that contains more than 75% oxyphilic cells.
After hematogenous spread, FTC metastases are identified in the lungs and bones.
Medullary thyroid cancers (MTC) are about 3% of thyroid malignancies and
developed from parafollicular cells that produce calcitonin. 20% of patients
experience distant metastasis, which subsequently spreads to the liver, lung, and
skeleton. It is commonly accepted that the capacity of metastatic thyroid lesions to
concentrate radioactive iodine (RAI) denotes a more differentiated phenotype
[27].PDTC is a rare type of thyroid cancer, accounting for up to 7% of all thyroid
cancer.
The most serious sort of thyroid tumors is anaplastic thyroid cancers (ATC),
which are a subtype of thyroid cancer. Even while it only affects a very small
percentage of individuals (1%–2%), it can be deadly because there is little that can be
done to prevent it once the condition has begun. The incidence of thyroid cancer is
impacted by a number of variables, including gender, race, and region. Statistics from
around the world reveal that women are more frequently impacted than men. Every
year, thyroid cancer affects 1.2 to 2.6 males and 2.0 to 3.8 women per 100,000 people.
The two-fold higher prevalence in Iceland and Hawaii as compared to other North
European nations, Canada, the United States, and Israel, serves as an illustration of
the geographic variance. Additionally, thyroid cancer is more prevalent among several
ethnic groups, including Caucasian men and women and Chinese males, Filipino
women in Hawaii, and women.
For the evaluation of thyroid nodules, ultrasonography is crucial. When it comes
to the diagnosis of thyroid nodules, ultrasonography is not very accurate [28].
Diagnostic precision ranges from 74% to 82% [29]. To get a picture of the thyroid,
high frequency sound waves are used. Thyroid Nuclear Scans Today, nuclear
medicine is employed to detect a number of disorders. According to the lymph node
division performed after surgery, all lymph nodes assessed on the CT scans were
associated with the pathological findings and split into two groups: metastasis group
and non-metastasis group [5]. Digital Tomography (CT) Thyroid issues can also be
diagnosed using computed tomography. Under the circumstances, a senior radiologist
also reinterpreted neck CT images [10]. Scan with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
when it comes to capturing pictures of soft tissues, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
is quite helpful. Since the thyroid is a soft tissue, thyroid problems can also be
diagnosed using an MRI. Radioactive iodine is not utilised in a PET scan (positron
emission tomography). Positron-emitting radioisotopes are used in the imaging
technique known as PET [14]. The extent of thyroid cancer can be determined with a
PET scan, which doesn't include radioactive iodine. Chest X-rays have been used to
assess the severity of thyroid disease in the lungs or other organs. It is primarily used
to find lung follicular thyroid carcinoma. In cases of follicular thyroid cancer,
therapeutic lymph node dissection is the only procedure carried out.
Literature Review
The thyroid gland controls the body's mental, physical, and reproductive processes.
Disorders either result in the gland working inefficiently by secreting fewer hormones
(hypothyroidism) or improperly high levels of hormone (hyperthyroidism). It

produces the hormones needed to control heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature,
and weight, and it is situated at the base of the throat [24]. The interaction of so many
variables makes it possible to anticipate the outcome by analysing the various
individual data using computer, statistical, and mathematical models. 4-7% of the
general population has clinically detectable thyroid nodules in areas with adequate
iodine intake. Thyroid nodules can be caused by benign or malignant tumors,
thyroiditis or goiter, as well as a number of non-cancerous disorders. [23] To split and
categorize thyroid nodules using ultrasound images, have developed border
descriptors. The evaluation of the experimental outcomes uses the receiver operating
characteristic (ROC).
The body's pituitary gland is in charge of making thyroid hormones. When the
blood level of thyroid hormone is high, the pituitary gland reduces the production of
TRH and TSH while increasing the quantity of TSH to bring the blood level of
thyroid hormone back to normal. Since there are no issues with this regulatory
mechanism, hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism are only brought on by issues with
the thyroid gland. As a result, the pituitary gland regulates the over- and
underproduction of thyroid hormones. In patients with thyroid carcinoma, CT showed
respectable diagnostic performance in the pre- and postoperative identification of
metastatic cervical lymph nodes [12].
[17] Have developed an automated system that can identify the thyroid glands
boundaries, locate nodules inside the gland, divide them into distinct groups, and
categorize thyroid nodules according to their likelihood of developing cancer. Here,
several features from ultrasound images are retrieved. In order to classify the data, the
textural and geometric features are extracted and employed with pattern recognition
software. Receiver Operating Characteristics are used to assess the categorization
performance (ROC).Between 1984 and 1993, the Indian Council of Medical Research
gathered information on more than 0.3 million patients. These statistics were gathered
by the National Cancer Registry Programme (NCRP), of which 5614 cases—3617
women and the remaining men—were thyroid-related. In the states of Andhra,
Chennai, Mumbai, Delhi, Trivandrum, and Chandigarh, the NCRP conducted this
survey. The frequency of thyroid cancer was predicted to be 1 in 100,000 for men and
1.8 in 100,000 for women, according to the stated survey. The two regions with the
highest thyroid cancer incidence rates were Andhra and Trivandrum.
According to epidemiological research, a number of internal and environmental
factors can affect a person's chance of acquiring thyroid cancer. Iodine shortage,
nutrition, radiation exposure, sex hormone exposure, age, and gender are further
determining factors. Goiter is a common complication of compensatory thyroid
growth in people with dietary iodine insufficiency. Numerous biochemical and
genetic processes are linked to the development of thyroid cancers. To categories
thyroid gland blocks [4] have suggested a radial basis function neural network.
Calculate the thyroid glands volume after separating it from non-thyroid components.
It is feasible to determine whether the thyroid is normal or pathological based on its
volume. If the volume is greater than the expected range, the thyroid is not
functioning normally. The suggested method successfully partitions the thyroid region
and computes the volume of each thyroid region, according to experimental results.
The outcome is compared to the thyroid value provided by the skilled radiologist.
[20] Presented the current state of primary thyroid lymphoma (PTL), not a
common clinical condition that is typically characterized by a neck mass that is
rapidly expanding and causing pressure symptoms. Relevant publications from
PubMed that were published up to June 2017 were chosen for the review in order to
get new details of PTL with a focus on diagnostic and distinct therapeutic treatment.
Thyroid carcinoma makes up more than 90% of all endocrine malignancies while
being relatively rare, accounting for only 1% of all cancers. The thyroid gland has a
number of roles, including controlling calcium and supporting basic metabolism.
Nodules on the thyroid are typically benign. From non-neoplastic illnesses like goiter
or thyroiditis to neoplastic nodules that might be benign or malignant, thyroid nodules
represent a variety of various thyroid disorders. Adenomas and goiters can
occasionally coexist with hyper- or hypothyroidism. From the slow-growing papillary
micro-carcinoma, which poses little risk to life, to the uncommon anaplastic
carcinoma, which is highly aggressive and associated with substantial morbidity and
death, thyroid carcinomas are a diverse collection of malignancies. According to a
survey conducted between 2007 and 2011, there are 12.9 new instances of thyroid
cancer per one lakh women and men per year. Thyroid cancer is more common and
affects 3-4% of all cancer patients in India. There isn't enough evidence available,
though, to determine the prevalence and prognosis of this condition in relation to
genetic mutation. [3] Have put up a proposed automated thyroid volume estimation
and segmentation system. To reduce the noise that exists in the CT pictures,
preprocessing is first used. The comparability of the grey values of the pixels in the
thyroid and non-thyroid areas is the primary issue addressed in this research. This is
accomplished by using the intensity values and texture properties. The thyroid is
identified in this case using modified region growth. To categorize the thyroid and
non-thyroid tissues, Progressive Learning Vector Quantization Neural Network
(PLVQNN) is then applied. Network is trained using the data from the middle slice.
The suggested method effectively segments and calculates the thyroid's volume.
[26] This study looked at the site-specific cancer risks brought on by hyper- or
hypothyroidism. The authors conducted a comprehensive evaluation of observational
studies in MEDLINE and the COCHRANE collection that reported correlations
between hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism and subsequent cancer incidence. When
a patient is diagnosed with a thyroid nodule, the Fine Needle Aspiration Biopsy
(FNAB) is the initial diagnostic procedure carried out to ascertain the lesion's
malignancy. Since malignant nodules are rather uncommon, the cytological
investigation by FNAB typically reveals the nodule(s) to be benign, such as colloid
goiter or thyroiditis. However, FNAB cannot be utilised to differentiate between
benign and malignant forms of follicular tumors, unlike some types of thyroid cancer
such as PTC and ATC. [11] Have put out the TND (Thyroid Nodule Detector)
Computer-Aided-Diagnosis (CAD) system for the identification of thyroid nodules in
thyroid ultrasound (US) images and movies obtained during thyroid US tests. This
approach first applies preprocessing to improve the image. Once the nodules have
been located, features including intensity and textural properties are retrieved. After
that, classification and post-processing techniques are used to enhance the outcome.
For classification, K-Nearest Neighbors (K-NN) and the SVM are employed.
Additionally, the ATBD-2 technology, which reduces boundary identification error, is
recommended for accurate thyroid lobe border detection. [18] Aim of this study was
to analyse sonographic imaging data from clinical ultrasounds in order to apply deep
CNN models to increase the diagnostic precision for thyroid cancer. On the training
set obtained from the Tianjin Cancer Hospital, the researchers created and trained the
DCNN model. The algorithm was quite effective at locating thyroid cancer patients.
The model's sensitivity and specificity were both 84 and 9%, respectively.
[25] This review discusses the causes of the rising prevalence and takes into
account environmental, patient- and clinician-driven, and environmental effects.
Critical reviews were conducted on articles that addressed the reasons for the rise in
incidence. Thyroid disease risk awareness, thyroid cancer screening, and diagnosis
have all increased as a result of a complex interaction of environmental, medical, and
social influences.[1] Have suggested two tools and an algorithmic segmentation
method for segmenting thyroid US pictures. Their approach can be used for thyroid
US and CT scans of the lungs. Two tools are used for segmentation purposes. The
segmentation functionality of the tools is compared in a chart. As a result, a useful
algorithm for locating thyroid nodules is created.
Unlike an MRI scan, an ultrasonic scan generates sound waves rather than
radiation, therefore they are safe. [8] Proposed a new technique for evaluating an
ultrasound image of a cancerous thyroid nodule. The method that was suggested was
limited to four categories which are pre-processing, segmentation, feature extraction
and classification. For categorization, a Support Vector Machine (SVM) is employed.
This is accomplished by utilising the co-presence of grey levels through the extraction
of features. Precision, affectivity, and specificity were used to assess the results, and
the scientists found that the SVM classifier is progressed to an ANN to discriminate
between benign and malignant tumors.
[25] Comparing the two machine learning methods for thyroid illness diagnosis. RBF
and PNN are examples of applied machine learning algorithms. Collection of thyroid
data is from the UCI repository. The prediction with the best accuracy, 99.5%, was
made. Our approach helps to categories thyroid disease, solve the classification issue,
and save the patients who have been diagnosed with insufficiency. It also helps to
transform the traditional analysis of thyroid disease into a decision-aid tool.
Methodology
The production of thyroid hormones requires the thyroid nodule, a major organ in
the human body. Much of the inner-body functionality is regulated by this hormone. It
will control human metabolism and slow down ageing. The right lobe, left lobe, and
trachea are the components of the thyroid gland in humans. The thyroid gland is
located in the trachea in humans. Due to the effects of numerous genes on the human
body, aberrant cells either arise internally or outside in the thyroid gland. These
cancer cells quickly influence the close cells and also disrupt the normal operations of
the healthy cells in the area around the malignancy.

Figure 3 Thyroid Cancer
It is challenging to find a tumour or other abnormalities in the thyroid gland in

humans. Currently, blood tests, thyroid gland sample testing, and image processing
techniques are employed to identify aberrant thyroid gland regions. Image processing
is one of the current approaches that is known for being both easy to use and effective
for finding and locating thyroid gland tumour aberrant locations. In this study, an
ultrasonic imaging technique is employed to identify aberrant thyroid image regions.
The ultrasonic scanner scans the thyroid gland in its entirety, and the resulting image
is then further processed on a computer using a variety of image processing
techniques. The algorithms for identifying the problematic spots in scanned thyroid
pictures use soft computing techniques.
The thyroid ultrasound image is transformed into a fixed-width, fixed-height
image with 128*128 pixels. The below figure4 depicts the detection classification
system. Additionally, it converts every pixel in the ultra-sound thyroid image into a
grayscale pixel to speed up the execution mechanism. Using the increased
performance of the CANFES classification framework, a tumour location in a thyroid
ultra sound picture is recognized and segmented. Enhancement, Gabor transform, and
CANFES classification are the three primary components of the proposed system.
Feature extraction procedure and a tumour segmentation method are used for training.
The pixels in ultrasound thyroid image are enhanced for improving the classification
accuracy of the thyroid tumor segmentation system. Histogram equalization technique
[30] is applied on the low resolution thyroid image in order to enhance the internal
regions in thyroid image.
Figure 4 Thyroid cancer detection and classification system

The thyroid ultrasound image is displayed in spatial mode. This means that every
pixel in the ultrasound image of the thyroid belongs to the spatial domain and cannot
be divided or altered for further processing. Therefore, it is necessary to translate the
pixels from the spatial domain into the multiclass pixel format. To prepare the thyroid
picture for further processing, the spatial domain pixels are transformed using the
Gabor transformation. The characteristics of thyroid images are utilised to distinguish
between normal thyroid images and thyroid images with aberrant tumors. For the
purpose of detecting tumors, derivative and discrete wavelet transform (DWT)
features are extracted.
Each pixel in the multiclass thyroid image after Gabor transformation belongs to a
different orientation. Using the pixel differences with regard to different orientations,
the aberrant patterns in thyroid images can be identified. Four different degrees of
orientation are utilised in this chapter: "0 degree," "45 degree," "90 degree," and "135
degrees."
Applying 2D-DWT will yield the breakdown characteristics from the multiclass
Gabor transformed thyroid image. For the decomposed coefficients low frequency
and high frequency sub bands, are presented. The high frequency sub bands reflect the
pixel fluctuations with respect to horizontal orientation, vertical orientation, and
diagonal orientation, while the low frequency sub band approximates the pixel
variations in the Gabor processed thyroid image. The decomposed coefficients from
the multi-class thyroid picture after Gabor transformation are used as an input feature
set in the classification algorithm. The retrieved characteristics from the thyroid
picture are optimized using the GA approach.
Step 1: Choose chromosomes 1 and 2 to optimize the retrieved feature set.
Step 2: Apply crossover between the chromosomes 1 and 2 with characteristics.
Step 3: Apply the mutation process to chromosomes that have crossed across.
Step 4: Calculate the Euclidean distance between two chromosomes
Step 5: Remove the features from the other chromosome and fix the chromosome
with the smallest possible Euclidean distances.
Step 6: Up until the end of the final feature in the feature matrix, repeat steps 2
through 6.
The final chromosome's features are identified as optimized features, and they serve
as input for the classification algorithm.
Both the derived derivative feature and the decomposed DWT feature are four
square pixels in size. Given that the matrix has eight elements overall, these properties
are integrated. These matrix coefficients are designated as feature vectors and
supplied as input to the classification algorithm. As a classification algorithm,
CANFES classifier can be utilised. The final chromosome's features are identified as
optimized features, and they serve as input for the classification algorithm. The
recovered feature set from the matrix coefficients is fed into the proposed CANFES
classification architecture, which has a single input and single output layer (each with
a single neuron). It also comprises five hidden layers, each of which has 10 neurons
that are distributed among the hidden levels according to a weighting factor.

The final chromosome's features are identified as optimized features, and they
serve as input for the classification algorithm. The training input is created by
properly training both normal and pathological ultra sound thyroid images as well as
well-known images from open access datasets or renowned radiologist from medical
facilities. In this chapter, the training input is created using the MATLAB simulator's
"cafes" command and the output pattern is created using the "evalfis" command. If the
output pattern has a value of "0," the thyroid picture is abnormal; if it has a value of
"1," the thyroid image is normal. The final chromosome's features are identified as
optimized features, and they serve as input for the classification algorithm.
Additionally, in classified ultra sound thyroid pictures, morphological functions such
morphological "open" and "close" are used to extract the tumour regions. The thyroid
ultrasound image is preprocessed to make it a set size of 128*128 pixels for its width
and height. Additionally, it converts every pixel in the ultra-sound thyroid image into
a grayscale pixel to speed up the execution mechanism.
Result and Analysis
The following equations show how the sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and
classification rate of the ultra sound thyroid tumour detection and classification
system are evaluated.
Where TP and TN stand for the number of correctly identified cancer and non-cancer
pixel in an abnormal thyroid imaging, respectively. False Positive (FP) and False
Negative (FN) pixels are those that were incorrectly identified as cancer and non-
cancer, respectively.
Where TP and TN stand for the number of correctly identified cancer and non-cancer
pixel in an abnormal thyroid imaging, respectively. False Positive (FP) and False
Negative (FN) pixels are those that were incorrectly identified as cancer and non-
cancer, respectively. The morphological segmentation strategy is used to segment the
tumour regions in thyroid pictures, and the simulation results are contrasted with
those obtained using other traditional segmentation techniques. The proposed tumour
segmentation method employed in this chapter has 99.8% specificity, 99.1% accuracy,
and 97.7% sensitivity. The suggested region-growing method for tumour
segmentation achieves 87.1% sensitivity, 88.7% specificity, and 88.9% accuracy. The

proposed tumour segmentation method achieves 85.9% sensitivity using the

Watershed segmentation method, 88.1% of specificity and 89.8% of accuracy.
CONCLUSION
This study looks into how to spot cancerous areas in thyroid ultrasound imaging.
The thyroid ultrasound image's pixels have been improved to increase the thyroid
tumour segmentation system's classification accuracy. The interior parts of the thyroid
picture are enhanced using the histogram equalization approach on the poor resolution
thyroid image. To prepare the thyroid picture for further processing, the spatial
domain pixels are transformed using the Gabor transformation. The characteristics of
thyroid images are utilised to distinguish between normal thyroid images and thyroid
images with aberrant tumors. For the purpose of detecting tumors, derivative and
discrete wavelet transform (DWT) features are extracted. The classification algorithm
utilised is CANFES classifier. The ultrasound thyroid picture belongs to an abnormal
pattern sets are distinguished from ultrasound thyroid images belongs to a normal
pattern sets by this classification technique. Because Gabor transformation was used
to analyse the collected feature set, the method has higher sensitivity, specificity, and
accuracy than other traditional methods.
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A Comparative Analysis of Growth of Retail Stores During the Pre

and Post-Covid Period in the Kottayam District
Manya Jayakumar*, Deepak Baby
Students of Marian College Kuttikkanam (Autonomous)
*
Email: manyajayakumar343@gmail.com
Abstract: Retailing is the main source of sales for a company. Many of the retail
sectors most affected by the pandemic were those selling goods and services allegedly
offhand concealed by state and local regulations.COVID-19 has led to government-
mandated business closures and stay-at-home orders. Consumers are avoiding social
interactions, with many choosing to avoid stores out of fear of the virus. All of this
has led to a decline in the retail business. “The retail market is returning to normal
after months of restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 shutdown, resulting in the
closure of several stores and restrictions on sales. Indian Retailers Association
conducted a related study and found that retail sales in India fell by 79% in May 2021
compared to May 2019. This came as the country shut down amid the spreading wave
of COVID-19”(Shivam Varshney,2021). Based on this, we investigated the issues in
our area. This study aims to analyse retail outlets' change and growth performance
during the Covid-19 pandemic in the Kottayam district. The survey was descriptive in
nature, quantitative data were generated based on a survey tool (questionnaire) and
secondary data processing was used to collect further information. Thirty responses
were collected from retail store employees in the Kottayam district.
Keywords: Retail stores - growth – Pre and Post COVID-19 – Kottayam district
INTRODUCTION
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant negative effect on our economy.
The COVID-19 epidemic has primarily affected retail industries.
Retail marketing appears as one of the key rising themes across the complete
cycle in the expanding market. The retail stores include a single site such as grocery
shops, bakery & stationery shops, small boutiques, ladies’ centres, jewellery etc. At
these locations, customers interact with shopkeepers and exchange items for money.
Retail marketing even places a strong emphasis on keeping a fair net profit for the
product owner while focusing on consumer satisfaction. In retailing, products may be
marketed to a customer at a shop, on the roadside, or at the customer’s home.
Technological advancements help to order products on online platforms.
Retail marketing consists of all business operations directly involved in selling
products or services to end users for consumption. Governments all across the world
are taking action to avoid the spread of COVID-19, as it is first and primarily a health
problem. However, the epidemic has also contributed to a global recession that affects
employment, growth, commerce, and investment. Although the virus has spread to
every country in the world, not all are equally impacted by the COVID-19 economic
disaster.Except for those supplying basic goods like medication and food, the majority
of the country’s retailers were closed. Almost every store has stopped selling items
including clothing, electrical appliances, smartphones, machinery and furniture. Non–
grocery/food stores sale has fallen from 80 to 100 %. The country’s largest enterprise,

retailing accounts for 8% of the GDP and hires a significant proportion of the working
population. For the success of any firm, retail marketing is very essential.
Literature Review
Amgad S.D. Khaled, Nabil Mohamed Alabsy, Eissa A. Al-Homaidi &
Abdulmalek M.M. Saeed ( 2020 ) conducted a study on “ The impact of the COVID-
19 pandemic on Retailer performance: Empirical evidence from India.” The study
examined that, the lockdown to reduce the risk of COVID-19 in the area has had a
significant impact on retail commerce. Most supermarkets around the country have
been shuttered, except for those selling necessities like food and groceries, textiles,
electronics, mobile phones, furniture, and appliances. The majority of the shops are
closed. Retailers who don't sell groceries or food are reporting revenue drops of 80%
to 100%. Additionally, because businesses are unable to offer non-essential goods,
which would increase their earnings, dealers of necessary commodities suffer losses.
Mishma Davis ( 2021 ) conducted a study on “ Impact of COVID-19 on small-
scale retail sectors: a case study from Irinjalakuda Municipality.” The study revealed
a few state welfare programmes that benefit those working in the retail industry. This
results in a higher percentage of people having insurance against unemployment
(45%), as well as insurance towards death and disability (32.5%) and old age (15%),
and policy against work-related injuries (7.5%). Additionally, it showed their earnings
before and after the pandemic. Before the pandemic, (40%) of the population was in
the Rs.65000– Rs.85000 range, (32.5%) in the Rs.45000– Rs.65000 range, 17.5% in
the Rs.85000– Rs.10000 range, and 10% in the Rs.25000– Rs.45000 range. Variations
in their revenue were caused by the pandemic; some benefited greatly while others
benefited just somewhat.
Sayyida, Sri Hartini, Sri Gunawan & Syarief Nur Husin ( 2021 ) conducted a
study on “ The impact of the covid-19 pandemic on retail consumer behaviour.” Their
findings indicate that web rooming and traditional online purchases are the most
popular forms of shopping during the COVID-19 epidemic. Data on retail sales in
these nations demonstrates that retail e-commerce sales account for less than 30% of
all retail trade and physical shop sales account for more than 70% of all retail sales.
This study is anticipated to help marketers enhance their retail marketing plans for the
COVID-19 pandemic.
Aparna Merin Mathew (2018) conducted a study on “Problems faced by retailers
– with special reference to Kottayam district in Kerala.” The study determined that the
majority of the retailers (60 %) used rented spaces for marketing. According to the
report, 85 % of retailers contributed to the issue in the retail sector. It should be
highlighted that the majority of the retailers (87.5%) maintained a positive
relationship with their clients. Approximately 67.75% of merchants, big and small,
can meet customer demand for the goods. Around 72.5% of big-scale retailers and
77.8% of small-scale retailers have been impacted by the issue of inadequate capital
in the retail industry.
Objectives
The objectives of the study are:
1. To analyse the socio–economic background of retail stores.
2. To determine the growth of retail stores before and after COVID-19.

Both Primary and Secondary data collection methods have been used to compare
the growth of retail stores before and after COVID to get maximum satisfaction of the
results. To collect primary data, we prepared a structured interview schedule and
directly collect the data from samples mainly from Ponkunnam, Kanjirappally, and
Mundakkayam and from some other places. Secondary data are collected from articles,
journals, and published and unpublished records. In the sample survey, 30 responses
were collected. The research method here used is descriptive because it is suitable to
report what is happening and what had already happened. The collected data can be
analysed by using Microsoft Excel and presented employing graphs.
Analysis
Table 1: Classification of own store and rent
Category Number of respondents Percentage
Own store 9 30%
Rent 21 70%
Total 30 100%
Figure (1) shows that 70% of the stores are rented as is evident from the response
of 21 people and only 30% are own stores, from the response of 9 people. So, rented
stores are higher than own stores. An understudy from 30 samples, shows that more at
rented stores.
Table 2: Number of months that stores were shut down.
Less than 1 month 1 3.32%
1 – 3 months 13 43.34%
3 – 6 months 9 30%
6 – 9 months 3 10%
More than 9 months 4 13.34%
Total 30 100%

This graph represents the number of months that the retail stores were shut down
during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is identified that 43.34% of the stores were shut
for about 1 – 3 months which is from the response of 13 people. 30.5% of the stores
were closed for 3 – 6 months which is from the response of 9 people. Also, 13.34% of
the stores were shuttered down for more than 9 months that is from the response of 4
people and 10 % of stores were shut for about 6 – 9 months that is from the response
of 3 people and only 3.32% of the stores were closed for less than1 month that is from
the response of only 1 person.
Table 3: Other Sources of Income

Yes 2 7%
No 28 93%
Total 30 100%

This figure shows that, any other sources of income of the retail store owners. It is
clear from this figure that, 93% of the retail store owners do not have other sources of
income. That is from the responses of 28 people. Only 7% of the retail store’s owners
have other sources of income such as engaged in Event management, ice cream
distribution etc. that is from the response of 2 people.
Table 4: Revenue per day before Covid
Less than 1000 3 10%
1000 – 3000 10 33.34%
3000 – 6000 16 53.34%
6000 – 9000 1 3.32%
More than 9000 0 0%
Total 30 100%

This graph shows the per day revenue of retail stores before the COVID-19
pandemic.53.34% of people are in the category of 3000 - 6000 from 16 responses,
which is the higher category the people rely on. 1000-3000 category at 33.34% which
is revealed from 10 responses. Whereas less than 1000 belongs to 10% on the basis of
3 responses of the people And, 6000-9000 belongs to 3.32%, data recorded only from
1 person. Last, above 9000 belongs to 0%. That is no person gets more than Rs. 9000
as per day revenue.
Table 5: Revenue per day after COVID

Less than 1000 5 16.7%
1000 – 3000 17 56.7%
3000 – 6000 7 23.28%
6000 – 9000 1 3.32%
More than 9000 0 0%
Total 30 100%

This pie diagram represents the revenue per day after COVID. It shows that more
than half, that is 56.7% of the people are in the category of 1000 – 3000 from 17
responses. 3000 – 6000 categories at 23.28% which are revealed from 7 responses.
Whereas less than 1000 belongs to 16.7% on the basis of 5 responses from the people.
And 6000 – 9000 belongs in 3.32%, data recorded only from 1 person. At last, no
person gets more than 9000 income per day. So, the emergence of the pandemic
makes in their revenue decline.
Table 6: Loss during COVID

Financial 5 16.67%
Physical 4 13.33%
Both 21 70%
Total 30 100%

This chart shows the loss of retail stores during COVID-19. It revealed that 70%
of people are affected by the loss both financial and physical. That is from 21
responses of people. Whereas 16.67% of the people are affected only by financial loss
during COVID 19 that is from the responses of 5 people. At last, 13.33% of people
were affected by the physical loss that is from the responses of 4 people.
Table 7: Survived from loss

Yes 5 17%
No 25 83%
Total 30 100%
The diagram above represents whether the people survived the losses. About
83.33% of people have not survived the losses that happened in the COVID pandemic,
that is from the responses of 25 people. Whereas 16.67% of the people survived the
loss, that is from the responses of 5 people
Findings and Suggestions
The prevalence of COVID-19 throughout the world and its effects on the retail
industries are extraordinary. Enterprises that offer products to customers via shops are
considered to be in the retail sector of an economy. Most of these businesses closed
amid curfews as they were unable to cover maintenance costs and endure the closure.
The present study has attempted to compare the growth of retail stores during Pre and
Post COVID periods in the Kottayam district. The two major objectives of the study

are to analyse the socio-economic background of retail stores and determine the
growth of retail stores before and after COVID-19.
Findings
 The result of our study shows the responses from the small-scale retail sector
including grocery shops, baking, small boutiques, fruits and vegetable shops,
hardware and Rexin stores, small paint shops, utensils shops; footwear shops.
 Among all these sectors, it was discovered that more respondents have rented
stores and only fewer people have their own stores.
 Also, the study shows that the majority of the respondents say that, their stores
were closed for about 1-3 months, and only one store was closed for less than 1
month, and that is a grocery shop.
 The study also shows that about 94% of people do not have any other source of
income.
 It is also understood that before COVID the per day revenue of the majority of
the revenue Retail stores was between Rs.3000- Rs.6000. But, after COVID it
was thus decreased to between Rs.1000- Rs.3000. It shows that COVID-19
negatively impacted most of the retail stores.
 It is also identified that during COVID 19 most of the retail stores are affected by
both financial and physical loss. Also, about 25 persons revealed that they are not
survived the loss that they faced. It also shows that the price of the products after
COVID has more than doubled before.
Suggestions
1. It is suggested to give more financial help to retail stores to overcome the financial
crisis.
2. It is suggested to reduce the interest on loans.
CONCLUSION
A comparative analysis of the growth of retail stores during the pre and post-
COVID period in the Kottayam district reveals that the COVID-19 pandemic
continues to spread all over the world unpredictably. During the continuing downturn,
businesses are forced to be concerned about the situations they undergo as opposed to
the pre-pandemic scenario. The organised retail sector is dealing with numerous
issues and difficulties. The retail industry will expand as a result of the introduction of
the aforementioned proposals, which will be more beneficial to merchants in helping
them handle their challenges.

REFERENCES
Aparna Merin Mathew. A study about problems faced by Retailers - with special
reference to Kottayam district in Kerala. International Journal of Creative
Research Thoughts.
Nithya S and Abhijit Chirputkar. The analysis of the impact of COVID-19 on Retail
consumer behaviour and business models. PalArch's Journal of Archeology of
Egypt / Egyptology.
Amgad S.D. Khaled, Nabil Mohamed Alabsy, Eissa A. Al-Homaidi and Abdulmalek
M.M. Saeed. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on retailer performance:
empirical evidence from India. Innovative Marketing.
Sayyida, S., Hartini, S., Gunawan, S., & Husin, S. The Impact of the Covid-19
Pandemic on Retail Consumer Behavior. Aptisi Transactions on Management
(ATM).
Joseph Goeb, Mywish Maredia, Khin Zin Win, Ian Masias, Isabel Lambrecht, Duncan
Boughton & Bart Minten. Urban food prices under lockdown: Evidence from
Myanmar’s traditional food retail sector during COVID-19. Myanmar SSP
Working Paper.
Mishma Davis. Impact on Covid 19 on small scale retail sectors: a case study from
Irinjalakuda Municipality. Project Report.
Louise Grimmer. Lessons from the COVID 19 pandemic: The case of retail and
consumer service firms. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services.
Huseyin Guven, Emine Turkan Ayvaz Guven, Bulent Akkaya. The status of the Retail
stores during and after the Covid 19 outbreak. Research gate.
Nithya S , Abhijit Chirputkar. The analysis of the impact of Covid 19 on Retail

consumer behaviour and business models. PalArch’s Journal.
Varsha Priyadarshini. Pre and Post pandemic – Retail industry in India. Fusion
Informatics.
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effects of COVID-19 pandemic on retailing. Journal of Service Management.

A Brief Study of Certain Anti-Hairfall Plants in 7th and 8th Wards of

Thalappalam Panchayath in Kottayam District
Jince Mary Joseph, Ashmi Saji*, Geethika Thambi, Therese Joseph
Department of Botany, Alphonsa College Pala,

*
Email: ashmisaji2016@gmail.com
Abstract: Herbs are staging a comeback and herbal ‘renaissance’ is happening all
around the globe. The herbal products available today symbolise safety in contrast to
the synthetics that are regarded as unsafe to humans and environment. This study has
attempted to screen plants with antihairfall properties. In this study, Antihairfall and
medicinal properties of 12 plants in 7th and 8th wards of Thalappalam Panchayath have
been identified. Morphological observation showed that most of the plants studied
were herbs and shrubs. The selected plants were Aloe barbadensis, Azadirachta
indica, Clitoria ternatea, Eclipta prostrate, Hibiscus rosa sinensis , Jasminum
multiflorum, Lawsonia inermis, Moringa oleifera, Murraya koenigii, Ocimum
tenuiflorum, Phyllanthus emblica and Phyllanthus niruri. All the selected plants are of
great significance and present investigation is an attempt to study and discuss about
some plants with antihairfall properties. These plants were selected as they were
easily available, fast growing, known to possess many medicinal use, have great
antihairfall properties and are propagated easily.
Keywords: Herbs, Anti-hairfall, Medicinal
INTRODUCTION
Hair loss is a dermatologic disorder, and the search for natural products which has
hair growth promoting potential is continuing. Hair loss, dandruff, hirsutism and
alopecia are common patient complaint and a source of significant psychologic and
physical stress. Natural products in the form of herbal formulations are available in
the market and are used widely as hair tonic, hair growth prominent, hair conditioner,
hair cleansing agent, antidandruff agent, and also for the treatment of alopecia and
lice infection. Hair loss results from certain other factors such as aging, genetic pre
disposition, thyroid imbalance, malnutrition or imbalance diet, chronic illness,
hormonal effects of birth control pills, pregnancy, menopause, certain medications
and radiation therapy/chemotherapy used for treating cancer (Jain et al., 2017). The
main reason behind the upsurge of hair problems are more frequently seen due to
extremely busy schedule of working hours, pollution of the environment and
unhealthy dietary habits (Neeru et al., 2020).
Herbal medicines have been widely used for hair growth promotion since ancient
times in Ayurveda, Chinese and Unani systems of medicine. Natural products are very
popular and well accepted in the cosmetic and hair care industries (Semalty et al.,
2010). In traditional Indian system of medicine many medicinal plants and herbal
formulations are reported for hair growth promotion as well as improvement of
quality of hairs (Rathi et al., 2008).

The present study was conducted in Thalappalam Panchayath in the Kottayam

district of Kerala. Plants are collected from Plassanal region (Ward 7th & 8th) in
Thalappalam Panchayath. This locality is rich with medicinal plants especially
antihairfall plants like Aloe barbadensis, Azadirachta indica, Hibiscus rosa sinensis,
Eclipta prostrate, Lawsonia inermis, Moringa oleifera, Phyllanthus emblica ,
Phyllanthus niruri etc
Materials and Methods

The present study was carried out to document a brief study of certain Antihairfall
plants in 7th and 8th wards of Thalappalam Panchayath. During the period of study
(August, 2021 to September, 2021), frequent field visits were conducted throughout
the selected areas of Thalappalam Panchayath to study the mode of use, medicinal
properties and antihairfall properties of some antihairfall plants.
Identification of Plant Material
Antihairfall plants were observed, collected and studied from different areas in
Plassanal region ward 7 and 8 of Thalappalam Panchayath. Collected plant species
were identified with the help of pertinent floras Flora of the presidency of madras
(Gamble, 1986-1987) and from Indian Medicinal Plants Vol.1-5 (Varier, 1993-95).
Scientific names, Common name, Malayalam name, Family and Habit of selected
plants have been recorded.
Study of Antihairfall Properties
The study of antihairfall properties of plants is based on observations, the literary
materials collected from classical books, modern books, magazines and internet
sources.
List of Plants Studied
Plants like Aloe barbadensis, Azadirachta indica, Clitoria ternatea, Eclipta
prostrata, Hibiscus rosa sinensis, Jasminum multiflorum, Lawsonia inermis, Moringa
oleifera, Murraya koenigii,. Ocimum tenuiflorum, Phyllanthus emblica and
Phyllanthus niruri were used in this study.
Results and Discussion
The present study was undertaken with a view to identify and document certain
antihairfall plants in the 7th and 8th wards of Thalappalam Panchayath. The present
study enumerates 12 plants belonging to 11 different families. The plants are arranged
in alphabetic order. The information on medicinal properties plant species has been
described as per our knowledge and also from previous literatures.
The present investigation, summarized in a list of antihairfall plants with their
botanical name, family and Malayalam name are presented below (Table1.).

Table 1: Botanical name, Family and Malayalam name of Antihairfall plants
SL.NO BOTANICAL NAME FAMILY MALAYALAM NAME

1 Aloe barbadensis Asphodelaceae Kattarvazha
2 Azadirachta indica Meliaceae Aryaveppu
3 Clitoria ternatea Fabaceae Shankhpushpam
4 Eclipta prostrata Asteraceae Kayyonni
5 Hibiscus rosa sinensis Malvaceae Chemparathi
6 Jasminummultiflorum Oleaceae Mulla
7 Lawsonia inermis Lythraceae Mailanchi
8 Moringa oleifera Moringaceae Muringa
9 Murraya koenigii Rutaceae Kariveppu
10 Ocimum tenuiflorum Lamiaceae Thulasi
11 Phyllanthus emblica Phyllanthaceae Nelli
12 Phyllanthus niruri Phyllanthaceae Keezharnelli
1. Aloe barbadensis
Common name : Aloe Vera
Malayalam name : Kattarvazha
Family : Asphodelaceae
Parts used : Leaf, Stem
Habit : Herb
Medicinal Properties
Aloe vera is a plant that has thick leaves with a gel like substance inside them. It is
very mild, act as a great conditioner and leaves our hair smooth and shiny. It has great
Anti Hairfall properties and contains proteolytic enzyme which naturally stimulate
hair growth. The gel contains most of the beneficial bioactive compounds in the plant,
such as vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and antioxidants. People most often use aloe
vera as a topical medication, applying it onto the skin rather than consuming it. It has
a long history of use in treating sores, and burns. Aloe vera may also help in treating
constipation. People also use aloe vera as a remedy for diabetes. This is because it
may enhance insulin sensitivity and help to improve blood sugar management.
Method of use
Fresh aloe vera gel is sometimes applied directly to the scalp. Cut a leaf from a
live aloe vera plant to accomplish this. Gather the gel using a spoon (some people like
to mix it with coconut or olive oil). Rub the gel or combination into the scalp and let it
in place for an hour. Wash the scalp and hair with a gentle shampoo. 2-3 times a week,
repeat this procedure as necessary. It is advised to proceed cautiously and test a tiny
bit of the gel on the wrist to check if there is a reaction before applying it to the scalp
because some people are sensitive to aloe vera. Hair masks are another well-liked
method of using aloe vera for hair care.

2. Azadirachta indica
Common name : Neem Tree
Malayalam name : Aryaveppu
Family : Meliaceae
Parts used : leaves, flowers, seeds, fruits, roots and barks
Habit : Tree
Neem, a plant used for its therapeutic benefits, is an efficient remedy for hair loss.
It promotes hair loss while also strengthening hair follicles. The immunomodulatory,
anti-inflammatory, antihyperglycemic, antiulcer, antimalarial, antifungal, antibacterial,
antiviral, antioxidant, antimutagenic, and anticarcinogenic activities of neem leaf and
its components have been proven. Neem oil, bark, and leaf extracts have been used
therapeutically as traditional medicine to treat respiratory problems, constipation,
intestinal helminthiasis, and other conditions. Its efficacy in the treatment of
rheumatoid arthritis, persistent syphilitic ulcers, and Indolent ulcer has also been
demonstrated. Neem oil is used to treat a number of skin ailments. Bark, leaf, root,
flower, and fruit all work together to treat phthisis, itching, skin ulcers, and blood
morbidity.
Method of use
Neem, known for its medicinal properties is an effective herb to treat hair loss.
Due to its antibacterial, antifungal and anti-inflammatory properties, neem is an
excellent way to prevent dandruff. It helps the hair follicles to become stronger and
also encourages hair growth. You can also try this neem pack. Grind and boil neem
leaves to a paste and apply it to your scalp after shampooing your hair. Wash it off
after 30 minutes. Repeat the process twice in a week and notice the change. Take dry
neem powder and slowly pour water in it until you get a grainy paste. Apply it
carefully across your scalp using your hands. Let it sit for 30 minutes. Rinse it off
with cold water.
3. Clitoria ternatea
Common name : Butterfly Pea
Malayalam name : Shankhpushpam
Family : Fabaceae
Part Used : Flower
Habit : Herb
Shankhupushpi is a perennial herb that is used for its medicinal benefits it
possesses great antihairfall properties and also promotes hair growth due to its
rejuvenation. Shankhupushpi is used for treatment of hypertension, neurodegenerative
diseases, ulcers, high blood pressure and epilepsy. The herb reduces cholesterol and
hypertension. It improves the memory. In Ayurveda, it is used as brain tonic in
hypotensive syndromes. Shankhupushpi induces a feeling of calm and peace, good
sleep and a relief in anxiety, stresses, mental fatigue; The root extracts of this herb are
used for eye, throat infections, ulcer and urinary infections. Leaves of Shankhupushpi
plant are used in the treatment of bronchitis and asthma. A gram of Shankhpushpam
flower powder if taken daily with honey can be useful for curing uterus bleeding

problems. The blue flowers of Shankhpushpam are used for food colouring for rice
and other recipes in some countries.
Method of Use
Shankhupushpi is a perennial herb and consider as a most wonderful gift of nature
to mankind. All part of Shankhupushpi herb is known to possess therapeutic benefits
and is used as a medicine for many diseases. Shankhupushpi herb is commonly found
in India. Shankhupushpi herb is highly recommended for a healthy hair growth. The
ayurvedic hair oil processed with this herb helps to enhance hair growth and prevent
hair loss. The paste of this herb can be applied as ayurvedic hair pack or hair mask for
hair growth.
4. Eclipta prostrata
Common name : False Daisy
Malayalam name : Kayyonni
Family : Asteraceae
Part Used : Leaf
Habit : Herb
Kayyonni is an important Ayurvedic herbal in India. It is a traditionally acclaimed
medicinal herb used for the promotion of hair growth and stop hair fall. The leaves are
first grounded and then prepared in a karkam, mixed with all the leaf juice of the plant.
It is then being added in gingelly oil and boiled to proper the state and the oil is then
being extracted. This oil is then applied daily over your head and is also helpful to
cure the hair loss, body pain as well as dimension of the vision. The samoolam from
this plant is ground and the juice is being given in dose of 20 to 30 ml twice every day
for hepatomegaly, indigestion, splenomegaly, jaundice etc. The root powder is given
to consume in the dose of 5 gram every day for diseases related with liver, spleen as
well as skin. The leaves are then properly ground and the karkam is being prepared
from and rubbed well and tied as bandage over the place of the scorpion bite. The
steam which comes from the leaves when boiling in the water is exposed on the pile.
Method of Use
The leaves of kayyonni are used as a best medium for hair. Kayyonni has many
protective features that can be used against dandruff as well as premature graying of
hair. The application of coconut oil, boiled with kayyonni, on the scalp is beneficial
for releasing coolness to the head and eyesight. It can also be consumed internally as
an astringent, emetic, purgative and tonic. The hot oil massage of scalp with the
mixture of kayyonni and coconut oil helps in the rapid blood circulation over scalp.
5. Hibiscus rosa sinensis

Common name : Chinese Hibiscus
Malayalam name : Chemparathi
Family : Malvaceae
Parts used : Leaves, stem, flowers
Habit : Shrub

Hibiscus has been used for centuries for decorative and medicinal purpose. In
Ayurveda, hibiscus is recommend for treating hairfall, encouraging hair regrowth and
preventing premature graying. Other uses of hibiscus include regulation of menstrual
cycle, avoid menstrual cramps, and also as a contraceptive medicine. The roots of the
plant are used in the treatment of different venereal diseases.
Method of use
Hibiscus is used in different combinations of the preparation of herbal hair oils.
One method is to grind the leaves and flowers of the Hibiscus shrub and heat them
with virgin coconut oil. The oil is simmered till all the water in the mixture evaporates.
This is then filtered and stored. An alternative method uses Hibiscus flowers and
fenugreek seeds that are simmered in virgin coconut oil. Hibiscus is also used in
traditional Ayurvedic hair oil formulations such as Kesini Hair Oil or Chemparathyadi
Keram as antifungal and anti-dandruff herbal hair oil. In addition to the herbal hair
oils described above, one can also make a hair mask out of Hibiscus. Women and
girls (of Kerala) prepare a special herbal shampoo called chembarathi thali, by
rubbing the leaves and flowers of hibiscus against a clean rock slab.
6. Jasminum multiflorum
Common name : Common Jasmine
Malayalam name : Mulla
Family : Oleaceae
Part Used : Flower
Habit : Shrub
Jasmine essential oil has various beneficial properties. Jasmine oil contains
moisturizing properties to stop hair breakage. Jasmine oil is also rich in fatty acid that
may improve scalp health and hair texture, that prevent hair fall and hair damage.
Jasmine oil has been shown to demonstrate both antibacterial and antiviral
properties. Jasmine oil components demonstrate antiviral activity against the hepatitis
B virus. Jasmine has been used for liver disease, pain due to liver scarring and
abdominal pain. It is is also used to prevent stroke, to speed up wound healing and in
cancer treatment. Aromatherapy is a holistic health practice that’s believed to have so
many benefits, such as reducing pain and improving sleep.
Method of Use
Much like other flowering plants, the jasmine plant can also be processed into
essential oil. The most common way to extract essential oil from jasmine is through a
process called distillation. Once extracted, jasmine essential oil can be used in many
different personal products from conditioner to styling oils there are several different
ways that jasmine oil can be incorporated into your favourite hair products. For Pre
shampoo conditioner 1/4 cup plain conditioner, 1/4 cup olive oil, avocado oil, or
coconut oil, 1/4 teaspoon (tsp.) jasmine essential oil Wet the hair and separates it into
4 sections. Apply the conditioner evenly to the sections. Wait 20 to 30 minutes before
rinsing it out with warm or lukewarm water. By some other methods it can be used as
deep conditioner and hair oil.

7. Lawsonia inermis
Common name : Henna Tree
Malayalam name : Mailanchi
Family : Lythraceae
Parts used : Leaves
Habit : Shrub
Medicinal properties
The medicinal herb known as henna or mehandi is often used as a natural hair
colour. Excellent anti-hairfall qualities are processed. In addition to reducing hair loss,
it also prevents and treats hair thinning. Other medical use for this plant abound. Their
leaves offer calming effects on Pitta and Kapha. Additionally, it helps with fever,
burning, skin, and liver conditions. Its external use is beneficial for fungal infections,
swellings, and wounds. Henna leaves are good for cleansing wounds, boils, and skin
diseases because they are astringent and antimicrobial. Gargling with its decoction
can help treat mouth blisters and oral infections. Its leaves and bark are used in folk
medicine to treat illnesses of the liver and spleen.
Method of use
In a glass bowl, combine the henna powder with water until the mixture is thick,
smooth, and spreadable. For the colour to fully develop, set this aside for around 12
hours. You can begin applying the mixture to your hair if you do not want the colour
to develop. To protect your neck, ears, and hairline from the colour, rub some coconut
oil on them. Put on some gloves and begin brushing the mixture with an applicator
onto your hair. Beginning with the roots, work your way up to the tips. As you apply
the henna, wrap each area around the top of your crown so that you have a bun. Once
the mixture has been applied to your entire head of hair, wait for a few hours while
your head is covered in a shower cap. Use shampoo to rinse the henna off your hair.
Don't condition. Let the air dry your hair.
8. Moringa oleifera
Common name : Drumstick Tree

Malayalam name : Muringa
Family : Moringaceae
Parts used : bark, pods, leaves, nuts, seeds, tubers, roots, and flowers
Habit : Tree
Because it includes both Vitamins A and B, Moringa nourishes hair, stops hair
loss, and encourages hair growth. The use of Moringa can lower blood glucose levels.
Strong antioxidants included in Moringa extract have been shown to support heart
function and may help avoid cardiac injury. It is believed that Moringa can aid with
the symptoms of exhaustion, anxiety, and depression. Moringa extracts may be used
to treat infections brought on by Salmonella, Rhizopus, and E. Coli because of its
antibacterial, antifungal, and antimicrobial qualities . Some gastrointestinal conditions,
including constipation, gastritis, and ulcerative colitis, may be helped by Moringa
extracts. The qualities of Moringa extracts may help prevent the development of

cancer. Moringa appears to protect the liver from harm caused by anti-tubercular
drugs and may hasten liver repair process.
Method of use
Using Moringa oil as a treatment for our hair will make it dandruff free and
moisturize both the scalp and hair strands. Moringa oil hydrate, moisturize and treats
our hair follicles from the inside. Moringa oil is an all-natural and very effective
conditioner and moisturizer. The best oil comes from seeds of the tree. To apply
Moringa oil treatment, make sure our hair is dump then massage the oil into our scalp
and working our way from the roots to the ends. Repeat this once or twice a week for
best results. We can use Moringa by adding the powder or oil to our hair masks. Use
at least once a week as a Hair Mask.
9.Murraya koenigii
Common name : Curry leaf Tree
Malayalam name : Kariveppu
Family : Rutaceae
Parts used : Leaves
Habit : Tree
Packed with a multitude of nutrients like carbohydrate, fibre, calcium,
phosphorous, iron, magnesium, zinc, multivitamins and flavonoids, curry leaves are
an arcade of health benefits. Curry leaves are rich in antioxidents which moisturise the
scalp and also remove dead hair follicles. Apart from this, curry leaves are beneficial
for the hair since they are high in beta carotene and proteins, which are instrumental
in preventing hair loss and thinning of hair. It is extensively used in the treatment of
anemia, diabetes, indigestion, obesity, kidney problems, hair and skin problems. The
hypoglycemic property of the curry leaves plays a significant role in alleviating the
blood sugar level of the body. Curry leaves being abundant in vitamin A and β-
carotene play a vital role in improving eyesight and treating eye-related problems.
Method of use
When used in conjunction with amla and methi (fenugreek), it boosts hair growth
much better. We can make a paste with fresh curry leaves, amla, and methi leaves,
Take half a cup of curry and methi leaves and add the flesh of one amla to it. Grind it
into a fine paste. Use a spoon of water if needed while blending. Apply this paste all
over the scalp, and leave it for 20 to 30 minutes. After the time, rinse it off with room
temperature or lukewarm water. Another way to use is to coarsely crush about 15 to
20 curry leaves with a mortar and pestle and mix it with two tablespoons of fresh
yoghurt. Blend it well and then apply it all over your scalp. Rinse it off after 20
minutes.
10. Ocimum tenuiflorum

Common name : Holy basil
Malayalam name : Tulasi
Family : Lamiaceae
Parts used : Leaves, roots, stem, flower, oil
Habit : Herb

Medicinal properties
Holy basil most popularly known as Tulsi has been used for thousands of years in
Ayurveda for its diverse healing properties. Holy basil is great in its antihairfall
properties as it reduces itching and dryness in the scalp region, enhances blood
circulation, eliminates dandruff and also strengthens the hair follicles. Antioxidants
like eugenol and vitamin C found in holy basil shield the heart from the damaging
effects of free radicals. Tulsi functions as a moderate diuretic and detoxifying agent,
which lowers the body's uric acid levels. Tulsi is a natural pain reliever for headaches
and migraines. Infections and germs are killed by holy basil. Eugenol, the principal
active ingredient in holy basil oil, aids in the treatment of skin related disorders. Tulsi
has been used for treating fever for ages. The anti-inflammatory effects of tulsi protect
against bacterial, fungal, and viral infections, hence promoting eye health.
Method of use
Making a paste of basil leaves and mixing it with our hair oil can work wonders
for hair. Apply this oil to scalp and leave it on for about 30 minutes and then shampoo
as usual. This mixture rejuvenates our hair follicle, keeps our scalp cool, and
promotes circulation to our scalp. Tulsi is used as an effective remedy for hair loss. It
is considered an important ingredient in herbal hair loss treatment. Tulsi works by
strengthening the hair roots, thereby curbing hair fall.
11. Phyllanthus niruri

Common name : Gale of the wind
Malayalam name : Keezharnelli
Family : Phyllanthaceae
Part Used : Root, Fruit
Habit : Herb
Phyllanthus niruri is used for treating various illnesses. Keezharnelli has been
widely used in Ayurveda and Homeopathy. Plant extract of Keezharnelli has amazing
antihairfall problems and is especially helpful for people who are suffering from male
pattern baldness. Traditionally, it has been used for treating jaundice, hepatitis, kidney
stones, hair problems, asthma and fever. It has amazing antimicrobial properties and
traditionally it has been used for treating various skin problems from small wounds,
itching, cracked heels, rashes, etc...It has a protective effect on our liver and greatly
protects us from getting non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and also has an amazing
anti-inflammatory property and can be used both externally and internally to
treat inflammations. Keezhanelli has very low toxicity
.
Method of Use
The plant extract of Keezhanelli has amazing hair growth promoting properties
and is especially helpful for people those who are suffering from male pattern
baldness. To regrow hair on the bald head, one can use Keezhanelli oil prepared from
its root regularly. The roots are cut and boiled in coconut oil and set aside to cool
down. This oil is then filtered and applied regularly on the hair. It is recommended to
prepare this oil from fresh roots for more efficiency . For making keezharnelli hair oil,
take equal quantities of keezharnelli leaves, curry leaves and henna leaves in a mixer
and grind to get a thick paste without adding any water. Now heat 1 cup of unrefined
coconut oil in an iron pan.

12. Phyllanthus emblica

Common name : Indian Gooseberry
Malayalam name : Nelli
Family : Phyllanthaceae
Part used : Food
Habit : Tree
Amla is a plant with numerous health benefits. Applying amla on hair can reduce
hair loss. By providing enough nourishment to hair follicles amla makes the hair
fibres strong and put an end to hairfall. Amla enhances production of red blood cells
and strengthens the teeth, hair and nails, as well as regulating blood sugar. In addition,
it is used in bleeding, haemorrhoid’s, anaemia, diabetes, gout, vertigo, obesity,
diabetes-all varieties, hyperacidity, eczema, psoriasis, hoarse voice, sore throat,
infection, hiccoughs, hepatitis B, non-specific urethritis, sterility, anaemia, gingivitis,
glaucoma, diarrhoea, constipation, active fistula, hair loss a couple of voice, and eyes.
Seeds used for bronchial asthma, bronchitis, and biliousness. Dried fruit is used for
haemorrhage, diarrhoea, dysentery, for anaemia (with iron) and Jaundice.
Method of Use
One of the best things we can do to prevent hair fall is to massage our hair with
amla oil. Amla is considered as a ‘superfood ‘for hair, as it is rich in vitamins,
minerals, amino acids, and phytonutrients which increase the circulation of blood
significantly throughout the scalp. Using the vitamin C rich amla powder for hair
cures the dryness and prevents the accumulation of dandruff. Its anti-inflammatory
and anti-bacterial properties are very effective in stopping dandruff formation. In a
best way Amla can be used as hair oil and as mask. Apply the hair oil in the scalp in
the circular motion for the better hair growth. The fruit of this plant is also used as a
dried powder in hair mask.
Hair loss is a common concern for many people nowadays. Hair loss is not just a
cosmetic problem; it has an adverse effect on framing the personality and general
appearance of an individual. Importance of medicinal plants in treating hairfall
problems is increasing day by day. In the present study an attempt was made to
evaluate the antihairfall activities of some medicinal plants in the Ward 7 and 8 of
Thalappalam Panchayath. This study emphasises the importance of 12 medicinal
plants with antihairfall activity. The plants includes; Aloe barbadensis, Azadirachta
indica, Clitoria ternatea, Eclipta prostrate, Hibiscus rosa sinensis , Jasminum
multiflorum, Lawsonia inermis, Moringa oleifera, Murraya koenigii, Ocimum
tenuiflorum, Phyllanthu emblica and Phyllanthus niruri They belong to families
Asphodelaceae, Meliaceae, Convolvulaceae, Asteraceae, Malvaceae, Oleaceae,
Lythraceae, Moringaceae, Rutaceae, Lamiaceae, and Phyllanthaceae, Among them
there are 3 shrubs, 4 trees, and 5 herbs. Phyllanthus emblica is traditionally used for
hair growth activities. Emblica is rich in iron, hence providing the oxygen to red
blood cells, a prerequisite for healthful hair. Itis reported that shortage of iron
increases the chances of hair shedding (Mustafa et al., 2020). The leaves and
blossoms of Hibiscus rosa advance hair development. It contains taraxeryl acetic acid
derivation, beta-sitosterol, campesterol, stigmasterol, ergosterol, flavonoids,
glycosides, lipids, citrus and oxalic acids (Bharti et al., 2020). The principal
constituents of Eclipta alba are coumestan derivatives like wedelolactone (1.6%),
demethyl wedelolactone, desmethyl-wedelolactone-7glucoside and ecliptal, B-amyrin,

luteolin-7-O-glucoside, hentriacontanol, heptacosanol, stigmasterol. Eclipta alba is a

component in various polyherbal formulations for hair growth promotion (Patel et al.,
2015).
There are many types of treatments, medicines, supplements and Shampoos are
available in the market (Neeru et al., 2020). A lot of Allopathic, Ayruvedic, and
Homeopathic products are available in the market some of them are formulated from
the natural herbs extract as their basic ingredients. They come as hair tonics, hair
promoting pills, hair oils, hair lotions and as a product for external or topical
application to stop hair fall and promote new hair growth. Since herbs and natural
products are being used to treat hair loss or other hair related problems worldwide
(Jain and Das, 2016). The present study focuses mainly on antihairfall properties of
these plants, its medicinal properties, plant parts used and its mode of use. As there
are many synthetic antihairfall products in the market. People are generally not aware
of the antihairfall properties of these plants but it is important to be aware of these
plants as they can show miracles on our hair. There is a never ending list of products
which claim to reduce hair fall. But medicinal plants are most effective and without
any side effect when compared to other synthetic products in the market. Plants
selected for this study are easily available, fast growing, possess many medicinal uses,
have great antihairfall properties, inexpensive and are very effective. From the study it
is evident that the area is rich in Antihairfall plants.
CONCLUSION
In order to promote hair growth, plants have been used extensively since ancient
times. In the present study an attempt was made to evaluate the antihairfall activities
of some medicinal plants in 7th and 8th wards of Thalappalam Panchayath. The
selected plants were Aloe barbadensis, Azadirachta indica, Clitoria ternatea, Eclipta
prostrate, Hibiscus rosa sinensis, Jasminum multiflorum, Lawsonia inermis, Moringa
oleifera, Murraya koenigii, Ocimum tenuiflorum, Phyllanthus emblica and
Phyllanthus niruri. The present study focuses mainly on antihairfall properties of
these plants, its medicinal properties, plant parts used and its mode of use. People are
generally not aware of the antihairfall properties possessed by these plants as there are
many synthetic antihairfall products in the market. But it is important to be aware of
these plants as they can show wonders on our hair. These plants were selected as they
were easily available, fast growing, possess many medicinal uses, have great
antihairfall properties, inexpensive and are very effective.
REFERENCES
1. Bharti, M., Shrivastav, A., Abid, M., Khan, N.A. 2020. A review on hair growth
regulator. Journal of Drug Delivery and Therapeutic, 10(5), 368-375.
2. Gamble, J.S .1986. Flora of Presidency of Madras. Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal
Singh, Dehradun, India.
3. Gamble, J.S. 1987. Flora of Presidency of Madras. Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal
Singh, Dehradun, India, Vol. I & III.
4. Jain, P.K., Das, D. 2016. The wonder of herbs to treat -Alopecia. Innovare
Journal of Medical Sciences, 4(5), 1-6.

5. Jain, P.K., Das, D., Das, C. 2017. Prospect of herbs as hair growth potential.
Innovare Journal of Medical Sciences, 5(1), 25-33.
6. Mustafa, K., Kanwal, J., Musaddiq, s., Khakwani, S. 2020. Ethnobotanical and
pharmacological importance of the herbal plants with anti-hair fall and hair
growth activities. Advanced Pharmacological Uses of Medicinal Plants and
Natural Products, 1(2), 49-66.
7. Neeru, S., Yadevendra, Y., Usha, S., Chand, S.K. 2020. Concept of hair
problems and its treatment in Ayurveda. Scholors International Journal of
Traditional and Complementary Medicine, 3(2), 33-38.
8. Patel, S., Sharma, V., Chauhan, N.S., Thakur, M., Dixit, V.K. 2015. Hair Growth:
Focus On Herbal Therapeutic Agent. Current drug discovery Technologies, 12(1),
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9. Rathi, V., Rathi, J.C., Tamizharasi, S., Pathak, A.K. 2008. Plants used for hair
growth promotion: A review. Pharmacognosy Reviews, 2(3), 185-187.
10. Semalty, M., Semalty, A., Joshi, G.P., Rawat, M.S. 2010. Hair growth and
rejuvenation: An overview. Journal of Dermatological Treatment, 22(1), 1-10.
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Madras, pp.110-130.

Cloaked in Shadows and Bloomed in Fire: A Critical Engagement on

the Radical Potential of Indian Queer Literary Narratives
Nila.P
Research Scholar
University of Calicut
Kerala,India
Email: nilaparameswar@gmail.com
Abstract: “Every nation has a historical moment when it comes into its own and burst
upon the world’s consciousness. Such a moment has already been defined by their
literature for India’s women and Dalits. I am humbled to have been entrusted with
defining the historic moment for India’s homosexuals through their literature, old and
new, heroic or pedestrian, lovely and lovelorn, or rough and ironic.” (Yaraana)
Thus said Hoshang Merchant, a Zoroastrian poet, an English professor and more
importantly an open gay writer and activist who edited the anthology Yaraana (1999)
subtitled Gay Writing from South Asia in its introduction. Along with Deepa Mehta’s
ground breaking film Fire (1996) Hoshang Merchant edited Yaraana and Aswani
sukhtankar edited Facing the Mirror (1999) are two potentially inflammable titles
when it comes to the Queer cultural discourses in India. Sexuality is the most personal
and private, the most public and the most political issue that engages us both
intellectually and practically in everyday life. It is the cultural definitions and social
norms that defines, accepts, normalizes and rejects particular sexual orientations in a
society. As Jeffrey Weeks points out in his work Sexualities “each culture labels
certain practices as appropriate or inappropriate, moral or immoral, healthy or
perverted”. Thus monogamous heterosexual marriage that guarantees children are the
accepted norm and others especially alternate sexuality is considered something that
is against the rules of the nature and immoral. Alternate sexuality is rejected both
because of its non-procreative nature and because of its innate capacity to dismantle
the existing power equations in the prevalent society. The injunctions against alternate
sexuality are also part of a broader pattern of policing sexuality that threatens to
disrupt the norms of societal relations. Indian society though it is multicultural and
multilingual which celebrates diversity and differences, there is always an inherent
reluctance to acknowledge and accept alternate sexuality claiming it as a western
imported phenomena which needs treatment through good samskar or culture. It is
here Queer theory and Indian Queer cultural representations become relevant. The
invisibility of the Queer representations including the literary narratives in India is
part of the morality which considers homosexuality as sin and aberration. Though the
term Queer has originated as a derogatory term, it has undergone a process of
evolution and now stands as a term of self-identification. It is an umbrella term
embracing a matrix of sexual preferences, gender expressions and habits that are not
of the heterosexual hetronormative or gender binary majority.
Queer narratives which was once an alien genre in Indian English literature gained
its momentum and acceptance in the Indian academia and among the reading public
of India in the twenty-first century, which in a way slightly altered the cultural
definitions and power dynamics in the existing social relations and brought about a
reality which was for a long time been culturally, socially and politically invisible or
been clocked in shadows. The proposed paper endeavors to critically examine and

explore some of the monumental queer narratives and analyze how it paved the way
for a new intellectual thinking and mirrors a reality of marginalization and try to put
forth a new liberating sexual politics in Indian culture.
Keywords: Queer, Homosexuality, Identity, Gender, Heteronormativity, Alternate
Sexuality.
INTRODUCTION
Penguin India, the leading publishing house in India during the period of 1999
issued two inflammable titles which actually stunned the English readers in India. It
not only made the middleclass class Indian aware of the diverse sexual and gender
orientation prevalent among society but also challenged the whole publishing industry
to openly address and instigate critical debates on the theme of alternate sexuality.
The first was Facing the Mirror; Lesbian writing from India and the second Yaraana
subtitled Gay writing from India in 2010 Penguin India reissued Yaarana in an
elaborate version with the subtitle Gay Writing from South Asia. Here a change
happens the country name in the former title i.e. India gets replaced by a continental
name, it suggests inclusion, acceptability, and recognition. It was right after the
release of Indian Canadian filmmaker Deepa Mehta’s film Fire (1999). The movie
depicted the homoerotic romance between two women, who are actually married and
who finds their sexual liberation in lesbian relationship. When the movie was released
political parties especially the right wing political parties launched fieriest protests
against the movie claiming it as a corruption of Indian culture by the west an
argument grounded on the diasporic status of the director and the film’s funding by
the western sources. Many stated and still believe lesbianism and homosexuality as a
western imported phenomenon which unquestionably has no meaning in Indian soil
and can only represent an inauthentic Indian. But the flag bearers of homophobia are
may be ignorant of the historical evidence engraved in 10 and 11 century temple
th th
architecture and sculpture of Khajurao which evidently represents Yogini Mela ( a

version of lesbian relationship). There are many temples in India which very
artistically represents homoerotic sculptures and paintings. Similarly the classical and
medieval narrative texts of Indian origin also doesn’t deny the existence of alternate
sexuality in Indian soil. Classical and Medieval India has produced a vast majority of
literary narratives, but among all those a single work of the classical India stands out:
Vatsyayana’s Kama Sutra. It is not its narrative aspects that make it popular in both
orient and occident at the same time but the fame rests actually in the treatment of sex
in a more mechanical aspects, although that actually forms only a part of its subject
matter. Michael J. Sweet in his article “Enuchs, Lesbians, and Other Mythical Beasts;
Queering and Dequeering the Kama Sutra” suggests,
The insatiable thirst of the modern West for sex knowledge
from the mystic and lubricious East has resulted in the publication of
hundreds of versions of the Kama Sutra including translations,
recastings, expositions and specially illustrated versions ranging from
the coffee- table book with its glossy pictures of Indian erotic statuary
to pornographic videos, not to speak of cards, lotions, massage oils of
all flavors (who can forget the “Kama Sutra Love Oil” of the 1960s?),
tapestries and even bottle openers. (Queering India,77)

Likewise, the Smritis of Manu and Arthasasthra of Kautilya also recognizes

the homosexuality or alternate sexuality but doesn’t not support it, as it carries the
inherent power to replicate the power equations in social structure and can threaten to
disrupt the norms and rules of societal relations.
When the movie Fire was released all over the country another blazing
protests arose, that from women wing of right wing political parties. Their argument
was if woman’s sexual desires be fulfilled through lesbianism then the institution of
marriage and the reproduction of human beings will stop. But the irony is of the fact
that these protesters became aware of two things by the movie, firstly that a
biologically born female can be attracted to another biologically born female,
secondly if such desires gets encouraged then the most solid manifestation and
foundation of patriarchy i.e. The institution of ‘family’ will collapse. Which would
eventually subvert or deconstruct the patriarchal heteronormativity in society. It is a
sad truth that many women who were engaged in the protest may be victims of
different kinds of exploitations of patriarchy, many may be closeted lesbians and
many may be unaware of the liberating possibilities of homosexual desires. It is here
Adrienne Rich’s Compulsory Heterosexuality and Lesbian Existence becomes
relevant, in which she points out compulsory heterosexuality is a political strategy of
the patriarchy which ensure male’s authority over female and priorities sexual desires
of male. The second sex status attributed to women over time and their presumed
week, emotional, nurturing character which considered innate to their nature in all
these years also contributed to the compulsory heterosexual choice of most women.
The introduction of Facing the mirror; Lesbian Writing from India begins
with a question, “Are there any lesbian writers in India? Are there any lesbians in our
country who have been published and feted, their sexuality acknowledged?”. The
editor of the anthology Aswani Shukthankar says the answer is ‘not’ because in our
country they are invisible, their existence here is like scattered fireworks, here and
there. In the passage ‘Silence and Invisibility’ of the text Facing the Mirror, the
lesbian writer and feminist activist Giti Thdani says…
Ignorance. When something is ignored it will gradually lose
any vitality it once had, first becoming invisible and then finally
disappearing altogether. If memory is not passed on in some coherent
way, that which is not remembered no longer exists, and it can then be
said that it never existed. This is what is happening to the histories of
lesbian sexualities in our country. (Facing, 149)
In another article titled ‘Reflection of an Indian Lesbian’, writer Naseem says
that for her lesbianism is a part of a deliberate stance adopted in opposition to
patriarchy. She says- “lesbianism is a form of resistance to patriarchy and male
oppression and not just a sexual preference for me.”(331) Another writer says,
If it had been possible for me to have grown up in a country or
society in which men didn’t exploit women, I might not have been a
lesbian at all. My abhorrence was not necessarily revulsion towards the
male sex, but towards the treacherous mentality of the men I had met. I
shut myself off from men because the way they treat me as a mere
object really assaulted my feelings. (Facing, 324)

It is clearly visible from the book Facing the Mirror that it celebrates
creativity and coming together, but at the same time it is also a grieving for the
women who were denied of the freedom and choice to express themselves and write
out their stories, their life. The book cross examines some of the fundamental
problems of Lesbians like how they are been ridiculed, mischaracterized and ignored
from the reality and how their legitimacy and credibility is continuously interrogated.
The book’s ninety nine narratives are actually a doubly marginalized community’s
revelations and reflections on life. Here they are using a powerful medium ‘writing’,
to express themselves and to come out in rainbow colors from their shrinking closet.
When it comes to the second text Yaraana edited by gay writer professor
Hoshang Marchant the title itself becomes a significant start. The very use of the
Hindi word Yaar which denote friendship gets appropriated here to replace with the
mere camaraderie to a heightened level of male homosexual romance. According to
Merchant as Raj Rao pointed out “Merchant chose the word Yaraana for his title on
purpose. To him the word represented that grey area between friendship and love for
which the English Language has no equivalent.”(Criminal Love.64). In his
introduction to Yaraana, Merchant says, India’s Hindu culture which is a shame
culture rather than a guilt culture treats homosexual practice with secrecy but not with
malice”(Merchant,1999:xii). It is clearly evident from the honor killings still
happening in our country, where shame is the foundational stone of all diversions.
Yaraana included all the major literary genres like poetry, fiction, drama, non-fiction
which in a way radically altered the literary compilations. Because until then all
literary compilations were genre-specific.
There is a serious allegation from the Indian reading community regarding the
use of language in portrayed in LGBT narratives. Some claims it abusive, shallow
while comparing the popular mainstream literary narratives, erotic and pornographic
without any heighten literary quality. There were even academicians who refused to
teach transgender autobiographies in their classes. The usual comparison of LGBT
literature with award winning literary narratives leads to a conclusion of later as cheap
pulp fiction. But the hard truth is that when a Hijra writer uses the medium of
language and chooses the genre of autobiography as a tool of self-expression they
actually using these mediums as a political tool to make the mainstream society aware
of the fact that they are also human beings and they too have a right to lead a dignified
life guaranteed by the constitution of India. There is an attempt from Queer Scholar
and Theoretician Hoshang Merchant in defining Queer Aesthetics and how it differs
from the canonical literature by making a reading on R. Raj Rao’s Queer poem in the
chapter titled “Politics of the Avant-Garde in the monumental Queer critical reading
text Forbidden Sex/ Texts. He says…
The language is explosive, shocking. The original reaction is
that of revulsion ( bibhatsa in Sanskrit rasa theory ) or at best derision
or mockery. The motive is to evoke a reaction to homosexuality from
the complacent bourgeois….The underlying serious intent is to shake
bourgeois gently itself. Bourgeois gentility is based on genteel
language. This genteel language clocks a lot of violence with (in)
family, within social structures. By attacking this language of
hypocrisy he (Rao) attacks hypocrisy itself. First appearing frivolous,
he turns deadly serious, making us first uncomfortable and then marvel
at his linguistic jetes. (Criminal Love,120)

In her introduction to the work Out: Stories from the New Queer India
(published by Queeer Ink, a publishing house which is exclusively devoted to the
Indian LGBT writings), editor Minal Hajratwala writes…
Writing has been vital to the LGBT movement in India from
the beginning: stapled photocopies of lesbian poems and art; protest
petitions and letters to the editor; meticulous research that mines the
subcontinent's rich history for the proof of same-sex love in centuries
past- decisively refuting the argument that it is a Western import. The
rich and varied body of writing that has been emerging in India
includes a number of earlier anthologies and studies; regional
periodicals; the vast blogphere, and a small but growing list of novels
and autobiographies round out the bookshelf. The world has always
been a vital element of the cause. ( Hajratwala,2012:12-13)
There are many generations of writers who took the theme of homosexuality
for their creativity, in which some of them are homosexuals themselves. Suniti
Namjoshi’s many poems and fiction such as Feminist Fables (1981) and The
Conversations of Cow (1985), of poetry of Sultan Padmsee, and of Aubrey Menen’s
autobiographical books The Space Within the Heart (1970) and It’s All Right all
belong to a single period of composition. Another generation of writers would include
Vikram Seth, whose poems in The Humble Administrator’s Garden (1985) and The
Golden Gate (1986) comprises several poems on the theme of same sex longing.
Many of Mahesh Dattani’s plays, like A Muggy Night in Mumbai (2013) and Night
Queen are on the theme of homosexual identity, while the poems of Agha Shahid Ali
explore the notion of gay love in a veiled and circumspect way. But the most prolific
writer of twentieth century India is undoubtedly, Hoshang Merchant, with over 25
collections of gay poetry to his credit, as well as the startling autobiography The Man
Who Would Be Queen (2011). Raj Rao’s gay novel The Boyfriend , which many
reviewers called India’s first full-fledged gay novel came out in 2003. LGBT
anthologies are also in circulation in Indian soil. Kaushalya Bannerji’s A Lotus of
Another Color (1993), Hoshang Merchant’s Yaraana (1999), Aswani Sukthankar’s
Facing the Mirror (1999), Gautam Bhan and Aravind Narrain’s Because I have a
Voice (2006) and Minal Hjratwala’s Out (2012) are some of this regard. Arundhati
Roy’s acclaimed work The Ministry of U Utmost Happiness (2017) portrays an
intersex character who is also the narrator of the novel.
Everyone are familiar with the provocative query of Gyathri Chakravarthy
Spivak “ can the suba;ltern speak ?” Would it be more appropriate if it would be ‘can
any subject speak ?’. Because in our country India anyone in any marginalized
community is a subject who is constantly exploited, used, ridiculed and manipulated
and even denied of many rights including the fundamental right , the right to live. The
socio, economic political marginalization of a community or a group of people leads
to the gradual invisibility of them. This is what happening to the sexual minority in
our country. The invisibility of the Queer representations including the literary
narratives in India is part of the morality which considers homosexuality or alternate
sexuality as sin and aberration. Though the term Queer has originated as a derogatory
term, it has undergone a process of evolution and now stands as a term of self-
identification. The Queer narratives of today’s which in a way slightly altered the
cultural definitions and power dynamics in the existing social relations and brought

about a reality which was for a long time been culturally, socially and politically
invisible or been clocked in shadows. These narratives in a way paved a way for a
liberating sexual politics and a new intellectual critical thinking in Indian academia.
WORKS CITED
Bose, Brinda and Bhattacharya, Subhabrata, eds. The Phobic and the Erotic; The
Politics of Sexualities in Contemporary India. Kolkatha: Seagull Books,
2007. Print.
Butler, Judith. Gender Trouble; Feminism and the Subversion of Identity. New
York: Routledge, 1990. Print.
Dutta, Anirudha and Raina Roy. “Decolonizing Transgenders in India”,
Transgender Studies Quarterly, Vol.1,2014. 320-
336.http://doi.org/10.1215/232892522685615.
Glover, David and Kaplan, Cora. Eds. Genders; The New Critical Idiom. London:
Routledge Publishers, 2000. Print.
Mehta, Deepa, dir. Fire. Delhi: Kaleidoscope Entertainment, 1996.Film.
Menon, Nivedita. Sexualities. New Delhi: Raj Press, 2007. Print.
Merchant Hoshang ed, Yaraana; Gay Writing from South Asia, New Delhi:
Penguin Books,1999. Print.
Murukan, Perumal. Ardhanariswaran. Trans. Appu Jacob John . Kottayam: D.C
Books, 2015. Print.
Rao,R Raj. Criminal Love ? ; Queer Theory, Culture, and Politics in India. New
Delhi: SAGE Publications India (P)Ltd, 2017.Print.
Revathy, A. The Truth About Me ; A Hijra Life Story. Trans.V. Geetha, New Delhi:
Penguin Books India (P) Ltd, 2010. Print.
Sukthankar, Aswani. Facing the Mirror; Lesbian Writing from India .New Delhi:
Penguin Books India (P) Ltd, 1999. Print.
Rich, Adrienne. “Compulsory Heterosexuality and Lesbian Existence”, in Blood,
Bread and Poetry, Selected prose. New York: W.W Norten, 1986. Print.
Tripathi, Laxmi Narayan. Me Hijra, Me Laxmi. Trans.R.Raj Rao and P.G Joshi,
New Delhi:Oxford University Press,2015. Print.
Vanitha, Ruth, ed. Queering India: Same- Sex Love and Erotism in Indian Culture
and Society. New York: Routledge, 2002. Print.
Vanitha, Ruth and Saleem, Kidwai, eds. Same-Sex Love in India. New Delhi:
Macmillan, 2001. Print.

नया सोच का आगारा कराता उप ास - अ

Thara Benny
Research Scholar,
Nirmala College Muvattupuzha
*
Email: tharabenny92@gmail.com
Abstract: समकालीन िह ी सािह म टांसजे र अपने अिधकारों के िलए आवाज़ उठा

रहे ह |िवदेशों और भारत म भी उनके ारा आंदोलन चलाए गए |इसके प रणाम प
सािह म भी उसकी अनुगूँज सुनाई दे रही है |िह ी सािह को क म रखकर पहला
उप ास नीरजा माधव का यमदीप िलखा गया है |इसके बाद सािह म टांसजे र को क
म रखकर रचनाएं िलखी जाने लगीं |उ तम ायालय ारा 2014 को थड जे र म शािमल
करते ए उ आर ण की छूट दी गई |उनके ित सोच म बदलाव आया |समाज म भी
टांसजे र समाज से कई लोग मु धारा से जुडने लगे | िग रजा भारती का उप ास
‘अ ’म ीतम नामक टांसजे र है | पहले समाज ारा उनके ित उपे ा की भावना
रखी जाती थी। लेिकन ीतम को उसके माता-िपता पढाते-िलखाते है ।अपने पैरों पर खडे
होने का हौसला देते ह|इस कार सािह म भी बदलाव देखा जा सकता है
।आज वे ऊाँचाइयों को छूने लगे ह।कई ओहदे इनके ारा हािज़ल िकए गए ह ।अपने
अिधकारों एवं अपने पहचान के िलए टांसजे र संघषरत है |आगामी िदनों म भी उनके िलए
सुनहरा भिव कायम होगा |इसकी शुभकामना हम रखते ह |आिदकाल म पुराणों म
महाभारत रामायण जैसे धािमक ंथों म भी इनके ित आदर की भावना थी |उ मँगलमुखी
माने जाते थे और आज भी वे हमेशा के िलए मंगलमुखी बने रह |इसिलए सािह ारा इनके
िलए पहल की जा रही है |
Keywords-टांसजे र -थडजे र -उ तम ायालय -आर ण
आजकल िहंदी सािह म टांसजडर िवमश खूब जोरों से चचा का िवषय

बन गया है। िहंदी सािह म टांसजडर िवमश का शु आत नीरजा माधव जी के उप ास
यमदीप से माना जाता है। समाज हमेशा घृणा की ि से देखने वाले टांसजडर लोगों के यथाथ
जीवन का अंकन इस उप ास म हम देख सकता है। हमारा समाज शारी रक व मानिसक
िवकलांगों को भी अपनाता है और उनका पालन पोषण करता है, लेिकन लिगक िवकलांगों को
उनका प रवार अपनाने से कतराते ह। उ बचपन से लेकर वृ ाव था तक घृणा,ितर ार,
िनराशा व अकेलापन का अंधकार ही िमलता है। वे भी हमारी तरह मनु है।उ भी खुलकर
सांस लेने का अिधकार है। स समाज उनसे मनु के प म जीने का अिधकार नहीं छीन
नहीं सकते ह।

“ टांसजडरों से अिभ ाय उन लोगों से है िजनके जननांग पूण प से िवकिसत ना

हो पाए हो अथवा पु ष होकर भी ैण भाव के लोग िजनका ज तो पु ष तन म आ,
िकंतु उनका मन, भाव, हाव - भाव चाल चलन आिद ीयों की तरह हो या जो ी प
मज ह िक ु िजनम पु ष जैसी भाव हो। “
संवेदनशील सािह कारों ने िविभ सािह क िवधाओं ारा जैसे , किवता, कहानी, उप ास,
जीवनी, आ कथा आिद अनेक िवधाओं म इन लोगों के जीवन संघष और उनकी संवेदना को
श ों म िपरोया है। इस दौर म नीरजा माधव का यमदीप, मह भी का म पायल, िक र
कथा, सुभाष अ खल का दरिमयाना दीप सौरभ का तीसरी ताली राजेश मािलक का आधा
आदमी िच ा मु ल का पो बॉ नंबर 203 नालासोपारा, भगवंत अनमोल का िजंदगी 50-
50 िगरजा भारती का अ , हरभजन िसंह, मेहरो ा का ए िजंदगी, तुझे सलाम आिद।
2018 म कािशत िग रजा भारती का अ उप ास एक नया सोच का िकरण

देता है। इस उप ास म िग रजा भारती एक टांसजडर का संभावना के ित हमारा
ान खींचता है। मनोिव ान म सोच को इस कार प रभािषत िकया गया है िक "सोच मोटे
तौर पर दुिनया म िकसी के सफलता जीवन के ित उसके ि कोण और रोजमरा की
सम ाओं को हल करने की मता ऊजा के खच के साथ अिधकतम उ ादकता तक प ंचने
को िनधा रत करती है। इस कार देखगे तो टांसजडर लोगों को और हमारा समाज को भी
एक नया िदशा दान करने वाला उप ास है अ ।
‘अ ’ युवा ले खका िग रजा भारती का थम उप ास है। ुत उप ास एक

थड जडर के जीवन की गाथा है। इस उप ास का कथानक एक म मवग य प रवार के इद-
िगद बुना गया है। िववाह के चार वष बाद वमा जी एवं उनकी प ी सुधा को एक क ार की
ा होती है। बेटी के ज की खुशी एवं उ ाह उस समय ठंडा हो जाता है जब सुधा, वमा
जी को बताती ह िक उनकी बेटी वा व म एक िक र है, ‘‘...जब बीवी ने बताया िक बेटी एक
िक र है तो वमा जी को लगा मानों िकसी ने उनके कानों म शीशा िपघलाकर डाल िदया हो
और वह अभी यह खबर सुनकर बेहोश हो जाएँगे।’’ सुधा को जीवनपय अपनी िक र बेटी
को िक रों के ले जाने का भय सताता है। अ र उसे ऐसे आते ह िजनम वह िक रों को
अपनी बेटी को छीनकर ले जाते ए देखती है, ‘‘...मने सपना देखा िक िक र मेरी ब ी को
मुझसे छीनकर ले जा रहे ह।’’ इसिलए वह यह बात िकसी को नहीं बताती की उसकी बेटी
िक र है और उसका लालन-पालन अपने अलावा िकसी को नहीं करने देती। यहाँ तक िक
वह अपनी माँ से भी यह बात छुपाती है। एक िदन उसकी माँ को स ाई पता लगती है तो वह
ब त दुखी होती है तथा अपनी माँ से िनवेदन करती है िक वह यह बात िकसी को भी न बताएँ
वरना िक र उसकी बेटी को उसके पास नहीं रहने दगे और अपने साथ ले जाएँगे। उसे इस
बात की िच ा होती है िक हमारी सामािजक व था िकस कार की है िजसम कु ों तक को
लोग अपने साथ रखते ह, उनकी एक संतान की तरह देख-रेख करते ह िक ु िक र का नाम

सुनते ही उससे घृणा करते ह तथा समाज से बिह ृत कर देते ह। वह अपनी माँ से कहती है,
‘‘मुझे यह समझ नहीं आता माँ, लोग कु े पालते ह। उसको अ े-अ े साबुन, शपू से
नहलाते ह। उसके िकतना ार और इ त देते ह। िकतने ार से उसको खाना खलाते ह,
दूध िपलाते ह, गािड़यों म िबठाते ह, उसको िब र पर सुलाते ह। वो तो एक कु ा है, जानवर
है। जब आप उसे जीने का अिधकार देते ह तो एक िक र को ों नहीं?’’ वह अपनी माँ से
कहती है िक वह अपनी बेटी के अिधकार के िलए इस समाज से लड़ेगी, ‘‘म अपनी बेटी के
हक के िलए इस पूरे समाज से लड़ लूँगी। पर माँ मुझ पर दया कर। िकसी को मेरी बेटी का
राज मत बताना।’’कथा इसी कार आगे बढ़ती है। सुधा अपनी िक र बेटी का नाम ‘ ीत’
रखती है और उसके पालन-पोषण एवं पढ़ाई-िलखाई का दािय यं सँभालती है। अपने
पित से कहकर उनका तबादला िद ी करवा लेती है िजससे उसे अपनी िक र बेटी की
परव रश म कोई सम ा न आए। य िप वमा जी की माँ को यह बात नागवार गुजरती िक सुधा
अपनी बड़ी बेटी को िकसी को भी हाथ नहीं लगाने देती और अ र वह उसे ताने देने लगती,
बेटी पैदा की हो तो हाथ नहीं लगाने देती। अगर बेटा पैदा करती तो चेहरा भी नहीं िदखाती।
पद म रखती| िद ी आने के कुछ ही वष म वह एक बेटे और एक बेटी को ज देती है और
इस बात से िनिश्ंचत हो जाती है िक अब वह ीत की देखभाल अ ी तरह से कर सकती है
ोंिक उसकी सास उसके दोनों ब ों की देख-रेख करती रहगी।
समय के साथ ब े बड़े होने लगते ह। ूल जाने लगते ह। ीत एक होनहार छा ा के

प म उभरती है। वह पढ़ी-िलखी व समझदार होने के साथ-साथ संवेदनशील भी है। बड़े
होते ए ही उसे इस बात का पता चल जाता है िक वह एक आम लड़की नहीं ब एक
िक र है, अब वह पूरी तरह समझ गयी थी िक वह एक आम लड़की नहीं है। वह एक िक र
है। इसका ीत को ब त बड़ा ध ा लगा। वह खोई-खोई-सी रहने लगी। कभी मन करता
तो एकदम पढ़ने बैठ जाती तो कभी बाहर घूमने िनकल जाती| समाज को देखते समझते ए
वह हर प र थित का सामना करने को तैयार हो जाती है। वह समाज के झूठे िनयमों को समझ
जाती है, ीत समझ चुकी थी िक इस समाज म कोई िनयम नहीं, समाज खुद िनयम बनाता है
और उसे जो भी खुद कमजोर लगता है। उसे समाज की बिल वेदी पर चढ़ा देता है। वह गंभीर
िवचार िवमश करती है और अपनी माँ से कहती है, ‘‘वह सोचती है, म इतनी कमजोर नहीं।
म अपनी पहचान खुद बनाऊँगी।....उसने एक िदन अपनी माँ को अकेले देखकर कहा। माँ
आप मेरे बारे म सोचकर िच ा मत िकया करो। कोई कभी नहीं समझ पाएगा िक मुझम ा
कमी है और अगर मुझम कोई कमी है भी तो माँ लोगों को ा फक पड़ता है।’’.....
अब ब े युवा हो गए ह। सास को उनके िववाह की िच ा होती है। इस कारण पर म

ेश रहने लगता है। सुधा चाहती है िक ीत पड़-िलखकर अपने पैरों पर खड़ी हो ोंिक
उसे इस समाज म अपना अ तलाशना है। घटना म नाटकीय ढंग से आगे बढ़ता है और
ीत से पहले उसकी छोटी बहन रीत का िववाह होता है य िप प रवार और र ेदारों म इस
बात को लेकर भी ब त हो ह ा होता है िक बड़ी बेटी से पहले छोटी का िववाह ों,अरे,
कलयुग है, कहीं ऐसा होता है िक बड़ी बेटी घर बेटी रहे और छोटी बेटी की शादी हो जाए

लोगों का डर, न समाज की परवाह| लेिकन और उसके पित सारी थितयों को ए छोटी बेटी
रीत का िववाह कर देते है ीत अपनी पढ़ाई पूरी करके नौकरी करने लगती है। वमा जी
आिथक प से इतने समृ नहीं िक बेटे को उ िश ा के िलए बाहर भेज पाएँ। ऐसे समय म
ीत उनकी मदद करती है और अपने भाई को उ िश ा के िलए बाहर भेजती है। एक
अ ी नौकरी के बाद बेटा घर वापस लौटता है और उसका िववाह एक उ कुलीन लड़की से
होता है जो एक डा र है। उसे पता चल जाता है िक ीत एक िक र है तो वह इस बात का
िवरोध करती है। अपने साथ इस कार का वहार देखकर ीत अ र दुखी हो उड़ती है
और मन ही मन सोचने लगती है, ा िक र को सामा जीवन जीने का कोई अिधकार नहीं
है। ा उसे प रवार व समाज म िहकारत से देखा जाना चािहए। एक छोटी-सी कमी पता
चलते ही उसे यह समाज अपने प रवार से अलग कर देगा ीत के िपता चाहते ह िक ीत के
िलए एक घर बनवा द जबिक उनकी ब चाहती है िक उसके िलए एक ीिनक बनवाया
जाए। इसी बात को लेकर पा रवा रक कलह होती है और वमा जी की डा र ब अपने पित
शुभम् को लेकर अलग रहने लगती है। कथा म एक नया मोड़ तब आता है जब ीत की माँ
ीत से शादी करने को कहती है। ोंिक उसे लगता है िक उनके न रहने पर ीत के भिव
का ा होगा? ा स ाई सामने आने पर यह समाज उसे चैन से रहने देगा? अतः वह िनणय
लेती है िक ीत का िववाह हो जाए िजससे वह अपनी िज़ गी जी सके िक ु ीत यह शत
रखती है। िक वह अपनी स ाई बताकर ही िववाह करेगी। एक-दो लड़के देखे जाते ह लेिकन
ीत की स ाई जानकर सब पीछे हट जाते ह|ब त यासों से के बाद उ एक ऐसा लड़का
िमला जो यं िक र था। उसके माता-िपता से बात करके तथा ीत व उस लड़के अमन की
आपसी सहमित से दोनों का िववाह हो गया। कुछ समय बाद ीत और उसके पित अमन ने
अनाथालय से एक लड़की को गोद ले िलया। अब उनका प रवार पूण हो चुका था और उ
अपना अ तीत होने लगता है, ीत और अमन को लगा िक आज भी उनका अ
थर है। यहीं पर उप ास का आदशवादी अंत हो जाता है।
वतमान समय म िक र पर अनेक रचनाएँ कािशत हो रही ह। ऐसे म ुत उप ास

एक मह पूण उप ास िस होगा ोंिक इसम केवल िक र की संघष गाथा ही नहीं अिपतु
उसकी माँ के प म नारी की संघष गाथा भी है। उप ास की सबसे मह पूण बात एक माँ
का अपनी िक र ब ी के भिव के ित िच त रहने, समाज म उसकी पहचान बनाने तथा
उसके अ के िलए अपने घर-प रवार, सगे-संबंधी और समाज से लड़ने की जो भावना
मुखर ई है वह िनि त प से सराहनीय है। ले खका ने नारी के ित अपनी सकारा क ि
के साथ-साथ समाज के सामने एक आदश भी ुत िकया है िक माँ के िलए उसकी संतान
केवल संतान होती है चाहे वह लड़का हो, लड़की हो या िफर टानसजडर। माँ के दय का
मम श िच ण करता यह उप ास रोचकता, कला कता और िविश शैली के कारण
िह ी औप ािसक संसार म शंिसत होगा।

ंथ सूची
1. आ -िग रजा भारती -िवकास काशन कानपूर ,2018

2. िह ी सािह म थड जे र िवमश -डॉ पायल िललहारे ,डॉ ाम मोहन पटेल -वा ा
प कैशन कानपूर -2020

Navigating Through Patriarchy: A New Historicist Reading of the

Subversion and Containment in Chirutha
Krishnapriya. M
Research Scholar
Department of English Studies Central University of Tamil Nadu
Email: krishshines14@gmail.com
Abstract: Chirutha is a Malayalam song written by Shruthi Sharanyam, composed

and sung by Sudeep Palanad, which was well received by the audience for its novel
portrayal of the Yakshi myth and the progressive conception of femininity. By
subjecting Chirutha to a new historicist analysis, this paper reveals the subversive
undercurrents present in the text. New
historicism is a theoretical area expounded by Stephen Greenblatt that encourages
the parallel reading of literary texts and co-texts. In his essay, Invisible Bullets:
Renaissance Authority and Its Subversion, Greenblatt introduced two concepts,
subversion and containment.
Subversion refers to any attempt to change or undermine a political system, and
containment prevents this change from disturbing the existing power structures. This
paper employs a new historicist methodology and uses Greenblatt's 'subversion' and
'containment' as anchoring mechanisms to analyse the subversive activities
undertaken by the 'Women in Cinema Collective, which is chosen as the co-text to
initiate a parallel reading of the ways in which the stereotypes are subverted in the
text, Chirutha. Thus the paper sheds light on how the patriarchal structures contain
acts of subversion. Moreover, the paper highlights the possibility of changes offered
by the text against the structures of patriarchy.
Keywords: Subversion, Containment, New Historicism, Chirutha, Women in Cinema

Collective
INTRODUCTION
The Cambridge dictionary defines the word 'navigate' as finding a direction
across, along or over an area of water or land. (navigate) This paper explores the
different ways in which the selected text and co-text navigate through patriarchal
structures. In the course of doing this, the selected texts undergo subversion and
containment. However, the paper also highlights how these texts provide the
possibility of changes against the patriarchal structures. To fulfil these objectives, a
new historicist methodology is employed in this paper by using Stephen Greenblatt's
idea of subversion and containment. New historicism is a theoretical area expounded
by Stephen Greenblatt in the 1980s to initiate a parallel reading of the literary text
and co-text. For the formalists who came before the new historicists, literature was
an autonomous form of knowledge, and they gave more importance to the 'word' of
the past.
Contrary to this, new historicists gave importance to the 'world' of the past and
focused on the processes and conditions from which the text is constructed.
Therefore they gave equal importance to both the literary texts and non-literary co-
texts. Michael Foucault's idea of power inspired Greenblatt to develop subversion
and containment. According to Foucault, discourse produces the social reality, and

the people in power essentially control the discourse. Thus, the idea of normalcy gets
created in favour of the power structures. (Foucault) In his essay, Invisible Bullets:
Renaissance Authority and Its Subversion, Greenblatt tests a theory of political
power which states that a system of power can create and contain its destructive
forces. He introduces the idea of subversion and containment in his analysis of the
co-text A Brief and True Report of the New Found Land of Virginia to study
Shakespeare's Henry plays. Greenblatt observes that power permits subversion and
containment. Subversion refers to any attempt to change or undermine a political
system, and
containment prevents this change from disturbing the existing power structures.
Greenblatt's analysis shows that subversion and containment occur to the extent
that it does not threaten the existing power structures. (Greenblatt, 40-61)
In her book, The Second Sex, Simone de Beauvoir, mentions how gendering
occurs in society. She explains how a woman gets constructed with all feminine
attributes through different external processes. In the process, the woman is
constructed as passive, secondary, and non-essential. (Beauvoir) Traditionally,
gender gets constructed in terms of binaries. The male is identified with traits such
as courage, assertiveness, strength, independence, etc., whereas nurturance,
gentleness, humility, and so on constitute feminine traits. Thus the construction of
gender difference starts right from the time when a child is born. Anthony Giddens
opines that gendering gets accelerated through toys, television, and children's books.
(Giddens) This paper employs a new historicist methodology and uses Greenblatt's
'subversion' and 'containment' as anchoring mechanisms to analyse the subversive
activities undertaken by the 'Women in Cinema Collective, which is chosen as the
co-text to initiate a parallel reading of the ways in which the gender stereotypes are
subverted in the text, Chirutha.
It is paradoxical to notice that on one side, the superior status of women in
Kerala is glorified based on matrilineal lineage, sex ratio, and female literacy, while
on the other, women still suffer injustices and are troubled by the weight of
patriarchal structures. The representation of women in the movies reveals this. For a
significant time, the female protagonists in Malayalam movies reinforced the
hegemonic patriarchal stereotypes. The Malayalam cinema industry, known as
Mollywood, has been transforming with varying socio-cultural values and changing
the sensibilities of the audience. According to Meena T Pillai, movies played an
essential role in propagating the attitude of servitude and docility by reinstating
female stereotypes and roles that a woman is expected to play in a patriarchal
society. She observes from Vigatha Kumaran to the movies of the 1950s and 1960s
in which women were confined to stereotypes such as tolerant wives, victims, and
self-sacrificing and loving mothers. Though the art films of the 1970s were a new
approach, they could not be completely free from the clutches of patriarchy. An
emerging modern society was depicted in the 1990s, yet the female University
students and employees in the movies were subordinate to the heroic male figures.
The early 2000s witnessed movies with masculine heroes who stole the scenes with
misogynistic dialogues. In the end, the strong female characters who appeared on
screen were dominated by male heroes through their love. (Pillai, Thomas) Thus
cinema as a popular medium of representation played a significant role in
naturalising male hegemony and propagating the traditionally conceived notions
about gender. New-generation films marked a visible change in the characterisation

of female figures who retaliated against the patriarchal structures. With the
emergence of organisations like Women in Cinema Collective, a discursive field is
opened for the discussion of gender-related issues in the film industry.
The heinous incident of sexual assault and harassment faced by a famous film
actress on February 17, 2017, led eighteen women from the industry to stand by the
survivor, eventually forming the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC). Since its
inception, the organisation has actively undertaken many subversive activities
against the existing patriarchal structures within the movie industry. By using
Greenblatt's idea of subversion and containment as the theoretical framework, this
paper highlights how power structures contain different acts of subversion.
The initiation of the organisation itself can be considered a subversive act
challenging the existing male-dominated and patriarchal structures within the movie
industry. They are able to generate discourse against the hegemonic patriarchal
structures within the industry,
and through their activities, they also initiate ways of challenging the codes of
normalcy created through hegemonic practices.
The State government formed Hema Commission at the request of the WCC
three months after the assault of the actress to enquire into the problems women
encounter in the Malayalam film industry, which were largely ignored till then. The
creation of the Hema Commission gave an opportunity for many women to share
the problems they faced in the industry, including casting couch issues and gender
discrimination. As a consequence of the report, it is hoped that safe and secure
working conditions for women will be created by implementing legal jurisdictions.
However, the content of the report remains unknown to the public, and the fact that
the report is not yet tabled in parliament can be seen as an act of containment.
Justice Hema refused to answer questions regarding the report, and B. Valsala
Kumari (a member of the Hema Commission) said the Commission's job was to
submit the report, and the jurisdiction had to be done by the government. (R)
WCC members have also raised their voices against the gender disparity in the
remuneration of actors. According to the existing patriarchal culture, female
actresses do not receive fair pay. Ramya Nambisan, a member of WCC, opines that
the directors and producers are often offended when asked for fair pay or the script
of a movie they are supposed to perform. Parvathy Thiruvoth, another member
from WCC, was subjected to massive social media bullying when she raised her
voice against the misogynistic dialogues used by a superstar in his movie. The
actors and technicians who are part of WCC are labelled as a 'notorious group' and
denied opportunities in movies. (Rajendran) These instances indicate how the
subversive activities undertaken by WCC are subjected to containment.
Nevertheless, it is also noteworthy that WCC has opened up a platform for
dialogues and dissent. One of the objectives of WCC is to "encourage responsible
filmmaking practices accelerating the work culture transformations required for
gender-just film industry and cinema".(WCC). Through initiatives like
Punarvaayana, the organisation generates discussions and understanding regarding
gender just representations in movies. Compared to the past, the filmmakers and the
viewers are more aware of terms like sexism, misogyny and political correctness.
WCC has played a prominent role in keeping such discussions alive.

Due to its novel portrayal of the Yakshi myth and the progressive conception of
femininity, Chirutha, a Malayalam song written by Shruthi Sharanyam and
composed and sung by Sudeep Palanad, received a warm reception from the
audience. The feminine figure depicted in the text can be interpreted in two ways.
The female protagonist is seen as yakshi/ spirit or as an extension of the 'feminine
self' in the male protagonist. (Nagarajan) The current study takes into consideration
both these aspects for analysis.
1) Female Protagonist as Yakshi
The song received attention for the novelty with which it presented the yakshi
myth. Traditionally in myths and movies, yakshi is represented as a bloodthirsty
figure who instils fear in people around her. However, the makers have consciously
reworked the yakshi myth and created a fresh perspective contradictory to the
stereotypical image. From the beginning, Chirutha is presented as a friendly and
playful figure. In the introduction shot, she plays hide and seek with the boy, and
there is not even a tinge of fear on his face. The nurturing and caring aspects
generally associated with femininity are also found in Chirutha in the scenes where
she feeds and puts the child to sleep. The boy plays with her as the song progresses
and even hugs her. The makers have carefully subverted the yakshi myth by
portraying Chirutha as a friendly and loving figure.
The sacred versus profane divide is questioned through many shots in the song.
For instance, a temple serves as the setting of this scene. Usually, temples are
considered sacred places reserved for God. By placing a spirit in a sacred setting, the
makers of the song subvert the strict sacred versus profane divide. In another shot,
the boy places flowers on Chirutha's head, and the flower used in this shot is Krishna
Kireedam, a wildflower contrary to the traditional jasmine flowers used for the
purpose. The distinction between the wild and domestic is blurred in the scene. They
also engage in many playful activities as the song progresses. There is a highly
symbolic shot in which the female removes a nail from a tree.
As per the traditional yakshi myth, trouble-making spirits are nailed by priests
(manthravathis) on trees to prevent them from interacting with living beings.
Chirutha removes the nail from the tree and digs up an earthen pot. Thee are daring
acts because such things are considered sacred and not supposed to be touched. She
gives the nail and the female figure from the earthen pot to the boy, thus blurring the
sacred versus profane divide.
In another scene, she drinks toddy (a traditional fermented drink), and the look of
surprise on the boy's face indicates the traditional gender coding which reserves
drinking for men. The blurring of gender boundaries occurs through the scenes in
which Chirutha smokes from the top of a tall tree and laughs loudly. It is also
revealed that Chirtha was a rebellious leader who fought for women's rights in the
past. Through this, the makers break the traditional gender rules, which reserve
leadership and rebellion as a male-dominated territory.
However, the second half of the song reveals that Chirutha is a revolutionary
leader who was killed for raising her voice against patriarchal structures. Thus the
traditional idea of yakshi as a spirit who wanders around gets reiterated in Chirutha.
The boy's words indicate that she was a revolutionary who challenged the norms
while alive. However, her attempts to challenge the traditional patriarchal norms

were curbed, and she was killed. Therefore the fact that she enjoys freedom only
after death is ironic, and thus, subversive currents generated
in the beginning get contained towards the end of the song. (Note - The gender
norms get subverted in a phallocentric manner which is explained in the next
section.)
2) Female Protagonist is an Extension of the 'Feminine Self' in the Male Character
The text allows viewing the female as the feminine extension of the self in the
boy. The song portrays the masculine and feminine selves within the boy, which is a
progressive idea through which gender norms are blurred. The depiction of the
feminine self in the boy is well-planned so that it appears as a careful amalgamation
of desirable male attributes within the feminine self. On the one hand, the feminine
self in the boy is supplied with motherly qualities such as love, care and nurture,
traditionally associated with the female gender, thereby breaking the strict gender
norms. Also, through the smoking and drinking scenes, she emerges as a daring
figure who challenges the conventional patriarchal conditioning, which reserves
specific gender roles for males and females. The wild and daring energy in the boy is
linked with the feminine part of his self. Thus through the portrayal of a sufficiently
masculinised feminine self, the makers subvert the traditional gender norms and
share a progressive outlook.
However, the patriarchal gender coding gets reiterated in the subversive acts. In
the song, the feminine self, not the masculine, displays motherly qualities like care
and nurture, thus reifying traditional gender coding. Also, the blurring of the gender
norms becomes evident in scenes in which the feminine self performs actions like
smoking and drinking, which are traditionally associated masculine gender in a
patriarchal society. Such scenes stress the acts usually linked with the male gender
and grab the attention of the viewers, who are also conditioned by the same
patriarchal structures. This kind of representation can be seen as a phallocentric
approach wherein the feminine self rises to a heroic stature when engaged in actions
traditionally reserved for men, such as smoking and drinking. Helen Cixous
describes phallocentrism as the tendency to associate females with passivity and as
a paralysed other to the active masculine self. (Cixous) Blurring the gender divide
through the feminine self, who engages in smoking and drinking, is a problematic
representation, as the deconstruction of the gender norms is done through the
performance of conventional masculine acts. A better mode of crossing the gender
norms is shown in the initial part of the song, where the quality of courage in the
feminine self gets represented through the performance of gender-neutral activities
such as crossing the sacred versus profane divide.
The song's subversive construction of the feminine self reiterates the traditional
gender norms and hence is a phallocentric approach, which brings containment.
The paper has shown the ways in which the text and the co-text have found ways
to navigate through patriarchal structures by undergoing acts of subversion and
containment. According to Grady and Motlagh, the new historicist approach is not
inherently pessimistic in explaining power circulation through subversion and
containment. Instead, it throws light on the possibility of change and negotiations.
(31-49, 212-219) Even though the patriarchal structures try to contain the efforts
undertaken by WCC, the organisation is also able to create a platform for the

discussion of gender issues in the film industry which was largely ignored in the past.
The organisation is slowly bringing positive changes through their activities.
Although subversion and containment occur in Chirutha, the male protagonist in
Chirutha is a character with a progressive outlook whose understanding of the
feminine gender is not guided by patriarchal norms, which is a positive change in
characterisation. It also highlights the need to look for alternative ways of blurring
gender norms in visual narrative forms wherein the females need not be depicted as
superheroic through a phallocentric approach.
Therefore it can be concluded that subversion and containment occur while
navigating through patriarchal structures; such a process results in positive
changes that cannot be neglected.
WORKS CITED
Cixous, Helen. The Laugh of the Medusa. Translated by K. Cohen and P.
Cohen. Signs, Vol1(4), pp.875-893.
Foucault, Michel. The History of Sexuality. Pantheon Books, New York, 1978.
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7(1), Taylor and Francis, 1993, pp.31-49.
Greenblatt, Stephen. "Invisible Bullets: Renaissance Authority and its Subversion."
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Motlagh, Hanieh Meher. "The tempest: A negotiable meta-panopticon." Advances
in Language and Literary Studies. Vol 6(2), Australian International
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Nagarajan, Saraswathi. "Chirutha, written by Shruthi Sharanyam, composed and
sung by Sudeep Palanad, fords time and narratives." The Hindu, 7 October
2021, https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/music/chirutha-music-video-
by- shruthi-sharanyam-sudeep-palanad/article36876880.ece
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https://www.epw.in/journal/2013/48/postscript/celluloid-women-kerala.html.
Sharanyam, Shruthi. Chirutha.Youtube, singer Sudeep Palanad, performed by
Ramya Suvi, Bodhi S, Girijavallabhan, Sudeep Palanad Musical, 2021,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtKLeVPzVMM.
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Mission". https://wccollective.org/d

{]-W-bw-, am-\-hm-\-´-c- Im-eL

- -«-¯n-Â- kv-ss]Iv -tPm¬-kn-sâ -slÀ- F-
¶- kn\n-asb B-kv]-Z-am-¡n- H-cp- ]-T-\w-
-P-bvkntamÄ- A-K-kvän-³-
A-tkm-kntbäv s{]m^-kÀ- a-e-bm-f- hn-`m-Kw-
A-kw-]vj-³- -tImf-Pv,Hmt«mW-a-kv N-§-\mtÈcn-.
Email: jaisyjesu@gmail.com
-teJ-\- kw-{K-lw-
ssk-t_mÀ-Ky-³- Im-gvN-¸m-Sp-IÄ- - a-\p-jy-³- F-¶- k¯-bpsS -ssPhn-I- hr-¯n-Isf H-¶-S¦ - w- b-
{´-h-Â-¡-cn-¡m-³- H-cp-§pt¼mÄ- am-\-h- Po-hn-X-¯n-Â- kw-`-hn-¡p-¶- \n-cm-i-bpsS ]p-Xn-b- ap-Jw-
B-Wv kv-ss]Iv -tPm¬-kn-sâ -slÀ- F-¶- kn-\n-a- -shfns¸Sp-¯p-¶-Xv. am-\-hm-\-´-c- Im-e- {]-W-
bs¯¡p-dn-¨v -slÀ- F-¶- kn-\n-a- A-h-X-cn-¸n-¡p-¶- Im-gvN-¸m-Sp-Isf \n-co-£-W- hnt[b-am-¡p-
¶-Xn-\m-Wv Cu- -teJ-\¯- n-Â- {i-an-¡p-¶-Xv
Xm-¡m-Â- hm-¡p-IÄ
- -: ssk-t_mÀ-Ky-³-, \n-À-½n-X- _p-²n-, a-\p-jym-\´
- -c-X- -am-\-hm-\-´-c-X-.
a-\p-jy- Po-hn-X-¯n-sâ -t\À-¡m-gvN-Itfm {]-Xo-Xm-ß-I- Im-gvN-Itfm B-Wv ka-Im-e- L-«-¯nse
an-¡- N-e-¨n-{X-§-fpw- {]tab-am-¡p-I-bpw- Zr-iy-h-Xv¡-cn-¡p-I-bpw- -sN¿p-¶-Xv. Po-hn-X-hp-am-bn- _-
Ôs¸«- Nn-´-bpsS Nn-´p-I-Ä- B-Wv a-\p-jy-sâ `m-h-\sb F-¶pw- hn-im-e-am-¡n-bn-«p-Å-Xv. Pn-hn-X-
¯n-sâ hn-hn-[- L-«-§-fpw- Im-em-´-c-X-I-fpw- F-Ãmw- `m-h-\sb h-f-À¯ - p-¶p- F-¶- k¦-ev]-\w- i-
cntbm -sX-täm F-¶v A-]-{K-Ynt¡ïIm-e-am-Wv Ct¸mÄ- ap-¶n-ep-Å-Xv.
a-\p-jy- {]-Ir-Xnsb A-]-{K-Yn-¨p- -sImp-Å- ]-T-\§ - -fm-bn-cp-¶p- C-{X- Im-e-hpw- X-¯-z- im-
kv{X-¯n-sâbpw- im-kv{Xo-b- A-]-{K-Y-\-§-fpsSbpw- A-Sn-kvYm-\- `m-h§ - -fm-bn- \n-e-\n-¶n-cp-¶-Xv. -
sU¡m-Às¯, -t{^mbvUv, am-À-Ivkv, Um-À-hn-³- Xp-S§ - n-b-hscm-s¡ ]-¦p- h-¨- Úm-\- ]-cn-kc-§-
fpsS-sbÃmw- A-Sn-¯-d- a-\p-jy- {]-Ir-XntbmSv _-Ôs¸«-Xm-bn-cp-¶p-. F-¶m-Â- ]p-Xn-b- Im-ew- ss-
kt_mÀ-Ky-³- k¦-ev]-\§ - -fn-eqsSbm-Wv I-S¶ - p- -t]mIp-¶-Xv. b-{´-hpw- a-\p-jy-\pw- -tNcp-¶- ss-
k-t_mÀ-Ky-³- Im-gvN¸- m-Sp-IÄ
- - am-\-hm-\-´-c-X- F-¶- k¦-ev]-¯ntebv¡v -temIs¯ \-bns¨¯n-
¨p- I-gn-ªp-.
1967Â- -tdm_-À«- v -t{_män-K-³- F-gp-Xn-b- “All Watched over by the machines of loving
grace”F-¶- I-hn-X-bn-Â- At±lw- hn-`m-h-\w- -sNbvX-Xv kkvX-\n-I-fpw- b-{´-§-fpw- -t{]m{Kmw- -
sN¿s¸«v ka-`m-h-\tbm-sS I-gn-bp-¶- H-cp- ssk_-Às\än-Iv Dt«m]y-bm-Wv. (-t]mkväv lyq-a-³- hn-
Nm-ctemI-§-Ä-, ]p-dw-: 11) B- `m-h-\- bm-Ym-À-°y-am-Im-³- Xp-S§ - n-bn-cn-¡p-¶p- F-¶p- kq-Nn-¸n-¡p-
¶- A-h-kvYm- hntij-§sfbm-Wv kv-ss]Iv -tPm¬-kv X-sâ -slÀ- F-¶- kn-\n-a-bn-eqsS B-hn-
jvI-cn-¡p-¶-Xv. N-e-¨n-{X-¯n-sâ- -temIw- N-e-\m-ß-I-am-Wv. X-z-cn-X-am-b- H-cp- N-e-\m-ß-I- `m-hn- Im-
e-am-Wv. Xn-btUmÀ- F-¶- \m-b-I- I-Ym-]m-{X-¯n-sâ {]-W-b- -sshNn-{Xym-\p-`-h-¯n-eqsS -slÀ-
B-kzm-Z-IÀ- -¡p- ap-¼n-Â- A-h-X-cn-¸n-¡p-¶-Xv.
{]-W-bw- B-Xy-´n-I-am-bn- H-¶n-\v A-]-c-XtbmSp-Å- hn-\n-a-b-am-Wv. -sshIm-cn-I-X-bp-Å- -
ssPhn-I- hy-h-lm-c-am-Wv {]-W-bw-. -thdn-«pw- hvr-Xy-kvX-hp-am-bn- \n-ev¡p-¶- H-¶ns\ A-]-c-am-b-
Xntebv¡v H-¶n-¸n-¡p-hm-³- {]-W-b¯ - n-\p- I-gn-bpw-. H-¶m-I-Â- ]q-À-®-am-Ipt¼mÄ- c-p- k¯-I-
Ä-¡n-S-bn-Â- -thÀ-Xn-cn-hv \-ã-am-bn- H-¶p- a-ä-Xn-Â- e-bn-¨n-ÃmsXbm-Ipw-. A-§s\bm-Ipt¼mÄ- {]-
W-bs¯ B-ß-c-Xn- F-¶p- hy-h-l-cn-¡p-hm-³- I-gn-bpw-.a-\p-jy-³- kv{Xo-bpw- ]p-cp-j-\p-am-bn- kr-
ãn-¡s¸«n-cn-¡p-¶p-. F-Ãm- Po-h-Pm-e§ - -fn-epw- Cu- hn-[w- -ssew-Kn-I- hy-Xn-cn-à-X- D-v , kv{Xo-bpw- ]p-
cp-j-\pw- F-¶- hy-Xn-cn-à-X-. Cu- hy-Xn-cn-à-X-bn-Â- \n-¶m-Wv H-¶m-I-en-\v -sImXn-¡p-¶- C-
WtbmSp-Å- {]-W-bw- F-¶- `m-h-hn-\n-a-bw- D-f-hm-Ip-¶-Xv. C-W- F-¶- k¦-ev]-hpw- {]-W-bw- F-¶-
k¦-ev]-hpw- i-co-c- kw-_-Ôn-bm-bm-Wv \n-co-£n-¡s¸«p- h-¶n-cp-¶-Xv. kv{Xo-bpw- kv{Xo-bpw- X-½n-

epw- ]p-cp-j-\pw- ]p-cp-j-\pw- X-½n-epw- {]-W-bw- km-[y-am-Ipsa¶- A-h-kvY- D-f-hm-bt¸mÄ- C-W-

k¦-ev]-¯n-epw- hy-Xy-kvX-X- I-S¶- p- h-¶p-. F-¶m-Â- Cu- k¦-ev]-§sfÃmw- -ssPhn-I-am-b- {]-]-©n-
I- hr-¯n-Isf B-[m-c-am-¡n- cq-]s¸«-h-bm-Wv.
F-¶m-Â- \n-À-½n-X- _p-²n-bm-Â- D-cp-hm-¡s¸«- AssPhn-I-am-b- A-]-c-XtbmSv {]-Wb - w- F-
¶- -ssPhn-I- hn-Im-cw- D-f-hm-Ip-¶- A-]q-À-Æ-X-bm-Wv -slÀ- F-¶- kn-\n-a-bpsS {]tabw-. kam-´-
F-¶- H-.F-knt\mSv [Operating System] Xntbm-tUmdn-\pw- kam-\-am-bn- A-bm-fpsS kp-lr-¯n-
\pw- D-f-hm-Ip-¶- {]-W-bs¯bpw- A-Xn-sâ A-\´ - -c- A-h-kvY-Isfbp-am-Wv -slÀ- B-hn--jv¡-cn-
¡p-¶-Xv.
A-e-Ivkm-,kn-dn- ap-X-em-b- H-.F-kp-IÄ - - C-¶v B-À-¡pw- ]-cn-N-bs¸Spt¯Xn-Ã-. Kq-Kn-Ä- am-
¸v, Kq-Kn-Ä- -thmbvkv, Kq-Kn-Ä- Nm-äv C-h- Im-el- -cW--s¸«t¸mÄ- A-e-Ivk -t]mep-Å-h- ]n-Sn-ap-dp-¡n-. \n-
À-½n-X- _p-²n-bpsS -ssh`-hw- aq-ew- a-\p-jy-sâ B-{K-l-§sfÃmw- km-[n-¨p- \-evIp-¶- A-\p-kc-
W-bp-Å- kp-lr-¯p-¡-fm-bn- A-h-À- am-dn-. C-\n-bpw- F-{Xtbm H-.F-kp-I-Ä- A-Wn-b-d-I-fn-Â- A-h-
km-\- an-\p-¡p- ]-Wn-I-Ä-¡m-bn- Ct¸mÄ- Im-¯n-cn-¡p-¶p- - m-hpw-.
kI-e- {]m-]-©n-I- hr-¯n-Isfbpw- A-]-{K-Yn-¨v bp-àn-I-fpw- A-ht_m[-§-fpw- cq-
]s¸Sp-¯p-¶- a-\p-jys\ D-]m-Zm-\-am-¡ns¡m-Wv F-.sF- [Al- Artificial Intelligence] F-¶-
Hm-a-\t¸cp-Å- \n-À-½n-X- _p-²n- h-f-cp-¶-Xv. a-\p-jy-\v ]-I-cw- h-bv¡m-hp-¶- H-¶ns\ Is¯n-
A-Xns\ ]q-À-®- km-a-À-°y-ap-Å- H-¶m-¡p-I- F-¶- D-±n-ã-e£ - yw- \n-À-½n-X- _p-²n-bpsS ]-co-£-W-
]-cn-kc-§-fn-Â- D-v .
a-\p-jy-sâ \n-À-®-b-\- hy-h-kvY-bm-b- X-et¨mdns\ ]p-\-:kr-ãn-¡p-¶-Xns\¡p-dn-¨p-Å-
]-T-\§- Ä- - Ct¸mgpw- A-]q-À-®-am-b- X-e§ - -fn-Â- Xs¶ Xp-S-cp-¶-Xv \n-À-½n-X- _p-²n-bpsS h-f-À-¨m-
h-gn-bn-Â- h-en-b- X--S-Êam-bn- \n-esImÅp-I-bm-Wv. Cu- ]-cn-an-Xnsb a-dn-I-S-¶v a-\p-jy-³- F-¶- -
ssPh- k¯-bv¡v ]q-À® - -am-bn- ]-Ic- w- h-bv¡m-hp-¶- H-¶ns\ D-f-hm-¡nsbSp-¯m-Â- ]n-¶o-Sv a-\p-
jy-³- F-¶- -ssPh- k¯-bpsS {]-]-©¯ - nse kvYm-\w- G-Xv C-S-¯m-hpw- A-S-bm-fs¸Sp-¯s¸Sp-
I- F-¶-Xv am-\-hs\ B-i-¦s¸Sp-¯p-¶- {]-_-e-am-b- H-cp- -tNmZy-am-Wv.
Im-em-Im-e-§-fm-bn- F-Ãm- \m-Kc- n-I-X-I-fn-epw- \n-e-\n-¶n-cp-¶- H-cp- tkh-\- hy-h-kvY-bm-Wv A-Sn-
a-¯w-. -ssIbq-¡p-Å-h-³- A-Xn-Ãm-¯-hs\ A-Sn-as¸Sp-¯n- X-sâ B-Úm-\p-h-À-¯n-bm-¡n-bn-
cp-¶- B-Zy- \m-fp-I-Ä¡
- p- -tijw- B- kvYm-\w- A-[n-Im-cw-, [-\w- F-¶n-h- -ssIh-is¸Sp-¯n-. A-
§s\ -ssIbq-¡v,A-[n-Im-cw-,[-\w- C-hsbm-s¡ Ip-d-hp-Å-hÀ- - A-Sn-a-¯w- F-¶- A-h-kvYtbmSv
Xm-Zm-ßys¸S-Ww- F-¶-Xv A-en-Jn-X- \n-b-aw- -t]m-se Xp-S-À-¶p- h-cp-¶p-. F-Ãmw- A-\p-kcn-¡p-¶-
B-Úm-\p-h-À¯ - n-Isf G-Xp- a-\p-jy-sâbpw- D-]t_m[- a-\-Êv B-{K-ln-¡p-¶p-v.
-ssPh- a-\p-jy-À- A-Sn-a¯ - -¯n-Â- Xp-S-cm-³- B-{K-ln-¡p-¶n-Ã-. F-¶m-Â- B-Úm-\p-h-À¯ - n-
Isf -thWsa¶v B-{K-ln-¡p-I-bpw- -sN¿p-¶p-. \n-À-½n-X- _p-²n-bpsS ]-co-£-W§ - -fpsS ]n-¶n-Â-
a-\p-jy-sâ D-]t_m[-¯nse Cu- B-Úm-\p-hÀ- -¯nsb D-f-hm-¡-Â- F-¶- B-{K-lw- H-fn-ªp- In-S-
¸p--v. D-]-Im-c-{]-Z-hpw- D-]tbmK-{]-Z-hp-am-b- H-cp- B-Úm-\p-h-À¯ - n-, [Subordinate] hn-\o-X-
hnt[b-X-zw- ]p-e-À-¯p-¶- H-cp- ]-¦m-fn- F-¶- B-{K-la- m-W-Xv-. \-h-Im-e- P-\m-[n-]-Xy-¯n-Â- -t]mepw-
A-\p-`m-hn-Isf H-¶n-¨p- -tNÀ-¡-Â- F-¶- Hm-a\ - t¸cn-Â- \-S¡
- p-¶- Cu- B-Úm-\p-h-À-¯n- \n-À-½n-
Xn- F-¶- bp-àn- \n-À-½n-X- _p-²n-bpsS ]-co-£-W- ]-cn-kc-§-fn-eqsS a-\p-jy-³- km-[y-am-¡nsbSp-
¯-Xnsâ B-Zy- ]-Sn-bm-Wv -tdm-t_m«p-I-fm-bpw- H-.F-kp-I-fm-bpw- C-¶v \mw- Im-Wp-¶-Xv. a-\p-jy-³-
A-h-sâ F-Ãm- -sshIm-cn-I- `m-h-§-fn-epw- B-[n-]-Xy- hm-k\-bp-Å-h-\m-Wv. {]tXyIn-¨pw- ]p-cp-j-³-
. C-W- X--tsâXp- am-{X-am-bn-cn-¡-Wsa¶- Xm-Xv]-cy-am-Wv ]p-cp-j-\n-Â- Ft¸mgpw- D-bÀ- -¶p- \n-
ev¡p-¶-Xv. C-¯-cw- H-cp- Xm-Xv]-cy-am-Wv -slÀ- F-¶- kn-\n-a-bnse \m-b-I-\m-b- Xntbm-tUmdns\
kam-´- F-¶- H-.F-kns\ {]-W-bn-¡p-¶-Xntebv¡p- \-bn-¡p-¶-Xv.
{]-W-b¯
- n-\v H-cp- am-[y-aw- B-h-iy-ap-v. `m-j- A-Xn-\v ]-än-b- am-[y-aa- m-Wv. {]-W-bw- Xn-cn-¨-dn-
bs¸Sp-¶-Xpw- {]-Im-in-¸n-¡s¸Sp-¶-Xpw- H-Sp-hn-Â- H-Sp-§p-¶-Xpw- `m-j-bn-eqsSbm-Wv.

[Xntbm-tUmdn-b³
- - ^yq-¨-À- -tjm¡v, A-h-Xm-cn-I]- -slÀ- F-¶- kn-\n-a-bn-Â- {]-W-b-¯n-\pw- a-\p-
jy- _-Ô-§Ä - -¡pw- \-ãs¸«p- -t]mb- a-[p-c-am-b- B- `m-jsb Xntbm-tUmdpw- kam-´-bpw- Xn-
cnsI hn-fn-¨p- -sImp-h-cp-¶p-. {]-W-bn-¡p-¶- a-\p-jy-À- F-¶- k¦-ev]-¯n-Â- \n-¶v D-]-cn-bm-bn- C-
W-IÄ - - F-¶- k¦-ev]w- \-evIp-¶-Xv {]-W-b-¯n-sâ `m-j-bm-Wv. C-W-IÄ - -¡n-S-bn-Â- `m-jm-]-c-am-bn-
D-f-hmtIZr-V-_-Ôw- Xntbm-tUmdpw- kam-´-bpw- A-h-cpsS `m-jm- ]m-S-h-¯n-eqsS hy-à-am-
¡nsbSp-¡p-¶p-. a-[p-c-am-b- `m-j-bn-Â- I-¯p-I-Ä- F-gp-Xn- Xntbm-tUmdpw- X-sâ kw-`m-j-W-
¯nse am-[p-cy-¯n-eqsS kam-´-bpw- `m-j-bpsS {]-W-b-`m-hw- k½m-\n-¡p-¶p-. a-äp-Å-h-À-¡m-bn-
I-¯p-I-Ä- F-gp-Xn- \-evIpt¼mÄ- kv-t\l- `m-j- AsÃ¦n-Â- {]-W-b- `m-j- D-]tbmKn-¡m-³- I-gn-bp-
¶- Xntbm-tUmdn-\v X-\n-¡m-bn- A-Xp-]tbmKn-¡m-³- km-[n-¡p-¶n-Ã-. a-äp-Å-h-cpsS {]-W-b- hn-S-hp-
I-Ä- `m-j-bn-eqsS \n-I-¯p-¶- i-co-cn-bpw- A-i-co-cn-bp-am-b- c-p- \n-À-Æm-l-I- cq-]§ - -fm-bn-
Xntbm-tUmdpw- kam-´-bpw- Im-Ws¸Sp-¶p-. A-h-cpsS {]-W-b- I-Y-bm-bn- -’slÀ’- cq-]m--´-cs¸Sp-
¶p-.
Fgp-Xn-bpw- ]-d-ªpw- a-äp-Å-hÀ- -¡m-bn- {]-W-bw- -sI«n-¸-Sp-¡p-¶-hÀ- - am-{X-am-bn-cn-¡pw- {]-W-b-
¯n-sâ ip-²- am-[y-a-am-bn- `m-jsb D-Äs¡mn-«p-m-hp-I-. A-h-À- `m-j-bpsS km-[y-X-Isf {]-
W-b-¯n-sâ {]-I-S-\¯ - n-\m-bn- D-]tbmKn-¡p-¶-Xn-\m-Â- `m-j-bpsS A-Xn-cp-I-fn-em-hpw- Po-hn-¡p-
I-. B- C-S-]m-Sn-Â- kz-bw- e-bn-¨n-Ãm-Xm-hmt\m H-¶m-bn-¯o-À-¶v A-`n-c-an-¡mt\m A-h-À-¡p- km-[n-
¡p-I-bn-Ã-. c--mbn- Xp-S-cpt¼mÄ- am-{Xta B-kàn-¡v H-cp- e-£yw- D-m-hp-I-bp-Åq-. {]-W-bw- H-
cp-an-¸n-¡pt¼mÄ- c-Xn- hn-`-Pn-¡p-¶p- F-¶m-WtÃm e-¡m-³- {]-W-b- c-Xn-Isf¡p-dn-¨v \n-co-£n-¨-Xv.
A-§s\ -t\m¡pt¼mÄ- F-Xn-À- Zn-i-I-fn-eqsS H-gp-Ip-¶- c-v B-kàn- [m-c-I-fn-Â- H-¶p-
asäm¶ns\ D-±o-]n-¸n-¨p- -sImpw- asäm¶p- -tXmev]n-¨p- -sImp-an-cn-¡pw-. {]-W-bw- A-aq-À-¯-X-
bpsS ]q-À-®-X-bn-epw- ]m-c-ay-¯n-epw- `m-h-\-bn-Â- am-{Xw- Po-hn-¡pt¼mÄ- c-Xn- aq-À-¯-X-bpsS ]-
cn-an-Xn-IÄ
- -¡-I-¯m-Wv P-z-ens¨mSp-§p-¶-Xv. A-Xv i-co-c_- -²-hpw- A-\p-`-h-]-c-hp-am-Wv.
{]-W-b-hpw- c-Xn-bpw- X-½n-ep-Å- Cu- -sshcp-²yw- -sldnse \m-b-I-\m-b- Xntbm-tUmdns\ h-
ÃmsX B-i-b¡ - p-g-¸-¯n-em-¡p-¶p-. a-äp-Å-hÀ- -¡n-S-bnse {]-W-b- hn-S-hp-Isf hm-¡p-I-Ä- -sImv
kv-t\l- \n-À-`-c-am-¡p-¶- Xntbm-tUmdn-sâ A-`n-em-j-§-Ä- hm-¡p-I-fpsS Xs¶ ]-cn-an-Xn-bn-Â- X-
«n- ho-gp-¶p-. i-co-c-¯n-sâ aq-À-¯-X-bn-Â- A-Xns\ A-dn-bmt\m A-\p-`-hn-¡mt\m B-hn-jvI-cn-
¡mt\m I-gn-bmsX A-bm-Ä- hm-¡p-I-fntebv¡p- ]n-·-S-§p-¶p-. kam-´- h-gn- km-[y-am-Ip-¶- kz-
´w- ]p-kvX-Iw- am-{X-am-Wv A-bm-Ä-¡v B- {]-W-b-¯n-Â- \n-¶v e-`n-¡p-¶- aq-À-¯-am-b- G-I- ^-ew-.
Xntbm-tUmdn-sâ Po-hn-X-¯n-Â- D-m-bn-cp-¶-Xpw- ]n-¶o-Sv I-S-¶p-h¶ - -Xp-am-b- kv{Xo-Isfm¶pw-
A-bm-Ä¡ - v kam-´sb-t¸m-se hm-Mva-b- e-l-cntbm \n-À-hr-Xntbm \-evIp-¶n-Ã-. Xntbm-tUmdn-sâ
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tamN-\w- -t\Sn-. B- kv-t\l- _-Ôs¯¡p-dn-¨v Xntbm-tUmÀ- kam-´tbmSp- ]-d-ª-Xv ' ]-c-kv]-cw-
A-I-emsX h-f-cm-\pw- atäbmsf `-bs¸Sp-¯msX am-dm-\pw- B-In-Ã- F-¶-Xm-Wv G-ä-hpw- I-Tn-\w-
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bn- A-b¨ - p- \-evIp-¶- C-k-s_ÃtbmSpw- Xntbm-tUmdn-\v _-Ôs¸Sm-³- I-gn-bp-¶n-Ã-. kam-´-
bpsS i-Ð-hpw- C-k-s_Ã-bpsS i-co-c-hpw- X-½n-ep-Å- -s]mcp-¯-an-Ãm-bva-bm-Wv A-Xn-\v Im-c-W-am-
Ip-¶-Xv.
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kv{Xo- k¦-ev]-¯nsâbpw- kv{Xosb kw-_Ô - n-¨p-Å- {]-Xo-£-I-fpsSbpw- A-h-Xm-c-am-W-h-Ä-. kam-
´sb kw-_-Ôn-¨n-St¯mfw- Xntbm-tUmÀ- F-¶-Xv -temI-hp-am-bn- A-h-Ä-¡p-Å- Un-Pn-ä-Â- _-Ô-
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C-S-]m-Sp-I-fpsS-sbÃmw- k¯m-Wv kam-´- . A-XpsImv A-h-Ä- A-bmsf¯s¶ {]-Xn-^-en-¸n-

¡p-¶- I-®m-Sn-bm-bn-¯o-cp-¶p-. F-¶m-Â- Cu- ]-cn-]q-À-®-X-bpw- Xntbm-tUmdns\ A-kz-kvY-am-

¡p-¶-Xm-bn- Im-Wmw-. ]-cn-Wm-a¯
- n-sâbpw- A-\p-`-h-§-fpsSbpw- H-¶pw- A-h-kc-an-Ãm-¯- ]-cn-
]q-À-®-X-bm-WtÃm kam-´- . A-Xv A-bmsf A-kz-kvY-\m-¡p-¶p.v
`m-cy-bm-bn-cp-¶- Im-X-do-\p-am-bn- hn-hm-l- -tamN-\¯ - n-\p- X-¿m-dm-bn- -sN¶t¸mÄ- Xntbm-
tUmÀ- A-hsf¡p-dn-¨v ]-d-ª- ]-cm-Xn- ,Im-X-dn-³- X-sâ B-{K-l¯ - n-\pw- {]-Xo-£-bv¡psam¯v -
s]cp-am-dp-¶n-Ã- F-¶m-Wv. X-sâ B-Úm-\p-hÀ- -¯n-bm-bn-, A-Sn-a-¯-hnt[b-X-z- `m-ht¯m-sS -
s]cp-am-dp-¶- H-cp- ]-¦m-fnsbbm-Wv Xntbm-tUmÀ- B-{K-ln-¨n-cp-¶-Xv. (a-\p-jy-³- B-Úm-\p-h-À-
¯n-bm-b- ]-¦m-fnsb B-{K-ln-¨-Xn-sâ ^-e-am-bm-WtÃm \n-À-½n-X- _p-²n-bpsS ]p-Xn-b- ]-co-£-W-
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{]-W-bn-\n-bm-b- kam-´sb A-bm-Ä- Im-Wp-¶-Xv. A-bm-Ä- B-{K-ln-¡p-¶- -t]m-se-sbÃmw- B-
Im-³- A-h-Ä-¡p- I-gn-bpw-. A-bm-fpsS at\m\n-e-I-Ä-¡-\p-kcn-¨v Hmtcm \n-an-j-hpw- A-hÄ - ¡
- p- -
s]cp-am-dm-\m-Ipw-. A-bm-fpsS A-`n-em-j-§Ä - -¡pw- cp-Nn-io-e-§-Ä-¡p-a-\p-kcn-¨v kz-bw- cq-]s¸Sp-
¯m-\pw- {]-Xn-I-c-W-§-Ä- Nn-«s¸Sp-¯m-\pw- I-gn-bp-¶- -t{]m{Kmw- B-WtÃm kam-´-. i-co-c- km-
¶n-²y-am-hp-I- F-¶sXmgn-¨v asäÃmw- Xntbm-tUmdn-\v \-evIm-³- kam-´-bv¡p- I-gn-ªn-cp-¶p-.
Im-X-dn-sâbpw- kam-´-bpsSbpw- {]-W-bw- Xntbm-tUmdn-\v cp- hn-[-am-Wv A-\p-`-hthZy-
am-Ip-¶-Xv. H-¶p- im-co-cn-Ih
- pw- asäm¶v -shÀN-z-epw-. cpw- A-bmsf \n-c-kn-¡p-Itbm ]p-d-´-Åp-
Itbm -sN¿pt¼mgm-Wv A-bm-Ä- {]-W-bs¯bpw- Xs¶¯s¶bpw- Xn-cn-¨-dn-bp-¶-Xv. {]-W-bw-
H-¶m-bn-¯o-c-Â- AsÃ¶pw- A-]-c-¯n-sâ A-\-\y-Xsb Aw-Ko-I-cn-¡p-I- F-¶-Xm-Wv {]-W-b-¯n-
Â- B-h-iy-ap-ÅsX¶pw- Xntbm-tUmÀ- Xn-cn-¨-dn-bp-¶-Xv kam-´-bpsS A-{]-Xy-£-am-Item-sSbm-
Wv. Hm-¸tdänw-Kv kn-kvä-¯n-sâ ]n-·m-äw- Xntbm-tUmdns\bpw- A-bm-fpsS B-ß- kp-lr-¯m-b-
B-ansbbpw- \n-Êlm-b-X-bnse¯n-¡p-¶p-. B- \n-Êlm-b-X- A-hsc X-½n-Â- H-¶n-¸n-¡p-¶p-. H-
cp- ]t£ A-h-À- ]-c-kv]-cw- b-Ym-À-°- Po-hn-X¯- n-Â- {]-W-bw- Is¯ntb¡mw- F-¶- kq-N-\-bn-
em-Wv -slÀ- F-¶- N-e¨ - n-{Xw- A-h-km-\n-¡p-¶-Xv. Xntbm-tUmdpw- B-an-bpw- Aw-_-c- Npw-_n-bm-b-
H-cp- -sI«n-S-¯n-sâ ap-I-fn-Â- -tXmfp-cp-½n-bn-cp-¶p- hn-kvXr-X-am-b- \-K-cs¯ -t\m¡n-¡m-Wp-¶-
Xm-bm-Wv B- A-h-km-\- Zr-iyw-.
a-\p-jy- _-Ô§ - -fn-Â- G-ä-hpw- Xo-{h-sa¶p- I-cp-Xs¸Sp-¶- {]-W-b- hy-hl- m-c-¯nteÀs¸Sp-¶- kz-X-z-
§-Ä-¡v AsÃ¦n-Â- hy-àn-I-fm-Ip-¶- Cu-ÀÖ - - cq-]-§-Ä-¡v kw-`-hn-¡p-¶- B-´-cn-I-hpw- _m-ly-hp-
am-b- l-À-j- kw-LÀ- -j-§-Ä- B-hn-jv¡-cn-¡p-¶- -slÀ- F-¶- N-e-¨n-{X-¯n-Â- a-\p-jy-\n-Â- Z-a-\w- -
sN¿s¸«n-cn-¡p-¶- B-[n-]-Xy-hm-k\-, kzm-À-°-X- C-h- hn-h-c- kmt¦Xn-IX - -bpsS \n-À-½n-X- _p-²n-
bntebv¡p- B-hm-l-\w- -sNbvXp-Äs¡mÅn-¡m-³- {i-an-¡p-¶- hn-^-e- ]-cn-{i-as¯ -shfn-hm-¡p-
¶p-. Cu- ]-cn-{i-aw- `m-hn-bn-Â- k^-e-am-Im-³- km-[y-X-bps¶p-Å- Hm-À-½s¸Sp-¯-epw- Nn-{X-¯n-
sâ A-´-À-`m-h§ - -fn-Â- \n-¶v hm-bns¨Sp-¡m-³- I-gn-bpw-.
\n-À-½n-X- _p-²n- -temIs¯ `-cn-¡p-hm-³- C-S-bmtb¡m-hp-¶- am-\-hm-\-´-c- Im-e¯ - n-em-Wv
\mw- Po-hn-¡p-¶-Xv. a-\p-jy-³- -ssPh- hn-h-c- kmt¦Xn-I-X-bpsS h-e-bn-e-Is¸«n-cn-¡p-I-bm-Wv.
Hmtcm hy-àn-bpw- \m-a- c-ln-Xc- m-b- Nn-e- A-¡-§-fm-Ip-¶p-.8713496200 H-cm-fpsS -sam-ss_Â- \-
¼-dmsW¦n-Â- B- \-¼-À- A-bm-fpsS -ssPh- hn-h-c-§sfÃmw- -tiJ-cn-¡m-\p-Å- a-Xn-bm-b- D-]m-[n-
bm-¡n- \n-À-½n-X- _p-²n-bpsS \n-co-£-W- -temIw- h-f-À-¯n-¡-gn-ªn-cn-¡p-¶p-. B- \-¼-dn-eqsS A-
bm-fpsS C-ãm-\n-ã-§-fpw- _-Ô-§-fpw- Xm-Xv]-cy-§-fpw- Po-hn-X- -ssien-bpsaÃmw- hn-h-c- kmt¦Xn-I-
-temIw- Xn-cn-¨-dn-bp-¶p-. A-e-Ivkm-, kn-dn-, Kq-Kn-Ä- tkÀ-¨v C-hsbÃmw- C-¯-cw- h-gn-I-fm-Wv kzo-I-cn-
¡p-¶-Xv. hn-h-c-§-Ä- D-Å-S-§n-b- Z-¯-§-Ä- B-Wv Ct¶ä-hpw- h-en-b- hn-]-Wn- km-[y-X- F-¶v ap-X-em-
fn-¯- It¼mf- a-\-kvYn-Xn-¡m-À- Xn-cn-¨-dn-ª-Xn-\m-Â- am-\-h- Ip-ew- H-¶-S¦ - w- \n-co-£-W§ - -fn-Â- D-
Äs¸Sp-I-bm-Wv.
am-\p-jn-Iw- F-¶- -ssPhn-Im-h-kvY- bm-{´n-I-X-bv¡p- h-gn-am-dp-¶-Xnsâ kq-N-\-bm-Wv {]-W-bw- -
t]mepw- kam-´- -t]mep-Å- H-.F-kp-I-fntebv¡v Xn-cn-¨p- hn-Sp-¶- a-\p-jy-sâ ]p-Xn-b- Is¯-ep-I-
Ä- -shfn-hm-¡p-¶-Xv. F-¦n-epw- a-\p-jy-tâXv F-¶v Ct¶mfw- ]-cn-K-Wn-¡s¸SmsX -t]mb- ]-e- kzm-
`m-hn-I-X-I-fpw- hy-àn- F-¶- \n-e-bn-epw- km-aq-ln-I- am-\-§-fn-epw- a-\p-jy-\v e-`n-¡msX -t]mb- ]-e-
]-cn-K-W-\-I-fpw- `m-j-bn-eqsSbpw- kÀ-¤-mß - -IX- -bn-eqsSbpw- hosSp-¡m-³- km-[nt¨¡pw-
Fs¶mcp- {]-Xn-£- -slÀ- F-¶- kn-\n-a-bn-eqsS kv-ss]Iv -tPm¬-kv apt¶m«p- h-bv¡p-¶pv.

klm-b-I- h-gn-I-Ä-
CBFC: A 2013 - Romance/Sci-fi 2h.6m (prime video - Her [in Amazon prime ]
https:// www. scripts.com> her _9873
https://read.amazon.in/litb/BO8KT4ZRS1?f=1&l=en_IN&r=4293834c&rid=QBZ8Q1
AW617 Q4V8X4VVH&sid=259- 6059248-4400829&ref_=litb_m [Xntbm-tUmdn-b-³-
^yq-¨À- - -tjm¡v ]
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tImgnt¡mSv , 2020

Tracing out Toxicity: Prioritising Life over Relationships
Amrutha Hari
Integrated MA Student
Central University, Pondicherry
Email: ammuharisree1@gmail.com
Abstract: Contemporary discourses on family, relationships or society bring in terms

such as toxicity, narcissism, stonewalling and gas lighting among others into limelight.
But these terms often fail to come out of the domain of intellectual perusals.
Dr.Lillian Glass in her work 'Toxic People' attempts to delineate a toxic person.
Though her work finds its essence in the western context, it dissects toxicity, thereby
pinpointing its characteristics. Usually, toxicity plays its wicked game within intimate,
dependent and confiding relationships and there might be several reasons that drive a
person's mental state toxic. Victims often forage the reasons for the misbehaviour of
the toxic person, only to end up blaming themselves. A toxic relation is so complex
that anyone who views it from outside would never comprehend what the victim is
going through. Societal attitude and opinion too has a role to play in exacerbating the
torment of a toxic relationship.
A movie dubbed 'Ammu', released of late, had taken genuine effort at candidly
depicting a toxic marital relationship between Ravindranath (Ravi) and his wife
Ammu. The film, which is a brainchild of director Charukesh Shekhar, could be
considered as very sincere attempt at introducing the concept of toxicity to the Indian
audience or in the Indian context as such. It currently serves as a reference to those
trying to comprehend the multitudinal dimensions of toxicity. It is not only in the
Indian context, but globally too, nominal discussions take place on the topic of
toxicity and toxic relations. Dr Lillian Glass' 'Toxic People' and Charukesh's 'Ammu'
had been the only sources that had come handy in the endeavour to discern toxicity
and they tend to scrutinise the topic through western and Indian lens respectively
thereby offering a varied sense of toxicity, its manifestations as well as solutions.
Before the concept of toxicity finds space in our everyday discussions, there is a lot of
ground work to be done. The right to life is inalienable. But it is always up to you to
decide when to actually start living it.
Keywords: Toxicity, Gaslighting, Toxic People, Relationship, Life, Society.
INTRODUCTION
Contemporary discourses on family, relationships or society bring in terms such as
toxicity, narcissism, stonewalling and gas lighting among others into limelight. A
multitude of videos marking the traits that define a toxic personality abound in online
platforms. Remarkably, of late, the Merriam Webster Dictionary has also made
‘Gaslighting’ the ‘Word of the Year’. But these terms often fail to come out of the
domain of intellectual perusals to find space in a normal communication among
laypersons. Being contained to theory, the real life manifestations of these terms are
not even recognised by those who are doomed to perpetually pocket it.

Literature Review
Dr.Lillian Glass in her work 'Toxic People' delineates a toxic person as "anyone
who has poisoned your life, who is not supportive, who is not happy to see you grow,
to see you succeed, and who does not wish you well. In essence, he or she sabotages
your efforts to lead a happy and productive life". Further elucidating the concept, she
states:
“A toxic person is someone who seeks to destroy you. A toxic person robs you of
your self-esteem and dignity and poisons the essence of who you are. He or she wears
down your resistance and thus can make you mentally or physically ill. Toxic people
are not life supporting. They see only the negative in you. Jealous and envious, they
are not happy to see you succeed. In fact, they get hostile whenever you do well.
Their insecurities and feelings of inadequacy often cause them to sabotage your
efforts to lead a happy and productive life."
Though write-ups and research papers on toxicity and toxic relationships are
negligible in the Indian context, a movie dubbed 'Ammu', released of late, had taken
genuine effort at candidly depicting a toxic marital relationship between Ravindranath
(Ravi), an extremely toxic husband, naturally enacted by actor Naveen Chandra and
his wife Ammu, dexterously portrayed by actress Aiswarya Lekshmi. Their marriage
life which begins on a fine note turn for the worse once Ravi begins exhibiting his
toxicity as Ammu becomes so intimate to him. Ravi uses every opportunity to belittle
Ammu, insult her, make her feel guilty and insecure, thereby evincing a slavish
mentality towards his wife. The very first time when the physical assault she endured
reached an insufferable extreme, Ammu shows the fortitude to leave for her house,
only to come back midway from the railway station. The conversation she has with a
mendicant is pertinent in drawing out how a victim of toxicity is by and by slips into
submission. All through the talk which almost seems akin to that of a soliloquy,
Ammu is predisposed to vindicate Ravi's behaviour. She reflects on each day of their
life from the day of marriage and reaches the conclusion that they are in fact a happy
couple, keeping apart Ravi's occasional tantrums. Hence she becomes resolved to go
back to her husband and change his behavioural defects by proffering love and care to
him. This episode evidently depicts the usual mental state of victims of toxicity who
constantly tries to rationalise the behaviour of the perpetrator, simultaneously sticking
to the relation, hoping in vain that everything would change for good. Later, this
mindset of the victim is substantiated by the statement made by a police woman who
works in the police station where Ravi is the Sub-inspector. His college oblivious of
how her superior college treats his wife, comments that all those women complainants
of domestic violence who show up in the police station has a proclivity to rationalise
their husband's misbehaviour as they narrate the incidents. Further, many a time, in
the course of the movie Ravi reassures Ammu that he loves her and his behaviour is
due to momentary anger or just because she irritates him, a classic example of how
toxic people deceive the victim into trusting him/her.
In the public sphere, Ravi is initially shown as altogether a respectable policeman
with social commitment. He is so pleasing to Ammu's parents and even behaves so
passive as to ask her permission to drink in a gathering, only to insult her later
amongst his male colleagues and wives. Ravi even abhors seeing Ammu well-dressed
and callously humiliates her by questioning to entice whom she had dressed so
aesthetically. He is infuriated to find Ammu earning for herself by passionately
engaging in a bit of tailoring work. The toxicity reaches extend where she is being
constantly monitored by Ravi in-person or through the audio devices concealed inside
their house. It is as if her dignity, privacy, rights and liberty are all at stake. But in

deviation to the real life scenario, the movie puts Ammu among people who relates
with, supports and console her once she gathers the fortitude to open up. Still, she is
so mentally debilitated that Ammu becomes helplessly non-reactive when Ravi traces
her out at the Inspector General's office when she first venture to lodge a complaint
against him with the assistance of one of his women colleague. Ammu is quick to
realise that in actuality it is not Ravi but her own fear and insecurity that prevented
her from lodging the complaint. Armed with the realisation that it is she herself who
has to act for her cause, Ammu takes the time by the forelock to expose Ravi when
she encounters a prisoner on bail at her husband's police station, who is treated so
contemptuously by him, much akin to the manner in which she is dealt with. But it is
this inner force to act, by being audacious enough to let go of the toxic person that
many people are devoid of when entrapped in a toxic relation. As Ammu aptly puts it,
the thought of 'what's next' prevents a person from putting a halt to the toxicity that
engrosses them. The film also brings in the currently relevant question of bodily rights
of women. While Ravi perceives Ammu as just a body ordained to gift him a child,
the movie conjures up the notion that 'the decision to not have a baby doesn't make a
woman detestable’. A support system that Ammu had around her is a pre requisite to
reinvigorate a victim of toxicity to action. Ammu is seen to initially report the first
instance of physical harassment to her who trivialises it. By and by, she feels obliged
to keep up the pretext of 'all is well' in front of her family and this further curtailed
chances of exposing Ravi. The film, which is a brainchild of director Charukesh
Shekhar, could be considered as very sincere attempt at introducing the concept of
toxicity to the Indian audience or in the Indian context as such. It currently serves as a
reference to those trying to comprehend the multitudinal dimensions of toxicity,
thereby initiating further studies on this particular matter.
An editorial titled ‘Still a Nightmare for Domestic Violence Survivors’
underscores the reasons behind specific response of those victims or rather ‘survivors’
of domestic violence. Jointly authored by Philippa Williams,Swarna
Rajagopalan,Girija Godbole,Ruchira Goswami,the article observes:
“When it comes to help seeking, we found two main groups of women - those
who shared experiences of violence within six months, and those who shared after
five years or more. The first group of women mainly turned to their parents who, in a
majority of cases, insisted on their daughter preserving the family environment which
they should do by 'adjusting' to, or accommodating their husband's (and his family's)
needs better. In a minority of cases, the daughter's welfare was prioritised over the
well-being of the 'the family' and steps were taken to help mediate or exit the
relationship, and much more infrequently approach the police and lawyers”.
It further remarks, “So ingrained are social norms about gender inequality that
NFHS-5 data reports that women are more likely than men to justify a scenario in
which it is acceptable for a husband to beat or hit his wife.”
Methodology
Examination of the work ‘Toxic People’ by Dr.Lillian Glass and analysis of the
film ‘Ammu’. Additionally, observation of real life toxic relations as well as personal
experiences coupled with the understanding from one or two videos and newspaper
articles that pinpoint the traits of toxic people.
Objectives
The research titled ‘Tracing out Toxicity: Prioritising Life over Relationships’
aims to bring about the topic of ‘Toxicity’ into mainstream discussion and also makes

an attempt at pinpointing its characteristic traits. The study also traces the reasons that
prevent the victims of toxic relationships from coming out and drives in the fact that
the concept of toxicity is personal. Further, it asserts the need to treat toxicity as a
psychological problem and simultaneously encourages those who suffer such relations
to prioritise their own life over relationships.
Discussion and Findings

Albiet being unable to precisely pinpoint 'this and these' constitute toxicity, one
can tacitly decipher its elements in a person's behaviour, after getting to know the
concept of a 'toxic person'. This is what exactly Dr.Lillian's work intends - to help
figure out the toxic person or rather people in our lives, to teach us how to efficiently
deal with them, to purge us of all the negativity injected into us and on top of all that,
let us know that we aren't anyhow responsible for the 'toxicity' that victimises us,
which is the primary realisation a person needs to have while managing a toxic
relation.
Victims often forage the reasons for the misbehaviour of the toxic person, only to
end up blaming themselves, devoid of the sense that he/she has nothing to do with the
pernicious mental state and behaviour of another person. Usually, toxicity plays its
wicked game within intimate, dependent and confiding relationships and there might
be several reasons that drive a person's mental state toxic, ranging from traumatic
childhood, negative personal experiences, insecurity, and low self esteem to common
human vices such as jealousy and superiority complex. These factors which kindle
toxicity are complementary and are often overlapping. Toxic behaviour is also elicited
by those having mental aberration, even though toxicity in itself hasn't be designated
as a psychological disorder. The phrase 'toxic mood contagion' illustrated by Dr
Lillian glass' book underscores that an exposure to people with toxic traits can evoke
the toxicity within us. This is also to covertly state that every person has seeds of
toxicity within them which may remain dormant if not nurtured by negative factors.
There are myriad forms in which it could manifest. Constant criticisms, belittling
remarks and taunts, sniding statements and physical violence are some of the explicit
characteristics. But the more gruesome attributes are those inconspicuous, cause its
genesis is in the toxic person's mind and might involve lots of mind games. For
instance, The person may very often play the victim, pretending unexplained
distraughtness, to leave the real sufferer confused as to what has gone wrong from
his/her part or on another occasion they might brazenly lie or offer a distorted picture
of an event in such a way that the victim finds it difficult to contradict openly thought
he/she might doubt its veracity. This would evolve into gaslighting which amounts to
“psychological manipulation of a person usually over an extended period of time that
causes the victim to question the validity of their own thoughts, perception of reality,
or memories and typically leads to confusion, loss of confidence and self-esteem,
uncertainty of one's emotional or mental stability, and a dependency on the
perpetrator” or to a 'mental process by which people attribute to others what is in
their own minds' which is termed as projection. Certain perpetrators find it unbearable
to see their victims being happy or at ease and may have Narcissistic personality
disorder which 'is a mental health condition characterized by a high sense of self-
importance and a lack of empathy for others’. An observer who analyses the
perpetrator-victim dynamics would ask why isn’t the victim pulling herself away from
the toxic person. But this is easier said than done. First of all, it takes a lot of mental
preparation and contemplations on the part of the victim to open up to someone and
that alone a person who is reliable. The trail of harrowing experiences would render

the victim psychologically frail, consequently creating a 'drained-out' feeling by the

time they realise that it's high time to let go of such a noxious person. This hampers
their inner vigour to act. The lesser they acquiesce, the more they are coerced into
submissiveness by the perpetrator. In the conundrum of having to segregate the lies
and the truths, right and the wrong or the voice of the conscience from the
indoctrinated self, coupled with the burden of having to weave out a dignified life, the
victim is sapped off their vitality to save themselves from such a relation. If in case
the relationship is marital, often the existence of a child becomes a factor in pulling
oneself back to continue as sitting ducks to the vagaries of the toxic partner, every
time they make up their mind to jump out.
A toxic relation is so complex that anyone who views it from outside would never
comprehend what the victim is going through.Hence, any attempt an making the
society relate with this situation would go in vain. The person who is victimised is the
only one who could comprehend the gravity of toxicity that they face. This peculiarity
arises out of several reasons. Firstly, most toxic persons are watchful of whether their
victims spill their guts to anyone and act so warm and courteous in public that no one
would have the wildest dream of the person behaving in such awful manner. Further,
as per Dr.LillIan observation, what might be toxic to me may not seem toxic to others.
Additionally a person who is toxic to me may not behave in the same way to others.
This because, as aforementioned, toxicity becomes palpable in intimate, dependent
and confiding relationships and it's more excruciating the more you share a vehement
relationship with that person.
Societal attitude and opinion too has a role to play in exacerbating the torment of a
toxic relationship. Once a person opens up to someone around, people tend to
generalise the incidents or brush it away altogether as tiffs or silly spats. But the fact
is that there arises no proper communication between the victim and the perpetrator, if
not quarrels. It is for the toxic persons to occlude proper communication so as to
create dilemma, anxiety and incertitude for the victim. This is a method intrinsic to
stonewalling, whereby the perpetrator 'stop a discussion from developing by refusing
to answer questions or by talking in such a way that you prevent other people from
giving their opinions' .Since the onus of upholding the stability of the marital relation
is entrusted with the females as per our Indian tradition, very often parents persuade
their daughter or son to stick to this toxic conjugal relation fearing societal judgement
and perception. They are blind to the reality that the relation is detrimental to their son
or daughter and it is he/she alone who has to bear it's brunt, not the society.
Limitations
Though Dr.Lillian's work finds its essence in the western context, it dissects
toxicity, thereby pinpointing its characteristics, though not accurately defining it.
'Toxic People' is also to be relied in want of an authentic literature rooted in the Indian
context which addresses the topic. The author's omission of a befitting definition for
the notion of toxicity within the societal ambit' comes from the actuality that the term
couldn't be defined in its exactness, which is one of the reasons why it is not easily
discernible in our society. It is not only in the Indian context, but globally too,
nominal discussions take place on the topic of toxicity and toxic relations. Hence
awareness on the same is also scant.
International organisation like the United Nations or its auxiliary agencies such as
UN Women or UNDOC neither have any data on this issue nor do they try to generate
cognisance of the same. In India, there is no allusion to the toxic relations either in the
NCRB Crime in India Report or in the National Family Health Survey.Further,very

few scholarly articles are penned on the this topic due to the paucity of both primary
and secondary data. Due to the hesitation on the part of the victim to open, chances of
obtaining primary information are minimal which further generates a scarcity of
secondary data too. Dr Lillian Glass' 'Toxic People' and Charukesh's 'Ammu' had been
the only sources that had come handy in the endeavour to discern toxicity and they
tend to scrutinise the topic through western and Indian lens respectively. Hence the
diverse social norms, culture and facets of relationships offers a varied sense of
toxicity, its manifestations as well as solutions. 'Toxic People' seems to treat toxicity
at a more superficial level as compared to Ammu, though it is precise enough to list
out the traits of toxicity, which is certainly an uphill task. Moreover, comparative
analysis of a literary work with that of a film posseses restraint as both has its own
modus operanti and limitations.
CONCLUSION
Before the concept of toxicity finds space in our everyday discussions, there is a
lot of ground work to be done. The Indian society hasn't accustomed so as to imbibe
the notion of individuality. Hence it always fails to stand by the individual. It is to be
understood that breaking free from an uneasy marriage has nothing do with mortality
or the character of the individual rather the decision might come out of the realisation
that you have the right to live your life instead of merely existing as a victim of
toxicity. This applies not only to conjugal relations but to any other relationship in
general. Additionally, toxicity must be tagged as a psychological aberration,
contributing to behavioural disorder. The Mental Health Act must exhume this
disorder into it, subsequently promoting counselling and other therapeutic remedies to
treat toxic people.Moroever victims of toxicity may have suicidal thoughts which
should be addressed in the National Suicide Prevention Strategy launched of late.
Above all, the very consciousness about the concept of toxicity and existence of toxic
relations would help in tracing out the toxic terrors - as described by Lillian Glass -
amongst us. The right to life is inalienable. Therefore no one has the prerogative to
dabble with another person's life in accordance with their whims and fancies, neither
anyone have the right to decide how one should lead their life. But it always up to you
to decide when to actually start living it. Everything else is secondary.
WORKS CITED
1. Ammu. directed by Charukesh Sekar, performances by Aiswarya Lekshmi,
Naveen Chandra and Bobby Sinha, Stone Bench Films, 2022.
2. Glass, Lillian.Toxic People: 10 Ways of Dealing With People Who Make Your
Life Miserable. Simon & Schuster, 1995.
3. Williams, Philippa; Rajagopalan,Swarna;Godbole,Girija; Goswami,Ruchira.
“Still a Nightmare for Domestic Violence Survivors”. The Hindu,
Thiruvanathapuram, 29th Nov 2022, p.6.

Taxonomic Studies of Desmids from Peechi Vazhani Wildlife

Sanctuary, Kerala
Bibina PB*, Ammini C J, Sreekumar V B

Department of Forest Botany,
KSCSTE-Kerala Forest Research Institute,Peechi
*
Email: bibinapb1966@gmail.com
Abstract: The present study deals with the diversity of desmids from selected
freshwater bodies (Peechi reservoir, Vazhani reservoir, Koorkamparakulam,
Ottakunnu thodu, Thonichal check dam, and Pothndippara thodu) of Peechi Vazhani
wildlife sanctuary from March 2022 to November 2022. Investigation revealed 53
species of desmid taxa under 14 genera including Cosmarium (16), Closterium (9),
Micrasterias (6), Euastrum (4), Arthrodesmus (3), Staurastrum (3), Pleurotaenium
(3), Xanthidium (2), Penium (2), Gonatozygon (1), Sphaerozosma (1), Desmidium (1),
Netrium (1), Hyalotheca (1) under two families Mesotaeniaceae and Desmidiaceae.
Among the obtained genera Cosmarium showed maximum diversity (16 species)
followed by Closterium (9 species).
Keywords: Desmids, wildlife sanctuary, Desmidiaceae, Mesotaeniaceae,
Cosmarium.
INTRODUCTION
Peechi Vazhani Wildlife Sanctuary is a large and representative example of the
southern western Ghats eco-system with geological, biological, cultural, religious, and
scenic attributes. Outstanding species diversity, an endemic wealth with almost the
entire South Indian wildlife being represented here. The flora and fauna of these forest
ecosystems are documented in the management plans of Peechi Vazhani wildlife
sanctuary, however, this data lacks information on the lower group of plants like
bryophytes and pteridophytes, especially freshwater algae that are completely
neglected in those documentation programs. Numerous water sources are flowing
over the entire area, including two reservoirs, Peechi and Vazhani formed by the
construction of two dams across Manalippuzha and Vadakkancherypuzha; all these
water systems can have numerous undefined algal taxa. The forests of the sanctuary
embracing Peechi and Vazhani reservoir attains the greatest conservation value by
providing drinking and irrigation water to Thrissur District. Information regarding the
distribution and diversity of algae is important because they are ecologically a
relevant group and serve as the largest primary producers on the planet. Several algal
documentation studies were carried out from different parts of the world. However,
collective information about these lower plants are unavailable in Kerala.The present
study tries to provide a piece of additional information to fill the research gap in this
area.
Algae are simple, chlorophyll-bearing, photosynthetic non-vascular plants. They
form the main component of aquatic flora and play a vital role in maintaining a
suitable equilibrium of abiotic and biotic components of the aquatic ecosystem. They
play a significant role in food chains and in maintaining the oxygen supply on our
planet. Among the different groups of algae, desmids are very vibrant and attractive
with their diverse symmetry and ornamentations. According to the Fritsch system of

classification, desmids are unicellular algae of extremely varied forms belonging to

the class Chlorophyceae and order Zygnematales. As desmids are considered quality
indicators for the freshwater habitat, an investigation has been proposed to assess the
occurrence and distribution of desmids in the Peechi Vazhani wildlife sanctuary.
Study Area
Peechi Vazhani Wildlife Sanctuary lies within the geographical extremes of

latitudes 10 26'N and 10 40'N and longitudes 76 15'E and 76 28'E in Thrissur District,
0 0 0 0
Kerala State in the Taluks of Thrissur and Thalappilly and in the administrative
jurisdiction of northern wildlife circle, Palakkad. The Sanctuary comprises parts of
Paravattanimala, Machadmala and Bharanipachamala Reserves. The total area of the
Sanctuary is 125 sq km.
Table No - 1 ; Sampling sites of peechi vazhani wildlife sanctuary
Sampling sites Latitude (E) and Longitude (N)
1 Peechi dam N10°31'51.74'', E076°22'09.61''
2 Vazhani dam N10°37'56.38'', E076°18'23.02''
3 Thonichal checkdam N10°31'09.80'', E076°22'01.54''
4 Koorkampara kulam N10°31'00.35'', E076°21'53.72''
5 Ottakunnu thodu N10°31'18.86'', E076°22'16.35''
6 Pothundippara thodu N10°31'09.82'', E076°22'15.58''
Methodology
The study was carried out in Peechi Vazhani Wildlife sanctuary from March 2022
to November 2022. The surface water samples were collected in sterilized plastic
containers with the help of a plankton net of mesh size 20µm from selected sites of
the Peechi -

Vazhani wildlife sanctuary. Collected samples were preserved immediately in 4 %

formalin and brought to the laboratory for further analysis. Algal specimens were
observed under Leica DM 2000 microscope. Digital photomicrographs and
measurements were made with LAS (Leica application suite) software. The
identification of different taxa based on relevant standard publications (Turner 1892;
West & West 1904; West & West 1905; West & West 1908; West & West 1912;
West & West 1923; Scott & Prescott 1961). The collected Samples were deposited in
the phycotechnological lab of the Forest botany department, KFRI,Peechi, Thrissur
district in Kerala.
In this study, a total of 53 taxa of desmids were identified from Peechi Vazhani
wildlife sanctuary which belongs to 14 genera viz, Cosmarium(16),Closterium(9),
Micrasterias (6),Euastrum(4),Arthrodesmus(3), Staurastrum(3),Pleurotaenium(3),
Xanthidium(2),Penium(2), Gonatozygon (1), Sphaerozosma (1), Desmidium (1),
Netrium (1), Hyalotheca (1).
Class: Chlorophyceae
Order: Zygnematales
Family: 1. Desmidiaceae
2. Mesotaeniaceae
1. Cosmarium auriculatum Reinsch (Pl.1, fig a)

Scott & Prescott, 1961. P. 54, Pl. 26, fig 4.
Length 45µm, breadth 51 µm, isthmus 13 µm.
2. Cosmarium binum Nordst. (Pl.1, fig b)

West &West, 1908. Vol. 3, P. 246, Pl. 88, fig 10-14.

Length 41 µm, breadth 32 µm, isthmus 12 µm.
3. Cosmarium connatum Breb. (Pl.1, fig c)
West &West, 1908. Vol. 3, P. 25, Pl. 67, figs15-17.

4. Cosmarium contractum Kirchn. (Pl.1, fig d)

Dorsoventrally compressed cell body, with strong constriction at the center. Length
32 µm, breadth 24 µm, isthmus 6 µm.
5. Cosmarium decoratum West and West (Pl.1, fig e)

Jose & Francis, 2013. Vol.1, P.132.
Length 72 µm, breadth 55.45 µm, isthmus-18.55 µm.
6. Cosmarium granatum Breb. (Pl.1, fig f)

West &West, 1905. Vol. 2, P. 186, Pl.63. fig1-4.
Semicells pyramidal, deeply constricted, linear sinus, chloroplast axial with a single
pyrenoid, Length 41 µm, breadth 26 µm, isthmus 8 µm.
7. Cosmarium lundellii Delp. (Pl.1, fig g)

Cell body is circular or broadly elliptical, the distinction of four chloroplasts.
Isthmus 17-25µm wide, semicells semicircular, cell body elliptical. Length 59 µm,
breadth 57 µm, isthmus 27 µm.
8. Cosmarium maculatum Turn. (Pl.1, fig h)

Scott & Prescott, 1961. P. 61, Pl. 24, fig 3,4.
9. Cosmarium obsoletum (Hantzsch) Reinsch (Pl.1, fig i)

Cell wall at basal corner thickened like papillae. Length 46 µm, breadth 52 µm,
isthmus 21 µm
10. Cosmarium pseudoconnatum var. ellipsoideum West & G.S.West (Pl.1, fig j)
West &West, 1908. Vol. 3, P. 28, Pl. 67, fig 22.
Length 58 µm, breadth 44.4 µm, isthmus 35 µm.
11. Cosmarium regnesi Reinsch. (Pl.1, fig k)

West &West, 1908. Vol. 3, P. 36, Pl. 68, fig-19-28.
Length 8.92 µm, breadth 8.88 µm, isthmus 4.7 µm.
body elliptical. Length 59 µm, breadth 57 µm, isthmus 27 µm.
12. Cosmarium reniforme (Ralfs) Arch. var. compressum Nordst (Pl.1, fig l)
West &West, 1908. Vol. 3, P. 158, Pl. 79, figs 3,4.
Length and breadth are about equal. Semicells are reformed with outlines coarsely
granulated. Length 60 µm, breadth 54 µm, isthmus 18 µm.

13. Cosmarium scabrum Turn. (Pl.2, fig a)

14. Cosmarium striolatum Nag. (Pl.2, fig b)

Length 104 µm, Breadth 57 µm, isthmus 43 µm.
15. Cosmarium subspeciosum Nordst. (Pl.2, fig c)

West &West, 1908. Vol. 3, P. 252, Pl. 89, fig 11.
16. Cosmarium tagmasterion Scott and Prescott (Pl.2, fig d)

The sinus is narrow and straight at the inner end, then opening and again partly
closing at the outer end by a protruding basal angle with hemispherical granules.

a.Cosmarium auriculatum Reinsch b. Cosmarium binum Nordst. c. Cosmarium connatum

Breb. d. Cosmarium contractum Kirchn. e. Cosmarium decoratum West and West. f.
Cosmarium granatum Breb. g. Cosmarium lundellii Delp. h. Cosmarium maculatum Turn.
i. Cosmarium obsoletum (Hantzsch) Reinsch j. Cosmarium obsoletum (Hantzsch) Reinsch
k. Cosmarium regnesi Reinsch. l. Cosmarium reniforme (Ralfs) Arch. var. compressum
Nordst





17. Desmidium swartzii Ag. (Pl.2, fig e)

West &West, 1923. vol. 5, P. 246, Pl. 163, fig 5-8.
18. Euastrum sinuosum Lenorm (Pl.2, fig f)

West &West, 1905. Vol. 2, P. 20, Pl.36. fig1.
Length 63 µm, breadth 36.5 µm, isthmus 9.5 µm.
19. Euastrum didelta (Turpin) Ralfs (Pl.2, fig g)

Smith, 1924. P.22, Pl.56, fig 2.
Length about twice as breadth, very deeply constricted with linear sinus.five lobed
semicells five hemispherical protuberances in each semicell. Length 105 µm, width
54 µm, isthmus 15 µm.
20. Euastrum ansatum Ehrbg. (Pl.2, fig h)

21. Euastrum spinulosum Delp. var. Vasii (Pl.2, fig i)
22. Micrasterias apiculata (Er.h) Menegh. (Pl.2, fig j)

Smith, 1924. P. 47, Pl. 61.fig 1.
Length 177 µm, width 153 µm, isthmus 32 µm, Cell walls covered with short spines,
strong constriction at center, ellipsoidal shape.
23. Micrasterias denticulata Breb. (Pl.2, fig k)
West &West, 1905. Vol. 2, P. 105, Pl.49. fig1-7.

Semicells five-lobed. cell walls punctuate without ornamentation. Chloroplast
completely fills the semicells. Length 218 µm, breadth 191 µm, isthmus 27.5 µm, 5
lobed semicells.
24. Micrasterias foliaceae Bail. (Pl.2, fig l)

Each semicell has two large and prominent semi-ellipsoidal hollow swellings at the
base, each bearing a long spine at the narrow ends. Length 50 µm, breadth 70 µm,
isthmus 13 µm.
25. Micrasterias mahabuleshwarensis Hobs var. Surculifera (Pl.3, fig a)

Scott and Presscot, 1961. P. 50, Pl. 16, fig 1.
26. Micrasterias radians Turn. (Pl.3, fig b)

27. Micrasterias thomasiana Arch. var. evoluta Krieg. (Pl.3, fig c)

Scott and Presscot, 1961. P. 52, Pl. 22, fig 5.

28. Arthrodesmus convergens Ehrenb. (Pl.3, fig d)
West & West, 1912. vol. 4, P. 106, Pl.116, fig 4-13.

Length 49 µm, breadth with spines 82.2 µm, isthmus 18 µm. Cells of medium size,
very deeply constricted.
29. Arthrodesmus subulatus Kutz. (Pl.3, fig e)
West &West, 1912. vol. 4, P. 109, Pl- 116, fig 14.

Length 35 µm, breadth with spines 65.8 µm, breadth without spines- 30.88 µm,
isthmus 9.8 µm, spine length-18.7 µm.
30. Arthrodesmus subulatus var. subaequalis W. & G.S.West (Pl.3, fig f)
West &West, 1912. vol. 4, P. 110, pl.117, fig 2-3.

Length- 30 µm, breadth- 30 µm without spines, breadth with spines 42 µm, isthmus
8.5 µm.
31. Staurastrum furcatum (Her.) Breb. (Pl.3, fig g)

Length without spines 23 µm, breadth with spines 27 µm, isthmus 6 µm.
32. Staurastrum gladiosum Turn. (Pl.3, fig h)
West &West, 1923. vol. 5, P. 57, Pl. 137, fig 1.2.

Length without spine 30 µm, breadth 34 µm, spine length 7.78 µm, isthmus 10 µm.
About as long as broad.
33. Staurastrum sexangulare (Bulnh.) Lund (Pl.3, fig i)
West &West, 1923. vol. 5, P. 194, Pl. 157, fig 2,3.

Length without arms 52 µm, breadth with arms 84 µm, isthmus 19 µm.
34. Xanthidium freemanii West & West (Pl.3, fig j)

35. Xanthidium spinosum (Josh.) West & West (Pl.3, fig k)

36. Hyalotheca dissiliens var. hians Wolle. (Pl.3, fig l)

Cell length µm 18, breadth 13 µm.
37. Closterium calosporum Wittr. (Pl.4, fig a)

Length 88 µm, breadth 9 µm.

38. Closterium decorum Breb. (Pl.4, fig b)

West & West, 1904. P. 184, Pl. 25, fig 1-3.
Cells are generally large, Cell wall striated, with 14-18 striae visible across the cell.
Straw coloured or yellowish brown colored. Single series of 6-11 pyrenoids. Length
373 µm, breadth 31 µm, ends of cells truncated in nature.
39. Closterium didymotocum Corda. (Pl.4, fig c)

West &West, 1904. Vol. 1, P.116, Pl.12, fig 1-5.
Length 315 µm, breadth 34.3 µm, 9-12 times longer than their diameter.
40. Closterium Ehrenbergii Menegh. (Pl.4, fig d)

West &West, 1904. Vol. 1, P. 1 43, Pl. 17, fig 1-4
41. Closterium jenneri Ralfs (Pl.4, fig e)

West &West, 1904. Vol. 1. P.134, Pl. 15, fig-23-25.
Length 100 µm, breadth 15 µm, breadth at apex 6.
42. Closterium kutzingii Breb. var. vittatum Nordst. (Pl.4, fig f)

West &West, 1904. Vol. 1.P. 188, Pl.25, fig 12,13.
Cells long, median portion naviculoid, ends continued in processes with parallel
sides and rounded ends. Length 333 µm, breadth 14.5 µm.
43. Closterium lagoense Nordst. (Pl.4, fig g)
West &West, 1904. Vol. 1, P.114, Pl. 11, fig 5-7.

Length 179.1 µm, breadth 26.7 µm, about 16 striae visible across the cell, Pale
yellow or becoming brown in color.
44. Closterium macilentum Breb. (Pl.4, fig h)

45. Closterium setaceum Ehrenb. (Pl.4, fig i)

West &West, 1904. Vol. 1. P. 190, Pl. 26, fig 1-5.
The median portion of the cell is small, fusiform lanceolate, both margins equally
convex, extremities prolonged into slender, setaceous, colorless processes which are
slightly incurved and obtuse at the apices. Each apical process is about three-eighths
the length of the cell, length of 317 µm, breadth 14 µm.
46. Penium cylindrus (Ehrenb.) Breb. (Pl.4, fig j)

Cell wall dotted, brownish in color when aged, bands present. Length 28 µm, breadth
9 µm.
47. Penium margaritaceum (Ehrenb.) Breb. (Pl.4, fig k)

Cylindrical cells with a slightly depressed middle region. Chloroplast with
longitudinal ridges. Length 133 µm, breadth 20 µm.

48. Netrium oblongum (De Bary) Lutkem. (Pl.4, fig l)

West &West, 1904. Vol. 1.P. 66, Pl. 8, fig 1-3.
Cells are usually solitary, straight with broadly rounded ends. Length 90 µm, breadth
26 µm, breadth of apex 20 µm.
49. Pleurotaenium verrocosum (Bail.) Lund. var. validum Scott& Gronbl. (Pl.5,
fig a)
Lengh 426 µm, breadth 41 µm. Cell walls possess a constricted appearance.
50. Pleurotaenium eugeneum (Turn.) West & West. (Pl.5, fig b)

Scott & Prescott, 1961. P. 16, Pl.4, fig 3.
Usually solitory, mostly elongate cylindrically with shallow median constriction.
51. Pleurotaenium ehrenbergii (Breb.) De Bary var. Undulatum Schaarschm.

(Pl.5, fig c)
Apex usually with terminal vacuoles containing granules. Length 249 µm, breadth of
apex 18 µm, isthmus 17 µm, breadth of median 23 µm.
52. Gonatozygon monotaenium De Bary (Pl.5, fig d)

Length 114 µm, breadth 7.30 µm. Cell wall granulated, pyrenoids about 6-9 in each
chloroplast. both ends slightly swelled. Cells solitary or in filaments.
53. Sphaerozosma granulatum Roy & Biss.(Pl.5, fig e)

Cells are united in filaments. Compressed cells with processes, which act as anchor
points of attachments. Length 10 µm, breadth 12 µm, isthmus 5 µm.
Discussion
This study tries to explore the desmids of the unexplored ecosystem of Peechi
Vazhani Wildlife Sanctuary. A notable diversity of desmids was discovered in the
Peechi Vazhani wildlife sanctuary in Kerala, India while studying algae in the
Thrissur district. Out of all the genera that have been seen, Cosmarium has the most
taxa represented (16 out of 53 species). The following genera are represented among
the observed taxa: Cosmarium (30%), Closterium (17%), Euastrum (8%),
Micrasterias (11%), Arthrodesmus (6%), Xanthidium (4%), Staurastrum (6%),
Penium (4%), Netrium (2%), Sphaerozosma (2%), Hyalotheca (2%), Pleurotaenium
(2%), Gonatozygon (2%), and Desmidium (2%). Investigation done by Jose et al.,
(2022) also showed the richness of desmids in the Karappuzha dam of the Wayanad
district, 39 taxa of desmids were identified from the study, among which Cosmarium
dominated with 24 species. The abundance of desmids can be connected to the quality
indicator of freshwater habitats. Many of the desmid-related taxonomic studies in
Kerala were done based on genus-level documentation. Tessy and Sreekumar (2007)
made an approach to document Micrasterias from the kol wetlands of Thrissur and

they have identified 15 taxa of Micrasterias. In 2015 also they documented 68 species
of Cosmarium from the same site.
CONCLUSION
According to current research, the Peechi Vazhani wildlife sanctuary has a rich
and diversified desmid flora.Out of 53 species obtained, genus Cosmarium dominated
with 16 species.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I am thankful to the department of Forest botany, KSCSTE-KFRI for providing
lab facilities to carry out this research work. I am grateful to the supervising guide
V.B.Sreekumar and project assistant Praseetha A.P for all the support.
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Desmidiaceae. Vol. 5, The Ray society, London. Plates 129–167.

The Nation at War in the Bollywood Movie Anek: A Semiotic

Analysis
Luku Morang
Assistant Professor
DHSK Commerce College, Dibrugarh.
Email: lukum98@gmail.com
Abstract: The film Anek (2022), which falls under the action-thriller genre, has been
directed by Anubhav Sinha and is set in the north-eastern region of India. The film
portrays the north-eastern part of India as a militarised and exotic terrain, where
terrorist organisations are causing widespread destruction. The narrative centres on
the obstacles encountered by a covert government law enforcement operative
dispatched to north-eastern India with the objective of negotiating a peace accord
between the government and insurgent factions. In an attempt to depict the insurgency
situation in the region, the film portrays the region as a perilous location for travel and
labour. The narrative homogenises and exoticizes the entirety of the north-eastern
region as a war zone.
This study presents a semiotic analysis of the film, examining the codes and
conventions used in its narrative to portray northeast India as an exotic and perilous
territory in conflict with mainland India. The study will use both descriptive and
analytical methodologies.
Keywords: Exotic, stereotype, homogenize, militarize, other
INTRODUCTION
According to Wikipedia, a nation is a group of people who have come together
because they share a common language, history, ethnicity, culture, or social structure.
It is the common identity that all residents of a boundary share, regardless of their
differences. Despite having specific boundaries to represent it, a nation is largely an
abstract concept or idea that has no physical manifestation. According to Benedict
Anderson’s seminal work, Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origins and
Spread of Nationalism (1983), the concept of a nation is characterized as an imagined
political community. According to him, this is because “the members of even the
smallest nation will never know most of their fellow-members, meet them, or even
hear of them, yet in the minds of each lives the image of their communion (Anderson
6).” Despite their shared diversity, the entire population of a country, according to
him, remains bound by a “deep horizontal comradeship.” During the anti-colonial
struggle of the twentieth century, the myth of the nation rose to prominence in many
parts of the world. In the struggle against colonialism, the concept of the nation served
as an anchor of solidarity for the people. Even though the idea of nationalism was a
powerful force to unify its population, newly independent states from colonial
authority had to face obstacles due to the diversity among different groups of people
in the various sections of the nation-state.
The concept of race is also closely related to national discourse. Because a nation
contains diverse ethnicities. In the context of India, this becomes even more evident,
as Indian society is comprised of various ethnic groups inhabiting various
geographical terrains. Despite the widely revered slogan "Unity in diversity" in the

Indian democracy, racism has been a widespread discourse in the social fabric. In the
social discourses of the nation state, the dichotomy, and binary categories of
centre/margin, self/other, and we/they have always existed.
In The Postcolonial Studies Reader, Bill Ashcroft et al. argue that the binaries of
centre-margin, self-other, civilized-native, colonize-colonized, and us-them constitute
a colonial discourse that postcolonial theory seeks to dismantle (2003). Neo-
colonialism, according to Kwame Nkrumah, is the influence and dominance of a more
powerful nation over the economy, language, culture, ideology, and political
philosophy of a weaker nation (1965). The powerful nations monopolise the binaries
and exert authority over the weaker nations. According to Marxist theorist Louis
Althusser, Ideological State Apparatuses (ISAs) such as education, churches, families,
the media, trade unions, and the law aid in exercising control over subordinate races
and cultures.
The region of northeast India inhabited by a significant tribal population is

marginalised in the national imagination. Mainstream media discourses frequently
marginalise, exoticize, and stereotype the region. The region becomes the “other”
region in the nation-state’s imagination. Connected to mainland India by a narrow
strip of land known as ‘Chicken’s Neck,’ the region is frequently excluded from
nation-state discourse. The region is frequently viewed as a strategically significant
geographic entity rather than a distinct region with a rich cultural and ethnic diversity.
Moreover, the national mainstream media focuses primarily on violence and
insurgency issues in the region. As a result, the media on the mainland is frequently
xenophobic of the other region due to its insurgency problems, and media narratives
are full of insurgency coverage that ignores the real issues pertinent to life and
progress in the region.
Bollywood is the dominant elite's cultural mass media. The narrative of

nationalism it produces are reflective of the nationalism of the dominant class. Here,
marginal regions and most of their inhabitants continue to be underprivileged. Hence,
northeast India is a region underrepresented in Bollywood film narratives. There are
few films that are set in northeast India. The small number of Bollywood films set in
northeast India portray the region as an exotic locale with a homogenous tribal
population and as the other region in the country’s hinterland. As the mainstream
privileged class controls the Bollywood film industry, Bollywood films become
agents of neo-colonialism when they depict the northeast as the other territory.
Semiotics is the endeavour of comprehending and analysing cinema as a specific

type of sign system or as a language by examining signs, codes, and conventions in
the narrative. Christian Metz argues in Film Language: A Semiotics of the Cinema,
which was published in two volumes between 1968 and 1972, that the language of
cinema contains short circuit sign and that a film signifies meaning through specific
semiotic codes unique to cinema, such as the possible arrangement of shots in a
narrative sequence. Metz’s proposed semiotic analysis of a film examines how a
collection or group of short circuit signs generates specific cinematic codes in its
discourse and how the film conveys meaning through denotation and connotation.
Metz concludes that the smallest element of cinematic expression is the shot, which
functions as a sentence in the cinematic language.

The Bollywood action thriller Anek, meaning many, stars Ayushman Khurana,
Andrea Kevichusa, Manoj Pahwa, Kumud Mishra, J.D. Chakravarthy, and others. It
addresses insurgency, politics, and violence in northeast India. The film’s name is
derived from the Hindi phrase “Anekta Mein Ekta,” which translates to “Unity in
Diversity.” According to Wikipedia, the phrase signifies unity and harmony between
dissimilar individuals or groups of people. In the context of India, the term has been
recognised as an apt description of the country’s linguistic, religious, caste, and ethnic
diversity.
The narrative of the film unfolds through the perspective of Joshua aka Aman
(Ayushman Khurana), an IPS officer and agent of the intelligent service (IS). In
multiple scenes, Aman presents the northeast as the “other” region on the nation’s
periphery. In one scene, Joshua refers to northeast India as “India ka ek naya hissa” (a
new region of India). He calls the rebels in the northeast “India ka dushman” (enemy
of India). He has been dispatched to northeast India on a mission to execute a peace
accord between the government of India and a rebel faction known as the Tiger Sanga
group, which is demanding secession from the nation state. “North-eastern
Revolutionary Force” is the official name of the Tiger Sanga group. However, there is
significant opposition to the signing of the peace accord from other rebel groups, such
as the Johnson group. In the narrative, he describes his task as “locating Indian
enemies and eliminating them.” He states, “From the outside, it appears that the entire
northeast was against India.”
The narrative portrays the northeast as the most dangerous conflict zone due to the
active operations of numerous militant groups. This film departs from previous
depictions of insurgency in the northeast in that it does not conflate diverse insurgent
groups in the region into a single militant organisation. It refers to various insurgent
factions and the layered complexity of the insurgency situation in the region. In the
narrative, members of three rebel groups are depicted engaging in terrorist activities.
The narrative demonstrates that the Tiger Sanga group is the most powerful outfit in
the region, controlling toll taxes, illegal drugs, arms trade, and export-import. They
have their own army as well as the support of the government or other allies. However,
the narrative also alludes to the philanthropy of certain insurgent organisations.
The narrative also depicts smaller outfits, such as the Johnson group, planting
bombs somewhere in the northeast on the eve of the 73rd Independence Day Parade
practice ground in an effort to disrupt the peace accord. On the other hand, under
Wangnao’s leadership, Johnson advocates for education, economic independence, and
the rights of children. He operates four drugs rehab centres in the state. Johnson
believes that by signing the peace accord, Tiger Sanga is selling the state. He believes
that the other factions that have joined Tiger have compromised their morals.
According to him, the peace agreement is a fraud as it will never bring peace in the
region. He argues that the demand for independence from the nation-state should be
maintained.
Additionally, the film focuses on the corrupt game of political negotiations and
power involved in establishing peace between insurgent groups and the central
government in northeast India. The narrative demonstrates that the government seeks
to appease insurgent groups and manage them with incentives and a false promise of
peace and development. After receiving an offer from the central government ministry
for political power and a statue at the airport, Tiger Sanga has decided to execute the

peace agreement. The narrative therefore implies that the central government signs
peace accords as media hypes and political gimmicks. This also suggests that close
connections between dissident groups and politicians in the region’s power struggle in
the name of the peace process. Aman asks his superior officer Abrar Bhatt (Manoj
Pahwa) in the intelligence agency, “Is it possible that no one truly desires peace?
Perhaps this is the reason why we have not been able to solve this problem for so long.
So many politicians and revolutionaries, what a waste!” An IPS officer from India’s
mainland, Anjaiyaah Bellamkonda (J.D. Chakravarthy), stationed in the northeast,
alludes to the government’s peace process as a drama in another scene, because peace
accords only result in control and not actual peace. Anjaiyaah tells Aman, “Peace is a
dirty business, officer!” Peace and control are frequently confused. There is a sense of
serenity when everything is under control... Peace is never truly attained, if one is to
observe. Violence is achieved for the sake of peace. For control, I apologise. Humans,
I believe, dislike peace.”
The narrative also demonstrates that rebel groups oppress and persecute innocent
civilians who venture to oppose them. Tiger Sanga issues orders to intimidate the
villagers, shoot at small children, and burn down the homes of those who support
rebel leader Johnson. Thus, the film showcases how innocent civilians are affected by
insurgent violence and portrays them as the worst victims of violent conflicts between
rebel outfits in the region. The film argues that young children and adolescents from
northeast India have joined insurgent organisations as armed cadres. In addition to
serving as cadres, rebel groups also employ children as potters to deliver food. In one
scene, a young child can be seen delivering food to the rebels hiding in a hilly
location. In a number of scenes, young children are shown fighting as members of an
insurgent faction, wielding assault rifles and firearms and engaging in ambush with
another insurgent faction.
The film Anek celebrates the valour and sacrifice of state agencies, such as the
Indian army, paramilitary, and police, and portrays them as the torchbearers of peace
in northeast India and as the saviour of northeastern citizens. the poster of the film
reads, “Jeetega Kaun? Hindustan” (Who Will Win? India). This suggests that in the
war for peace, the nation will win against those on the fringes. A scene contains
references to an Indian surgical operation against Pakistani terrorists. One Indian
army officer chants “victory to India” in one scene. The film suggests that Indian
paramilitary forces are capable of conveying the message “Violence is not the
solution.” Aman suggests to the commander of the Johnson group, Wangnao, that he
cease violence and surrender to the Indian army. Wangnano realises this at the end of
the narrative as the Indian army slaughters his colleagues and captures him. Wangnao
is apprehended from the rebel base camp in Myanmar, and he tells Aman, “You are
correct. Violence is not the solution.” Consequently, the film depicts an Indian man
conveying a message of nonviolence in northeast India.
The film does an excellent job of highlighting corruption in the northeast’s

administration and police. Aman is depicted bribing the police and Tiger Sanga’s
army in two instances in the narrative. In the name of anti-terror operations, the film
depicts police arresting innocent villagers, torching homes, and assaulting innocent
civilians. In one scene, the authorities are depicted as keeping tens of thousands of
arrested villagers in makeshift bamboo cages in an open field. The men in the cages

are beaten, kept half-naked, dragged, tormented, and tortured to death. In one scene, it
is stated that the police detained and raped a young girl.
The film’s plot is filled with explosions, ambushes, gunshots, clashes between the
military and insurgents, chase sequences, and the burning of houses and paddy fields.
The narrative also emphasises the conflicts between insurgent groups. In several
crucial sequences, gunfights and pursuits between the Tiger Sanga and Johnson
groups are dramatised. All of these provide a glimpse of the turmoil in the region. A
disquieting soundtrack is used repeatedly to suggest that the region is a terror zone
and that there is something ominous about the region. Long shots and birds-eye-view
shots of desolate lands, deserted streets, and abandoned communities are captured in
several scenes to represent the grave, tense situation in the region. In numerous scenes,
Indian military personnel are captured in long shots while guarding market places.
Despite a sincere effort to examine the politics, power, and violence in the region,
the film fails to capture the nuances of insurgency in the region. So many voiceovers
of Aman in the narrative are distracting and out of context. Numerous subplots in the
narrative disrupt and deviate from the narrative’s tempo. The narrative occasionally
appears muddled and confused. However, unlike previous Bollywood films, this film
does not refer to northeast insurgents as terrorists. The narrative refers to the
insurgents as rebels.
The film tends to conflate the entire region as a distinct geographical entity from
the rest of India under the umbrella term “Northeast”. Images of iconic locations in
the capital city of New Delhi are juxtaposed with images of unidentified scenic
locations in northeast India. The Parliament house, Motilal Nehru Marg, Gyarah
Murti in Sardar Patel Marg, India gate canopy, Subhas Chandra Bose statue, etc. are
among the iconic locations it depicts in contrasts to hilly terrains, rivers, and forest in
northeast. However, the narrative does not specify the precise location in the scenes
set in northeast. Instead, it unifies the region as the northeast. For instance, the name
of the rehabilitation centre operated by the rebel group is “NE Rehabilitation Centre.”
In a similar vein, all the vehicles in the film’s setting have registration plates that
begin with “NE.” These factors tend to generalise the entire region under the umbrella
term Northeast.
Terrorism has been one of the most prominent narrative motifs in Bollywood
films. In the extensive history of the Bollywood film industry, most films about
terrorism in India belong to various genres such as action thriller, crime thriller, war
film, anti-terror film, patriotic film, etc. According to Tejaswini Ganti, the Bollywood
industry shifted its focus from the domestic domain to the state, society, and the
streets in the 1980s, and the industry witnessed the proliferation of patriotic films
depicting the paramilitary force as saviours and the terrorists as villains in the
aftermath of wars with Pakistan and China. “Films about terrorism which began in the
late 1980s increased in the 1990s, as separatist insurgencies intensified, and bomb
blasts, religious riots, high level kidnappings, and hijackings increasingly became
more common in contemporary India. The nation was now represented as under siege
from acts of war or terrorism and its saviours were the military, paramilitary, or
policemen (Ganti 45).”
Bollywood films depicting insurgency in northeast India are prone to stereotyping,

exoticizing, and homogenising the region as a dangerous terrain. In Bollywood films,

the northeast becomes a conflict zone as a result of militant operations and

militarization. However, such narratives paint a negative picture of the region on the
Indian subcontinent. When coping with such delicate issues as insurgency, Bollywood
filmmakers should conduct thorough research.
WORKS CITED
Anderson, Benedict. Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origins and
Spread of Nationalism. Verso, 1983.
Anek. Anubhav Sinha, Benaras Media Works, 2022.
Ashcroft, Bill, et al., editors. Postcolonial Studies Reader.Pdf. Routledge, 2003.
Ganti, Tejaswini. Bollywood- A Guidebook to Popular Cinema. Second, Routledge,

2013.
Nkrumah, Kwame. Neo-Colonialism - The Last Stage of Imperialism. International

Publishers Co. INC, 1965.

Synthesis, Characterisation and Antibacterial Study of Zinc Oxide

Nanoparticles
Alsha Jaino1,*, Gayathri B Raj B1, Sandra A1, Aby Jimson1, Annu Thomas2
1
Department of Chemistry, St. Stephen’s College,Uzhavoor
2
Bishop Chulaparambil Memorial College, Kottayam
*
Email: alshajaino99@gmail.com
Abstract: In recent science, Nanotechnology is a burning field for the researchers. It
deals with the nanoparticles having a size of 1-100nm in one dimension used
significantly concerning medical chemistry, atomic physics, and all other known
fields. Metal nanoparticles have been intensively studied within the past decade.
Nano sized materials have been an important subject in basic and applied sciences.
Zinc oxide nanoparticles have received considerable attention due to their unique
antibacterial, antifungal, and UV filtering properties, high catalytic and
photochemical activity. Now a day the more interesting and attracting point in
search area is synthesis of nanoparticles with specific properties. Due to unique
properties of oxide of nanoparticles achieve great attention in research areas. ZnO
nanostructures obtained a great attention in the research area because ZnO has large
band gap. There are many different methods for the synthesis of ZnO nanoparticles.
The main objective of this project is to synthesis ZnO nanoparticles by microwave
assisted method and study its characterization. Nanostructures were characterized by
SEM. Zinc oxide nanoparticles, such as those prepared in this study may exhibit
potential antibacterial activity as their unique character. The purpose of this study
was to evaluate the antibacterial activity of ZnO nanoparticles. Antibacterial study
on Staphylococcus aureus, Clostridium botulinum, Bacillus cereus, E.coli,
Streptococcus pneumonia, Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Antibacterial activity evaluated
by agar well diffusion method.
Keyword: ZnO nanoparticles, antibacterial activity
INTRODUCTION
Nanochemistry is a branch of nano science, deals with the chemical application
of nano technology. It involves the synthesis and the characterization of materials of
nano scale size. The word “Nano” is derived from the Greek word for dwarf.
Nanotechnology is mainly concerned with the synthesis of nanoparticles of variable
sizes, shapes, chemical compositions and controlled disparities and their potential
use for human benefits. Although so many physical and chemical methods may
produce pure, well defined nanoparticles, these are quite expensive and potentially
dangerous to the environment. Physical technique allows atoms to be manipulated
and positioned to specific requirements for the prescribed use. Traditional chemical
techniques arrange atoms in molecules using well characterized chemical reactions.
The nanoscale usually refers to structures with a length scale applicable to
nanotechnology, usually cited as 1-100 nanometers.

Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles

This presents an overview of zinc oxide nanoparticle. ZnO is described as a
functional, strategic, promising and versatile inorganic material with broad range of
applications. It is known as 11-1V semiconductor, since Zn and O are classified into
groups two and six in the periodic table respectively. ZnO holds a unique optical,
chemical sensing, semiconducting, electrical conductivity and piezoelectric
properties. It is characterized by a direct wide band gap (3.8eV) in the near-UV
spectrum, a high excitonic binding energy (60mEv)at room temperature and a
natural n-type electrical conductivity. These characteristics enable ZnO to have
remarkable applications in diverse fields
Zinc oxide nanoparticle is among one of the most researched studies conducted
due to its ability to apply in varied downstream applications. Zinc oxide
nanoparticle is the second most abundant metal oxide after iron and it is inexpensive,
safe, and as well as it can be prepared easily. Physical and chemical behaviors of
zinc oxide nanoparticle can be easily turned by changing the morphology by using
different synthesis routes or different precursors or different materials to produce the
nanomaterial. Zinc oxide nanoparticle is one of the inorganic compounds of group
II–IV semiconductor for analytical sensing applications. Zinc oxide nanoparticle
appears to be white powder and insoluble in water.
Different methods have been adopted for the assessment and investigation of
antibacterial activity in vitro. These methods include disk diffusion, broth dilution,
agar dilution, and the micro titer plate-based method. Other methods are different
according to the investigated parameters. The most commonly used method is the
broth dilution method, followed by colony count, through plating serial culture
broths dilutions which contained ZnO nanoparticles and the targeted bacteria in
appropriate agar medium and incubated. A number of researchers have examined the
antibacterial activity of ZnO nanoparticles to determine bacterial growth through the
culture turbidity and the viable cells percentage by the colony counts test.
The antibacterial properties of Zinc oxide nanoparticles were investigated using
both Gram-positive and Gram-negative microorganisms. ZnO nanoparticles have a
wide range of antibacterial activities towards various microorganisms that are
commonly found in environmental settings. The antibacterial activity of the ZnO
nanoparticles was inversely proportional to the size of the nanoparticles in S.aureus.
Experimental Work
Chemicals Required:
Zinc acetate
NaOH(4ml)
Ethyl alcohol
In this work 15 ml (1.6 molL-1) of Zn (CH3COO)2. 2H2O were diluted in 32 ml of

deionized water to obtain a Zn2+ solution. Afterwards 4ml of a base (3.2 molL-1)
NaOH was added drop wise into the above described solution with magnetic stirring
at room temperature to get a colloid system, which was maintained under stirring for
10 min. Then the reaction mixture is kept into an microwave oven and treated at

selected temperature (80, 100, 120, or 1400C) for specific time (5, 10 or 20 min)
operating at different powers (300, 600, or 1200W).When the reaction was finished
and cooled to room temperature, the white precipitate was collected by filtration and
washed with deionized water and ethyl alcohol several times. Finally the product was
dried at 650C in a vacuum oven for 3h.
Result and Discussion
SEM Analysis
SEM analysis shows the study of the surface morphology of nanoparticles. Fig-2
shows the SEM images of ZnO nanoparticles. From SEM images, observe that the
size of ZnO nanoparticles is 150-170 nm.
Figure 2: SEM images of Zinc oxide nanoparticles synthesized.

Antibacterial activity was determined using agar well diffusion method. The
presence of an inhibition zone clearly indicated the antibacterial effect of ZnO
nanoparticles. The cultures were swabbed on nutrient agar plates and wells were
prepared on each plate using sterile Cork borer. 100µl of samples were loaded
into respective wells and six replications were maintained for each sample. The
plates were incubated at 37°C for 24-48hrs. After incubation, the zone of
inhibition around well was measured.
Antibacterial activities studied against Staphylococcus aureus, Clostridium
botulinum, Streptococcus pneumonia, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus cereus
and E.coli strains in the figure.

ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITY
Staphylococcus aureus Clostridium botulinum Streptococcus pneumonia
Pseudomonas aeruginosa Bacillus cereus E.coli
Figure 3: Antibacterial activity of Zinc oxide nanoparticles

ZnO nanoparticles were found to be active against Staphylococcus aureus,
Clostridium botulinum, Streptococcus pneumonia, Bacillus cereus, E.coli and
inactive against Pseudomonas aeruginosa,
Zinc oxide nanoparticles show a zone of inhibition of 2.6 cm to Staphylococcus
aureus, 2.5 cm to Clostridium botulinum, 2.6 cm to Streptococcus pneumonia, 2.7
cm to Bacillus cereus and
2.1 cm to E.coli.
CONCLUSION
ZnO nanoparticles have been successfully synthesized by microwave irradiation
method, which holds many advantages over the traditional process as it follows
rapid initial heating, homogeneous reaction medium, the increased reaction kinetics,
clear reaction products with higher yields.
In the present study we report a simple, low cost, and environmentally benign
and microwave assisted chemical method for the synthesis of zinc oxide
nanoparticles. The ZnO nanoparticles obtained successfully via microwave
synthesis. The synthesized Zinc oxide nanoparticles have been characterized by
SEM. The average particle size was found to be 150- 170 nm obtained from SEM
measurement for ZnO nanoparticles dried at 650C.

Antibacterial activity of ZnO nanoparticles against Staphylococcus aureus and

Clostridium botulinum strains were also determined using Agar well diffusion
method thus analyzed that it was found to be ZnO nanoparticles active against
Staphylococcus aureus and Clostridium botulinum, Streptococcus pneumonia,
Bacillus cereus, E.coli and inactive against Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
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Nanotachnology, CRC Press, 2009
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Reagents, Temperature, Irradiation Time,and Additives on Nano Morphology
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Art Speaks History: A Study In Transitioning Ideas of Gender and

Modernity in Raja Ravi Varma’s Portraits
Ashna K Asok
Ph.D. Research Scholar,
EFLU, Hyderabad
Email: ashnasok@gmail.com
Abstract: Raja Ravi Varma’s artistic oeuvre has time and again led to questions on
his portrayal of modernity through his art. The art of portraiture practiced and
perfected by him as an autodidact was synchronous to the cultural transitions of the
nineteenth century India under the pretext of colonial modernity. Ravi Varma’s art,
especially his portraits were undoubtedly ‘modern’, exhibiting a marked departure
from the traditional conceptual affiliations of Indian art. Significant amount of
research has already been done on the brand of modernity that Ravi Varma represents
in his art work. In this paper, I intend to examine selected portraits of Ravi Varma to
locate not just the representations of artistic modernity in his work, but also the subtle
expressions of a social transitions in them. In other words, I intend to examine the
historic modernity that accompanies the artistic modernity in the subject portrayals of
Ravi- Varma’s selected portraits. Since a bulk of the subjects of his portraits was
women, such an inquiry entails engaging with the question of gender in these
artworks, specifically within the context of the subjectivity and selfhood of the
women he portrayed. How does Ravi Varma’s diverse portrayal of women differ from
the western notion of portraits and how does it negate or reinforce the project of
modernity that he puts forth in his art works? I shall attempt to answer these questions
through a close examination of Ravi Varma’s selected portraits.
Keywords: Ravi Varma, portraits, modernity, women, social transition
INTRODUCTION
The visual history of the nineteenth century Indian art presents a peculiar
conjuncture in the art history of India. The period, predominantly characterized by an
emerging dialectic between colonialism and nascent nationalism produced art that
mirrored not just the influence of the western canon but also conscious resistances
against it. The project of colonial modernity and its import in to the oriental
sensibilities of the Indian masses were executed, as far as art is concerned, through
colonial perspectivalism- the “visual/cognitive pedagogy [that became] the
ideological justification for the foundation of Government Art Schools in the mid-19th
century.” (Pinney, 114). This academic dissemination of art, according to Sir Richard
Temple, was meant to improve the Indian taste and would help to “rectify some of
their mental faults, to intensify their powers of observation and to make them
understand analytically those glories of nature which they love so well.” (32) Such a
‘colonial visual project’ represented by European academic naturalism, found it’s
apogee in the works of Raja Ravi Varma, the celebrated painter, hailed to be the ‘first
modern Indian artist’ and the “most amenable to the western genre of art historical
evaluation.” (Pinney, 116).
The uniqueness of Ravi Varma’s art lies in its seamless blend of European style
and Indian subjects. Ravi Varma adapted academic realism of the west to create

aesthetic codes that represent the ‘Indianness’ of his subjects taken from Indian
literary classics, the Puranas and from different walks of contemporary life. Such an
engagement with western canon triggered, not just a distinctive artistic oeuvre, but
also a social scrutiny of the ‘artist as an individual’. In this context Partha Mitter
observes that,
The advent of academic art was accompanied by a social revolution in India.
In contrast to the earlier humble positions of the court artists, the colonial
artists enjoyed the elevated status of independent gentlemen, in part because
they now hailed from the elite…and Ravi Varma was the first of the
gentlemen artists nourished under the romantic image of the artist as an
uncompromising individualist.(176)
Mittar’s claim is, in fact, supported by popular biographical excerpts from Ravi
Varma’s life which have a mythical quality to them, arising out of the conscious
portrayal of the artist as a Romantic hero who champions all odds to cement his
artistic-genius. Hence, there is a conscious effort not just to represent but to create a
particular public perception of the artist as an individual and more importantly as an
image- maker which is a direct reflection of the importance attached to artists in the
19th century society. One such partial myth attached to his artistic persona is that of
Ravi Varma being an autodidact. While it is true that despite being represented as the
poster boy of academic art, Ravi Varma never received any conventional training
from an Art school; it would, however he false to say that he did not receive any kind
of training at all. Ravi Varma had received a mixture of traditional instruction as well
as training in ‘modern’ forms of painting during different stages of life. However, his
popularity lies in his unique ability to create refreshing art by mixing and borrowing
liberally.
One of the most crucial questions to be investigated regarding Ravi Varma as an
artist to investigate what compromises the ‘modernity’ of the first truly ‘modern artist’
of India. While it is well known that Ravi Varma’s adherence to the Western canon
and academic realism is what gathers him the acceptance and praise of the Western
audience, it is necessary to enquire deep in to the concept of modernity that is often
said and written in conjunction to his art work. G. Arunima argues that “ [Ravi
Varma’s] modernity is not a product of a ‘critique’ but of a different negotiation with
both tradition and the ‘West’. His work is uniquely positioned as it does not emerge
out of a kind of critique of tradition or indeed the West, which is true for artists of a
later period. Yet it was modern in form.” (59) Ravi Varma hence, settled for a
collaborative effort of the tradition and the west, thus depicting the Indianness of his
subjects in artistic styles sanctioned by the West. One of the most crucial aspects that
forms part of the modernity of his artistic oeuvre is the industrialization of art that
Ravi Varma initiated through Ravi Varma Press and its affordable chromolithographs.
Moreover, Ravi Varma predominantly engaged himself with portraits, which is
essentially a ‘modern’ form of visual art that raises a set of questions regarding the
self-hood and subjectivity of the subject being portrayed. Ravi Varma addressed these
questions within his capacity as an artist , from an Indian perspective. In this regard
Arunima argues that “The problem of modernity within Indian cultural history is
intrinsically linked to the issue of reality. Be it in art or in literature, we find
nineteenth century artists grappling with the problem of representing the world around
them” (58) We witness this issue of representation of reality in Ravi Varma’s artistic
work too. This paper intends to analyze how Ravi Varma’s portraits engages in the

portrayal of the historic modernity that shaped his age, through the portrayal of his
own artistic modernity.
The first to be considered in such a context is the family portrait of Kizhakke

Palatt Krishnamenon and family, commissioned in 1870. As one of Ravi Varma’s
earliest works, the portrait is painted mostly in a flat, two-dimensional style with only
a subtle mix of illusionism. Representing an elite class of contemporary Kerala, the
portrait presents a family of five, dressed in kasavu mundu* and wearing thoda,
kaashumaala, naagapadathaali- all indigenously designed ornaments widely worn in
Kerala by the elite. The dress and the ornaments are predominantly visual cues of well
being, indicating aristocratic status and power. In fact Krishnan Menon was a sub-
judge in Calicut Court, located in a province in North Kerala and belonged to a
wealthy feudal Nair family*. The use of props in the portrait-for instance the fruits in
the hands of the two younger children in the front, and the jasmine flower in the little
girl’s hand- is a characteristic technique used in European portraits. However Ravi
Varma gave this imported technique a local twist as all the props used are very much
indigenous to Kerala including the bananas clutched by the boy, suspected to be of
puvan variety, found only in Kerala.
Fig.1 Kizhakkeppat Krishnan Menon and Family

Apart from the uniqueness in style, the portrait is also of historic importance, as G.
Arumina points out that “Krishnan Menon’s family appears to symbolize the long
history of bourgeois domesticity” (60). The intriguing fact about the portrait is that it
represents a patrilocal nuclear family, painted at a time when matriliny was the
prevalent social order of the Nair’s , the caste to which Krishanan Menon belonged
to. For a system that traces ancestry through female members of the family, matriliny
valued conjugal relationships mainly for the production of heirs. In fact the female
members of the Nair families lived in their maternal home, the tharavadu even after
marriage and co-habitation with their spouses was only occasional. Hence the portrait,
painted more in resemblance of a western of a western, patrilocal bourgeois family
was completely unprecedented in the social set up of 19th century Kerala. The portrait
can be read as part of a changing sensibility of the Kerala elite, whose exposure
colonial modernity and western education slowly percolated their own understanding

of systems of descent. Krishnan Menon’s family portrait can, in fact , be treated as a

prelude to the social changes that was about to affect the matrilineal system of descent
in Kerala owing to the influence of colonial modernity.
Fig. 2 There Comes Papa!

The next portrait in consideration is There comes Papa!, which is yet again a
family portrait of Ravi Varma’s own daughter, Mahaprabha, and her infant son.
G.Arunima dubs this painting to be a “clarion call for the end of matriliny”(1) as it
betrays the growing patrilinear sensibilities of the artist, who is essentially the product
of a matrilinear community. The painting includes a young Nair lady, believed to be
the artists’ daughter, who is dressed in traditional Malayali attire complete with
Kasavu mundu traditional ornaments and jasmine flowers adorning her hair,
perhaps,to visit a nearby temple. She holds her infant son in one hand, supporting him
on her waist. A dog, with predominantly European features is seated behind them.
The western influence in Ravi-Varma’s style is evident here as the dog is a recurring
symbol of domesticity in European portraiture. Unlike Krishnan Menon’s Family
portrait, this painting gives emphasis to the thematic element it represents. . The
mother points her finger to a point outside the portrait, drawing the infant’s attention.
The gaze of the dog and the infant is fixed on the particular spot that she points to.
The title of the painting reveals that the trio is expecting the father of the child to join
them.Arunima argues that
The existence of the threesome in the portrait is predicated on the absent, yet
approaching father. Unlike his other family portraits, there is both an
increasing Europeanization and standardization in this work. The flesh tones
are becoming lighter, the body curves not unlike those of vestal virgins found
in eighteenth century French allegorical portraiture. (63)
The historic and social importance of the portrait is predicated upon the absentee
father in this picture. As mentioned earlier, the family as a conjugal unit was unheard
of, within the matrilinear system of which the artist was also a part of. However Ravi
Varma here chose to celebrate two ideals that the 19th century Kerala society had seen
only among their colonial overlords- the nuclear family and domesticity. It is also

interesting to note that the title plays a very decisive role in the viewer’s perception of
the painting, as without it, we would be unable to comprehend the playful expectancy
in the portrait. The portrait in a way presupposes the gradual end of matriliny which
was originally achieved through legislative efforts of the colonial state and post-
independence Kerala Government.
Fig. 3 The Reclining Nair Lady

The third and final portrait to be considered here is called the Reclining Nair Lady
(undated). The painting depicts two women, one of them a Nair lady, evident from her
traditional costume, hairdo and ornaments, and the other a maid/servant, evident from
her positioning in the frame. The concept of ‘Reclining Woman’ was a recurrent
theme in European Renaissance paintings. In fact Ravi Varma’s Reclining Nair Lady
bears close resemblance to Edouard Manet’s Olympia (1863). The similarities of skin
colour of the maids and their positioning in both the paintings suggests that Varma’s
painting was indeed influenced by Manet’s Olympia. Ravi Varma’s Nair lady reclines
in a horizontal position, with an open book in front of her which suggests that she has
received modern education. The book is also indicative of the progress in women’s
life during societal transformation of the 19th century. The book coupled with the
musical instrument beneath her, which resembles a veena suggests that she is well-
versed in arts and literature of her time. One significant aspect of this painting which
sets it apart from Ravi Varma’s other portrayals of Nair women is that in this portrait,
the lady wears a blouse. The use of blouses by aristocratic women to cover the upper
body was a development that came about as a result of the spread of English
education among the Nair elite. Even in Ravi Varma’s other paintings like Nair Lady
Adorning her Hair. (1873) or There Comes Papa!, the women does not wear a blouse.
The use of this garment serves an important purpose in this portrait. First, it shows the
effect of English education and colonial modernity on the Nair aristocracy. The
viewer can easily perceive a slowly changing consciousness of the Malayali
aristocracy which was increasingly imbibing western ways. The young Nair Lady is
thus the portrayal of Ravi Varma’s idea of a modern, educated, western-influenced
woman. As a contrast, the maid does not wear a blouse, which emphasizes the socio-
cultural differences between the two women. The caste- difference between the two
women, evident from their postures, ornaments, draping style of the garment, hairdo
etc is also reflective of the social inequalities generated by caste in Ravi Varma’s

society. Thus the painting not only predicates the stylistic modernity of the artist, but
also the modernity in its historic sense, represented by the subject of the painting.
Ravi Varma’s artistic genius expresses itself not only in detailed portrayals of his
subject matter but also in incorporating the visual representations of history-in-
making in to his works of arts. As a detailed exploration of his portraits would reveal,
Raja Ravi Varma’s engagements with colonial modernity was constantly backed by
his deep ties with his own tradition . hence in his representations, we often see the
evidences of a transitional societies that tells us of contemporary realities. It would
not be wrong to say that Ravi Varma’s artistic modernity was aided by his
representations of complex, yet emerging historical modernities.
WORKS CITED
1. Arunima, G. “ Face Value : Ravi Varma and the Project of Colonial Modernity.”
Indian Economic and Social History review vol 40, no 57, pp 11-35.
2. Mathur, Saloni. India by Design: Colonial History and Cultural Display,
University of California Press, 2007
3. Mitter, Partha. Art and Nationalism in Colonial India, 1850-1922:Occidental
Orientations. Cambridge University Press, 1994.
4. Pinney, Christopher. Photos of Gods; Printed Image and Political Struggle in
India. Reaktion Books, 2004
5. Uberoi, Patricia. “ Feminine Identity and National Ethos in Indian Calendar Art”
Economic and Political Weekly, vol 25, no 17, pp 1-8.

Cosine Similarity for Question Matching

Jinsu Ann Mathew1,*, Joe Jacob1, Ninan Sajeeth Philip2
1
Department of Physics, Newman College, Thodupuzha.
2
Artificial Intelligence Research and Intelligent Systems, Thelliyoor
*
Email: jinsuann91@gmail.com
Abstract: Cosine similarity is a measure that calculates the cosine of the angle
between two given n-dimensional vectors in an n-dimensional space. Mathematically,
it is defined as the dot product of the vectors divided by their magnitude. When it
comes to computing the similarity between two things, the cosine similarity algorithm
has proven to be extremely useful. In this paper, we propose the use of cosine
similarity to compare the input query to the system database's questions. By turning
the words or phrases within the sentence or document into a vectorized form of
representation, the degree of similarity between two documents can be quantified.
Here, a screenshot of the question is provided along with the expected answer as
target. The machine is trained using cosine similarity to predict them correctly.
Between each training question and the input question, we compute the cosine
similarity. A cosine similarity of 0 would indicate that there are no similarities
between the two documents, while a cosine similarity of 1 suggests that the two
documents are exactly the same. We calculate the cosine similarity between each
query and each document and use the similarity score to determine which document is
the closest match for each query. Our research shows that the database can discover
the right matching document with a high degree of accuracy, reducing the
requirement for human intervention. In contrast to traditional image processing
techniques, our study shows how cosine similarity may be used as a very effective
machine learning tool.
Keywords: Cosine Similarity, bag of words, similarity score.
INTRODUCTION
In today's world, computational intelligence is being employed more and more.
All industries are putting new technologies into practice to enhance their current
processes. The concepts of machine learning and data science are being applied in
business, finance, manufacturing, healthcare and other industries. The education
sector has advanced significantly as a result of Artificial Intelligence (AI) .The use of
computer intelligence to enhance the educational system is a subject of extensive
research. Routine educational tasks like grading and conducting exams can be
automated with AI. A lot of question and answer boards and FAQ pages are available
on many websites. Online services have been compiling fairly sizable archives of
questions and their answers over the past few years. Finding questions in the archive
that are semantically comparable to a user's question is one of the key duties of a
question and answer service.
This paper is about the problem of question search. Given a question as a query,
we have to return questions that are semantically equivalent or close to the queried

question. This allows for the retrieval of high-quality answers from the archive.
Accurate similarity measures between questions are critical in such retrieval systems.
Many metrics, including those based on Euclidean distance, Cosine, Jaccard, Dice,
and Jensen-Shannon divergence, have been presented in recent years to address
various information retrieval and similarity measurement issues. The most popular of
the available metrics is cosine, which determines the angle between two vectors. In
this study, we use the cosine similarity score between each archived question and the
input query to determine which match is most appropriate.
Methodology
The goal of this research is to illustrate how to perform a calculation of similarity
between a reference question and an input question. To find similarities across queries,
we have used a number of procedures. The first step is the construction of an archive
of questions. In order to do this, we provided screenshots of the questions and placed
them in a folder. The second step is to extract all the textual information from the
image. The preprocessing of this extracted text comes next. The end result of this
method is a list of keywords for each document. Using all of these chosen keywords,
we then developed a dictionary. A corpus is then constructed and each query is saved
as a corresponding bag of words within it. The calculation of similarity comes
next. For this, each item in the corpus is converted to corresponding vectors. With
questions presented as vectors, we can calculate the similarity of two questions as the
correlation between their corresponding vectors, which can be further quantified as
the cosine of the angle between the two vectors. Figure 1 depicts the angle in two
dimensions, but in reality, there are tens of thousands of dimensions to a document.
Based on vector similarity, similarity between two vectors can be defined as
where d1 and d2 are n-dimensional vectors and n is the no:of keywords in the
dictionary. Therefore , each dimension represents a term with its weight in the
document, which is non-negative. As a result, the cosine similarity is non-negative
and bounded between [0,1]. So if the angle between the vectors is 0 degrees, then the
cosine similarity is 1 or we can say that both are similar.
So, when an input question is given, we convert it into a vector after performing all of
the preprocessing steps mentioned above, and then find the similarity score with each

question in the archive. As the best match, the one with the highest similarity score is
chosen.
CONCLUSION
This paper demonstrates how to use cosine similarity to find similar questions in
an archive. In the figure above, we can see two input questions and corresponding
matched questions chosen based on similarity score. The experimental results show
that by measuring cosine similarities, we can automatically find similar question pairs.
A large number of similar question pairs can be gathered by applying this technique to
many different question collections. The proposed similarity measures can be used to
cluster question-answer pairs, and the clusters can then be used to improve the
performance of question and answer retrieval systems.
REFERENCES
1. Jeon, Jiwoon & Croft, W. & Lee, Joon. (2005). Finding semantically similar
questions based on their answers. 617-618. 10.1145/1076034.1076156.
2. Huang, Anna. (2008). Similarity measures for text document clustering.

Proceedings of the 6th New Zealand Computer Science Research Student
Conference.
3. Li, Baoli. (2013). Distance Weighted Cosine Similarity Measure for Text
Classification. 10.1007/978-3-642-41278-3_74.
4. Duan, Huizhong & Cao, Yunbo & Lin, Chin-Yew & Yu, Yong. (2008).
Searching Questions by Identifying Question Topic and Question Focus.. 156-
164.
5. Jeon, Jiwoon et al.(2005) “Finding similar questions in large question and answer
archives.” International Conference on Information and Knowledge Management.

6. Xia, Peipei & Zhang, Li & Li, Fanzhang. (2015). Learning Similarity with Cosine
Similarity Ensemble. Information Sciences. 307. 10.1016/j.ins.2015.02.024.
7. Rahutomo, Faisal & Kitasuka, Teruaki & Aritsugi, Masayoshi. (2012). Semantic
Cosine Similarity.
8. Bahel, V., & Thomas, A. (2021). Text similarity analysis for evaluation of
descriptive answers. ArXiv, abs/2105.02935.
9. Gunawan, Dani & Sembiring, C & Budiman, Mohammad. (2018). The

Implementation of Cosine Similarity to Calculate Text Relevance between Two
Documents. Journal of Physics: Conference Series. 978. 012120. 10.1088/1742-
6596/978/1/012120.

A Study on the Effect of Shampoos on Vigna Angularis

Sherin C Baby * , Ambili T.R
PG & Research Department of Zoology,
Alphonsa College, Pala, Kottayam , Kerala
*
Email: Sherinbaby17@gmail.com
Abstract: Personal Care Products(PCP's) such as shampoos are a widely used

cosmetic product by people all across the country irrespective of age and gender.
Even though the role of shampoo as a pollutant and its effect were not given
significance earlier it is now considered as an emerging pollutant. In this study the
effect of shampoo on the development of Vigna angularis seedling was analyzed
using three types of shampoos; chemical shampoo, commercial natural shampoo and
homemade herbal shampoo. The present study found that the effect of both chemical
and commercial natural shampoos were the same.The root and shoot development
was hindered at the 100% concentration of chemical shampoo and the germination
percentage of this type of shampoo was 63.09 %. The growth of seedlings was
inhibited by the 50% concentration of the commercial natural shampoo and its
germination percentage was 46.42%. The homemade herbal shampoo didn't affect the
development of Vigna angularis at any concentration and it was found to have the
highest germination percentage of 73.81 %. It was also found that the commercial
companies do not label all the ingredients included in the formulation of the shampoo.
So many chemical components which directly reach the environment without
undergoing any kind of biotransformation causes harmful effects on the flora and
fauna . Shampoos also contribute to the major common crisis of plastic pollution by
its eco-unfriendly packaging using non recyclable plastic.This study aims to address
the toxic effect and adversities caused by personal care products like shampoo on the
environment and to study its impact on it.
Keywords: Shampoo, seedlings, environment,Vigna angularis, PCP's.
INTRODUCTION
Cosmetics and other personal care products have been used by both men and
women since prehistoric times. Ages ago people used materials for cleansing,
beautifying and otherwise altering their appearance. The United States Food and
Drugs Administration (FDA) defined cosmetics as "a product intended to be applied
on the human body for cleansing, beautifying, promoting attractiveness or altering the
appearance". According to a widely accepted classification, cosmetics can be divided
into leave-on and rinse off products. The leave -on products are intended to stay on
the skin for an extended period of time . On the contrary, rinse off products are the
products designed to be rinsed off after a short stay on the skin or mucous membranes.
Shampoo comes under the rinse off category of classification (Juliano and Magrini,
2017).
The main purpose of shampoo is to remove dirt and oil from the surface of the
hair fibers and the scalp. The essential ingredient in shampoo is a detergent of some

sort. Modern shampoo uses a synthetic detergent as a cleaning agent. In shampoos for
adults ,the detergent is usually an anionic type, such as sodium dodecyl sulfate, the
same detergent used in many toothpastes. For shampoos meant to be used on babies
and children,the detergent is often an amphoteric type and is less irritating to eyes.
Amphoteric detergents react with both acids and bases (Mathew and Xavier, 2019).
Commercial shampoo has many other components in it due to their multitude of
purposes such as additional components to control dandruff and condition hair.
Shampoos typically contain a primary and a secondary surfactant for thorough
cleaning, a viscosity builder,solvents, conditioning agents, pH balancer and other
components such as fragrance and colour for commercial appeal (Zhang et al. ,2015).
Unfortunately, shampoos have done lasting damage to our water supply in two
major ways: their ingredients and the plastic containers that hold them. The simple act
of rinsing hair with shampoo can pave the way to the beginning of a series of
pollution problems. The non degradable ingredients in the shampoo directly reach the
environment. These ingredients are found in a variety of environments including
wastewater, sediment, surface water, ground water, drinking water etc. As the
drinking water is treated they are less likely to cause problems to humans but they
harm both aquatic life and animals that drink from these water bodies. Chemicals in
shampoo could change the hormone levels of animals and thus can affect their ability
to reproduce.
In the last few years tremendous increase in the demand for cosmetic products
have increased its rate of production. The regular usage of cosmetic products in large
amounts which in turn leads to the continuous release of the cosmetic substance to the
aquatic environment ,their ecological and environmental impact is associated with the
fact that they are environmentally persistent, bioactive and potentially able to bio
accumulate, thus posing a threat to ecosystem and human health. Thus cosmetic
products and other personal care products like shampoo are considered as a class of
emerging pollutant with significant concern (Brausch and Rand, 2011). Shampoos
also contribute to the major pollution issue of plastic pollution as they use partially
recyclable or non recyclable plastic bottles or sachets to hold them.
Brausch and Rand (2011) through their article examines the acute and chronic
toxicity data available for personal care products and highlights areas of concern. In
their study toxicity and environmental data were synergized to develop a preliminary
hazard assessment in which only triclosan and triclocarban presented any
hazard.However, numerous PCPs including triclosan, paraben preservatives, and UV
filters have evidence suggesting endocrine effects in aquatic organisms. Juliano and
Magrini (2017) through their work, provides an overview of some cosmetic
ingredients that are considered environmental emerging pollutants of particular
concern such as UV filters, some preservatives (Parabens, triclosan) and
microplastics. They bring light on the commonly used cosmetic ingredients that have
not historically been considered of ecological concern but are now being monitored
because of their suspected adverse ecological effects.Gubitosa et al., (2019) through
their study showed that in recent years consumer demand for natural ingredients and
additives, especially in cosmetic products, has increased as people become more
concerned about the negative effects of synthetic compounds on health and
environment.Khan et al., (2019) in their article studied about the cosmetic products
and their associated toxicities, health hazards associated with chemicals used in
formulation of cosmetics and health risk associated with heavy metals in it. They
found that various toxic ingredients and hazardous chemicals used in cosmetics are

incorporated beyond acceptable limits. These chemicals may cause serious ill effects
on skin and may also enter skin and other organs causing carcinogenicity.
The toxicants in shampoo reach the environment in an unaltered form as they are
externally applied and do not undergo any biotransformation. It has many toxic
effects on humans. If human, a vertebrate is having such harmful effects from
cosmetics and personal care product, its impact on environment will be much higher
as the environment is more vulnerable with microscopic organisms and other
invertebrates.This study aims to address the the toxic effect and adversities caused by
personal care product like shampoo on the environment and to study its impact on
it.The objective of this study was to observe and compare the growth of seedlings in a
dilution series of chemical shampoo and commercial natural shampoo and homemade
herbal shampoo and to estimate the seed germination percentage of each type of
shampoo. The concentration at which the growth of seed was inhibited was evaluated.
Hence the study was conducted to assess the impact of chemical shampoo and
commercial natural shampoo on the environment thus bringing attention and
awareness to the dark side of beauty products.
Materials & Methodology

The materials required are : 3 sets of plastic seedling tray (if reused 3 is enough),
each for chemical, commercial natural shampoo and homemade herbal
shampoo.Shampoos [1 commercial natural shampoo(Dheedhi) , 1 chemical
shampoo(Clinic plus) and homemade chemparathi thaali]. Plastic spoons, 10 ml
measuring cup, Plastic container,Pea seeds belonging to Vigna angularis,Potting soil,
Ruler ,A piece of string , Lab notebook.
The study was conducted in the month of June in 2022 .The experimental setup
consists of preparation of a dilution series of each shampoo. The shampoos taken for
the experiment were a chemical shampoo (Clinic plus), a commercial natural
shampoo (Dheedhi) and homemade chemparathi thaali. Different concentrations of
each shampoo with 0% as the control and 3%, 6%, 12.5%, 25%, 50%, 100% as the
dilution series were prepared. To prepare 100% of a shampoo, 5 ml of a shampoo was
taken. For preparing 50% of a shampoo, 5 ml shampoo was mixed with 5 ml of
water .To make 25% of the shampoo, 5 ml of the 50% (prepared in the previous step)
was mixed with 5 ml of water. This step is repeated until 3% of the shampoo solution
is prepared. The control was prepared by adding 5 ml water to the pit.
21 pits containing 10 g potting soil with 5 ml of each concentration of shampoo
was prepared. After mixing the soil and shampoo with a clean spoon 4 seeds of Vigna
angularis were exposed to every pit. The experimental setup was observed for a
week.As the seedling grows, the shoot (which includes the stem) will be thicker than
the root. There may be a point on the seedling where this change in thickness is very
clear; this should be where the root and shoot meet.If the root is straight, it can be
measured with a ruler. If the root has bends or curves, a piece of string can be used to
follow the root.Cut the string at the root tip and measure the length of the string.
Record the total string length as the root length in a lab notebook .If the seedling has
multiple roots, the length of the main root is considered for measurement.Similarly
the length of shoot can also be obtained.
The growth of the seedling was analyzed after the observation period and was
carefully examined to evaluate the shoot and root length along with seed germination
percentage. The concentration at which each shampoo inhibited the growth of
seedlings was also noted to assess the impact each type of shampoo has on the
environment. The procedures were conducted 3 times to ensure the obtained results

are accurate and repeatable. The seed germination percentage was calculated using the
formula ;
Germination percentage (G.P) = (Number of seeds germinated /Total number of seeds sown) ×100

The shampoos selected for the study namely, clinic plus (chemical
shampoo), Dheedhi (commercial natural shampoo) and homemade chemparathi thaali
(natural shampoo) were found to have significant effect on Vigna angularis .The
chemical and commercial natural shampoo affect the growth of Vigna angularis
seedling, whereas the homemade herbal sjhampoo doesn't caused any interference to
the seed growth at any concentration. The results from the 3 trials conducted for each
type of shampoo to the corresponding concentration and the resultant root and shoot
length is depicted using a line graph in Figure 3.1 and Figure 3.2 respectively.
Fig 3.1 Root length in dilution series of each shampoo
From the figure 3.1 we could infer that the length of the root tends to decrease as
the concentration of the shampoo increases. The root growth was completely inhibited
at 100 % concentration of chemical shampoo and 50% of commercial natural
shampoo. The homemade herbal shampoo (chemparathi thaali) did not inhibit the root
growth and at any of the concentrations. The root length in this case was
comparatively higher than the root lengths of chemical and commercial natural
shampoo.

Fig 3.2 Shoot length in dilution series of each shampoo
The figure 3.2 clearly shows how the shoot length varies among the seedlings of
homemade herbal shampoo to the shoot lengths of chemical shampoo and
commercial natural shampoo. The shoot growth was blocked at the 100 %
concentration of chemical shampoo whereas it was at 50% concentration of
commercial natural shampoo. The seedling growth wasn't affected by increased or
decreased concentration of homemade herbal shampoo which indicates that it is
nontoxic to nature.
The seed germination percentage for each type of shampoo is illustrated using a
pie chart in Figure 3.3. The seed germination percentage was found to be 63.09 % and
46.42 % for chemical shampoo and commercial natural shampoo respectively. The
highest germination percentage was shown by the homemade herbal shampoo, which
was 73.81 %.

Fig 3.3 Seed germination percentage in a dilution series
Personal care products like shampoo are found more often in higher concentration
than pharmaceuticals. They are used in larger quantities and are used throughout life.
The annual production and consumption of personal care products like shampoo
exceeds thousands of tons. The environmental fate of these products is largely
unknown. Less research and studies are conducted to examine the toxic side of
cosmetics and personal care products and the impact they leave on the environment.
In the present study it was found that the length of root and shoot tend to decrease
in both chemical and commercial natural shampoo as the strength of its concentration
increases. Thus in the case of chemical and commercial natural shampoo, the root or
shoot elongation is said to be inversely proportional to the strength of the shampoo.
Whereas in the homemade herbal shampoo the growth of the seedlings were not
inhibited in any concentrations of the dilution series. The lengthening of shoot or root
were not decreased even at the increased concentration. This clearly indicates that all
sorts of commercial shampoo, whether labeled chemical or natural, has got the toxic
side to hinder the natural process of seed germination. The homemade herbal
shampoo being natural by itself and devoid of additives for commercial appeal,
doesn't cause any interference to the seed germination and its growth.
The results obtained from both chemical and natural shampoo were found to be
similar.This indicates that even though the shampoo was labeled 'natural ' the contents
present in it were able to inhibit the growth of seedlings.So it may have contained any
sort of chemical kept undisclosed to the public . This points to the fact that the
government regulations in India don't make it mandatory to disclose all the
components used in the formulation of shampoo. Even if a personal care product is
labeled natural or not, it has the same effect to cause harm to the flora and fauna of
the environment to a great extent. While working on the experiment mild burning
sensation was felt on the hands due to the direct exposure to shampoos. This indicates
that the shampoo must have contained any sort of component that acts as a skin
irritant.This study can be considered as a model to explain the effect caused by
shampoo which is just one among the other personal care products.

CONCLUSION
The homemade herbal shampoo doesn't cause any interference to the seed
germination in any concentrations. This may have occurred as the homemade
shampoo is free from all sorts of chemical additives usually used for commercial
appeal . From the present study it is clear that even though the shampoos taken for
observation were chemical and commercially labeled natural both of them gave
similar results. Therefore we can conclude that irrespective of the labeling on the
product they have the potentiality to cause the same effect of toxic impact on the
vulnerable flora and fauna of nature. Future studies are needed to analyze the effect
of liquid detergents like shampoo on the destruction of soil organisms like
earthworms, microbes etc.
REFERENCES
1. Brausch, J. M., & Rand, G. M. (2011). A review of personal care products in the
aquatic environment: environmental concentrations and toxicity. Chemosphere,
82(11), 1518–1532. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2010.11.018
2. Gubitosa, J.; Rizzi, V.; Fini, P.; Cosma, P.(2019) Hair Care Cosmetics: From
Traditional Shampoo to Solid Clay and Herbal Shampoo, A Review.
Cosmetics ,6(13). https://doi.org/10.3390/cosmetics6010013
3. Juliano, C.; Magrini, G.A.(2017) Cosmetic Ingredients as Emerging Pollutants of

Environmental and Health Concern. A Mini-Review. Cosmetics, 4(11).
https://doi.org/10.3390/cosmetics4020011
4. Khan AD & Alan MN ,(2019).Cosmetics and their associated Adverse Effects: A

Review.Journal of Applied Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research, 2(1), 1-6,
https://doi.org/10.31069/japsr.v2i1.1
5. Mathew G. D & Xavier K J,(2018),Inorganic and Organic Chemistry second

edition ,Vishal publishing Co,166-179.
6. Zhang Y, Alsop RJ, Soomro A, Yang F, Rheinstädter MC. (2015). Effect of
shampoo, conditioner and permanent waving on the molecular structure of human
hair. PeerJ 3:e1296 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.1296

Need for Innovative Praxis in Environmental Education

Kripa Gladys Mena
MA English Language and Literature
Institute of English, University of Kerala, Trivandrum
Email: kripa.mena@gmail.com
Abstract: Environmental education had been incorporated into the Indian curriculum
for the past twenty one years. Students get acquainted with ideas of sustainable
development, conservation, afforestation and the ill-practices towards Nature.
However, there is a lack of practice of the theory incorporated into the curriculum.
Often, Environmental Education never moves beyond the textbook. There is a need to
update and include relevant measures of Environmental Conservation in curriculum,
based on the dynamic changes that our Environment is facing today.
The paper analyzes different strategies to revamp the theoretical curriculum on
Environmental Education to inculcate the application level of ecological practices.
Applied Environmental Conservation will introduce a Green Culture in young minds.
They will get an opportunity to experience real life challenges in practising
conservation and to find innovative solutions. The paradox of mass usage of paper to
consolidate textbooks and assignments on Environmental Conservation was
challenged with the online mode of education introduced during the Covid-19
pandemic. Environmental Education should lead to the development of a mindset that
tries to analyze the challenges faced by Nature and to arrive at intelligent practices of
conservation.
Keywords: Environmental Education, Indian curriculum, conservation, application,
ecological practices, Green Culture, innovative solutions, paradox, Covid-19
pandemic, mindset
Environmental education is a staple course in the Indian curriculum.

Environmental education starts from the basic level learning in primary classes and
had advanced to specialized research areas after post graduate studies. Nevertheless,
an Indian student spends a considerable amount of time in his learning space engaging
with EE (Environmental education). The pressing question is the lack of praxis that
prevents constructive conservation of the environment. The literacy rate and the
population rate of India are steadily growing, but not the afforestation rate.
The foundation of the present trajectory of EE was laid in the National Curriculum
Framework in 2005. But aspects of the present trajectory were found even in pre-
colonial times, "The education system in India had incorporated certain aspects of
environment in school curricula as early as 1930. The Kothari commission (1964-66)
also suggested that basic education had to offer EE and relate it to the life needs and
aspirations of the people and the nation" (Gopal).
Even after several years of experimenting in the field of EE, there is a dearth in
the innovative praxis of the theories incorporated in the curriculum. The prospective
environmentally concerned citizens are unequipped in their student lives to deal with
real life problems faced by the environment. The students are not trained to observe
nature, identify problems and arrive at solutions on their own. An average student
develops to the range of Ajayan, a character in the novel 'Roots' by Malayatoor
Ramakrishnan. Ajayan mistook the paddy-fields to be grassy lawns and later he

exclaimed them to be 'rice trees' (Ramakrishnan 5). In such a dour scenario, if a

farmer explains the "milk grain stage of rice plant" (rkmp.drr), it would become
unintelligible even for a post graduate student who had traversed the EE curricular
system.
The curriculum is taught in such a way as to induce rote learning of theories and
case studies. Often, prescribed activities in the textbook remain as skipped passages or
dwell in the imaginative realm of the students, but never transformed into practice.
Since alternative valuation practices loom under the question of reliability, the present
system of education cannot forgo the evaluation based on theoretical knowledge.
Hence, EE stagnates in the boundaries of theory and the way it is taught never
exceeds textbook learning. Students are acquainted with technical terms like
sustainable development, industrial hazards, deforestation, rain water harvesting,
ozone layer depletion and the ilk, without ever thinking of its real life implications.
The paradox of using paper for printing textbooks and for writing assignments on
conservation of forests resonates in the poetic lines, "Trees are poems that the earth
writes upon the sky./ We fell them down and turn them into paper that we may record
our emptiness" (Gibran). It could be argued that the usage of paper in the curricular
framework amounts to a small fraction in comparison to the wastage of paper by other
means. The argument gets fuelled by the traditional learning and evaluation practice
that give prime importance to pen and paper technique. But the very idea got
challenged by the Covid-19 pandemic that compelled the education system to switch
to online mode of learning completely. The pandemic was a blessing in disguise as far
as the environmental conservation is concerned. It also taught us that we are able to
adapt according to the change in times and to fashion our needs based on the available
resources. If we were able to pursue a paperless system in online education during the
prime of the pandemic, it is possible to chisel a paperless system in offline education
too. The challenge lies in addressing the possible loopholes and finding effective
solutions for the same.
Conservation of trees and afforestation is only one section of the broad spectrum
of challenges and solutions that constitute EE. The situations are dynamic and so must
be the innovative praxis to address the issue of Environmental conservation. Since the
childhood experiences shape an adult, it is essential to inculcate innovative praxis in
school level curriculum of EE. Along with imparting theoretical knowledge, students
must be given opportunities to test them. For example, students can be taught
biodegradable waste management by setting up a simple biogas plant in their school
premises. They should be instructed to dispose biodegradable waste, such as leftover
food after lunch, in the biogas plant. For Vermicompost, spicy food items should not
be contributed. Plastic and other wastes should be segregated in both cases. The
practical side of this theoretical knowledge could only be achieved through real life
praxis. The manure thus obtained could be used by students to nurture the plants they
planted.
Students can be encouraged to seek measures to minimise the usage of paper.
Writing on both sides of the paper, using recycled paper and avail oneself of online
resources are some alternatives that would conserve trees. Alternative fiber papers
like those made of bamboo, cotton and even stone are other options and they are
effective in conservation because "...trees can take decades to grow, most tree-free
fibers grow seasonally" (The Green Room).
Students should be given the opportunity to investigate the soil erosion rates in
barren lands and in fertile lands so that they understand the importance of trees and
soil in meeting our daily demands of food. Close observation of nature is essential to

develop survival tactics in case of an emergency like a natural calamity. Say, in the
case of Kerala, the recurrent flood during monsoon is an emergency situation. Nature
can provide safe points in such a situation, if one is keen enough to notice them.
If we are able to teach a child to find a friend in a tree, then she will learn to
protect it. Emotional attachment with nature is a quality essential for setting up the
foundation for EE and also for the development of a good human being. This alone
could prevent the senseless sham of planting numerous saplings all at a go for the
sake of the Environmental Day celebrations on June 5th, and digging up the same spot
for making pits for the sapling-planting-ritual for the next Environmental Day. The
student should be taught not only to plant saplings, but to nurture them life-long.
Wrapping this practical wisdom in a tinge of philosophy, “The planting of a tree,
especially one of the long-living hardwood trees, is a gift which you can make to
posterity at almost no cost and with almost no trouble, and if the tree takes root it will
far outlive the visible effect of any of your other actions, good or evil” (Orwell).
Applied environmental conservation will inculcate a Green Culture in young
minds. There is a need to update and include relevant measures of environmental
conservation in the EE curriculum, in relation to the dynamic changes that our
environment is facing today. Students should get an opportunity to experience real life
challenges in practising environmental conservation so that they get trained to
develop innovative solutions for the unknown future. EE should lead to the
development of a mindset that understands nature as a fellow being.
WORKS CITED
Gibran, Kahlil. "Sand and Foam". Juan Cole Home Page, www-
personal.umich.edu. Accessed 13 Dec 2022.
Gopal, G.V. and V.V. Anand. "Environmental Education in school Curriculum an
overall perspective". Energy and Wetlands Research
Group, www.wgbis.ces.iisc.ernet.in. Accessed 13 Dec 2022.
Orwell, George. "A Good Word for the Vicar of Bray". Tribune, 26 Apr. 1946.
"Trees are poems that the earth writes upon the sky".
Quintessentialruminations, www.quintessentialruminations.wordpress.com.
Ramakrishnan, Malayatoor. Roots, Translated by V. Abdulla, Orient Blackswan,
2020, p. 5.
rkmp.drr. "Stage 7 - Milk grain stage of rice plant". Rice Knowledge Management
Portal, 24 June 2011, www.riceportal.in.
"The Green Room: Alternative Fibers". Stationery Trends, Fall 2009. Letterpress
Paper, www.letterpresspaper.com.
Abbreviations
EE – Environmental Education
NCF – National Curriculum Framework

Development Practice at the Crossroads-An Overview

Soorya Anand
Assistant Professor, Department of Economics,
St. Cyril’s College, Adoor
*
Email: soorya.anand40@gmail.com
Abstract: The concept of ‘development’ has undergone spectacular changes over the
years. The formation of the United Nations and the emergence of the World Bank and
International Monetary Fund provide a boost to the strides of development. The
charity approach and basic needs approach are the foremost approaches that have
made significant changes in the economy. These approaches continued to insist on the
inevitability of economic growth but restrained greater prominence upon diverting
development towards meeting the needs of the poor. The emerging approaches to
development were also substantiated by the growing concern for environmental
security. Specific world events stimulated the concern for the environment and the
initiative to preserve the human environment. Consequently, the notion of
environmental sustainability gained priority in development thinking and practice all
over the world. The realm of development receives an extended description with the
acceptance of the human development approach which was generated in the late
1990s. The human development approach is the most accepted approach to
development since this approach focuses on human well-being and the enhancement
of diverse opportunities for them. This approach identifies the crucial elements of
development which are sustainable in nature. Indian economy also witnessed a
remarkable change in the notion of measuring economic development and growth.
Thus, it is realized that the development paradigms have outspread from economic
growth to human-centric development. Human centric-development mandates the
overall development as well as the involvement of underprivileged sections in societal
activities. Against this backdrop, this paper analyses the changing notion of
development, its determinants and initiatives taken by the government on this ground.
Secondary data sources are used for the study.
Keywords:development,economic growth, sustainability, human-centric development,
well-being
INTODUCTION
The approach to development signaled a new trajectory when the non-growth
dimensions were identified and placed at the centre stage of development discourse
and practice. It is identified that the prevalence of poverty, unemployment, and
inequality would curb the economy from enjoying the fruits of development. During
the fifties and sixties, the growth of output was reasonable but not rapid enough to
transform the developing economies. Hence, this output growth was not marked by a
proportionate betterment of the very poor in penury (Desai, 1995). This prompted the
world community to cast their attention to the amelioration of the depriving forces of
poverty and unemployment. The 1970’s marked by a novel line of thought in the
guise of development.
The sphere of social development was propagated with the basic needs approach
over the charity approach. Even though the importance of growth sustains in the
sphere of economic growth, the emphasis on re-distribution with growth accrues

priority in policy formulations. The needs approach weakens the act of deciding
arbitrarily the needs of the poor, rather it appreciates the participation of the poor to
identify the needs and to decide the means to attain it. These approaches continued to
insist on the inevitability of economic growth but restrained greater prominence upon
diverting development towards meeting the needs of the poor (Hopper, 2012). The
emerging approaches to development were also substantiated by the growing concern
for environmental security. Specific world events stimulated the concern for the
environment and the initiative to preserve the human environment. Accordingly, the
notion of environmental sustainability gained priority in development thinking and
practice all over the world.
The onset of the ideology of neo-liberalism becomes a distinct feature of the

development history of the 1980s. The policy model which stresses free market
competition resembles the policy of laissez-faire. Though the emergence of neo-
liberalism strengthens the idea of minimal State intervention, the new strategy firmly
adheres to sustained economic growth as a means to achieve human progress. As a
fallout of varied events all over the world, the Structural Adjustment Programmes
(SAPs) of the World Bank were replaced by Poverty Reduction Strategies (PRSs).
The decade also witnessed the rise of the concept of sustainable development.
Development-Different Approaches
The realm of development receives an expanded description with the acceptance

of the human development approach, which was generated in the late 1990s. The new
millennium advocates an incorporation of different approaches to development
ranging from needs and participatory approaches, sustainable development, and a
blend of human approaches to development. The multi-dimensional nature of
development shows the true guise of development which involves material and non-
material artefacts. Sen (1999) elaborates on the notion of a human-centered approach
to development. The approach focuses entirely on human lives and well-being.
Economic development could be accomplished if people enjoy absolute freedom and
the capability to ameliorate their poverty. In the words of Sen, ‘the lack of substantive
freedoms relates directly to economic poverty which robs people of the freedom to
satisfy hunger, or to achieve sufficient nutrition or to obtain remedies for treatable
illness or the opportunity to be adequately clothed or sheltered, or to enjoy clean
water or sanitary facilities” (Sen, 1999). In this sense, the implications of the human
development approach include both effective participation and achievements in
income, structure, and capabilities (Panda, 2015). Effective participation warrants the
need for the inclusion of underprivileged sections in finding out the specific needs of
their family as well as the needs of the society where they are living. Thus, by
assessing their needs, they could identify the means to achieve them. Participation in
the decision-making process is also vital for the effective participation of these groups
in the mainstream economy. It is established that more participation, increase in
income and capabilities of the people can be ensured only through the exertion and
protection of their basic rights (Padhi & Sahu, 2012). Freedoms and capabilities could
only be negated with a violation of human rights.
Thus, it is seen that the development paradigms have unfolded from economic
growth to human-centric development. Human centric-development mandates the
overall development as well as the involvement of underprivileged sections in the
societal activities. This signifies the importance of rights in development. Hence,

along with the concept of sustainable development, the notion of Rights Based
Approach to development also captured the attention of development thinkers all over
the world.
Rights-Based Approach to Development
Human Development Report (HDR, 2000) probes human rights as an important

aspect of development and development as a means to accomplishing human rights.
Denial of basic rights curtails the freedom people enjoy and in turn, it prevents human
development. The realisation of basic rights simultaneously entails capabilities
inherent within the people which enable them the freedom to boost human
development. Human rights bestow human development by assuring a better space
where the evil effects of any policies and actions become ineffective. The human
approach rooted in the rights framework also expanded the scope of political
authorities to facilitate and foster development.
The Right to Development has its genesis in 1977 when the United Nations
Commission on Human Rights recognised it as a right. The right was enshrined in
1986 in the Declaration on the Right to Development. The right to development
necessitates more than development itself, it demands a human rights approach to
development, a novel and distinct approach in the sphere of development (Aguirre,
2008). The Rights Based Approach portrays a wide range of human rights and
positions the fulfilment of these rights as the pivotal condition for acquiring
development. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR, 1948) also
accepts human rights as the foundation of freedom, justice and peace. The rights-
based approach minimised the relevance of charity and needs-based approaches to
development.
The Human Rights Based Approach to development recognises that the

infringement of human rights is the prime reason for the prevalence of poverty and
other social and economic inequalities. The approach suggests that to reduce and
eliminate poverty, the underlying distribution of rights and responsibilities must be
addressed (Vizard, 2006). Human rights violations have serious repercussions on
creating inequalities, social exclusion and marginalisation of certain groups and
individuals. As pointed out by Daniel Aguirre, the Human Rights Based Approaches
to development exposes the social, economic, political and other reasons of
deprivation to patterns of discrimination in law institutions and policy (Aguirre, 2008).
Consequently, the human approach urges the Government to take proactive measures
to remove discrimination, reduce the hurdles and distribute the resources to the
disadvantaged sections of society in such a way that stimulates the quality of both
access and opportunity to use it equitably. The approach propagates that the people
are not passive actors but active participants in the process which enables them to act
to maintain access to food and other basic human needs (Appadurai, 1984).
Prof. Sen opines that development requires the removal of major sources of
unfreedom; poverty as well as tyranny, poor economic opportunities as well as
systematic social deprivation, neglect of public facilities as well as intolerance or
overactivity of repressive States (Bhukta, 2001). Hence, to have developed with a
human touch, the entire development process requires meaningful participation and
empowerment of common people. The rights-based approach to development thus
heralds a new trajectory that dovetails the intention of emancipating the poverty

which impedes the poor from their access to goods and services and equips them as a
contributor to their development. The approach has enormous scope, especially in
developing countries where poverty and employment are rampant.
Human Development- Global Scenario
Strategies to tackle unemployment and poverty always give priority to improving

the well-being of the people. Denial of work opportunities prevents people to earn a
better living. This in turn will bring them into poverty. Remunerative work
opportunities can stimulate the betterment of the living standards of the people and
can hence promote development. Therefore, any development policies should thrive
to focus on poverty reduction and the creation of remunerative employment
opportunities. Governments all over the world try to overcome this vicious circle by
creating ample employment opportunities at the doorstep of the poor and the needy.
The employment programmes implemented in different countries carry different
perspectives, the central theme being the well-being of the people by providing them
with diverse employment opportunities.
Argentina
The Argentinean Government introduced a massive employment programme in

2001, as the employer of last resort to recover from the crisis that has been gripping
the economy. This limited programme is called Plan Jefes de Jefas de Hogar
Desocupados (Programme for the Unemployed Male and Female Heads of
Households). The programme was meant for unemployed households who have
children at home, a person with handicaps, or a pregnant woman. This was framed
with a federal financing structure and a locally administering structure. To utilise the
programme to its fullest, the Government has reduced the funding for other
employment and relief schemes. Providing various services through the works and the
presence of almost 60percentage women in the programme made Argentina’s
employment programme a success. Like any other programmes some anomalies were
also noted in the implementation of the programme.
Bangladesh
Food-For Work (FFW) programme is the employment generation programme in

Bangladesh operating since 1975. The experience of famine in the country in 1974
paved the way for the implementation of the programme. This policy instrument of
the Government of Bangladesh intended to create employment and enhance the
income of rural labour by providing work during the agricultural slack period. Public
works such as roads, embankments, canals, etc. are promoted under the programme.
The programme aims to enhance the performance of the agricultural sector, reduce
physical damage and loss of human life due to natural disasters, and generate
productive seasonal employment for the rural poor (Ahmed et.al, 1995). The
employment generation programme in Bangladesh enacted as a food-assisted
intervention by the Government proved successful in the history of employment
programs in the world. Several criticisms were also raised in providing the workers'
payment in kind rather than cash.

Indonesia
A set of Social Safety Net Programmes was introduced in Indonesia after the
financial meltdown in the 1990s. As part of this, an employment creation programme
was also initiated known as the ‘Padat Karya’ (which means as an adjective, ‘labour
intensive’) programme (Sumarto et.al, 2004). The programme was a culmination of
several labour-intensive job schemes that prevailed in the country in the name ‘Padat
Karya’. These schemes were joined together to form the new employment creation
programme under the same name Padat Karya and thus it was re-launched in the year
1998. The main aim was to tackle unemployment mainly in the formal sector. The
programme has proved as an effective social net programme for the unemployed and
the under-employed labour force in the country.
South Africa
The Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) was launched by the South
African Government in 2004 to fight poverty and to create employment opportunities
by promoting skill development. EPWP is an employment generation scheme aimed
to provide work opportunities and training to unskilled and unemployed individuals in
the country. Despite the seasonal variations in work opportunities in the country, the
problem of unemployment and poverty has been gripping the country throughout the
year. The EPWP was implemented in response to this twin crisis, to protect the most
vulnerable sections of the society. EPWP is being used by Government and State-
owned enterprises to generate employment opportunities which are labour intensive
by providing public infrastructure such as schools and roads. The programme has
provided various community services such as home-based care, community security
and the cultivation of community gardens (ILO, 2010).
Botswana
Botswana is one of the better-performing countries in Southern Africa, which

altered itself from the status of a Low Income Country to a Middle Income Country.
The country has experienced many labour-intensive public works programmes. These
programmes were implemented as part of the nationwide planning measures to
overcome the downturns in the economy. Labour-intensive public programmes are
created to enhance income from the generated employment. The income generated
from the creation, utilisation and maintenance of public goods is used to assure food
security for the targeted group of people (Teklu, 1995). Employment generation
measures taken by the country is directly linked to assure food security to its citizens.
Apart from the labour-intensive public work programmes, the country has also
practised some other relief programmes such as food distribution, direct income
transfer for the destitute, farm support schemes, etc. to safeguard the economy from
the out-turn of a growing population.
Liberia
In response to the 2007-08 food crises, the World Bank in partnership with the
Liberian Agency for Community Empowerment (LACE), implemented the Cash for
Work Temporary Employment Project (CfWTEP). Like all other employment
programmes, the main motive of CfWTEP is also to help the poor manage the crisis.
Poverty alleviation is the prime objective these programmes also look forward to

enhancing basic infrastructural facilities and providing sustained beneficial impacts.

Unskilled and low risky work which are labour intensive is promoted under the
programme.
In many developing countries, the employment growth was inadequate to absorb

the labour force. To absorb this unemployed labour and confront various crises,
countries take special efforts and programme to create employment. Each programme
is designed and implemented based on a particular condition existing in each country.
These programmes have been initiated in three forms- Food for Work Programmes,
Cash for Work Programmes and Public Works Programmes. The Food for Work
Programme has been adopted by countries to overcome any emergency that afflicted
the economy. The self-targeting nature of the Food for Work Programmes has
enhanced the reliability of some countries exclusively on this to generate employment
in the country. The participation of women in this workfare is comparatively larger
when compared to other programmes. There is no gender-based difference in food
compensation. Nevertheless, these programmes have been questioned on the ground
that this is a measure of charity rather than an extension of human rights (Devereux
and Solomon, 2006).
Public Works Programmes are being used by many developing countries as an

important tool for employment generation. These programmes have developed as a
policy instrument to alleviate unemployment, underemployment and poverty in
situations of chronic as well as temporary distress in the economy. Well-designed
public works can also help to create useful physical infrastructure and to conserve
natural resources. Pro-poor growth is well promoted under public works, hence these
have the potential to address not only poverty and unemployment but also to ensure
the provision of public assets and productive infrastructure. Similar to Cash for Work
programmes, Public Works Programmes also transfer cash to their beneficiaries.
All these programmes are meant to create employment and reduce poverty by
assisting the poor through varied means. The work requirement criterion, the mode
and level of the payment system, etc. focus exclusively on the vulnerable sections of
the society. The wage rate in most programmes is low to self-target the poor.
Criticisms were often made by social protectionists against fixing the wage rate below
subsistence or the market wage. The participation rate of women is high in most of
these programmes. Most of the employment creation programmes have been started to
reduce poverty by transferring income to the poor. Studies on various programmes
indicate that the income of the participants has increased to a considerable extent, a
significant positive contribution to stabilise the lives of the poor and the vulnerable.
Apart from creating employment, the employment creation programmes also aim to
create durable assets of reasonable quality.
Right-Based Approach to Development- The case of MGNREGA
India witnessed historic legislation in 2005 when the National Rural Employment
Guarantee Act (NREGA) was passed in Parliament. With much euphoria, on February
2006, the Act came into operation in 200 most backward Districts in India. This is the
largest public employment programme ever visualised in human history (Ambasta,
Shanker, & Shah, 2008). Later in 2009, the Act was renamed and now be called as
Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).
MGNREGA has been hailed as a fine tune illustration of Right Based Approach to

employment since it guarantees employment to every rural household that is willing

to do unskilled manual work for 100 days in a financial year. The Act proves to be a
robust shift from a policy of welfare activity of the Government to a policy that
recognises basic development needs as rights of the citizens (UNDP, 2010). The
rights-based design of the Act necessitates a paradigm shift in India’s long history of
self-employment and wage employment schemes.
Article 23 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR, 1948) and the
Directive Principles of State Policy (DPSP) Article 39, Part IV of the Indian
Constitution stresses the importance of a rights-based approach to employment. The
rights-based approach to employment and development induces the inbuilt scope of
realising the right to work a reality. The rights-based approach in India assures people
the entitlements to basic needs, empowers them to obtain these rights, and provides a
judicial remedy to citizens if State fails in action. The crux of the approach is that
these rights are enshrined legally through Acts of Parliament. The rights-based, law-
bestowing rights and entitlements of the wage seekers under the Mahatma Gandhi
National Rural Employment Scheme (MGNREGS) itself serve as the main
instruments for articulating the Right Based Approach to employment.
The persistence of poverty and unemployment and the failure of erstwhile poverty
reduction strategies compelled the Government to mold the ‘guarantee of employment’
a reality. MGNREGS has its roots in the Maharashtra Employment Guarantee Scheme
(MEGS)-the employment guarantee programme of the Government of Maharashtra. A
major part of the policy formulation of MGNREGS has been drawn from the MEGS.
However, MGNREGS has taken several new initiatives for the better
operationalisation of the rights-based approach to employment. The major
entitlements MGNREGS assumes special significance in terms of reaching out to the
poor, who have hitherto been bypassed by the process of economic growth (Shah &
Mehta, 2008). The recognition of the right to work and the entitlements provided
under the Act makes MGNREGS prima facie a people’s programme rooted in the
ideology of participatory and sustainable development.
Below table depicts the major limitations in works implementation of the earlier
wage employment programmes and the corrective measures adopted under
MGNREGS.

Table 3.1 Limitations and Corrective Mechanisms

Limitations in earlier Wage Corrective mechanisms adopted
Sl.No.
Employment Programmes under MGNREGS
Priority to the road and other More importance to the development of
1.
physical structures land and water resources
Priority to multi-layer planning at
Lack of planning for creating Village, Block and District level, use of
2. productive assets by using land Information Technology in planning and
and water resources specially trained persons for technical
support
Presence of Contractors, use of A complete ban on contractors,
3. machinery and less priority for involvement of NGOs and other Civil
direct labour employment Society Organisations
Provision for proper maintenance of the
Absence of measures for future
4. created assets by forming local
maintenance of assets
institutions like SHGs, user groups etc.
Lack of convergence with
Emphasis on convergence with other
5. ongoing developmental
programmes to derive more outcome
programmes
Source: Shah and Jose, (2009)
The MGNREGA as well as the national guidelines have included all these
corrective measures through various provisions intended to make sure the necessary
inputs are required for strengthening rural livelihood. As noted by Ambasta et.al
(2008), these provisions in the Act and the guidelines are unique in the sense they
give due emphasis on the planning of works and mechanisms of social audit. The
most distinguishing feature of MGNREGA is the central importance given to the
quality of work. Therefore, in addition to the aforementioned perspectives of a wage-
earning scheme and a livelihood-generating programme, MGNREGS could also be
seen as a development initiative that can give an impetus to the growth process in the
most backward regions of rural India. Hence, the pre-requisites for effective
implementation of works under MGNREGS emanate from the newly framed
corrective measures such as; sound planning for MGNREGS works which can meet
the long-term needs of the regional economy, systematic and scientific planning of
works, ensuring the construction of good quality assets, ensuring productive use of the
created assets, proper maintenance of the assets and dovetailing of MGNREGS works
with the ongoing developmental process and programmes in the respective region.
CONCLUSION
Economic growth should be attained simultaneously with employment growth and
poverty reduction. On the other hand, the problem of unemployment should be treated
with selective tools independently in different plan periods. The design and structure
of employment programmes should not be altered by changing political structure and
power. The distinctive features of the Indian economy such as the dominance of the
unorganised sector, prevalence of unemployment and underemployment, ineffective
institutional agencies, seasonal variations in production, and dependence on both farm
and non-farm activities, etc. should be considered while formulating and
implementing employment policies. Sustainable employment in the rural economy

could only be accomplished through synchronisation of different activities viz.

promotion of labour-intensive productive works planned and implemented as per the
needs of the local people, by ensuring the active participation of the public as well as
the PRIs and by adopting proper accounting and transparency mechanisms. Such an
integrated step to ameliorate unemployment and to create productive assets in the
rural economy was taken by the Government of India during the Tenth Plan Period by
passing the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act in 2005.
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Maya Krishna Rao’s Walk and Indian Monologues:

Perusing the Non- dramatic
Turn in Indian Theatre
Jasmin Baby
Research Scholar,
English Department
Nirmala College Muvattupuzha
Email: jsmn4jesus@gmail.com
Abstract: The postdramatic tendencies are much seen in the Indian theatre scenario
nowadays. This study thus probes into this new dimension in the contemporary Indian
theatre. Moreover, my paper attempts to look into a monology performed by a
renowned theatre performer Maya Krishna Rao. A key component of the postdramatic
panorama is thought to be solos and monologies (not dramatic monologues). The new
experiment she has tried in her non- dramatic works is a much untraveled path to
explore. Her works show no direct influence of either postdramatic or dramatic traits,
but a blend of both dramatic structures. The body, sound and image improvise her
performance and define the theatrical situation.
Rao’s 2012 solo performance, The Walk, was a response to the heinous gang
rape of Jyoti in Delhi in December. The body plays a crucial role in this solo theatre.
Rao carefully handles the conflict between the phenomenal body and the semiotic
body to raise a protest against the culture of violence and atrocities towards women in
India. The wider possibilities of phenomenal body, action and sound is being used in
an unconventional way to give voice to the suppressed life of Jyothi. This work is thus
a scrutiny into the possibilities of blending postdramatic features and Rao's Indian
classical dance lessons to bring out a remarkable piece in Indian solo theatre.
Keywords: Monology, Rao, body, theatre, postdramatic, violence
INTRODUCTION
This paper probes into a new dimension in the contemporary Indian theatre. This
looks into a monology performed by a renowned theatre performer Maya Krishna Rao.
The new experiment she has tried in her non- dramatic works is a much untraveled
path to explore. Her works show no direct influence of either postdramatic or
dramatic traits, but a blend of both dramatic structures. The body, sound and image
improvise her performance and define the theatrical situation.
A key component of the postdramatic panorama is thought to be solos and
monologies (not dramatic monologues). Monologies and Solo theatres do not
however develop fictitious worlds or present stories on stage. The dramatic theatre,
which is primarily illusionist, deviates from the act of telling since it immerses the
audience in the world of the story itself. The monologies are liberated from the
ordained rules of dramatic theatre. The actor is given with a freedom of expression
and presentation. Here nothing is asked to be ‘re-presented’ and the only task is to
present the essence. “Monologues help the theatre to exist as an ‘external
communication system…almost without the construction of a ‘fictional internal
communication system’ (Lehmann 125- 8). Since these monologies and Theatre
Solo’s evolved in India, they create a theatrical scenario with a focus on performance
actuality and the ‘presentness’ (Sengupta 92) of happening and are categorised under
Postdramatic Theatre. Moreover these works undermines the dramatic unity and

internal logic. It is composed of fragmentary narratives and an eclectic style that

incorporates elements from both music and the visual arts.
The works of theatre artists like Sudarshan Chakravorty, Kartikey Tripathi,
Kalyanee Mulay, Maya Krishna Rao, Jyoti Dogra, etc. represents the new Indian Solo
Performances which suits into the Postdramatic definitions. Their experimental
approach contributes many unique works into the Indian drama. Their works are
worthy enough to create a separate space in Indian Theatre history.
The works of Maya Krishna Rao has received much attention and appreciation far
and wide. Her works are much distant from the traditional dramatic structure. She
doesn’t develop her works merely upon any narratives or text- based pieces. Each
work presents an idea or ‘essence’ of content. Rao’s Solo’s are made out of any
subject that strikes her attention. “The theatre-making process for me is about letting
myself into a series of experiences. The trigger could be a short story, an event or a
single prop (Rao 55). But she calls it as her own ‘Theatre’, as it is much defined in
terms of body, sound and image than any textual source.
Her 2012 solo performance, The Walk, was a response to the heinous gang rape
of Jyoti in Delhi in December. The widespread culture of violence against women in
India was denounced in response to this incident. Rao's protest demands that women
should have the freedom to stroll around Indian cities at any time of day or night
without worrying about their safety. She does not merely speak for women walking
on streets but also for victims of domestic violence. She calls for legal action and a
law to safeguard the lives and honour of women. This show was presented in a variety
of settings, including streets, campuses, and schools.
Rao presents a new mode of storytelling incorporating her Kathakali lessons into
her theatre. Thus she utilizes the real scope of integrating the” Kinaesthetic and
rhythemic elements of the ancient theatre” (Sengupta 132). Throughout her
performance she is not trying to present any fictional character or protagonist but
creates a doppleganger who “constantly negotiates” (Sengupta 98) with the intended
character. Rao speaks what Jyoti left behind with her demise. Rao creates Jyothi’s
thoughts and emotions with fragmented but powerful words. Her voice is also strong,
rhythemic and poetic, seems to be emanating from somewhere deep within the body.
She catered Jyoti’s unattended sorrows, unheard miseries and dismissed complaints to
charge against the society and legal system.
“walk…walk..walk walk… should I …can I … not seven, not eight, not nine,
not ten but after 12 midnight …I try not to be afraid of dark.” (Rao’s Walk)
“I want to walk; I want to sit on the bus… I want to lie in the park…
And I want to try not to be afraid of the dark.” (Rao’s Walk)
“if a man doesn’t know how to sit..look..talk with a woman, a man, a girl, a
boy, a partner…don’t walk with him…don’t lie with him…don’t vote for him,
don’t talk for him…(Rao’ Walk)
Rao’s Walk is her open statement showing her support towards the victims of
rape and abuse. As Dipanita Nath comments, this performance “shows how the
protest theatre can be formally turned into a Solo performance that has no story line
[into] a monologue which is indirectly confrontational or deeply refelective.” (Nath
online). Here there is no false notion that a dramatic performance will specifically
affect daily life. According to a proverb that is frequently credited to Brecht, "Art is
not a mirror held up to reality, but a hammer to mould it." (Leonardo and Mclaren).
This argues that rather than attempting to merely portray and re-present reality in a
way that can be independently verified, art can and should affect upon and modify
reality. Here Rao’s theatre is able to leave a trace or mark upon the surroundings

where it is performed. The questions raised by Rao keep on reverberating in every

spectator's mind. This spark taken by each of them is the success of this theatre.
The body plays a crucial role in this method of creating theatre. The individual
body or the phenomenal body comes in discourse with the social or Feminine body.
Here the body is “ethical and pedagogical element of performance” (Stiles 35-43).
The rehersal itself was a constant dialogue happens between the phenomenal and
semiotic body. This does not completely ignore mental condition but instead
approaches it through designed movement. The movements were choreographed and
improvised after each of her performance. So no act is the repetition of another, but
the ‘essence’ remains to be the same.
With her body, language and voice, Rao cultivates an atmosphere that makes the
audience more sensitive. Like an Australian performance artist Stelarc, Rao uses her
Phenomenal body as the “site of performance” (Jane Collins and Andrew Nisbet 231).
The ‘phenomenal body’ and the ‘semiotic body’, according to philosopher Helmuth
Plessner, are combined to form the actor's body. The Phenomenal body is the actor’s
“bodily being in the world” and the Semiotic body is “the use of that body as the sign
to portray the character” (Lichte 26). According to the interaction between these two
bodies, the meaning of acting has changed over time. The conflict that developed
between phenomenal body and semiotic body was how the audience perceived the
actors' performance. Many arguments were raised supporting and opposing its effects
upon the audience. Many acting theories formulated underpinning the possibilities of
these two entities:
The acting theories of the eighteenth century attempted to eradicate the
possible dangers stemming from the tension between the phenomenal body of
the actor and actor’s portrayal of a role. They privileged the semiotic portrayal
of a role over the phenomenal body by emphasizing the dominance of the
literary text over the art of acting. Actors were no longer supposed to
foreground physical playfulness, improvisational talents or virtuosity. Instead
they were to use their skills to communicate poetic meaning provided by a
text…actors were supposed to extinguish their phenomenal body in order to
transform themselves as completely as possible into a “text” made up of signs
that described the actions and emotions of a character. (Lichte 26)
This fear of phenomenal body overpowering the literary text is being
challenged by Maya Krishna Rao in her Solo theatre. In her act called Walk, Rao has
used her body (Phenomenal body) as the only tool throughout her performance. Rao
exploited 'the doubleness’, as Plessner proposes, that exists within her body. Despite
being female, she portrays the female psychology of Jyothi in front of the audience. It
thus becomes easily relatable for the spectator to read a feminine psyche inside a
female performer. Patrice pavis comments upon the idea of ‘doubleness’ inside a
performer’s body:
The term performer, as opposed to actor, is being used increasingly here so as
to insist on the action accomplished by the actor, rather than the mimetic
representation of a role. For it is the performer who is physically and
psychically present in front of spectators. (58)
She thus presents herself in casual attires like shirt and jeans or kurta or even
saree to suit her feminine physique. She overcomes the trouble put forward by
Auslander as, “the performing body is always both a vehicle for representation and
simply itself” (90). Here she could meaningfully exploit this limitation as a tool for
her performance. She stood as the representative of all woman folk and as herself. Her
phenomenal body as well as the semiotic body represents the same entity. Thus there

doesn’t arise any conflict ‘between two bodies’ but occurs ‘with/ on/ to the body’.
Here her clothes she chose for stage doesn’t contains herself in a semiotic system but
worn as if in life.
Another fact is that, here the actor has is herself and nothing else supports her
other than a musical note playing behind. The performer herself integrates into that
space and she is focused by a spot light on that dark background. No other extra
properties or materials are used for the performance. Her act develops with
fragmented words and incomplete speeches delivered by her. Here Rao’s act follows
the same concept once proposed by a Professor in Performance studies, at University
of Exeter, Philip B Zarilli:
Here the performing body comes into being through interaction with all the
other elements of scenographic practice- costume, light, sound, space and
audience. The way the body is read and understood is dependent upon “the
play of signification between the signs produced by the actors and the
interpretation of those signs made by the spectators. (Zarrilli 17).
Rao’s theatre is the expanded Indian version of postdramatic theatre. Rao
maintained her distance from the actor while continuing to get in the way of the
actor's character-playing. As a result, the performance is purposefully devoid of
feeling and psychological nuance. Although the performer just displays the emotion
physically, she does not become sentimental herself. In other words, when Rao
performs the part of the character, it shows that the actor does not truly belong to the
part. This is very different from the Western acting style that calls for the actor to
emotionally connect with the character in order to portray them accurately. While the
actor in our situation repeatedly engages in critical and detached negotiation with the
role, she resembles more of a performer. But remember she is not directly enacting
the character but showing a self-reflexive kind of performance in which the spectator
is unable to separate one from another.
In conclusion this monology by Maya Krishna Rao is a powerful act using
body and sound as the vital medium of presentation. The wider possibilities of
phenomenal body, action and sound is being used in an unconventional way to give
voice to the suppressed life of Jyothi. The blend of postdramatic features and her
Indian classical dance lessons bring out a remarkable piece in Indian solo theatre.
With its emphasis on performance realism and presentness, this theatre also defies the
structural rules of the dramatic theatre by generating a theatrical scenario. As a result,
the action on purpose lacks psychological path and emotion. In other words, when
Rao performs the part of the character, the performer within her shows that the actor
does not truly belong to the part. It is more or less a reflexive act in which the action
transcends the character.
WORKS CITED
Auslander, Philips. From Acting to Performance: Essays in Modernism and
Postmodernism.
Bial, H. (ed.). The Performance Studies Reader. Routledge, 2004.
by Minou Arjomand and Ramona Mosse, Translated by Minou Arjomand.
Routledge. 2014.
Collins, Jane and Andrew Nisbet (eds.). Theatre and Performance Design: A Reader
in Scenography. Routledge, 2010.
Interview by Ashsis Sengupta. Marg 70, no.3; 46-63. 2019.
Kelleher and Heike Roms (eds.). Methuen, 2019.

Lehmann, Hans- Theis. Postdramatic Theatüre. Translated by Karen jürs- Munby.

Routledge,.
Lichte, Erika Fischer. The Routledge Introduction to Theatre and Performance
Studies. Edited
Nath, Dipanita. “Rage, in Her Name: Maya Krishna Rao, the Face of Protest Theatre
Also Wants to Make Audience Laugh.” The Indian Express, Google, 23 July
2017, www.google.com/amp/s/indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/art-and-
culture/actor-maya-krishna-rao-the-face-of-protest-theatre-also-wants-to-make-
audience-laugh-4762861/lite/.
Pavis, Patrice. Analyzing Performance: Theatre, Dance and Film. Translated by D.
Williams.
Rao, Maya Krishna. “India’s Postdramatic Conversations with Theatre- Makers and A
Critique.”Routledge, 1997.
---. Walk. July 2015. International Federation for Theatre Research, Hyderabad. 2002.
Sengupta, Ashis. Postdramatic Theatre and India: Theatre making since 1990s.
Methuen Drama,
Sruti, Bala. “What is the impact of Theatre and Performance”.Maaika Bleeker, Adrian
Kear, Joe
Stiles, Kristine. “Performance and its Objects”. Arts Magazine 65, 3 November. 1990.
35–47.University of Michigan Press, 2003.
Zarrilli, P. B.(ed.). Acting (Re) Considered: A Theoretical and Practical Guide. 2 nd
edition.

In Silico Study of Potential Activity of Tenofovir Derivatives Against

Hepatitis B
Keerthana Pradeep K V1,* ,Aby Jimson1, Annu Thomas2
1
Department of Chemistry, St Stephen’s College Uzhavoor.
2
Department of Chemistry, Bishop Chulaparambil,
Memorial College, Kottayam
*
Email: keerthanpkv@gmail.com.
Abstract: About 1.5 million people worldwide die each year because of HBV
infection.These include people with primary cancer of the liver.It is mainly of two
types acute and chronic. Acute are self-limited and curable, but much progress to
chronic form that can be deadly. Currently, over 350 million people are chronically
infected with HBV.So there is an urgent need of developing drugs in order to
minimize the spread of the virus. Two first class medicines available for hepatitis B
infection are tenofovir and entecavir.The main protease (1QGT) is considered as the
one of the most characteristic drug targets of Hepatitis B. Here we are analyzing the
effective action of tenofovir and its derivatives against Hepatitis B. Tenofovir
disoproxil is absorbed and converted to its active form, tenofovir, a nucleoside
monophosphate (nucleotide) analog. Tenofovir is then converted to the tenofovir
diphosphate, a chain terminator. Tenofovir diphosphate inhibits the Hepatitis B
polymerase by direct binding with the natural deoxyribonucleotide substrate, causing
viral DNA chain termination. Docking is probably the best-known method used to
identify the fit between a receptor and a potential ligand. This analysis was performed
using Autodock 4.2.6. Based on the ligand binding energy, seven compounds were
selected as drug candidates of tenofovir derivatives and analyzed by autodock tools. It
then determines the most potential drugs against the hepatitis B viruses. Among the
seven derivatives ,3 compounds were selected as high potent against hepatitis B with
minimum violation.
Keywords: Tenofovir derivative (TN),Autodocktools(ADT), Main protease(1QGT),
Hepatitis B virus (HBV).
INTRODUCTION
Hepatitis B is the most common serious liver infection in the world. It is caused
by the hepatitis B virus that attacks and injures the liver. Each year up to 1 million
people die from hepatitis B. Two first class medicines available for hepatitis B virus
include, tenofovir and entecavir. Docking is frequently used to predict the binding
orientation of any small molecule or drug candidates to their protein targets in order to
predict the affinity and activity of the selected molecule with the target protein. Hence
docking plays an important role in the area of pharmaceutical industry. Modification
of these drugs and their potential activity against hepatitis B can be studied using
autodock tools.AutoDockTools (ADT) is part of MGL Tools, from the Molecular
Graphics Laboratory at The Scripps Research Institute, is built on the Python
Molecule Viewer (PMV) and has an evolving of tools designed to solve these kinds of

problems. Here it describes the use of Tenofovir as highly potent scaffold on Hepatitis
B main protease, by combining structure-assisted 8 drug design and virtual drug
screening. This programme focused on identifying drug that target main protease
(1QGT) of Hepatitis B.This report introduces ligand-protein docking simulations,
using the AutoDock programs. It will explain how to use the AutoDockTools (ADT),
which helps a user to set up the two molecules for docking, launches the calculations
in AutoGrid and AutoDock, and, when the dockings are completed, also lets the user
visualize the docked conformations of the ligand-protein complexes interactively in
three dimensions.

Prepration of Protein and Ligand
3D structure of hepatitis B(1QGT) is retrieved from the RCSB protein data bank.
IQGT is prepared for autodock by adding polar hydrogen and kollman charges.
Water molecules, inhibitors and other heteroatoms were removed from the protein and
used for docking. The protein was then saved in PDBQT format. The ligand
Tenofovir was retrieved in ‘SDF’ format from PubChem and is converted into ‘PDB’
format using OpenBabel for docking. Tenofovir is prepared for AutoDock by adding
Kollman charges.Torsion tree was defined and number of rotatable bonds were
identified.The protein was saved in the PDBQT format.
Running of Autogrid and Autodock
The Auto Gridparameter navigates the ligand to the binding site of the protease.
Grid spacing was set to 1.000 Angstrom for blind docking and 0.500 Angstrom for
specific docking. These parameters cover the entire 3-dimensional active site of the
protease. The output was saved in the grid parameter file (GPF) file format Grid was
executed by providing the AutoGrid executable and GPF files as input and converted
to the grid log file (GLG). The grid was then launched. After the successful execution
of AutoGrid, the genetic algorithm was set to default and is as follows:
1) the number of GA runs: 10
2) population size: 150
The Lamarckian genetic algorithm was used, and the output was saved in docking
parameter file (DPF) file format.
The docking parameter file (DPF) tells AutoDock which grid map files to use,
which ligand molecule to dock, what its center and number of torsions. The
AutoDock was executed by providing the AutoDock executable and DPF files as
input, converted to the docking log file (DLG) and docking was launched. The final
DLG file contained essential details, top ten free binding energies for every run,
RMSD value and inhibitory constant. The results were analyzed and saved in PDBQT
format; the lowest binding energy complex was saved in PDB format for further
analysis
Docking Techniques
Three main techniques are used in this study:
1) Protein-ligand interaction profiler (PLIP)

The active site of the protease was predicted using the Protein-ligand interaction
profiler (PLIP), an online server.
2) Swiss ADME Analysis
ADMET program resides entirely on a Web server and can be accessed by browsers.
Physicochemical properties, Medicinal chemistry Prediction,ADME
Prediction,Toxicity prediction, Lipophilicity prediction, solubility prediction,
Pharmacokinetics details can be predicted from swiss ADME analysis. Molecules can
be directly pasted or typed in SMILES format or inserted through the molecular
sketcher. The latter enables importing from databases, opening a local file or drawing
a 2D chemical structure to be transferred to the list by clicking on the double-arrow
button. When the list of molecules is ready to be submitted, the user can start the
calculations by clicking on the “Run” button.
Tenofovir and its Modification
Tenofovir is used to treat chronic (long term) HBV in adults and children.
Tenofovir is in a class of medications called nucleoside reverse transcriptase
inhibitors (NRTIs). Tenofovir comes as a tablet and as an oral powder to take by
mouth.Tenofovir is then converted into the active metabolite,tenofovir diphosphate.it
acts as a chain terminator. Tenofovir diphosphate inhibits the Hepatitis B polymerase
by direct binding with deoxyribonucleotide substrate to cause viral DNA termination.
Modification
1)[2R-1-(6-aminopurin-9-yl) propan-2-yl] oxy}methylphosphonic acid (TN1) (Basic structure).
2) {(2R)-1-(6-pyrimidine -9H-purin-9-yl) propan-2-yl] oxy} phosphonic acid (TN2).
3) {[(2R)-1-(6- methyl -9H-purin-9-yl) propan-2-yl] oxy} phosphonic acid (TN3).
4) {(2R)-1-(6-phenyl -9H-purin-9-yl) propan-2-yl] oxy} phosphonic acid (TN4).
5) {[(2R)-1-(6-pyridine -9H-purin-9-yl) propan-2-yl] oxy} phosphonic acid (TN5).
6) {[(2R)-1-(6-nitro -9H-purin-9-yl) propan-2-yl] oxy} phosphonic acid (TN6).
7) {(2R)-1-(6-acetyl -9H-purin-9-yl) propan-2-yl] oxy} phosphonic acid (TN7).
8) {[(2R)-1-(6-acetaldehyde -9H-purin-9-yl) propan-2-yl] oxy} phosphonic acid (TN8).

Modified Structures Using Chem Sketch

Tenofovir derivative (TN2) Tenofovir derivative (TN3)
Tenofovir derivative 4 (TN4) Tenofovir derivative 5 (TN5)
Tenofovir derivative 6 (TN6) Tenofovir derivative 7 (TN7)

Tenofovir derivative 8 (TN8) Tenofovir (BASIC STRUCTURE) (TN1)
Main Protease(1QGT)
Hepatitis B is a small, enveloped DNA virus that poses a major hazard to human
health. The crystal structure of the T = 4 capsid has been solved at 3.3 A resolution,
revealing a largely helical protein fold that is unusual for icosahedral viruses. The
monomer fold is stabilized by a hydrophobic core that is highly conserved among
human viral variants. Association of two amphipathic alpha-helical hairpins results in
formation of a dimer with a four-helix bundle as the major central feature. The capsid
is assembled from dimers via interactions involving a highly conserved region near
the C terminus of the truncated protein used for crystallization. The major
immunodominant region lies at the tips of the alpha-helical hairpins that form spikes
on the capsid surface
3D Structure of 1QGT

Docking analysis
Ligand Estimated Estimated Internal Hydrogen Hydrophobic Rmsd
inhibition free energy bonding interaction value
constant energy of
binding
(TN 1) 20.56 uM -6.93 10.29 2 0 136.07A
kcal/mol kcal/mol
(TN 2) 30.55 uM -6.30 6.88 4 5 136.664
kcal\mol kcal/mol A
(TN 3) 27.03 uM -6.78 6.44 4 2 143.33
kcal\mol kcal/mol A
(TN 4) 73.33 uM -6.71 6.62 4 5 145.10
kcal\mol kcal/mol A
(TN 5) 27.41 mM -1.90 -1.95 4 1 31.39 A
kcal\mol kcal/mol
(TN 6) 178.26 mM -1908.14 -1.02 3 1 130.79A
kcal \mol kcal/mol
(TN 7) 466.19 mM -0.45 -1.46 5 2 138.50
kcal\mol kcal/mol A
(TN 8) 11.47 mM 2.65 -2.13 6 2 144.80
kcal\mol kcal/mol A

Compounds with an inhibition constant less than 100 uM are potential inhibitors
whereas inhibition constant greater than 100 uM are non-potent inhibitors.From the
above table the estimated inhibition constant of TN-1, TN-2, TN-3, TN-4, are
20.56uM,30.55uM,27.03 uM,73.33 uM and is less than 100 uM.Therefore TN-1, TN-
2, TN-3, TN-4 are considered to be potential inhibitors against Hepatitis B
viruses.TN-5,TN-6,TN-7,TN-8 are considered to be non-potent inhibitors.
Molecular Interactions of Ligands with Main Protease OF LIGANDS WITH
MAIN PROTEASE.
Interaction of TN1 with 1QGT Interaction of TN2 with 1QGT
Interaction of TN3 with 1QGT Interaction of TN4with 1QGT

Swiss ADME Analysis
ligan Formula Molecula GI Lipinski vebe Bioavailabi pains Lead

d r weight absorpti rule r lity score likene
on ss
TN C11H17N4 300.25g/ low 0.violatio yes 0.56 No High

2 O4P mol n alert
TN C10H15N4 286.66g/ low 0.violatio yes 0.55 No. High
3 O4P mol n alert
4 O4P mol n alert
5 O4P mol n alert
TN6 C9H12N5O 317.20g/ low 1.violatio yes 0.56 No.ale High
6P mol n rt
TN7 C11H15N4 314.23g/ low 0.violatio yes 0.56 No.ale High
O5P mol n rt
TN8 C11H13N4 300.21g/ low No.violati yes 0.56 No.ale High
O5P mol on rt
ligand solubility Skin permeability BBB Permeant Egan Ghose Synthetic

accessibility
TN2 soluble -11.40cm/s low No No 4.34
TN3 soluble -11.99 cm/s low No No 4.32
TN4 soluble -11.19 cm/s low yes yes 4.25
TN5 soluble -13.93 cm/s low yes No 4.74

Liga Molar TPS Num. Num. Log Log Log Log Consen
nd Refrac A H- H- Po/w Po/w Po/w Po/w sus
tivity bond bond (iLO (XLO (WLO (SILIC Log
dono accept GP GP3) GP) OS-IT) Po/w
rs ors
TN2 79.51 132.2 3 7 0.81 -4.61 -1.16 -0.65 -1.24
4Ã
TN3 88.39 79.81 2 7 -4.72 -5.56 -3.84 -1.29 -3.93
Å²
TN4 108.07 79.81 2 7 -3.64 -3.90 -2.81 -0.15 -2.74
Å²
TN5 113.29 79.81 2 8 0 -7.73 -4.70 -1.18 -3.73
Å²
TN6 91.68 125.. 2 9 -5.51 -5.30 -4.10 -1.95 -4.65
63 Å²
TN7 93.39 96.88 2 8 -5.27 -5.68 -4.27 -1.85 -4.28
Å²
TN8 88.59 96.88 2 8 -5.00 -5.66 -4.66 -2.14 -4.39
Å²
CONCLUSION
The main aim of this project is to study the interaction of the tenofovir derivatives
with the main protease(1QGT).Among the 8 derivatives T2, T3, T4, showed high
potential activity towards the main protease of hepatitis B DNA capsid virus. The
docked compounds were further filtered by using swiss ADMET and these four
compounds showed minimum violations in the swiss admet analysis. Physicochemical
properties,water solubility, skin permeability, lipophilicity, medicinal chemistry,
bioavailability score and synthetic availability of each of these tenofovir derivatives
are analysed.From the swiss adme analysis. Derivatives such as T1, T2, T3, T4
showed minimum violation and showed zero pain alert.The bioavailability score of
tenofovir 2,3,4 derivatives are found to be at 0.56,0.55,0.58 it means all these drugs
are physiologically active.In this work it can be seen that Tenofovir derivatives such
as T2, T3,T4 have high potential activity against the hepatitis B virus and T5,T6,
T7,T8 showed least potential activity against the hepatitis B virus.So It can be
concluded that tenofovir derivatives still possesses the clinical potential for the
treatment of hepatitis B viruses.
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Studies on Water Quality Parameters of Kodoor River,

Kottayam,Kerala,South India
Radhika R1,* , Sojomon Mathew2
1
Department of Zoology , N. S. S Hindu College , Changanacherry , Kerala
2
Department of Zoology , Govt. College , Kottayam , Kerala
* Email: radhikadilip@yahoo.com
Abstract: The Kodoor River is one of the major rivers that flows through the
Kottayam district of Kerala,India.The water quality of the Kodoor River were
investigated.Five stations of the Kodoor River were chosen for the investigation. pH,
Turbidity,ORP ,Conductivity, Hardness, Calcium & Magnesium hardness, TDS,
Calcium, Magnesium, Iron, Sulphate, Chloride, Fluoride, Nitrite, Nitrate, and DO
were all measured. According to the findings, Kodimatha was the most contaminated
of the five places studied. Physicochemical values of the Ph ,
Turbidity ,conductivity ,TDS , DO , temperature ,salinity and ORP were deyermined
using Hanna portable meters ,While hardness , calcium, Magnesium, Iron, Sulphate,
Chloride, Fluoride, Nitrite, Nitrate were estimated by titrimetric methods .The study
found that diverse human activities have an impact on the water quality of the
Kodoor River. The current investigation demonstrated that the pH of the water
samples rose at several places, with sample 4 taken from Iriyilakadavu having the
lowest pH, indicating that the water sample 4 is acidic in nature. Due to the discharge
of industrial and household wastewater, Kodimatha has the highest conductivity,
hardness, alkalinity, chloride, fluoride, nitrite, nitrate, TDS, and coliform count.
Dissolved oxygen was also discovered to be extremely low in Kodimatha .
Keywords: Water quality, coliform count, Kodoor river
INTRODUCTION
Water is one of the most significant elements on the planet. Water is essential for
the survival of all plants and animals. There would be no life on Earth if there was no
water. Water is the only natural material that exists as a solid (ice), liquid, and gas
(water vapour). It spans over 70% of the planet and has a volume of approximately
332.5 million cubic miles. The fact that water makes up between 60 and 95 percent of
all living species speaks volumes about the compound's immense biological relevance.
However, because it is salty, 97 percent of the water on the planet is unfit to drink.
Only 3% of the world's water supply is freshwater, with the remaining 77% frozen.
Microorganisms that degrade organic matter cannot function without water, disrupting
the ecological transmission of matter and energy and shutting down the entire
ecosystem.
Except for seawater and brackish water, freshwater refers to any naturally
occurring water. A river is a natural water stream that flows towards an ocean, a lake,
the sea, or another river. Humans have been enjoying the ecosystem benefits supplied
by rivers for generations without knowing how the river ecosystem operates and
maintains its vitality ( Naiman, R. J. ,1992). River systems are home to the richest
biological variety on Earth, as well as the most intensive human activity. Freshwater
variety is under decline as a result of decades of human exploitation of rivers through

huge dams, water diversions, and pollution. Freshwater species are significantly more
threatened than terrestrial ones.Geometric population growth, combined with fast
urbanisation, industrialization, and agricultural expansion, has had a significant
influence on the quality and amount of water in India. As a result, the availability and
quality of freshwater resources are the most critical of India's numerous
environmental issues ( CPCB, 2011).
In recent years, there has been a rise in global concern about the quality as well as
the quantity of river water. River water quality issues in India have worsened in recent
decades, and the situation has now reached crisis proportions. According to river
ecology studies, the major Indian rivers are severely polluted, particularly near towns
(Srivasta, C.P.,1992).Water quality testing is a critical component of environmental
monitoring. When water quality is bad, it has an impact not just on aquatic life but
also on the surrounding ecology.
Water quality assessment has emerged as a crucial concern in recent years,
particularly as freshwater becomes a scarce resource in the future (Chang et. al ;2015)
Such river taming and exploitation of riverine resources has frequently resulted in
catastrophic deterioration, with serious consequences for human health and the
environment (Carpenter et. al ; 1998) . Water quality refers to the relationship
between all hydrological features, including physical, chemical, biological, and
microbiological indicators, which represent the biotic and abiotic condition of an
ecosystem ( Tahera et. al ; 2016) . To assess water pollutants, a variety of scientific
procedures and instruments have been created ( Dissmayer.,2000). The pH, turbidity,
conductivity, total hardness, alkalinity, acidity, dissolved solid, dissolved oxygen,
organic and inorganic components, and heavy metals are all tested.
Most aquatic creatures are extremely sensitive to environmental changes, and they
respond to pollution in a variety of ways. Death or relocation to another environment
are the most dramatic responses (Bassem ; 2019). Aquaculture has received a lot of
attention in recent decades as a source of food to support the country’s rising
population. Fish are the most visible component of inland aquatic wildlife and are an
excellent source of protein. Sustained exploitation and concurrent protection of
fishery resources, as well as fundamental scientific information on biodiversity, are
critical ( Sone et. al ; 2000) ( Shedge , 2008 ). Fish are an essential indicator of the
aquatic ecology and have an exceptional socioeconomic position. Water is critical to
the aquatic ecology. Water physicochemical factors are important in fish biology and
physiology ( Dhawan et. al ; 2002).Fish are extremely susceptible to changes in water
chemistry caused by various human activities in their catchments (Siligato et. al
2002) .Many species have become critically endangered, particularly in rivers where
freshwater is in great demand. The influence of anthropogenic activity, habitat
degradation, exotic species introduction, water diversions, pollution, and global
climate change, on the other hand, is the most significant. Most rivers in the central
part of Kerala, such as the Periyar and Muvattupuzha, have poor water quality, but
most rivers in the southern portion of Kerala have acceptable water quality. Some
rivers in Kerala’s northern region, such as the Kadalundi, have high water quality,
while others, such as the Chaliyar, have inferior water quality (Jyothi et. al 2021).
In this project a physicochemical and biological analyses is done to explore the

water quality of selected spots of Kodoor river in order to correlate the effect of
pollution on water and fish diversity of the river.

Kodoor River is a river between the Kottayam and Alappuzha district of Kerala state,
South India. Kodoor River has a long history with the old trading routes between the
coastal district Alapuzha and the eastern villages of Kottayam (Kumar, 2006)
Study area
Kodoor River is a river between the Kottayam and Alappuzha
district of Kerala state, South India. Kodoor River has a long history with the old
trading routes between the coastal district Alapuzha and the eastern villages
of Kottayam. There was a busy jetty at Puthuppally named Angadi, which means
market. The river is originated from the beautiful hills in
between Kottayam and Pathanamthitta districts and finally empty into the Meenachil
River.
The river has 38 kilometers long and flows through Puthupally , Parekadavu ,
Kalathikadavu , Iriyilakadavu , Kodimatha , Moolavatom , Nattakom and Pallam . To
carry out the present study of water quality of Kodoor river, total 5 sampling stations
(Table 1) were chosen within the river basin.
Figure 1: Location Map of study area ((Source: Elevation data of ASTER; Lithology
data of Geological Survey of India)

Table 1. Sampling stations

Station No. Station Name Location
Latitude Longitude
Station 1 Puthupally 9.55233607 76.56619382
Station 2 Parekkadavu 9.55171959 76.54929419
Station 3 Kalithikadavu 9.56128603 76.5288436
Station 4 Iriyilakadavu 9.58238989 76.52937866
Station 5 Kodimatha 9.57843345 76.51986267
Fig . 2 Location map of sampling stations
Station -1 Puthupally Station – 2 Parekkadavu
Station- 3 Kalathikadavu Station – 4 Iriyilakadavu

Satation – 5 Kodimatha
The Puthupally site of Kodoor river is a small town area and Rubber trees are
extensively cultivated in vast areas in the river basin. The Parekadavu and
Kalathykadavu site of Kodoor river are small town and many fish markets, slaughter
houses and hostels are situated on the bank of the river. A car service station is
located near the 4th station , Iriyilakadavu. The fith station is located near MC road ,
fish market and boat jetty is also located near to this station .
Sample Collection
Samples were collected from five stations (Station 1, Station 2 , Station 3 ,
Station 4 , Station 5 ) Kodoor river from July, 2020 to August, 2021. The
sample bottles washed with hot water and rinsed several times with distilled water.
The water sample collected from river bank by using sterile 1 Litre and 200ml bottles,
first the bottles rinsed with river water then colleted the river water. While collecting
the water, care should be taken to avoid remains the water.
Sample Analysis
Physicochemical values of the pH, Turbidity ,conductivity ,TDS , DO ,
temperature ,salinity and ORP were determined using Hanna portable meters ,While
hardness , calcium, Magnesium, Iron, Sulphate, Chloride, Fluoride, Nitrite, Nitrate
were estimated by titrimetric methods (Irenosen, et al ; 2012).The recorded results
were compared with standard values prescribed by World Health Organization ,
Indian Standards Institute and Indian Council of Medical Research (Horan et.
al;1992 , Brraich et. al; 2021, Parashar, 2008).
Bacteriological Analysis
MPN is most commonly applied for quality testing of water to ensure whether the
water is safe or not in terms of bacteria present in it. Take 5 tubes of double strength
and 10 tubes of single strength for each water sample to be tested. Using a sterile
pipette add 10 mL of water to 5 tubes containing 10 mL double strength medium.
Similarly, add 1 mL of water to 5 tubes containing 10 mL single strength medium and
0.1 mL water to the remaining 5 tubes containing 10 mL single strength medium.
Incubate all the tubes at 37°C for 24 hrs. If no tubes appear positive re-incubate up to
48 hrs .Compare the number of tubes giving a positive reaction to a standard chart and
record the number of bacteria present in it.
Physicochemical parameters analysed and measured on water samples were compared
with BIS, IS: 10500: 2012 standards for drinking water.

Table 2: Physcio-chemical parameters and Guidelines of BIS-2012

SI No. Parameter Desirable limit Maximum limit
(MCL)
1 pH
6.5-8.5 NR
2 Turbidity (NTU) 1 5
3 Alkalinity 200 600
4 Total Hardness (mg/L) 200 600
5 Calcium(mg/L) 75 200
6 Magnesium(mg/L) 30 100
7 Iron(mg/L) 0.3 NR
8 Sulphate (mg/L) 200 400
9 Chloride(mg/L) 250 1000
10 Fluoride (mg/L) 1.0 1.5
11 Nitrate (mg/L) 45 NR
12 Total Dissolved Solid(mg/L) 500 2000
13 DO (mg/L) 6.5 - 8 _
14 Nitrite _ 1
15 Nitrate (ppm) - 10
16 ORP (mV) 300 500
17 TCC (MPN/100ml) 0 -
18 FCC (MPN/100ml) 0 -

Physico-chemical and biological characteristics of water collected from the five
sites of Kodoor river were analysed and respective water quality parameters were
obtained. The parameters tested were turbidity, pH, conductivity, acidity, alkalinity,
hardness, Calcium, Magnesium, Iron, Sulphate, Chloride, Fluorides, Nitrites, Nitrates,
total solids, dissolved oxygen and bacteriological analysis.
Turbidity: The turbidity of the of water samples from different sites were measured
and is given in Table 3.
Table 3: Turbidity , pH, EC ,and hardness of water samples collected from different
sites of Kodoor river.
Area Turbidity of pH of the E.Conductivity of Hardness of
studied water Sample Water water samples water sample
(NTU) Samples (micromhos) (mg/L)
Station 1 5.2 6.9 62 12
Station 2 4.2 6.8 58 14
Station 3 5.8 7.01 86 15
Station 4 8.8 6.2 84 18
Station 5 9.6 7.02 92 20

Figure 3: Turbidity values of the Samples collected from various sites of

Kodoor river
The obtained turbidity was plotted and given in Figure . The turbidity of the
different samples found to range from 4.2-9.6 NTU. The highest turbidity 9.6 NTU
was observed at the site of Kodimatha and the lowest turbidity 4.2 was observed for
the sample collected from Puthupally.
Figure 4: pH of water samples collected from different sites of Kodoor river

The measured pH values are plotted and is explained in Figure 4.The desirable
limit of pH of water for drinking purpose prescribed by Bureau of Indian Standards
(BIS 2012) is 6.5- 8.5. A It is found that the pH value of water in Kodoor river varied
from 6.2– 7.02. Among the various site studied, the highest pH 7.02 was obtained for
the sample collected from Kodimatha and the lowest pH 6.62from sample 4 collected
from Iriyilakadavu ( Kolhe;2011] . Athukorala , 2013 also shows that the lowest pH,
higher will be the amount of CO2 . The reason for this the contamination of water by
industrial effluents. Hence the different sites of Kodoor river shows small variations
in pH and the site of river at Iriyilakadavu is most contaminated site of all these sites
sampled.

Figure 5: Conductivity of water samples collected from different sites of Kodoor

The conductivity of the collected samples was plotted in Figure 5. The
conductivity showed a marked difference from site to site. Figure 4 shows that the
highest conductivity of 92 µmhos/cm was obtained from Kodimatha (Sample 5) and
the lowest Ettumanoor shows small 58 µmhos/cm, from Prarekadavu (Station 2)..
Conductivity is a measure of water’s capability to pass electrical flow. This ability is
directly related to the concentration of ions in the water (EPA,2012).
Figure 6: Total Hardness of water samples collected from various sites of Kodoor
Total hardness of water generally indicates the concentration of calcium and
magnesium ions in the water. Desirable and maximum permissible level of hardness
in drinking water is 300mg/L and 600mg/L respectively ( BIS, 2012). Total Hardness
of different samples ranges from 12 mg/L – 20 mg/L (Figure 5). The lowest hardness
was obtained at Puthupally and the highest value 20 mg/L was obtained sample

collected from Kodimatha (station 5). Coleman 1976 states that hardness causes
incrustations in distribution systems and excessive soap consumption.
Table 4: Total Acidity and Alkalinity of water samples collected from different sites
of Kodoor river
Stations Total Acidity of water sample Total Alkalinity of water samples
(mg/L) (mg/L)
Station 1 10.2 13.5
Station 2 12.6 13.7
Station 3 10.8 15.8
Station 4 8.6 16.5
Station 5 2.8 21.2
Figure 7: Total Acidity and total alkalinity of the water sample collected from
different sites of Kodoor
Acidity of Kodoor river ranged from 2.8 mg/L to 12.6 mg/L. The highest acidity
was obtained 12.6mg/L from station 2 and the lowest in station 5.The higher acidic
nature of sample 2 can be attributed to the release of effluent to the river.
It is found that the Alkalinity of water from Kodoor river varied from 13.5 - 21.2
mg/L. The highest Alkalinity was obtained 21.2 mg/L from the sample collected
from station 1 and lowest value 13.5 mg/L was obtained from station 1. The capacity

of water to neutralize a strong acid is known as alkalinity. It is composed primarily of

carbonate (CO32- ) and bicarbonate (HCO3-). The degradation of plants and other
organisms and organic wastes might also be one of the reason for the increase in
carbonate and bicarbonate ions in the water sample thereby increases the alkalinity
(Cao , et al ; 2007) . It may also be noted that in polluted waters, other negative ions
like PO4, NO3 may contribute to alkalinity (Soman, 1977).The high amount of
Alkalinity is due to industrial and house waste etc.
Table 5: Amount of Calcium(Ca), Magnesium(Mg) and Iron(Fe) present in the water
samples collected from different sites of Kodoor river
Stations Amount of Ca present Amount of Mg present Amount of Fe present
in the water in the water in the water
samples(mg/L) sample(mg/L) sample(mg/L)
Station 1
3.6 0.52 0.56
Station 2
4.3 0.62 0.58
Station 3
4.8 0.21 0.76
Station 4
7.2 0.62 1.72
Station 5
10.4 0.72 1.89
Figure 8: Amount of Calcium(Ca), Magnesium(Mg) and Iron(Fe) present in the water

samples collected from different sites of Kodoor river
The Ca, Mg and Fe content of the different samples are given in Figure 8. Ca, Mg
and Fe content of water sample at different site fluctuated at the range of 3.6 mg/L –
10.4 mg/L, 0.21 mg/L – 0.72 mg/L and 0.56 mg/L – 1.89 mg/L (Table 5) respectively.
Generally, calcium and magnesium maintain a state of equilibrium in most waters
( Mohan, et al ;2009] . According to BIS desirable and maximum permissible content
of Ca and Mg in drinking water are 75mg/l and 200mg/l and 30mg/l and 100mg/l
respectively. The highest Ca content was obtained 10.4 mg/L from station 5 and the

lowest value 3.6mg/L from station 1. The highest Mg content obtained at station 5 and
lowest from station 3. The study shows Ca and Mg content at the all sites are within
the desirable limit. When compared with the BIS specification for drinking water, the
iron content of water sample from station 1 and 2 were above the permissible limit of
1.0 mg/L. One of the reason for the increase in Fe content might be due to the
disposal of domestic wastes which is supported by the studies conducted by Bordalo
et .al 2001.
Table 6: The amount of Sulphate(SO4), Chloride(Cl) and Fluoride(F) present in the
water sample collected from different sites of Kodoor river
Stations Amount of SO present4 Amount of Cl present Amount of F present
in the water in the water in the water
samples(mg/L) sample(mg/L) sample(mg/L)
Station 1
4.4 6.4 0.14
Station 2
3.4 7.4 0.12
Station 3
3.2 8.2 0.14
Station 4
4.6 9.8 0.28
Station 5
4.8 12.2 0.38
Figure 9: Amount of SO & Cl present water sample collected from different sites of
4
Kodoor river

Figure 10 : The amount of Fluoride present in the water sample collected from various
sites of Kodoor river.
Sulphate(SO4) content of water sample varied from 3.2 mg/L to 4.8 mg/L. The
highest SO4 content 4.8 mg/L was obtained from samples collected from station 5.
The salinity, as a measure of the mass of dissolved salts in a mass of water mainly due
to the presence of chloride. The lowest value 3.2 mg/L from station 3. Chloride
content of water sample varied from 6.4 mg/L to 12.2 mg/L.The highest chloride
content 12.2 mg/L was obtained from water sample collected from station 5 compared
to other sites. Fluoride concentration in different sites of Kodoor river varied from
0,12 mg/L to 0.38mg/L given in Table 6 & Figure 10. Highest value obtained from
station 5 and the lowest value 0.12 mg/L was obtained from sample collected from
station 2. The fluoride has been considered as an acute pollutant to natural
environment because of the ability of plants and aquatic organisms to accumulate it
and have detrimental effect on the aquatic biota (Mahapatro,2004) .The study shows
Sulphate, Chloride and Fluoride content at the all sites are within the desirable limit
compared with BIS standards.
Table 7: Amount of Nitrites , Nitrates , TDS present in water samples collected from
different sites of Kodoor river
Stations Amount of Nitrite present in Amount of Nitrate TDS of water
the water samples(mg/L) present in the water samples (mg/L)
sample(mg/L)
Station 1
0.12 9.1 10.8
Station 2
0.13 9.8 14.8
Station 3
0.12 10.8 23.6
Station 4
0.17 14.2 34.6
Station 5
0.19 16.2 60.4

Figure 11: The amount of Nitrite present in the water samples collected from different
sites of Kodoor river
Figure 12: Amount of Nitrate present in the water samples collected from different
sites of Kodoor river
Nitrite and Nitrate content of water samples varied from 0.12 mg/L – 0.19 mg/L
and 9.1 mg/L – 16.2 mg/L respectively (Table 7). Highest value obtained from station
5. According to BIS , maximum desirable limit of nitrate in drinking water is 45 mg/L
and maximum permissible limit is 100 mg/L. The present study water samples from
all sites of Kodoor river contained above BIS desirable limit of nitrate content. The
high concentration of nitrates in drinking water is toxic ( Gilli, et al ; 1984 )

Figure 13: TDS present in the water samples collected from various sites of
Kodoor river
Total Dissolved Solids of the water samples collected from different sites ranges
from 10.8 mg/L to 60.4 mg/L. On comparing TDS values of different collected
samples, the lowest value of TDS 10.8 mg/L was observed at station 1 and highest
TDS 60.4 mg/L was observed at station 5 as evident from Figure 13. According to
BIS , water containing TDS value up to 500 mg/L is considered desirable and a
maximum permissible limit of 2000 mg/L under unavoidable situations. The present
investigation the water samples collected from different sites of Kodoor River showed
a range satisfactory and within the desirable limit.
Table 8: Dissolved Oxygen and ORP of the samples collected from different sites of
Kodoor River
Stations DO (Dissolved Oxygen of water ORP (Oxidation Reduction
samples ) (mg/L) Potential ) (mV)
Station 1 5.8 450
Station 2 4.2 340
Station 3 4.8 372
Station 4 3.1 290
Station 5 2.6 226

Figure 14: Dissolved Oxygen of water sample collected from different sites of
Kodoor river
Dissolved Oxygen(DO) is an important parameter of water quality assessment.
Present study, DO levels vary from 2.6 mg/L to 5.8 mg/L. Deficiency of DO gives
bad odour to water due to anaerobic respiration of organic matter (Sallae,1974). The
dissolved oxygen content of different samples are plotted and shown in Figure 14.
The largest DO range was observed 5.8 mg/L at station 1 and lowest DO range was
observed 2.6 mg/L at station 5 . The high organic and inorganic pollutants received by
water bodies through the discharge of industrial, sewage and solid wastes, require a
high oxygen demand resulting in oxygen depletion ( Osibanjo et . al;2007)
Comparatively highest amount of DO in sample collected from site 1 may be because
of comparatively low organic content.
Figure 15: ORP (Oxidation Reduction Potential ) of water sample collected from
different sites of Kodoor river.
Oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) measures the ability of a lake or river to
cleanse itself or break down waste products, such as contaminants and dead plants and

animals. When the ORP value is high, there is lots of oxygen present in the water .The
highest ORP value (450 mV )was reported at station 1 and the least value (260mV) at
station 5 . Bacteria are very susceptible to changes in the oxidation reduction potential
(ORP) of their growth medium – each species has a range of ORP within which it will
grow or to which it can be adapted (Kimbrough et. al ;1999). This can have important
implications for disinfection.
Bacteriological Analysis
Bacteriological analysis is a method of analysis to estimate the number of bacteria
present in the water sample.
Table 9 : Bacteriological analysis of water samples collected from different sites of
Kodoor river
Stations Total Coliform Count TCC Faecal Coliform Count FCC (MPN
(MPN/100ml) / 100ml)
Station 1 220 0
Station 2 256 0
Station 3 278 0
Station 4 340 23
Station 5 379 25
The present study changes in bacteriological parameters in water samples are
shown given in table 10. An estimation of bacterial production is a crucial step in
understanding quantitatively the function and contribution of bacteria in material
cycling within the given aquatic habitats Azam et al;1990) . Total Coliform number
ranged from 220 MPN/100ml to 379 MPN/100ml. The coliform bacteria include the
genera Escherichia, Citrobacter, Enterobacter and Klebsilla etc. Highest value of
Coliform379 MPN/100ml was observed at station 5 and the lowest value 220
MPN/100ml was observed at station 1 . Faecal contamination is also reported from
station 4 and station 5 .
Figure 16: Total Coliform Count and Faecal Coliform Count of water sample
collected from different sites of Kodoor river

Coliform bacteria will not likely cause any illness. However, their presence in
drinking water indicates that disease-causing organisms could be present in the water
system.
CONCLUSION
Nowadays water pollution is considered as one of the most important challenges
facing the world. Aquatic pollution cause negative impact for human health and it
also affect different organisms. In the present study various physicochemical and
bacteriological analysis of water sample collected from five different sites of Kodoor
river were tested. The study shows that water quality of Kodoor river was influenced
by various anthropogenic activities. The present study revealed that pH of the water
samples increased in various sites, the sample 2 collected from Iriyilakadavu has
lowest pH, hence the water sample 4 is found to be acidic in nature. Conductivity,
hardness, alkalinity, chloride, fluoride, nitrite, nitrate, TDS and coliform count was
found to be highest at Kodimatha, due to the disposal of industrial and domestic
effluent. Also dissolved oxygen found to be very less at Kodimatha . Hence it is found
that Kodimatha is the most polluted area among the site studied. The uncontrolled
use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides, as well as the shady disposal of domestic
waste, are the primary causes of water deterioration. Poor drinking water quality has
been identified as a major risk factor for the area's widespread water-borne diseases
( Joseph, et. al ; 2010).
The undamaged Kodoor River , a tributary of Mennachil river experienced a
natural extreme flash flood and landslides, which re-shaped the channel morphology
and restored the deteriorated riverine ecosystem as part of Nature's resilience. Even
though the flood and landslides reshaped the main channel, tributaries, and
backwaters, the change in habitat complexity was not detrimental to the structurally
resistant animal community (Cherian, et.al ;2020).
Acknowledgement
The authors are thankful to the P.G and Research Department of Zoology, NSS Hindu
College, Changanacherry and Tropical Institute of Ecological Sciences , Velloor ,
Kottayam for providing technical support for the completion of the research paper.
Statement of Conflict of Interest
The authors did not receive support from any organization for the submitted work. No
funding was received for conducting this study or to assist with the preparation of this
manuscript. No funds, grants, or other support was received. On behalf of all authors,
the corresponding author states that there is no conflict of interest (Financial and non -
financial)
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Liminality and Gender: A Study on Munshi Premchand’s The Chess

Players
Sayana Sam
Catholicate College, Pathanamthitta,
Email: sayanasam002@gmail.com
Abstract: Munshi Premchand's The Chess Players or Shatranj Ke Killadi is
representative of the age-old treatment of women in Indian society. Nevertheless, he
portrays the women as powerful figures whose organic embodiment is stronger than
that of men’s. The colonial influence on the Indian masculinity is clearly evident in
the short story. The paper titled “Liminality and Gender: A Study on Munshi
Premchand’s The Chess Players” is a study on the movement of male and female a
cross the liminal space. One's location is crucial in recognizing his or her gender
identity, performativity, agency, etc. The study also focuses on the instability of the
concepts such as masculinity and femininity.
Keywords: Liminality, Space, Masculinity, Femininity, Emasculation.
INTRODUCTION
“Gender is an identity tenuously constituted in time, instituted in an exterior
space through a stylized repetition of acts” (Butler 179). Gender is a construction
as it is often influenced by the prevailing culture and its beliefs. Gender norms
vary across geographical, cultural, and political borders. Masculinity and
Femininity are both considered to be dichotomous. However, there is no absolute
masculinity or absolute femininity as its definitions change with changes in time
and space. Moreover, there are more than 70 genders besides male and female.
Gendered spaces are places where certain gender of people and certain forms of
gender expressions are welcomed, while other forms are deemed
unwelcome or inappropriate. Social institutions sustain the structure of gender
through the gendering of spaces, which is a key method. In the context of India,
gendered spaces were available only for men and women. The rest of the genders
were allocated with no space at all. For a long time, women were mostly confined
within the four walls of the kitchen while men enjoyed the privileges that their
gender bestowed upon them. Inorder to cater to the need of the hour, different
genders started traveling toward the spaces that were considered unfit for them.
Liminality is the idea of moving between spaces, zones, identities, and categories.
The term is used to describe the psychological process of transitioning across
boundaries and borders.
Masculinity and feminity are often described as something that should be
performed by both men and women respectively. Nonetheless, no person can be
completely masculine or feminine and the definition of both these terms can vary
based on what place or the time he or she is in.
Dhanpat Rai Srivastava, who is popularly known as Munshi Premchand (1880-
1936), is one of the most well-known authors from the Indian subcontinent and is
recognized as the greatest Hindi author of the first half of the twentieth century.
More than a dozen novels, around 300 short stories, several articles, essays, letters,
and Hindi translations of numerous foreign literary masterpieces are among his
many creative outputs. After Premchand’s demise, many of his works were

translated into English and Russian. Godaan, Karmabhoomi, Gaban, Mansarovar,

and Idgah are some of his masterpieces. “We find exquisite portrayal of women who
were exploited through the ages. Premchand tried to portray almost every aspect of
women’s life” (Sharma). He portrayed the people, and the customs of his society as
it is. He was a social critic and a realist. “Premchand has also produced various
compositions on inter-caste marriage, polygamy, and various other aspects of
marriage including dowry with a serious line of thought. He wanted the bride and the
groom both get agreed before tying the knot of marriage” (Sharma).
The Chess Players or Shatranj ke Khilari by Munshi Premchand, published in 1924,
is set during Wajid Ali Shah’s reign, a time when “love of pleasure dominated every
aspect of life” (Madhuri) in Lucknow. The story revolves around Mirza Sajjad Ali
and Mir Roshan Ali, who spend most of their time playing chess. The diwankhana
where they play chess is an interface between the private house and the public road
where women are not allowed. The women of the house are confined within the four
walls of the kitchen. Women in the short story have no nname either. Being
landlords, Mirza and Mir are supposed to serve the king during the time of unrest.
However, they are at war with each other. They refrain from bothering about the
matters of their house and the matters of the state. Even when the British army took
away the king, they were defending their kings on the chessboard. They die fighting
each other over the game and “the pieces still lay on the chessboard. It was as if both
the kings sitting on their thrones were shedding tears at the death of these warriors.”
(Madhuri)
The paper titled “Liminality and Gender: A Study on Munshi Premchand’s
The Chess Players” is a study on the movement of male and female characters
between space, identity, etc. The space of women is inside the house, though the
organic embodiment of the women is stronger than the organic embodiment of
men. They are incapacitated and are even not allowed to enter the diwankhana,
which acts as a boundary between the house and the public space. We see how
they try to move towards the restricted domain though they were hesitant initially.
It is one’s location in a certain space that determines your gender identity,
performativity, agency, etc. The paper also looks at the reconfiguration of the
concept of masculinity and femininity.
The short story was set immediately before the 1857 rebellion. “Premchand's
narrative of the two noblemen absorbed in their own game of chess is set forth
against the larger chess game- the annexation of Awadh by the British in 1856”
(Singh). It was the time when British company was getting more powerful. The story
depicts masculinities in two ways- sartorial and embodied representations.
In particular, we posit that wearing clothes causes people to “embody”
the clothing and its symbolic meaning. Consequently, when a piece of
clothing is worn, it exerts an influence on the wearer's psychological
processes by activating associated abstract concepts through its symbolic
meaning—similar to the way in which a physical experience, which is, by
definition, already embodied, exerts its influence (Adam and Galinsky 2).
The leisurely and decorative culture of the people of Awad and the pragmatic, lean,
and crisp style of the people of Britain reflects their lifestyles. Thus, British men
are more productive compared to the men of Awad.
In 19th century India, women had no agency. They were the victims
of patriarchal prejudices and practices.
The participation of women in the workforce has been found to be very low.
The female members of society were subjected to unequal pay as compared

to their male counterparts. They were confined to the four walls of their
houses and were not allowed to contribute to the country’s GDP. (Major
Issues and Debates Concerning Indian Women of the 19th Century)
The protagonists Mir and Mirza had agency. However, they seldom utilized it in a
productive manner. They also robbed women of their freedom. Mir saw women as
“delicate things” and
when the chessboard was spread in his diwankhana, his wife’s “freedom was
curtailed. She hardly had any chance to have a glimpse of the outside”
(Madhuri).
In the story, we come across Mirza's wife, whose organic embodiment is
stronger than that of her husbands'. She tries to procure the liminal space in her
house. She enters the diwankhana, which is a prohibited space for her to be in, as a
part of showing her resentment at being ignored by her lazy and callous husband.
She was hesitant in the beginning- “ She walked up to the dewan khana, but she
stopped” (Madhuri). This clearly draws infront of us, the position of a 19th century
Indian woman. However,
the begum went inside and overturned the chessboard, threw some
chessmen under the dewan and a few others out through the door. Then she
shut the door and bolted it from inside. Mir sahib saw the chessmen being
thrown out and heard the sound of bangles, and the door being bolted.
(Madhuri)
Here, the woman is clearly moving between feminine and masculine identities
and spaces. She outweighs the men through her acts of subversion. For example,
walking up, over turning the chessboard, throwing out the “chessmen” etc. The
sound of her baangles is suggestive of her powerful presence. Homi K. Bhaba
describes liminal in post-colonial literature as a potentially troublesome
inbetweeness “This interstitial passage between fixed identifications opens up the
possibility of a cultural hybridity that entertains difference without an assumed or
imposed hierarchy” (5).
Premchand potrays how the hegimonic masculinity of Awad gets
marginalized by the British masculinity and also by the powerful presence of the
women. “Realizing that the Begum was inflamed, he (Mir) slinks away”(Madhuri).
In the short story, chess playing is a metaphor for non-productivity, indolence, and
indulgence- “This is an inauspicious game and can ruin
families. God forbid that anyone should get addicted, for it makes a person unfit to
do anything” (Madhuri). The act of playing chess and slinking away from the
diwankana, which is indicative of a spineless movement points towards the
emasculation of men. The English army moving towards Lucknow to capture the
city indicates to the invasion of a new form of masculinity. The emasculation of
Mir and Mirza is evident through their response: “the English army is advancing”.
“Let us stand in the corner” (Madhuri). The situation worsens when the Nawab
Wajid Ali Shah gets captured. “It was a form of cowardice on which even great
cowards would have shed tears”. In the game of chess, Mirza's “position
progressively weakened” and “he was losing control over himself”. Mir and Mirza
die fighting to defend their “Vazirs on the chessboard”. Their death symbolizes the
movement of the hegemonic masculinity of Awad from the centre to margins.
Premchand potrays women as more authoritativee and bold though their
privilages are limited due to the lack of agency. We see the movement of
femininity across the borders. The diwankhana, or the threshold is the space of men.

They become trapped in this threshold as it widens and develops into an unhomely
space of its own, from which they “slinks away”. “First, the threshold is
characterized by a potential for disorder; second by asymmetry; third by instability”
(Aguirre 31). The women occupies the liminal space or the threshold. As a result,
the hegemonic musculinity gets sidelined. Moreover, the British army’s arrival and
their newly established power over Awad resulted in the ultimate unmanning of the
men. The space is remapped and the men are emasculated.
WORKS CITED
Adam, Hajo, and Adam D. Galinsky. “Enclothed Cognition”. Journal of
Experimental Social Psycology, Vol. 48, 2012, pp. 2
Aguirre, Manuel. “Liminal Terror: The Poetics of Gothic Space”. The
Dynamics of the Threshold: Essays on Liminal Negotiations, Ed. Jesús
Benito and Ana M Manzanas. Madrid: The Gateway Press, 2007, pp. 31
Bhabha, Homi K. The Location of Culture. London: Routledge, 1994, pp. 5
Butler, Judith. Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity, New York:
Rutledge, 1999, pp. 179
“Major Issues and Debates Concerning Indian Women of the 19th century”.
Geeksforgeeks, 20 Sep 2022, https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/major-issues-
and-debates-concerning-indian-women-of-the-19th-century/
Sharma, Dr. Meghana. “Premchand and Women Discourse in Modern Indiam
History”.Indian Observer Post, 30 Jul 2020,
https://indianobserverpost.in/News
Detail.aspx?Article=887&WebUrl=web
Singh, Renu. “The Chess Players by Premchand: An Analysis”. Delhi College of
Arts and Commerce, pp. 1, http://dcac.du.ac.in/documents/E-
Resource/2020/Metrial/26renusingh2.pdf

Microwave Assisted Green Synthesis

Of Luminescent Graphene Quantum Dot-Gold(GQD-AU)Hybrid
Nanomaterials for Environmental Applications
Sijo Francis*, Akshaya Sasikumar, Manasy KS

St. Joseph’s College Moolamattom,
*
Email: srsijofrancis@gmail.com
Abstract: Luminescent carbon quantum dots (CQDs) epitomize a new form of

nanocarbon materials which have gained widespread attention in recent years. Carbon
dots (C-dots) are a new class of carbon nanomaterials having size of less than 10 nm
and possess excellent optical and electrical properties. Application of microwave
power of 800 W for a period of 3 minutes to aqueous glucose solution, extraction of
resulting solution with stabilizing agents, addition of aqueous HAuCl4 •3H2O solution
are done. Extraction of GQD using stabilizing agents leads to particle size reduction
of Au and stability of the colloidal solution. This method provided an ultra-fast, more
effective, economical, and easier synthesis. The formed carbon quantum dots were
characterized by using UV–vis and optical techniques. The synthesized GQDs has
excellent spectral, optical, and catalytic properties.
Keywords: Graphene quantum dots, microwave, hybrid nano materials
INTRODUCTION
Green is a strong color, the color of chlorophyll in plants. Protecting our
environment cum planet is our responsibility. Green innovation currently receives
international attention as the dreadful conditions of natural resources and
environmental pollution. It encourages environment friendly techniques with
minimum or zero waste. The major concepts are cleaner production, green innovation,
social sustainability etc. Green technologies utilize less energy than
conventional technologies. It is a clean technology and based on principles of
environmental science, green chemistry, and modern technologies. It considers
impact of the technology on the environment. Efficiency of the technology, recycling
provisions, and health effects are the major concerns of the technology. Green
technology has a significant impact on environmental, economic, and social status of
society.
Green technology routes are holistic approach. Environmentally safe routes for
the synthesis of materials, green methodology, less costly and less hazardous
pathways are the needs of modern world. Biomass sources are economically
important for the manufacture of technologically relevant molecules. Many polymer
precursor moieties like acrylic acid, adipic acid and ε-caprolactam etc. derived from
bio renewables and their bio-based preparation pathways are sustainable alternatives.
Studies showed that green technology routes alone are insufficient in efficiencies,
prices, and processing costs. They supplement their petrochemical equivalents in a
greater manner. Renewable technologies facilitate the large-scale production of
materials, novel innovation methods, prevention of pollution, and energy in a low-
costly manner.
Numerous top-down and bottoms-up approaches utilized for the synthesis of
GQDs include laser ablation, exfoliation, hydrothermal, catalyzed cage-opening, etc.

Microwave heating or microwave assisted hydrothermal method offers numerous

advantages over other synthesis techniques such as formation of uniform particle size,
facile and rapid synthesis, minimal use of chemicals, easy scalability, no requirement
of additional surface passivating agents, etc. Facile methodology maybe employed
for the reduction of other metal ions from their stable salts to metal atoms (such as
Ag, Ni), thereby resulting in the synthesis of GQD-metal hybrid nanomaterials.
Here we followed Microwave-assisted hydrothermal synthesis of GQD.
Optimization of important parameters that affect microwave assisted synthesis like
power of microwave, reaction time, and role and mechanism of Stabilizing agents
were conducted. Synthesis and Characterization of GQDs and GQD-Au hybrid
particles using UV-Vis, TEM, XRD etc were also conducted. Applications of GQD-
Au hybrid particles in catalysis were performed.
Materials and Methods

D-glucose (Fischer Scientific), Trisodium citrate dihydrate (Fischer Scientific) ,
Gold (III) chloride trihydrate (Merck) are used. GQDs and GQD-Au hybrid
nanoparticles that are characterized using High Resolution Transmission Electron
Microscopy (HR-TEM), UV–Visible (UV–Vis) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction
(XRD)
(a) Microwave-assisted hydrothermal synthesis of GQD
The synthesis of GQD involves pyrolysis of glucose facilitated by microwave
assisted hydrothermal method. Measure 5 mL of D-glucose solution in a 50 mL of
Erlenmeyer flask and place it in a domestic microwave. Irradiate the sample at 800 W
microwave power for 3 min. The resulting viscous paste is extracted using 5 mL of
tri-sodium citrate solution. A pale-yellow coloured solution conforms the synthesis of
GQDs. Synthesized citrate stabilized GQDs are stable up to 3 weeks when stored at
temperature < 4°C.
(b) Synthesis of GQD-Au hybrid particles

GQD-Au hybrid particles were formed by addition of aqueous HAuCl4.3H2O
solution to the pre-formed GQD solution at room temperature. The final GQD-Au
solution was stored at temperature < 4°C. 5 mL of GQD-Au hybrid nanoparticles that
are characterized using, UV-Visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy, The synthesized citrate
stabilized GQD-Au hybrid nanoparticles are stable upto 3 weeks when stored at
temperature < 4°C.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS
(a) Microwave-assisted hydrothermal synthesis of GQD

Glucose solutions (5 mL of 11% aqueous Glucose solution) were irradiated at
different microwave power in the 800 W resulted in self-passivated GQDs with two
characteristic absorption peaks in the UV-Vis absorption spectra. The effect of MW
power in the range of 100-800 and the effect of MW irradiation time was studied.
(i)Effect of microwave power

Glucose solutions (5 mL of 11% aqueous Glucose solution) were irradiated at
different microwave power in the range 100 W –800 W resulted in self-passivated
GQDs with two characteristic absorption peaks in the UV–vis absorption spectra. The
two characteristic peaks at 225 and 286 nm indicated the synthesis of GQD (Figure 1).
The increase in microwave power results in increase in absorption peak intensity

accompanied by redshift of absorbance band edge, whereas no change in the peak

positions was observed.
Figure1-Effect of microwave power (100 W –800 W) on the synthesis of GQD.
(ii) Effect of microwave time

At an optimum microwave power of 800 W, glucose solution was heated in
microwave with heating time ranging from 1 to 12 min. With increase in reaction
time, the colour of GQDs obtained varied from pale yellow to dark brown. Deep UV
absorption intensity was found to increase with increase in heating time.
Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was used to investigate the morphology
of GQDs. The TEM image indicates that the GQDs are obtained with the uniform
particle size less than 5 nm. The XRD patterns of GQDs shows a broad peak at
around 24 Å corresponding to the (002) peak which is matched with JCPDS Card No,
75-0444, suggesting that glucose produced graphene structures through the
hydrothermal reaction. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) of the GQDs-Au
nanohybrid confirms their crystalline nature and the five diffraction peaks were
observed at Au (111), (200), (220), (311) and (222) for nanogold as well as one for
graphene in the 2Ɵ range of 10–80O for (002) plane were observed and are matched
with the JCPDS card no. 75-0444 and 04-0784.
(b) Synthesis of GQD-Au hybrid particles

The GQD-Au hybrid particles absorb at 282 nm and 536 nm while GQDs show
absorption peak at 286 nm (Figure 1). The use of stabilizing agents leads to smaller
particle size of Au nanoparticles over GQD surface, as evident from cherry red colour
of the solution, and enhanced the stability of the colloidal solution containing GQD-
Au hybrid particles upto 7 days at temperature < 4 °C. A broad absorption peak at
536 nm is attributed to Au nanoparticles.
Optical Properties
The obtained GQDs were well dispersed in water with a pale -yellow color in
sunlight, whereas the color would change to green under a 365 nm ultraviolet lamp
(Figure 2). This is owing to the characteristic unsaturated carbon–carbon double bond
in GQDs. Cherry red colour confirms formation of GQDS-Au Hybrid.

Figure2-Optical images of (a) GQDs, (b) cherry red colour of GQDS-Au nanohybrid
Luminescent property of GQDs under UV-light
Optical properties of GQDs are important for their future applications in

bioimaging and biosensors. The synthesized GQDs are dispersed well in water with
an appearance of transparent, uniform and pale-yellow solution at day light, while
exhibits the PL blue emission under UV light irradiation. The exact PL mechanism of
GQDs is not clear yet, it may happen because of doping, electron-hole recombination,
quantum effect, free zig-zag sites with a carbene-like triplet ground state, edge
structure, and surface defects in the functional groups of the GQDs.
Figure 3-A schematic representation of surface stabilization of GQDs.

GQDs are also successful reductants for the reduction of gold (III) salts. The Au3+
ions were probably bonded and reduced by the –COOH and –OH groups of the
GQDs, and further, the as-obtained AuNPs
(ii)Effect of stabilizing agent on the synthesis of hybrid nanoparticles

It is anticipated that the surface stabilization of GQDs affects the reducing power
of GQDs due to the formation of an ester bond between the functional groups present
on GQDs and that on stabilizing agents (citrate in this case). Tri-sodium citrate, being
a bulkier molecule, also provides steric effects, further reducing the chemical
reactivity of GQDs. Consequently, surface passivation results in slow and more
controlled reduction of HAuCl4.3H2O leading to the formation of smaller Au particles
and stable colloidal solutions (Figure 3). were stabilized by these –COOH and –OH
groups to GQD-Au hybrid nanoparticles show a surface plasmon band (SPR) at
approximately 536 nm, the characteristic peak of gold nanoparticles, in the observed
UV-vis spectra.

Catalytic activities of in the 4-nitrophenol reduction by NaBH4

4-Nitrophenol is the accessory substance of the procedures used for manufacturing
pigments, pesticides, and pharmaceuticals industry and hence regarded as one of the
most highly poisonous and hazardous pollutants. The reduction of 4-nitrophenol to 4-
aminophenol is extensively catalysed by GQDs-Au nanohybrid material, and this
reduction is well-known to be very sensitive to the nature of the hybrid
surface. Scheme of reduction reaction is given in Figure 4.
Figure 4-Scheme for the catalytic reduction of 4-nitrophenol

It is very convenient to monitor the progress of the reduction of 4-nitrophenol to 4-
aminophenol by UV-vis spectroscopic analysis due to their typical absorption peaks at
400 nm (4-nitrophenol) and 300 nm (4-aminophenol). The degradation of 4-
nitrophenol has been carried out in the presence of 5.0 mol% AuNPs with 100
equivalents of sodium borohydride in water at room temperature, and this large excess
of sodium borohydride (Figure 5). However, the reduction reaction is not feasible by
NaBH4 alone. Moreover, the GQDs alone do not catalyze the degradation of 4-
nitrophenol under these conditions (Figure 6).
Figure 5-UV-vis. spectra for the reduction of 4-nitrophenol by NaBH4 catalyzed

using GQDs-AuNP nanohybrid
Figure 6-UV-vis. spectra showing the unfeasible reduction of 4-nitrophenol by

NaBH4 alone at 25o C

CONCLUSIONS
The GQDs were obtained by microwave assisted hydrothermal treatment of
aqueous glucose solution for 3 min at 800 W. The resultant sticky yellow paste of
GQDs obtained was extracted with 5 mL 0.01 M stabilizing agent solution prior to
addition of aqueous HAuCl4 •3H2O solution. GQD-Au hybrid particles were formed
by addition of aqueous HAuCl4 •3H2O solution to the pre-formed GQD solution Fat
room temperature. Extraction of GQD using stabilizing agents leads to particle size
reduction of Au and stability of the colloidal solution. The synthesized GQDs has
excellent spectral and optical properties.
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Outcaste Tribes and Untouchable Castes as Dalit Collective:

A Critical Study
Teddy C. Anthappai
Assistant Professor of English
St. Berchmans College
Changanacherry
Email: tedthomask@gmail.com
Abstract: The Indian caste system, by and large, has been constructed so as to
encompass, under its fold, everyone and everything in the subcontinent. But in reality,
in its project of all-inclusiveness, it conveniently forgets or expediently neglects
certain sections such as the untouchable castes and outcaste tribes, commonly known
as Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. They remain outside the Hindu varna
hierarchy and together constitute the avarna category. Though they constitute a
sizable segment among the Indian populace, both are, on account of their age-old
segregation and oppression, far away and miles behind the mainstream castes in many
respects. While many, going back to the times of Aryan invasion, argue that outcastes
and tribals have the same lineage, some like B. Goswami argue that they are separate
categories as there is nothing common between them (Constitutional Safeguards 18)
and, therefore, should not be treated as belonging to the same group. However, while
casteism and its repressive strategies are considered, outcastes and tribals are
invariably treated on similar lines, and are brought under the nomenclature SC/ST. In
this paper, there is an attempt, in the light of the findings of some notable historians,
sociologists and Dalit leaders, to analyse whether they form a single unit or they are
totally different categories altogether.
KeyWords: Dalits, Tribals, Untouchables, Outcastes, Dalitbahujan
INTRODUCTION
As a matter of fact, the Untouchables and Tribals are believed to share a common
history and ancestry and it is proper that they have assumed a collective identity as
Dalits. There have been many conscious and concerted attempts by different leaders
and movements to bring them together under a common name and identity. It was the
Dalit Panthers Movement that widened the definition of the term Dalit whose scope,
for them, goes far beyond the confines of a single caste group and strives to articulate
the fears, hopes and aspirations of a whole class of exploited segments of the Indian
population/society (Gokhale 77). The Manifesto of Dalit Panthers of 1972 declared,
“Dalits are all those who are oppressed, hill people, neo-Buddhists, labourers, women,
destitute farmers and all those who have been exploited politically, economically or in
the name of religion” (Holmstrom xviii-xix). For radical Dalit thinkers like Baburao
Bagul, the category is constructed and extended to include the history of the
revolutionary struggles of all Dalits and has the "ontological ability to define itself
with all the lower castes, tribal people, toiling classes and women” (Zelliot, From
Untouchable to Dalit 267). John Webster has pointed out that the Dalit Movement has
been used to describe many similarly placed primordial Dalit collectivities with
similar histories of oppression, simultaneously seeking to overcome similar
deprivations within a common social system but with differing visions of their own

and society’s future (Pai xiv). In Zelliot’s view, Dalit, as a self-chosen identity marker
can include all who identify themselves as oppressed by the caste system and its
stakeholders (Zelliot, Growing Up Untouchable xi).
Chandra Bhan Prasad is of the view that the modern-day Dalits and Tribals share
common ancestors (186) and Baidyanath Saraswathi insisted on the cultural oneness
of tribe and caste. He wants ‘tribe’ to be treated as ‘caste’ and ‘caste’ to be understood
as a cultural unit (115). Prasad says, “In many parts of India, Dalits and tribals,
counted together, make nearly similar percentage pointing presumably to a common
ancestry” (50). He observes:
Dalits and tribals, put together, look similar in terms of their
population in Tamil Nadu (20.0%), Karnataka (22.8%) and Andhra
Pradesh (22.8%). Is it a mere coincidence that Dalits and tribals put
together in the states of Maharashtra (19.1%) and Gujarat (21.9%)
constitute almost the same proportion of the total population of these
states? It is also a coincidence that in the north-west states like
Himachal Pradesh (28.7%), Dalits and tribals put together are the same
as in West Bengal (28.9%). (50)
There is scriptural evidence to corroborate that tribals had been counted as
belonging to the same section as outcastes. Vivekanand Jha points, “The aboriginal
groups of the Bhilla, the Kaivarta, the Dasa, the Meda and the Kolika are listed, in
Atrisamhitā (v. 199), Yamasmrti (v. 33), Vedavyāsasmrti (1.12), among the antyajas
and Untouchables” (112).
Ambedkar attempted to trace the common history of the Indian aboriginals,
whom he calls as settled tribes or Dalits. For him, Aryans were originally nomadic
tribes who arrived in the Indian subcontinent from Central Asia and fought with the
settled tribes (Muthaiah, “Politics of Dalit Identity” 386). Robert Ernest Hume
observes, “The settled Aryans succeeded in pushing the Dalits to the peripheries,
using their religious texts. Rigveda, Upanishads, Manusmrithi and Mahabharatha gave
a degraded picture of Dalits. Rigvedic narration of Tribal wars between Dalits and
Aryans portrays that Dalits were subjugated by Aryans when the former were at
primitive stage of society” (qtd. in Muthaiah 387). The war between the settled Tribes
(Dalits) and the Nomadic Tribes (Aryans) in the primitive stage was nothing but a war
for economic benefits and existence. The reasons for the Aryan war against the Dalits,
according to Ambedkar, were for stealing their cattle and women and grazing their
cattle in the pastures owned by the native tribes (Moon 275).
Thus, the nomadic Aryans settled in the newfoundland turning the settled
tribes (Dalits) landless who thereafter had to rely on the alien Aryans for their
sustenance. Being already organised into the four-fold varna system and strongly
conscious of their racial, military and cultural superiority, they proceeded to
amalgamate the native populations into their economic, social and political structure.
The Tribal communities were confronted with the choice of either retreating into the
agriculturally unattractive hills and forests or getting assimilated into the expanding
agricultural society (Tribe to Caste 147-148). Thus, the aboriginal tribes were left in
dilemma—either to submit themselves to Aryans as serfs or leave the place and go
elsewhere (Vijendra Kumar 36).

Misra and Nagar observe:

Different tribal groups would appear to have adopted different choices.
The most enterprising among them took to agriculture as a full-time
occupation. Some groups, especially those in the semi-arid region of
the western part of India, took to animal husbandry. Certain tribals
who had craft skills of working in wood, bamboo, reeds, fibres and
other plant materials etc. became carpenters, potters, metal smiths,
weavers, oil pressers etc. Others took to providing entertainment
through dance, music, animal pets like snake, monkey and bear,
acrobatics etc. Yet others, who were too unskilled, lazy or
unenterprising to adopt agriculture, manufacturing occupations or
entertaining activities, became labourers and menials, working in the
fields and homes of farmers and as village watchmen, washer men,
scavengers etc. Lastly, some hunter-gatherers, deprived of their habitat
and scope to continue their traditional way of life, took to crime as a
means of survival, much like the big cats which become man-eaters
when deprived of their natural prey due to indiscriminate deforestation.
(148-49)
In the 1860s, the British, armed with the Indian Forest Act of 1865, started
taking control of forests and common pastures. However, it should be viewed as a
combined project of the colonial rulers and their indigenous allies to control the
dangerous and volatile nomadic and pastoral tribal communities (Krishnan 81). With
this, nomadic tribes lost access to grazing lands as well as forest products needed for
their sustenance and craft. They were used to taking whatever they wanted from the
forest just as the fisher folk did with respect to the sea. Evacuated from forests, they
carried on with the same mode of living which was called ‘stealing’ in the outside-
forest parlance. Some among them gradually learned to make and sell useful articles
like baskets, brooms and mats. But those who followed their earlier habits were
labelled criminals while those who became artisans were considered nomadic itinerant
tribes. Thus, due to deforestation and evacuation during the colonial period through
the combined efforts of the colonial masters and their indigenous high caste allies,
some tribes became nomadic and some criminals.
Which tribes became agriculturalists and which tribes turned into agricultural
labourers and watchmen? In his Kosambi Memorial Lecture at Bombay University,
Irfan Habib put forward the hypothesis that the caste into which tribes were
assimilated depended upon their prior status as agriculturalists or gatherers. The
agriculturalist-tribes became middle, peasant castes. The hunter-gatherers—who were
not successful in agriculture—became the menial castes and agricultural labourers,
Untouchable Dalits. The above hypothesis is supported by the correspondence in
gender relations between the hunter -gatherer tribes and the Dalit Untouchable castes.
(Nathan 14). At the lower end of the caste spectrum, there is hardly any difference
between the social customs and religious beliefs and rituals of the Dalits and the
tribals (Misra and Nagar 152) which points to a common tradition they shared early.
Misra and Nagar write:
There are tribes which are even today tenaciously holding on to the
prehistoric hunting-gathering way of life like Birhors of Chota Nagpur,
Chenchus of the Eastern Ghats, Kadars of Kerala . . . To be able to
survive in their impoverished environment a number of them have

taken to one or more subsidiary occupations. They make and supply

rope articles to peasants, sharpen grinding mills, grinding stones, trap
and sell birds, collect honey, entertain other communities by dance,
music and acrobatics etc. Some of these communities have taken to
crimes as an important means of survival. The Bawariyas, Aheriyas,
Shansis, Kanjars, Haburas, Berias and several other groups in north
India, the Kuchbandhias and Pardhis in central India and the Pardhis in
western India had acquired considerable notoriety as thieves, dacoits
and highway robbers and were officially declared as criminal tribes.
(115-44)
According to V. N. Misra and Malti Nagar, castes came out of tribes. They
note that the tribes (or aboriginal communities), officially designated, after
Independence, as Schedules Tribes (STs), which constitute about eight per cent of the
country’s population, antedate the castes by many millennia, and have been the
primary source for the formation of castes and recruitment of members to different
castes, particularly those within the middle and lower rungs of the caste hierarchy.
(136)
The tribe-caste continuum is not just an ancient phenomenon. During different
periods, many tribes assumed the status of a caste while some kept their tribe status
intact. Many tribes that retained their distinct tribal social structure and identity had
not transformed themselves into castes. But in certain cases, some tribal groups
transformed themselves into castes adopting Brahmanical culture and ideology
(Jaiswal, Caste: Origin, Function 5-6). The tribals of the Royalseema of South gained
tribal chieftaincies through their role in the wars between the Chalukyas and Pallavas
in the eighth-ninth century AD. Later, they followed the varna/jati (caste) model and
were placed either at the middle or mostly at the lower level in the local caste-
hierarchy (Ram 22-23). Vijendra Kumar observes, “The present trend of Tribes is to
move to caste hierarchy under many direct and indirect pressures. The Banjaras are
both tribes and backward caste. The Kuruvis of Jharkhand, a group with tribal identity,
have become backward caste” (31).
Today, both tribals and low castes are generally considered as belonging to the
lowest stratum in the caste system. Kumar writes, “There is no need of going to Marx
or anyone else, for low castes and tribals have the socio-cultural resources for a
common ideology in their struggle for liberation” (33). Many tribes have recognised
and accepted their Dalit identity as they have become aware of the Untouchable status
that they share with other low castes in the Hindu caste system. Laxman Mane, a
tribal author, notes in Upara, “. . . my caste was included in the list of backward
Classes. So, I started getting a scholarship reserved for B.C. students” (159).
Dalits, by and large, have declared solidarity among themselves and fight for
their fundamental rights. They have launched many social, cultural and political
movements to gain their rightful place in the public domain. On account of these
diverse and united efforts, some marginalised groups among the Dalits have emerged
successful in terms of education, jobs and politics. Further, there have been successful
attempts to enlarge the scope of the group by including them under the common label
Dalitbahujan, thanks to the efforts of Kanshiram, an eminent Dalit leader who tried to
line up the marginalised behind the banner of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). These
consolidated efforts to bring together the marginalised sections, especially the SCs
and STs, under a common canopy have largely been successful.

In spite of Dalitism, many nomadic and criminal tribes are still impoverished
and remain Dalits among the Dalits and marginals among the marginals. They are
invisible because of their lack of education and absence of any effective leadership.
These tribes are varied and scattered all over and, when taken together, constitute a
sizable number in population. But they do not get their due share in the resources of
the nation as their bargaining power is minimal and do not pose any challenge or
threat to any. The criminal and nomadic tribes figure among the invisible sections that
are still on the fringes of the society.
WORKS CITED
Gokhale, Jaysree B. “Castaways of Caste.” Natural History. vol.10, no.86, pp. 31-
37.
Goswami, B. Constitutional Safeguards for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
Rawat, 2003.
Holmstrom, Lakshmi. “Introduction.” Karukku. Bama. 2nd ed., OUP, 2014, pp.
xviii-xix.
Jaiswal, Suvira. “Caste: Origin, Function and Dimensions of Change.” Manohar,
1998.
Jha, Vivekanand. “Stages in the History of Untouchables.” The Past of the Outcaste:
Readings in Dalit history. Ed. Sabyasachi Bhattacharya and Yagati Chinna
Rao. Orient Black Swan, 2017.
Krishan, Shri. “Colonialism, Tribal Groups and Form of Resistance in Western
India.” Social Science Probings vol. 18, no.1, 2006, pp. 81-111.
Kumar, Vijendra. Rise of Dalit Power in India. ABD Publishers, 2001.
Mane, Laxman. Upara: An Outsider. Trans. A. K. Kamat. Sahitya Akademi, 1997.
Misra, V. N. and Malti Nagar. “From Tribe to Caste: An Ethno archaeological
Perspective.” From Tribe to Caste. Ed. Dev Nathan, Indian Institute of
Advanced Study, Shimla, 1997.
Moon, Vasant. Vasti: Growing Up Untouchable in India, A Dalit Autobiography,
Trans. Gail Omvedt. Vistaar Publications, 2002.
Muthaiah, P. “Politics of Dalit Identity.” The Indian Journal of Political Science.
vol. 65, no. 3, pp. 385-402.
Nathan, Dev. “Introduction.” From Tribe to Caste. Indian Institute of Advanced
Study, Shimla, 1997.
Pai, Sudha. Dalit Assertion. Oxford India Short Introductions. Oxford, 2013.
Novel. Illinois UP, 1976.
Prasad, Chandra Bhan. Dalit Phobia: Why do they Hate Us? Vitasta, 2006.
Ram, Nandu. Caste System and Untouchability in South India. Manak, 2008.
Saraswathi, Baidyanath. “Tribe as Caste.” From Tribe to Caste. Ed. Dev Nathan,
Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Shimla, 1997.

Zelliot, Eleanor. From Untouchable to Dalit: Essays on the Ambedkar Movement.

3rd ed., Manohar, 2015.
---. “Introduction.” Vasti: Growing Up Untouchable in India. Vasant Moon, Trans.
Gail Omvedt. Vistaar, 2002. pp. ix-xviii.

The Making and Mechanism of Self-help Books: A Reader Response

Critique
Parvathy B.R *, Suja T.V
Maharaja’s College, Ernakulam
*
Email: parvathysree321@gmail.com
Abstract: An iconic feature of popular culture is a non-fiction genre called the self-
help book, which has become a global publishing success. These books have managed
to create a huge impact on its reader base and the market for these books are currently
quite immense. It is thus essential for both mental and health professionals to have at
least a working knowledge of the above. In the present post-pandemic scenario,
people are trying to find solace in daily living while trying to ensure the best in life. In
such a competitive world, there is a need for good leadership quality and people are
hence in a constant struggle to improve their management capacity while also trying
to win more friends and influence people. For this purpose they turn to self-help
books. The fact is that these books help people become more effective and
psychotherapists often suggest such a supplement to psychotherapy. To ensure more
sale and wider reach, the author adopts certain techniques or strategies to make the
book more appealing as is often visible in the opening pages.
This paper aims to explore the making and mechanism of self- help books, and
the various techniques that authors are adopting to make such books best-sellers. The
books under consideration are Dale Carnegies’ How to Win Friends and Influence
People published in 1936 and Stephen R. Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective
People published in 1989. Carnegie’s book is basically about human influence and
leadership psychology. This book serves exclusively the objective of winning and
well- liked by people. Covey’s book is written on the belief that the way we see the
world is entirely based on our own perceptions.
An analysis of these books will be done using Reader Response Criticism – a
theory based on the assumption that a literary work takes place in the mutual
relationship between the reader and the text and the meaning is constructed through a
transaction between these two within a particular context. The paper will explore the
techniques adopted by self-help book authors and their influence on the reader, as
well as how these books culminated in becoming bestsellers.
Keywords: Reader response, self- help, techniques and strategies, bibliotherapy
INTRODUCTION
The self-help book which is celebrated as an iconic feature of popular culture is a
non-fiction genre which has become a global publishing success. These books have
created a huge impact on its readers and the market for these books are enormous- a
phenomenon about which both mental and health professionals need at least a
working knowledge. In the present post-covid scenario, everyone is trying to find
solace in his or her daily living and all are trying to earn the best from their life. In
this competitive world, people are trying to get good leadership quality and they are in
a constant struggle to improve their management capacity and they also try to win
friends and influence people and for this they depend on the self-help books. They
practise certain skills in life in order to become effective believing that these books
can help them out. And the fact is that these books win in making people effective and
psychotherapists often suggest this as a supplement to psychotherapy which aims at a

process called Bibliotherapy. For this the author adopts certain techniques or
strategies to make the books appealing. One can see that in the introductory pages
itself, the author gives a clear idea that this book will help its readers certainly and if
not, they can stop reading the book.
Matthew E. Archibald, in his book The Evolution of Self-help observes:
The popularity of the self-help book as a publishing category is reflected, even
amplified, in its own social critique. A rising body of critique has
problematised the popularity of self-help literature, focusing its attention on
the deceptive ‘‘undertow’’ with which the genre is afflicted. The self-help
book market, it argues, has deluded the reading public by creating in its
members a co-dependency; rather than helping themselves, readers have
become reliant on the self-help book for the satisfaction of their needs.
Interestingly, this critique has had a ‘‘popularising’’ effect on the self- help
book market. (85)
Self-help books have potential advantages over the psychological treatment
for mind related problems. Self-help books are inexpensive and the price is very
cheap compared to psychological treatments, they are quickly and easily accessible at
anywhere at any time, and they are convenient to use (available day or night, seven
days a week.
The books under consideration for analysing are Dale Carnegies’ How to Win
Friends and Influence People published in 1936 and Stephen R. Covey’s The 7 Habits
of Highly Effective People published in 1989. Both these books are the best-selling
ones and they are also popular in the corporate world. How to Win Friends and
Influence People is one of his best best-selling books and over 30 million copies have
been sold worldwide making it a best- selling book of all time. This book is basically
about human influence and leadership psychology. Next to health, people’s next
biggest interest is human relationships: to understand and get along with others, be
well-liked and win people to their way of thinking. This book serves exclusively that
objective. The second book is written on Covey's belief that the way we see the world
is entirely based on our own perceptions.
In this research paper an analysis is done from the perspective of readers by
applying Reader Response Criticism. Reader-response theory is based on the
assumption that a literary work takes place in the mutual relationship between the
reader and the text. According to this theory, the meaning is constructed through a
transaction between the reader and the text within a particular context. Readers
assume multiple roles when responding to a variety of forms of literature. The process
of developing responses facilitates active and meaningful reading and increases
emotional and intellectual participation in the text, which ultimately provides learners
with better comprehension and awareness of the text.
Reader Response and Self-Help

Reader Response, primarily a German and American offshoot of literary theory,
emerged prominent since 1960s in the West. According to Todd F. Davis and
Kenneth Womank: Reader Response Criticism wholly repudiated all these notions;
instead, it focuses on the systematic examination of the aspects of the text that arouse,
shape, and guide a reader’s response. It designates multiple critical approaches to
reading a text. According to Reader Response criticism, the reader is a producer rather
than a consumer of meanings. (53)
Reader response theory identifies the significant role of the reader in constructing
textual meaning. The theory maintains that textual meaning occurs within the reader

in response to text and recognizes that each reader is situated in a particular manner
that includes factors such as ability, culture, gender, and overall experiences.
The readers of self-help book usually read the book a single time and they could
use the ideas they got from these books for further uses. The ideologies put forward
by these books are highly recommended in corporate fields and they are also highly
accepted. The readers devote particular attention to what occurs during the actual
reading process; they internalize what is written in the text and they could easily
connect it with their lives. They develop a kind of intense tendency to be like what is
written in the text and also, they would like to be like the person whom the author has
given as the example.
For every problem in the life one can depend on these books and it is
psychologically proven. These books mentally help its readers to overcome life
situations and its use is clearly seen among the workers of corporate fields and those
who work under high pressure from the superior officers. Roland Barthes argues that
the “goal of literary work is to make the reader no longer a consumer, but a producer
of the text” (6). The readers while reading a text creates their own meaning and
interprets it in their own way. The author has put forward many techniques to
overcome life situations and the reader could easily capture it by reading it. The
readers can examine the interconnections between their lives and the literary works
that they consume and the author also expects such things. For e.g., Dale Carnegie
writes “I knew from experience that this statement was true, for I myself had been
searching for years to discover a practical, working handbook on human relations” (9).
He also points out the eight things that will help the reader to be successful in life.
After quoting these eight points, the author
claims that this book will help us to “Get out of a mental rut, think new
thoughts, acquire new visions, discover new ambitions” (9). He also asserts that “this
book has done all these things for more than ten million readers in thirty-six
languages”. (9)
Carnegie, in the preface of How to Win Friends and Influence People notes
that:
If by the time you have finished reading the first three chapters of this book –
if you aren’t then a little better equipped to meet life’s situations, then I shall
consider this book to be a total failure so far as you are concerned. For ‘the
great aim of education, ‘said Herbert Spencer, ‘is not knowledge but action.’
And this is an action book. (16)
The author’s confidence level is seen here. In a way it focuses on the mental
stability of the reader. According to the Reader Response Theory, the author can
create as many meanings using the signs and symbols the author has either
intentionally or unintentionally put forward in the text. Similarly, such claims that the
author put forwards also attracts the reader to read the text. Authors especially the
authors of the self-help books use many such techniques and this in turn
psychologically applies to the mind of readers since everyone aims at a highly
successful life. The weak points of the readers are focused and these books aim at
certain people who would like to create huge success in their life.
The self-help books in a way introduce us to our real life or day to day problems
and also find out a solution to it where the solution is easily applicable to the problem.
The general, third- person plural form has now disappeared and the first-person
pronouns are widely used.
Substituted is an individual, singular form, a specific person referred to as ‘‘you’’.
This pronoun shift introduces the self-help book as a form of engagement to an

individual reader as against categories of people to which any single reader belongs.
However, this pronoun usage, in itself, does not specify its reader in any axiomatic
fashion. The interpretative work carried out by readers as a general practice of reading
that is, to think in terms of identity and similarity is implicitly being invoked and the
readers are being asked to make the connection between the encoded reader addressed
and the ‘‘actual’’ person who is reading the book. The authors use the pronouns like I,
We, You, and Us widely in these books and this helps the readers to find themselves
in the narrator’s stand.
Carnegie writes, “The value of sharing is one of the most basic things we believe
in” (46). Here also those who do not believe in the value of sharing get easily adapted
to the value of sharing when they read this. It is easily acceptable. Similarly, the
author has used the first- person pronouns in many situations. The title, quality and
relevance of the content, number of pages, size of the book, cost of the book etc., will
definitely affect the use of book among the readers. The wellness magazines, beauty
magazines etc., play similar role like the self-help books. Everyone is in a hurry to
win friends and influence people. If one can suggest the tips for that, the people will
definitely turn their attention toward such books. Carnegie has intelligently put the
title to his book. One will always develop a tendency to be like the effective people
and always develop a curiosity to find out their life principles. Covey has included the
most outstanding principles of highly effective people and named it after that which
helped him in a way to reach to many readers. The readers of self-help books are able
to give personal responses from their successful life and it is sometimes or always the
success that they achieved from reading such books. For them, these books act as a
motivator, psychologist or pole star. The role of an active reader who could achieve
maximum from a book is very important in the case of this genre.
Reader response theory is very significant in analysing the strategical move of the
authors. Textual reader response approaches admit to the fact that the text does
influence the way readers read and construct meanings. Thus, the reader and the text
interact in the process of formulating a meaning of the text. The text is like a sculpture
and the reader must bring the finished form to the work by interpreting the idea
conveyed by the author. The author can create as many meanings as they wish. In the
case of self-help books, the author gives the reader advice to be followed in life to
succeed. The readers read these books when they are mentally disturbed or in a
traumatic situation and reading these books in such situations helps the readers in
creating their own meaning appropriate to their life situations. An advice given by the
author creates greatest impact on the readers and this impact helps them in creating
accurate meanings. The reader activates the work through reading and it becomes an
active work by the meanings created by the readers. The self-help book gets meaning
only when the reader engages in the text. The reader response theory is highly
significant in this aspect and also for analysing the form and content of the text.
Self-Help Books: Potential Readers

Several surveys have revealed that women purchase and read self-help books
more than men do, especially books pertaining to love and relationships, weight
control, and emotional problems. Recent decades have seen a proliferation of
psychological self-help books, widely consumed by the public and used in the context
of treatment by mental health professionals. Self-help reading attitudes would reflect
certain underlying personality traits.
The leadership quality which the corporate firms aim at creates a kind of mental
pressure in the minds of workers and by analysing the latest data collected by

analysing the mental pressure of these workers, it is clear that they all are facing
similar situations in their work space. Work space is always considered as a place
which they can relax and do their job. But the present situation does not guarantee
such a free space and they have to depend on these books to find solace. They always
consider these books as a success formula which enable them to succeed in their
career.
From analysing the books under consideration also, it is clear that these self-help
books mainly aim at the people who are in better search of a good position and career
in the society. The importance of self-help books is especially seen in corporate fields.
The people who work there will not get enough time to read long books which are
written in a manner which is difficult to read in a single stretch. But the formula that
the authors of such books follow enable them to find it easy and accessible to read and
adapt the ideas whenever they are in need of its help. The age group that these books
mainly aim at is between 22 and 45 because according to human psychology the
people of that age are struggling to find better position in the society as well as in the
family and career. So, they are in intense urge to succeed in the life and these books
are the perfect option for them. The books are written in a very crisp and precise
manner which is time saving. They are cost effective and reading them will only help
them to live with flying colours in life. This particular age group needs money, home,
good career and everything that the society has labelled for an individual as
mandatory.
When we go to a book shop and when we normally see a book name titled as How
to Win Friends and Influence People and The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, we
have a tendency to buy the book only by seeing the title of the book. Actually, the title
has been successfully given by the author to attract readers to buy and to read it. This
is a special tactics of the author. The titles of most of the self-help books attract the
readers at the first sight of them. The selection of self-help books is not random, but it
is encouraging that the reviews are predominantly positive. Nineteen percent of the
books are considered very helpful and one percent is rated negative. Another
indication for the quality of self-help books is the fact that about eighty five percent of
psychotherapists recommend self-help books to clients. Self-help books are unlikely
to be effective if the topics they address have little relevance for the happiness of most
people.
In self-help the role of the reader is even more important. Most readers will not
follow the book page by page, but will study parts of the. In a similar way self-help
books seem to enhance the freedom of choice in an individualistic society. The
reader’s situation in choosing self-help book is very important and the same way it is
their situation that creates meaning to the text. One can see that self-help books are
available in a variety of categories. The best- selling will be always from the ‘Growth’
category because it is about the improvement of the self. Personal efficiency, self-
management, art of living and ways to reach our goals deserve much importance in
our daily life and hence people are very much interested in buying and reading self-
help books. The meaning of self-help books is created by the readers according to
Reader Response Critique. These books aim at the readers who are facing troubles in
life situations and also at those who feel difficulty in moving forward. So, it is their
interpretations to the solutions provided by the author that gives life to the text. If the
reader is passive, there will be no life to the text and only if the reader is active the
text will get a meaning and thereby a life and popularity. So, the reader’s situation in
choosing self-help books deserves great importance according to Reader Response
Critique.

Self-Help Books: Strategies and Techniques

Self-help’s most valuable secrets are not about getting rich or winning friends but
about how and why people read. All self-help, even Dale Carnegie’s How to Win
Friends and Influence People, advances a textual pedagogy. Dealing with people is
the biggest problem we will ever face said Dale Carnegie, and it is true. We deal with
people daily for a lot of things and if done correctly can enhance our lives for the
better. This book’s principles and insights are timeless and are still powerful today for
any situation that involves people.
In the beginning of the book, Carnegie points out the eight things this book will
help you achieve. After pointing out all these things the author claims that “this book
has done all these things for more than ten million readers in thirty-six languages”.
This book has got great public demand and so the copies were increased. The author
in the author’s note claims that, “If by the time you have finished reading the first
three chapters of this book – if you aren’t then a little better equipped to meet life’s
situations, then I shall consider this book to be a total failure so far as you are
concerned”. In the end of every chapter the author tells the readers that to be the
leader of one thing one has to follow the instructions given in the chapter and since
everybody wants to be the leader of everything, this principle can be applied
successfully to suit one’s needs.
Carnegie starts by stating a pre-requisite to getting the most from this book,
which is “a deep, driving desire to learn, a vigorous determination to increase your
ability to deal with people”
(17). His methods represent a way of life that can be achieved through practice,
and will only work when they are applied sincerely from the heart, rather than used as
techniques to cajole others. The core idea of his book is to always consider things
from the other person’s point of view, as well as your own.
Carnegie conveys his ideas using examples and stories from English kings,
Civil War generals, and other famous personalities like Benjamin Franklin, Teddy
Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln and John D. Rockefeller. There are many powerful
situation-specific tips and useful phrases embedded in his case studies that can be
applied in our day-to-day dealings with people. He also remarks about famous
personalities. Carnegie successfully portrayed all the techniques and ideas to win a
better life and also to take a better position in the career. It is clear that the success
formula has been clearly introduced to the reader through crisp words and everything
is described precisely. While doing a linguistic analysis, it is visible that the author
has used words which perfectly suit the occasion.
The 7 Habits mentioned by Covey provide an incremental, sequential, integrated
approach to the development of personal effectiveness. The messages of the self-help
authors are very straightforward. They always put the title in a very effective manner
so that the readers can always get attracted to it. While analysing the title of our two
books under consideration it is clear from the title itself that the author has very
brilliantly and tactfully put the title so that the readers will prefer to read it. In this
competitive world everyone is trying to get good mark in their career and life and
those who are in need of some proper guidelines and principles can easily get
attracted to these books.
In Dale Carnegie’s book the title refers to the effective ways to win and influence
friends and family and this title really helps the book to attract readers. The title of the
second book which reads the seven principles also attracts the readers. The number
seven itself is a small number and it also symbolises that the techniques that they

should follow is a small number. It is clear after analysing these books that the author
has adopted many great techniques to make the book a success. The title itself is eye
catching and it prompts the readers to buy the book. The writing style of the authors
are very elegant and each and every word is used in a crisp and precise manner.
Readers are addressed using the pronoun “you” which makes them feel that the author
is addressing the reader directly and particularly. The ideas are represented very
clearly and the points are introduced carefully and thoroughly. The authors have put
forward some points to ponder to be successful in life and these points are easy to
handle principles.
CONCLUSION
Globalisation influences our cultural identity and affinity groups and in the
scenario of globalisation one can find a cosmopolitan culture where people are
settling distant from their native places and this has created a situation of an
individual to help oneself out of any crisis. A life away from relatives and a job filled
with competition and stress have increased the use of self-help books because they
have no one to lean on when they are mentally unstable.
Also, people tend to be more competitive and individualistic, hence they are
seeking individual remedies. One can identify this on analysing the two books under
consideration.
When one person is in depression or in any sad mood, there is no need to call a
psychologist or a doctor, but the solution is got by reading a self-help book. The
number of people who depend on self-help book is getting increased day by day.
Since it is cost effective, it can be accessed by any reading public. The cost of these
books is comparatively very low but at the same time they have very good quality in
healing the human mind. The content of the book is very clearly and precisely written
in simple language in a concise form so that this helps the readers to grasp the
meaning within a short time. When one is mentally depressed or struggling in the
family, society or in their job fields they could easily get these books and they can
read accordingly by adjusting the time.
In the genre of self- help also, it is visible that the materiality or the content of the
text is focused more than the biography or the history of the author. The meanings or
interpretations created by the reader are a reflection of the reader as well as the text.
This dynamic reading process will enable the reader to evoke a response to events and
characters of a text involving his/her emotions and thoughts. It is worth noting that
active reading, emotional and intellectual participation in the text, construction of
meaning and elicitation of responses are major aspects of literature discussions.
The ideologies put forward by these books are highly recommended in corporate
fields and they are also highly accepted. The readers devote particular attention to
what occurs during the actual reading process; they internalise what is written in the
text and they could easily connect it with their lives. They develop a kind of intense
tendency to be like what is written in the text and also, they would like to be like the
person whom the author has given as the example. The reader also focuses attention
upon the traces of knowledge and data that will remain after the event. The title and
content of the book applies to the dismantled minds of the reader and while
psychologically analysing this, one can easily identify it. One can easily identify that
self-help books work with a ‘one-size fits all’ approach. The advice is not to be
tailored to the personality of the reader, diagnosis or personal circumstances. An
important common factor that is shared by virtually all self-help books is the message

that one can improve a lot. The belief that one can improve is a powerful factor in
actual improvement, and cannot easily be dismissed.
The language and content of most self-help books are congruent with the mental
processes and values. It is written in a very crisp and precise manner which is time
saving. The materiality or the content of the text is focused more than the biography
or the history of the author. Every word in the text is reader oriented and it is the
reader who finds meaning to the text.
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Patriarchy through Patriotic Lens: A Study on the Portrayal of

Women Freedom Fighters in Indian Patriotic Films
Jomia George1,*, Amaljith N.K.2, Robin George1

1
Alphonsa College, Thiruvambady, Calicut
2
Department of Visual Communication
Kalasalingam University, Tamil Nadu
*
Email: jomiaageorge@gmail.com
Abstract: The Indian film industry or the so-called Bollywood is enriched by several
regional language films like Bengali, Marathi, Telugu, Tamil, and Malayalam that
copiously enhances the celluloid with their uniqueness and artistic values. Taking into
consideration the scenario of Bollywood, they are often seen as depicting film genres
like romance, melodrama, and action thrillers that glorify and glamorize the veiled
world.
Most often, these multitudes of areas, focus on gender stereotypes that are
covered under the harsh veils of patriarchy. This obnoxious scenario is not much
different in the case of patriotic films. The female characters are shown with less
screen space and less screen time.
Compared to the dozens of films about the life and struggles of male freedom fighters,
films about women freedom fighters are rare in the Indian film industry. In the case of
patriotic films, only a few films are directed based on the life of women freedom
fighters, which acts as contrary to the fact that women freedom fighters had an
inexorable part in the history of the Indian Freedom Movement.
This paper entitled Patriarchy through Patriotic Lens: A Study on Portrayal of
Women Freedom Fighters in Indian Patriotic Films reconnoiters how Indian women
freedom fighters like Rani Lakshmi Bai, Uda Devi, Jhalkari Bai, Rani Gaidinilu,
Beegum Royeka, Sarojini Naidu, Aruna Asaf Ali, Captain Lakshmi, Sucheta
Kripalani etc who fought against the British rule are portrayed in Indian patriotic
films. Compared to the dozens of films about the life and struggles of male freedom
fighters, films about women freedom fighters are rare in the Indian film industry.
The paper aims to prove that there are several famous and forgotten women
freedom fighters that history holds in veils. The films taken for reference here are The
Legend of Bhagat Singh (2002), 23rd March 1931: Shaheed (2002), Netaji Subhas
Chandra Bose: The Forgotten Hero (2004), Mangal Pandey: The Rising (2005),
Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi (2019). The study discusses the portrayal of
women freedom fighters in the films and the perception of the general audience about
women freedom fighters.
Keywords: Patriotism,Patriarchy,Bollywood,Women Freedom Fighters,History
INTRODUCTION
The celluloid often reflects women's image, status and role in society. Patriarchy
does exist all around us, in its celebrated varied forms. Women were used as sheer
props at times, or to add to the ‘glamour quotient.’ Such objectification can be seen as
nothing but as an offshoot of the society’s patriarchal outlook. Man is seen as the
domineering one, as the key role player, or in other words as the Alpha one. On the

other hand, woman is seen as the weaker sex or the marginalised who always needs a
man to uplift her from their debilitated status.
Much heroic stories are spoken and written about men who fought in the Indian
freedom struggle but meagre effort is taken to speak, to pen down or telecast the role
of their female counterparts. The role of women freedom fighters has been forgotten
and their stories are unsung. One forgets the fact that their contributions towards the
motherland are impeccable. Rani Lakshmi Bhai, Umabai Kundapur, Uda Devi,
Jhalkari Bai, Matangini Hazra, Rani Gaidinilu, Begum Royeka, Kittur Rani
Chennamma, Sarojini Naidu, Captain Lakshmi Sehgal, Aruna Asaf Ali, Sucheta
Kripalani etc. are some of the notable women freedom fighters. Daring,
Straightforward and Fierce- these adjectives best depict the women freedom fighters
of the time who dynamically participated in India’s Freedom struggle.
With the dawn of Europeans in India, a struggle for independence ascended
upon its citizens, and this revolt against the British unified the masses. Gandhiji’s
ideology, Nehru’s cleverness, and the bravery of Subhash Chandra Bose were praised
by the masses and encouraged the amateur minds of people. Without any fear and
agony, Indian freedom fighters led their revolt. The aforementioned names are the
ones that are written and etched in the golden pages of History. But why are the
names of women freedom fighters seldom mentioned? Did women freedom fighters
even exist? Are they recognized? Are they equally honoured like their male
counterparts? The reels are a medium to depict the realities and to retain the glories of
the past. There are many Indian films based on the Indian freedom movement and
Indian freedom fighters. As one can see only a few films have depicted the life of
women freedom fighters in the Indian film industry. The rest gave only minor
recognition to the vainglorious efforts put forth by women freedom fighters. It is here
that this paper takes a delve into the oft-forgotten female freedom fighters who are
hardly ever mentioned in the pages of history.
Women Freedom Fighters in Indian Patriotic Films reconnoitres how Indian women
freedom fighters are shown with less screen space and less screen time with a minimal
number of dialogues. A qualitative as well as quantitative approach is employed in
the paper validating the theoretical statements being made with their corresponding
numerical data.
Theory of Patriarchy with reference to Media
The world of Bollywood or the Hindi film industry like many other industries
in the world has never moved away from patriarchy, misogyny or from abrupt
domestic and marital violence towards its female counterparts. They are not
celebrated as the ‘She-roes’, but rather they hide under the veil of the so called ‘He-
roes’. The silver screen hides the role played by the females even if it is a grandeur
one. Such is the case taken into analysis over here. Men as well as Women have
bravely and effortlessly fought for the Nation. But the reels do hide or portray these
characters attributing them negligible importance. The hidden agenda behind this is to
glorify the knight in armour and to forecast woman as the damsel in distress, who
cannot fight for freedom or lead a group of people who aspire for freedom.
The lenses of gender and patriarchy remain critical, albeit under-theorized in the
whole scenario.

Analysis of Patriarchy in selected Patriotic Films

Women Freedom Fighters in Indian Patriotic Films focuses on five selected patriotic
films and analyses each of them through a patriarchal lens. The films taken for
reference here are The Legend of Bhagat Singh (2002), 23rd March 1931: Shaheed
(2002), Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose: The Forgotten Hero (2004), Mangal Pandey:
The Rising (2005), Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi (2019). Numerical validating
factual evidence is also incorporated at the end of each qualitative analysis, provided
in the form of a table that shows the screen space occupied and the number of
dialogue deliverance attributed to each respective woman freedom fighter.
The Legend of Bhagat Singh (2002)
The Legend of Bhagat Singh is a 2002 biopic directed by Rajkumar Santoshi.
The film starred Ajay Devgan in the titular role, along with Sushant Singh Rajput, D.
Santosh and Akhilendra Mishra as the other lead characters. Indrani Banerjee
portrayed the role of Durgawati Devi.
This biographical motion picture revolves around the life and times of the
celebrated Indian revolutionary Bhagat Singh, who led an armed resistance against the
British in the 1920’s. Being held behind the bars for a bombing, Singh, a native of
Punjab, organizes protests along with a hunger strike against the British. This
infuriates the English men, who in turn hang Bhagat Singh on March 23, 1931. He
thus became the glorious 23 old martyr and a sung hero of the Indian Independence
movement.
But the movie, holds an unsung heroine in veils. While lionizing the deeds of
Bhagat Singh, the silver screen fails to forecast the valiant deeds of Durgawati Devi,
the Indian revolutionary and a brave freedom fighter. The harsh pangs of patriarchy
are very much evident in the film as the role of such a valiant and powerful woman is
reduced to that of a meagre one.
Wife of Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA) member
Bhagwati Charan Vohra, Durgawati Devi led the funeral procession of Jatindra Nath
Das from Lahore to Calcutta after his death in the 63-day jail hunger strike. One of
the countable women revolutionaries who actively participated in armed revolution
against the ruling British Raj, Devi was contributory in assisting Bhagat Singh and
Shivaram Rajguru in their escape after the killing of J. P. Saunders.
The pages of history shows that on December 17, 1928, the proclaimed
revolutionaries Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru shot Assistant Superintendent of
Police John Saunders, to avenge the death of Lala Lajpat Rai whom Saunders had
earlier murdered in the brutal Lathi charge. The trio then sought the help of Durgawati
Devi, who had known them through the Naujawan Bharat Sabha that was established
with the aim of reassuring the youth to join the freedom struggle and with an
objective to end the social evils of communalism and untouchability. She agreed to
help the trio regardless of her own safety. She helped them financially by handing
over the sum of money her late husband had left with her for emergencies. In addition
to this, in order to help Bhagat Singh escape from the British intelligence in Lahore,
she also took up the challenging role to pose as Singh’s wife.

The brave deeds of Durgawati Devi never ceases. When her husband Jatindra
Nath Das, had died in the 63 day jail hunger strike it was she who valiantly lead the
funeral from Lahore to Calcutta. After Bhagat Singh yielded himself for the 1929
Assembly bomb-throwing incident, Devi courageously tried to assassinate Lord
Hailey. Though the attempt was in vein, many of his associates perished in the
incident. This led to her imprisonment for three years. Durga Devi’s act of sacrifice
and courage stands par excellence in the fact that the social dogmas of the time
strictly forbade contact between men and women who were not married. Despite
acknowledging the risks, she decided to help the revolutionaries, knowing how
important their leadership was for the nationalist struggle toward India’s
Independence along with carrying out her own measures for freedom from the
colonisers.
In contrast to the rest of the freedom fighters, after Indian Independence,
Durga started living as a common citizen in quiet secrecy and exclusion in Ghaziabad.
Devi also paved way for opening a school in Lucknow for under privileged children.
But all these elements are missing in the film, as Bhagat Singh is shown as a
knight in shining armour and the role of Durgawati Devi is very much minimalised
with shorter screen duration and minimal dialogues, stumbled under the lens of
patriarchy. Let us look into the data analysis provided below to validate this point.
Name of the Film The Legend of Bhagat

Singh
Duration of the Film 155 Minutes
Woman Freedom Fighter involved Durgawati Devi
Total Number of Scenes in Film 111
Number of Scenes Related to the aforementioned Woman 3
Freedom Fighter
Number of Scenes with Dialogue 3
Table 1. Film Details. The Legend of Bhagat Singh
As can be noted from the above table, the biopic consists of a total number of
111 scenes with a run time of 155 Minutes. But Durgawati Devi, who had played a
pivotal role in the freedom struggle of India is shown as a minor character who
appears in just 3 scenes with similar number of dialogues.
23 March 1931: Shaheed (2002)
rd
23rd March 1931: Shaheed is yet another film based on the life of Bhagat
Singh and Chandrashekhar Azad starring Bobby Deol as Bhagat Singh and Sunny
Deol as Chandrashekhar Azad respectively. Directed by Guddu Dhanoa, the film
consists of 105 scenes in total.
Durgawati Devi was crucial in protecting Bhagat Singh when the Britishers
had produced a lookout notice for him associated with the murder of John
Saunders. She was also a key member of Chandrasekhar Azad and Bhagat Singh’s
Hindustan Socialist Republican Army. But the patriarchal lens gave her only a feeble
screen space negotiating all her sacrifices and leaderships.

Name of the Film 23 March 1931: Shaheed

rd

Women Freedom Fighter involved Durgawati Devi
Total Number of Scenes in the Film 105
Number of Scenes Related to Women Freedom Fighter 9
Table 2. Film Details. 23 March 1931: Shaheed
rd
As can be validated, the Indian woman freedom fighter Durgawati Devi is

here portrayed in a countable 9 scenes with just 3 scenes with dialogues. Divya Dutta
portrayed the role of Durgawati Devi in the film and again the pangs of patriarchy is
visible here as the role of such an eminent freedom fighter is minimalised.
Mangal Pandey: The Rising (2005)
Mangal Pandey: The Rising is a 2005 Bollywood movie based on the life of
Mangal Pandey, the Indian soldier who started the first Indian rebellion of 1857
against the British. The film was directed by Ketan Mehta and Aamir Khan portrayed
the character, Mangal Pandey.
The movie is an epic tale of friendship, betrayal, love and sacrifice and is set
against the backdrop of the First War of Independence, which the Britisher’s fondly
addressed as the Sepoy Mutiny. Pandey’s valorous deeds are exemplified in the movie
with grandeur chivalry. Mangal Pandey was killed by the British and from the death
of Mangal Pandey the Revolt of 1857 started. His heroic deeds are very well depicted
in the film. On the other hand, Rani Laksmi Bai, Pandey’s contemporary also fought
against the British in the Revolt of 1857 to save her kingdom of Jhansi. But she only
appears as a cameo in the film.
So who was Rani Lakshmi Bai and why is she missing from the major scenes
of the film? Rani Lakshmi Bai aka Manikarnika was born in 1828 as Manikarnika
Tambe, and her life exemplifies the quintessential revolt against the patriarchy. When
she entered the age of adolescence, she was trained to be a warrior, mastering in the
art of archery, horse-riding, and sword wielding. These activities were considered
non-feminine and were forbidden for a young woman at that time. Apart from this,
she also trained her fellow women to follow her path and become great warriors. Her
bravery was illustrated at the time when her despicable fate led her to rise to power at
a time when the British, under the Doctrine of Lapse deemed her adopted son as an
ill-suited heir to the throne after the demise of the King, demanding the Rani to
surrender as the British annexed Jhansi. Lakshmi Bai, who was only twenty-two years
of age then, stood her ground as she opposed the demands of the British. After
veinless efforts of compromise with the British, she joined the first Indian rebellion
against the British becoming the leader of the rebellion itself, leading an entire army
of men and women in mutiny against colonial rule.
She was quite famous for her unique perspectives and her courage to fight
against social norms even in front of the whole society. As per the Doctrine of Lapse
there was no son of King Gangadhar Rao. Hence, Damodar Rao was adopted by them
and Rani Laksmi Bai fought against them. Laksmi Bai fought as an intrepid and
fearless soldier until her premature death in the 1858 battle. She juxtaposed many of
the patriarchal cultural prospects for women in India's society at that time. But all

these scenes are missing in the patriarchy dominated film. It clearly illustrates that
apart from having their names registered in British records, most patriotic women
remain unknown.
The movie Mangal Pandey: The Rising shows the female heroic tradition of
India, which has been stripped due to the patriarchal mindset and historiography. The
missing Jhansi in the film supports this statement.
Let us look into the statistical data to validate the point.
Name of the Film Mangal Pandey: The

Rising
Women Freedom Fighter involved Rani Lakshmi Bai
Total Number of Scenes in the Film 65
Number of Scenes Related to the Woman Freedom 1
Fighter
Table 3. Film Details. Mangal Pandey: The Rising
As evident from the table, the film consists of a total of 65 scenes and the
woman freedom fighter Rani Lakshmi Bai was portrayed in just 1 scene in the film.
The character was portrayed by Varsha Usgaonkar and she had only a single dialogue
in the entire film.
Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose: The Forgotten Hero (2004)
Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose: The Forgotten Hero (2004) is based on the life
of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose written and directed by Shyam Benegal. Sachin
Khedekar played the character of Subhas Chandra Bose in the film. The film focuses
on the last five years of Netaji's life and how he formed the Azad Hind Fauj. It also
includes his life story that is narrated in flashback sequences followed in a non-
chronological order. While all these leaderships taken by him are vividly mentioned
in the film, it fails to bring out the story of his close associate and fellow freedom
fighter Captain Lakshmi Sehgal.
Captain Lakshmi Sehgal was a woman who played magnificent roles and held
various positions hand in hand . She picked up a Gun for Indian National Army (INA)
founded by Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose and led it like a tigress in India’s struggle
for freedom. She lead the Rani of Jhansi Regiment from the front, leading a group of
women soldiers. Apart from being a freedom fighter she was also an avid fighter
against casteism. By profession, she was an accomplished medical student but this
never stopped her inclination toward the freedom struggle.
As a young doctor of 26, she boarded the plane to Singapore. There she met
Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. It was a meeting that changed her life for the better.
Lakshmi Sehgal states, “In Singapore, there were a lot of nationalist Indians like K. P.
Kesava Menon, S. C. Guha, N. Raghavan, and others, who formed a Council of
Action. The Japanese, however, would not give any firm commitment to the Indian
National Army, nor would they say how the movement was to be expanded, how they
would go into Burma, or how the fighting would take place. People naturally got fed
up.” (Menon)

One of the founding members of AIDWA formed in 1981, Sahgal actively

guided plentiful of its activities and campaigns. The Captain led a medical team to the
city, after the Bhopal gas tragedy in December 1984. She also penned a medical
report on the long-term effects of the gas on pregnant women. In the meantime, Prime
Minister Indira Gandhi’s assassination in 1984 aroused Sikh hatred among the masses.
To put out the caste hatred in the streets of Kanpur, she made sure that no Sikh or
Sikh establishment in the crowded area near her clinic was attacked. Thus she ensured
communal harmony at any cost.
Considering Sehgal’s life, it can be seen as a knotty part of 20th and early 21st
century India as it aptly dealt with the struggle against colonial rule, the
accomplishment of freedom, and the building of the nation over 65 riotous years. This
magnificent historical transition, positioned herself firmly on the side of the needy
and the underprivileged.
A Freedom fighter to its true spirits, an enthusiastic and impartial medical
practitioner, and an owing leader of the women's movement in India, Captain
Lakshmi leaves the country and its people a fine and enduring legacy, to which every
Indian is forever indebted to. Hence the film, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose: The
Forgotten Hero (2004), has done great injustice to the woman freedom fighter by not
portraying any of her brave and kind renderings.
Name of the Film Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose: The
Forgotten Hero
Women Freedom Fighter involved Captain Lakshmi Sehgal
Number of Scenes Related to the Woman 7
Freedom Fighter
Table 4. Film Details. Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose: The Forgotten Hero
The film consists of a total number of 142 scenes and the woman freedom
fighter Captain Lakshmi Sehgal, despite being Bose’s close associate was portrayed in
just 7 scenes. The role of Lakshmi was played by Rajeshwari Sachdev and the scenes
with dialogues attributed to a meagre number of 5 scenes. The screwed mindset of the
Indian patriarchy that fails to accept a woman leader and freedom fighter is very much
evident here on the silver screen.
Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi (2019)
Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi is based on the life of Rani Lakshmi Bai of
Jhansi and her resistance against the British in the Indian Rebellion of 1857. The film
directed by Radha Krishna Jagarlamundi had Kangana Ranaut play the character of
Rani Lakshmi Bai. The pivotal point to be noted here is that Rani Lakshmi Bai was
the first ever Indian woman to fight against the British in the wake of Independence.
The times when most of the Rajas and Princes were assisting the pseudo horse
by consciously obeying the commands of the East India Company, the patriotic rebel
in Lakshmi Bai refused to kneel down. She assembled a wave against British Raj by
rallying the citizens including the female warriors. It was a time when the strength of
the limbs was as important as mental sharpness. To be a woman amidst conflicting

circumstances, she did what is beyond the ambit of many. Manikarnika boldly
highlights this sentiment.
The viewer is tolerant with the fact that Rani Lakshmibai was a prolific reader
with strong command over the English language. She comes in an aura of confidence
and confronts the British with a straight face. Her character and talent are par
excellence as she breaks away from the social stigma attached with a widowed
woman at the time. Rather, she takes it to heart to fight against the Britishers, acting
as a Real Queen, becoming the Queen of Jhansi. It underscores Lakshmi Bai’s
ingenious political strategies, her ambiance to feel the passion of the masses. She is
shown as a happy-go-lucky lass who enjoys riding the horse, and engaging in archery
and swordsmanship, which were considered taboo for women at the time. The closure
portrays a brave Lakshmi Bai embracing death with a serene satisfied smile, having
given her best in the last battle.
Now, let us look at the statistical data, showing how much screen importance
is given to the character of Rani Lakshmi Bai.
Name of the Film Manikarnika: The Queen of
Jhansi
Women Freedom Fighter Involved Rani Lakshmi Bai
Number of Scenes Related to the Women Freedom 53
Fighter
Table 5. Film Details. Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi
The film consisted of a total number of 78 scenes wherein only 53 scenes are
related to Lakshmi Bai, the lead character in the film, unlike other patriotic films that
had full screen space occupied by its male counterparts.
From the analysis and findings, it is clear that there are several famous and
forgotten women freedom fighters in our history. Rani Lakshmi Bai, Uda Devi,
Jhalkari bai, Rani Gaidinilu, Beegum Royeka, Sarojini Naidu, Aruna Asaf Ali,
Captain Lakshmi, Sucheta Kripalani were the notable women who fought against the
British Rule. In the case of patriotic films, only a few films were directed based on the
life of women freedom fighters.
CONCLUSION
While the patriarchal mindset would like to believe that women were just helpers,
in sheer reality they were crusaders and carried out crucial errands during the freedom
movement. At a period in history when orthodoxy and patriarchy were at their
epitome, these courageous women took it upon themselves to proactively and
solemnly put up a brave fight against the harsh white rule of the Colonisers. When
most of the men were comprehensively put in prison, it was the marginalized
womenfolk who effortlessly came to the forefront and took charge of the freedom
struggle. Inspite of the agony, manipulation and adversities they faced, they came
forward with true spirit and courage to give the country the much cherished and
awaited dream of independence from the British. The patriarchal society might
continue to force its pangs on the woman community, but the tales of these crusaders

shall always be cherished in the mind of every patriotic Indian and hopefully the
celluloid will be able to preserve those moments in its true spirit.
WORKS CITED
23rd March 1931: Shaheed, directed by Guddu Dhanoa . Performed by Bobby
Deol, Vijayta Films, 2002
Gandhi, Sushma. Portrayal of Women in India- The Human Rights Perspective.
New Delhi: Sage Publication, 2001
Mangal Pandey: The Rising, directed by Ketan Mehta. Performed by Aamir Khan,
YRF, 2005
Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi, directed by Krish Jagarlamudi . Performed by
Kangana Ranaut, Zee Studios, 2019
Menon, Parvathy. “ Captain Lakshmi Sahgal (1914 - 2012) - A life of struggle”.
The Hindu, July 23,2012,www.thehindu.com/news/national/captain-
lakshmi-sahgal-1914-2012-a-life-of-struggle/article3672666.ece. Accessed
23 Nov. 2022.
Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose: The Forgotten Hero, directed by Shyam Benegal.
Performed by Sachin Khedekar, Sahara India Media Communication Ltd.,
2004
Patowary, H. Portrayal of Women in Indian Mass Media: An Investigation. New
Delhi: Journal of Education & Social Policy, 2014.
Phukan, Dolly. Gender Senitisation: A Critical analysis of the role of media. New
Delhi: Omsons Publications, 2014.
The Legend of Bhagat Singh, directed by Rajkumar Santhoshi. Performed by Ajay
Devgan, Tips industries, 2002

Medical Tourism: An Exemplar of Price Discrimination
Deeya Deep Anand,

Department of Economics,
University of Kerala
Email: deeyadanand@gmail.com
Abstract: The medical tourism and healthcare industry is currently growing in leaps
and bounds in terms of revenue generation and employment. Medical travel in Asia is
relatively new when compared to its Western counterparts. Albeit, within the last
decade medical tourism has experienced substantial growth in developing countries
around the world. Asia, a current leader in medical tourism growth, is host to
Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and India which has cultivated the market for medical
tourists with the emergence of corporate hospitals that provide international patients
with an experience that is both medically advanced and a vacation. So, most corporate
hospitals have divided their patients into segments that exhibit different demographic
profiles. Once identified based on the elasticity of demand and the willingness to pay,
corporate hospitals utilise price discrimination to gather additional consumer surplus
from high-paying patients, ultimately allowing those who would not traditionally be
able to afford treatment to have access to medical care, thus leading to a situation of
price discrimination. This paper attempts to provide a comprehensive look at how the
healthcare sector engages in price discrimination to extract maximum consumer
surplus from medical tourists and its further implications.
Keywords: Medical tourism, healthcare, pricing, Asia
INTRODUCTION
In the last few years, the medical tourism industry has grown rapidly. This type of
popular mass culture especially favours countries in Asia wherein there is significant
movement between high-earning and lower-earning countries in pursuit of healthcare
purposes. The key motivation for such travel has been the excruciatingly expensive,
inadequate, or unavailable services in their high-income home countries. In response
to the proliferation of demand for healthcare services at affordable costs, governments
and private-sector actors in Asian and Latin American countries have begun to
capitalise on such opportunities and promoting in their countries, cities, and medical
facilities as medical tourism destinations to boost and diversify their tourism and
healthcare offerings.
Policy interventions via fiscal measures were a primary tool utilised by various
governments to promote their country as a medical tourism destination. The corporate
hospital also pursues its slew of measures to promote the same by providing a wide
range of affordable healthcare services and implementing differential pricing policies
that result in price discrimination between countries and within the host country itself.
This makes medical tourism a mushrooming phenomenon with policy implications for
health systems, particularly in destination countries.
Despite the hailing of the obvious economic benefits of medical tourism for the
host countries, the potential impact on health systems, particularly in terms of equity
in access and availability for local consumers, is somewhat murky.

This paper presents a conceptual framework that outlines the policy implications
of medical tourism's growth for health systems, how corporate hospitals have erected
in place pricing policies that discriminate in terms of prices to make their services
more alluring and balance this act on the flip side by providing the same services to
the low income earning locals. It draws on the cases of Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia
and India for examining price discrimination between countries with special emphasis
on factors that are favourable exclusively in the Indian context for differential pricing,
via an extensive review of academic and journal publications.
Methodology
The study proposes to use a variety of secondary data sources including journal
publications, research papers, etc dealing with pricing policies of the healthcare sector
in lieu of medical tourism.
Comparative Study of Price Discrimination in Thailand, Singapore and
Malaysia
At the core of medical tourism, is the ability to attract international patients
through marked differences in prices, quality of services, delivery of services, human
resources etc. As the competition within the industry gains traction, the final
destination of the money of those seeking healthcare facilities will be determined by
the countries’ ability to attract foreign medical travellers.
At the pinnacle of such determining factors is price, which makes medical tourism
viable and, therefore, is the most important product attribute. Medical tourism cannot
be a viable alternative unless there is significant price difference between the
healthcare in the destination country and the country of origin.
The healthcare sector is witnessing rapid growth in Southeast Asia, credited to the
burgeoning growth of the private sector to supplement medical tourism. Countries
exploit the lucrative opportunity of their popularity as tourist destinations by
combining high-quality medical services at competitive prices with tourist packages.
Among the top destinations for medical tourism are Thailand, Malaysia and
Singapore and others which combine quite skillfully the affordability of healthcare
with numerous picturesque sights to provide a relaxing environment during the
recovery period.
Prominent Strategies in the Medical Tourism Industry
The three countries have adopted a combination of different strategies to gain a
competitive advantage and promote MT growth. These strategies are overviewed in
the table below and compared against each other.

Table 1: MT strategies pursued by Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia

Medical tourism strategies
Thailand Singapore Malaysia
Cost leadership strategy Differentiation strategy Cost leadership
A product bundling strategy (High-end complex quality & strategy
(Special packages of medical superior Diversification
travel services) technology) strategy
Branding strategy
(as a regional hub of
"medical
excellence")
SOURCE: https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/223045584.pdf
India and Thailand have reaped the benefits of gaining market share by offering
competitively priced medical packages. They have both employed a similar strategic
approach the essence of which is cost leadership. This has posed as a viable
alternative for many uninsured and underinsured individuals in the West, particularly
the USA which has more than 42 million people without health insurance.
Diagnostic and surgical service in Western countries is more costly than what an
Asian medical tourism destination could offer. The cost affordability considerably
rationalises the attraction of medical tourists towards low-cost MT destinations.
Cost Comparisons
Woodman (2007) made a direct comparison of the costs of seven major medical
treatments between the US and major medical tourism destinations in Asia: Thailand,
Singapore, Malaysia and India. Medical treatment in Asia costs six to 33 percent less
compared to what it would have cost in the United States. For example, a heart bypass
procedure costs US$ 130,000 in the United States and only costs less than one-tenth
in Malaysia at US$ 9,000. Similarly, a heart valve replacement in the United States
would cost about 15 times higher than in Singapore, Thailand,
and Malaysia, at US$ 160,000.
For the majority of medical procedures that are most sought after, Thailand and
Malaysia appear to be the cheapest destinations, while Singapore is the most
expensive. Nevertheless, medical treatment in Singapore is still much cheaper than it
would be in the United States.

Table 2 : Medical tourism prices (in selected countries)
Source: Authors, March 2011, compiled from medical tourism providers and brokers online.
Traveling costs are not included in the above cost comparison, yet its importance
in decision-making cannot be overlooked. The current relatively affordable cost of air
travel has become one of the motivators for Western medical tourists to travel to
another part of the world to seek medical treatments. For example, the introduction of
Malaysian AirAsia with low airfares has been instrumental in boosting the promotion
of medical tourism among the 3 countries.
Policies Related to Medical Tourism in Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand
Since the establishment of the National Committee for Promotion of Medical and
Health Tourism (NCPMHT), the Malaysian government has reinforced the activities
in the medical tourism industry with a special focus on tax incentives, fee packaging,
accreditation, promotion, etc. Medical tourism spans several sectors and comprises
representatives from the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Culture, Arts and Tourism,
etc. The promotion of medical tourism in Malaysia has been the focal point of the
8th Malaysia Plan (2001-2005) and the 9th Malaysia Plan (2006-2010).
Under the 1998 Private Healthcare Facilities and Services Act (Laws of Malaysia
1998), the 13th fee schedule is in force (Malaysian Medical Association n.d.)
implying that prices are regulated as a maximum chargeable fee is set. As Malaysia is
moving towards universal health care coverage, a social health insurance system with
access to both public and private facilities across all levels of care in addition to cost-
sharing options has been considered in response to the demands of the growing
middle class.
In Singapore, the medical tourism industry is backed by extremely strong and
integrated government support. Singapore Medicine, led by the Ministry of Health is a
government-industry partnership was established in 2003. It involves the Economic
Development Board, International Enterprise Singapore and Singapore Tourism
Board.
In Singapore, for subsidised citizens and permanent residents, hospital bills are
dependent primarily on the condition and type of procedure. In the public sector, the
doctor fees are set by the Ministry of Health. The government offers multiple schemes
that serve the locals exclusively such as the MediSave, the compulsory national
medical savings scheme, which can be used for hospitalisation expenses. Patients also
have the added option of MediShield, an opt-out, voluntary low-cost catastrophic

illness insurance scheme with deductibles and co-insurance. MediFund, an

endowment fund caters to the needs of low-income Singaporeans. Private and foreign
patients in public or private hospitals, on the other hand, are not subsidised and prices
have been market determined since 2006 and may differ.
In 2004, Thailand promoted its vision to be a world-class “Medical Hub” which
was its explicitly announced tourism policy. But the Thai government has stepped
back from this policy and left the rumination and action in the area of medical tourism
to be largely driven by the private sector. This was a scenario quite different from that
of Singapore and Malaysia where the government worked in tandem with the private
sector for the most part.
In Thailand, patients visiting private hospitals that are not contracted by the
NHSO or SSO mostly pay out of pocket as very few have private health insurance
coverage. This can be attributed to the fact that there is a dimming potential for the
private health insurance market in Thailand at present due to the prevalence of risk-
pooling within the family. An observation made by a representative of a tier 1 hospital
was that 75% of their claims were settled in cash. What this means in the medical
tourism industry is that the cost of private hospital treatment is largely determined by
negotiations between patients and providers directly, and not through negotiations
between a third party and providers since, in Thailand, the industry is characterised by
a large degree of service differentiation.
A nation's economic standing is a key factor in medical centres in underdeveloped
nations being able to offer healthcare services at low costs. Indeed, there is potential
to enhance the accessibility and quality of treatment accessible to the population of
these nations given that the costs of medical care in a destination country often
correlate with that nation's per-patient costs. The government of destination countries
must implement and enforce appropriate macroeconomic policies to ensure that the
residents of these nations realise the potential benefits of the medical tourism industry.
Study of Price Discrimination in India
In 2003, Finance Minister, Jaswant Singh in his annual budget speech announced
the government escalating interest in combining expenditure and tourism when he
envisioned “India becoming a global health destination”.
Medical tourism finds its ultimate destination in India as the country offers quality
care, cheaper services compared to the West, package deals and affordable packages
from the tourism and hospitality sectors and diversification in the options offered by
holistic medicine.
The economic advantage of being in the medical tourism industry is acquired by
price discrimination in terms of various procedures offered when compared to
Western countries. The main element in advancing MT is this. Even though patients
receive the greatest medical care, they also can see India through dependable travel
services for tourism and pilgrimage.
The literature available on medical tourism often discusses the implications of a
slowly-by-surely emerging existence of a two-tiered healthcare system, with the
majority of low-purchasing power domestic patients relying on basic, inadequately
equipped public facilities, while medical tourists are treated in state-of-the-art private
facilities. Additionally, it is frequently claimed that urbanisation of healthcare

delivery will compound the issues brought on by a two-tiered health system (Smith,
Álvarez and Chanda 2011). A few studies claim that medical tourism may lead to the
transfer of best practices and technology, although this beneficial spillover impact
could only apply to fields that are pertinent to medical tourism, like cosmetic surgery.
However, only anecdotal evidence is the dominant source of such assertions since the
segregation of the impact of well-off domestic patients versus medical tourists is
taxing considering the dearth of literature addressing the same.
Why Treatment in India Costs Less
Fees for treatments in India range from 50% to as little as one-fifth of the price in
the United States. For example: Apollo Hospital in New Delhi, India, charges $4,000
for cardiac surgery, whereas the same procedure costs $30,000 in the United States. A
rhinoplasty procedure that costs only $850 in India would cost $4,500 in the United
States.
India is also an economically favourable destination for non-surgical procedures.
Another example: a six-hour comprehensive fitness exam — including an
echocardiogram, stress test, lung-function test and ultrasound of internal organs —
costs only $125 at India's Rajan Dhall Hospital; a similar battery of tests in the United
States could easily top $4,000.
Table 3: Comparison of costs of medical procedures between US and India
Source Subimo(US rates),cited in ‘Outsourcing your heart’,Time,May21,2006.

Reasons that Enable India to Charge Low Prices :

Labor costs
Labour costs and wage rates are significantly lower in India when compared to the
US. This is evidenced by an example at Fortis hospitals in India where doctors earn
about 40 percent less than physicians of equal standing in the United States. Nurses
salaries also show similar characteristics; only 20% of those in US. These lower labor
costs make it much less expensive to build and operate hospitals in other countries.
Package Pricing
In India, where package pricing is quintessential, patients can compare rates with
the aid of medical travel agents. In contrast, prices are challenging to obtain in
American hospitals and often, when disclosed don’t appeal to the patients. But in
India, even non-fixed pricing companies will give pretty accurate price quotations. As
a result, hospitals and clinics that serve a lot of medical tourists frequently provide
price quotes in advance and seek out cost-saving measures for their patients.
Less to No Third-Party Payment
In Western countries, when the government or insurance covers the majority of
medical expenses, markets can become constrictive. Insurers and the government
collectively account for around 79 percent of the cost of healthcare in the US. For
this reason, the companies that service them rarely compete based on pricing.
In nations with developing, competitive medical markets, a substantially larger
proportion of private health spending is out-of-pocket. For example – patients pay
75 % of health care spending out of pocket. Patients are more inclined to compete
with providers based on pricing when they have greater control over their healthcare
spending. As a result, the private healthcare markets in these nations are more
severely competitive.
Scarce opportunities for Cross-Subsidisation
Revenues from treatments for certain patients are used to defray the expenses of
treating other patients in non-profit general hospitals in the US. Because certain
medical procedures generate more income than they cost to give, cross-subsidisation
is conceivable. This means that although a hospital's fees for heart surgery more than
cover its expenses, those for emergency department care do not. The hospital can
cross-subsidise without suffering a revenue loss if there is no competition for the
business of cardiac patients in the hospital's service area. However, a provider that
does not cross-subsidise may charge the same fee for the cardiac treatment and still
turn a profit.
Modernised Services
There are hospitals and specialty clinics where duties and processes have been
simplified for maximum effectiveness. This is a characteristic feature of most
hospitals in India heavily engaged in the medical tourism industry whereby the
hospitals run as productive "targeted factories." For instance, Fortis Healthcare's
Rajan Dhall Hospital in New Delhi adopts a business strategy that blends the
individualised service of the hospitality sector with the production methods of an

automotive. Vice President of Operations at Rajan Dhall, Jasbir Grewal, spent years
working for the Hilton hotel network. He describes their hospital as “a hotel providing
clinical medical excellence.” Harpal Singh, the chairman of Fortis and a former
executive in the car sector emphasises the necessity of streamlining processes for the
prompt completion of tasks.
Limited Malpractice Liability
Malpractice litigation costs are also lower in other countries than in the United
States. While American physicians in some specialties pay more than $100,000
annually for a liability insurance policy, a physician in India spends less than $3,000
per year. In addition, malpractice awards are far lower than in the United States.
Less Legislation
American hospitals are unable to form the kinds of cooperative agreements that
many hospitals abroad do because of the country's excessive health care laws. The
rationale is that physician pay plans cannot infringe on Stark legislation in American
hospitals. In contrast to American hospitals, overseas hospitals can design
remuneration for the doctor in such a manner as guarantee financial incentives to
deliver effective treatment.
Policy Implication
The rise in medical tourism has implications for health financing and outreach of
its services, including the possibility that local customers would eventually face
higher treatment prices as a result of differential pricing for international patients.
These gains could be countered by financing schemes that distribute wealth. The
public health system might be funded by taxing medical tourism earnings, increasing
social insurance coverage, or requiring private doctors to take part in programmes that
cover local customers. These financing methods do not depend on a person's capacity
to pay. Depending on a centre’s area of clinical competence, private hospitals may
offer services to a specific proportion of international patients and local clients
registered in government programmes. They may also offer specific specialised
treatments for locals. The implementation of such policies is the need of the hour
when high out-of-pocket expenditure on health is posing a crushing burden on
some 55 million Indians annually, with over 17 percent of households incurring
excruciating levels of health expenditures every year according to the World Health
Organisation (WHO) report.
CONCLUSION
Based on a review of pertinent literature, a solid comparative overview shows that
these destinations have successfully developed a variety of medical tourism strategic
capabilities. This success has been driven by a distinct market orientation that has
been supported by sound and well-integrated strategies. Singapore has worked to
provide better value by utilising a sophisticated healthcare system, greater services,
and cutting-edge technology. Thailand and Malaysia, in contrast, have developed a
hybrid strategy that focuses on best-value offerings and relies on an alluring
combination of price, quality, modernity, and much more through attractive vacation
packages.

India has established itself as the industry's low-cost provider and has
subsequently gained a solid market position by satisfying the needs of a substantial
portion of medical tourists who are looking for inexpensive treatments.
Concerns about medical tourism's potential impact on health systems, specifically the
aggravation of the already existing unequal resource distribution between the public
and private sector, have been raised by its rise in Asian countries and the
government's endorsement of the trend. There is no region where this is more
apparent than in Southeast Asia, where regulation and corrective policy initiatives
have lagged behind the region's booming private sector over the previous three
decades.
This paper presents a conceptual framework that identifies the elements of price
discrimination through differential pricing in medical tourism for health systems and
how policies have been implemented by the government in the pursuit of the
development of the industry, from a comparative analysis of Thailand, Singapore and
Malaysia. This framework also provides the basis and reasons that allow Indian
hospitals to quote a significantly lower price and retain their competitive edge in the
market.
Countries may profit economically from medical tourism, resulting in more
money to spend on healthcare. The financial gains from medical tourism for health
systems might, however, come at the price of local consumers' access to and usage of
health care if not effectively controlled and regulated on the policy front.
Governments and business leaders would be well to keep in mind that both local and
international populations value good health.
REFERENCES
Pocock and Phua: Medical tourism and policy implications for health systems: a
conceptual framework from a comparative study of Thailand, Singapore and
Malaysia. Globalization and Health 2011 7:12.
Herrick, D. (2007) Medical Tourism: Global Competition in Health Care. National
Center for Policy Analysis (NCPA) Policy Report No. 304.
Ebrahim, Ahmed & Ganguli, Subhadra. (2019). A comparative analysis of medical
tourism competitiveness of India, Thailand and Singapore. Tourism. 67. 102-115.
Darrow, Jonathan J. (2015). Essential Medicines : Why International Price
Discrimination May Increasingly Be the Wrong Solution to a Global Drug
Problem. [S.l.] : SSRN.
https://ssrn.com/abstract=2049976
K. Outterson, ‘Pharmaceutical Arbitrage: Balancing Access and Innovation in
International Prescription Drug
Markets,’ Yale Journal of Health Policy, Law & Economics, 5 (2005):193-291,
at 206.
J. Atik and H.H. Lidgard, ‘Embracing Price Discrimination: TRIPS and the
Suppression of Parallel Trade

in Pharmaceuticals,’ University of Pennsylvania Journal of International

Economic Law 27 (2006): 1043-1076, at 1060.
R. Hornbeck, ‘Price Discrimination and Smuggling of AIDS Drugs,’ Topics in
Economic Analysis & Policy 5, no.
1, art. 16 (2005): 1-25,
A. Attaran, ‘How Do Patents and Economic Policies Affect Access to Essential
Medicines in Developing
Countries?’ Health Affairs 23, no. 3 (2004): 155-166
World Health Organization, Essential Medicines, at
http://www.who.int/topics/essential_medicines/en/ (last visited
February 20, 2011)
Universities Allied for Essential Medicines, The Access Gap, at
http://sandbox.essentialmedicine.org/issues/access-gap; Anna Marriott,
‘Your Money or Your Life,’ Oxfam
International, 2009, at 2, at http://www.oxfam.org/sites/www.oxfam.org/files/bp-
your-money-or-your-life.pdf.

Retirement Planning Behaviour: The effect of Financial Literacy and

Demographic variables of Middle Income groups in Kerala
Ansiya P A*, A Sulekha
Department of Commerce,
VLB Janakiammal College, Coimbatore
*
Email: ansiyapa2020@gmail.com
Abstract: Planning for retirement is making preparations for the future so that they
can continue to achieve all of the objectives and desires. Setting your retirement goals,
calculating how much money you will require, and making investments to increase
your retirement savings are all included in this. Every retirement strategy is different.
In light of the fact that you can have quite particular plans for your retirement, For
this reason, it's crucial to have a plan that is created precisely to meet your unique
requirements.Inadequate retirement planning will probably result in some
disappointment during retirement. The study's primary goal is to look into how
important demographic and financial knowledge characteristics affect retirement
planning among middle income groups in Kerala.While determining the association
between Demographic parameters like Age, Education level, Gender, Household
Income, and Financial Literacy with regard to retirement planning is one of the goals
of the current study.The purpose of this article was to identify the demographic
factors and Financial Knowledge that affected the retirement planning behaviour of
individual.The research method used in this study is quantitative. This study us
ed a questionnaire to collect data from 100 middle income groups which was
then analyzed using the SPSS programme.The people of Kerala will benefit from the
findings and the study's framework as they prepare their retirement plans. The study
provides guidelines for the government, policy makers, and banking and financial
institutions in order to meet people's requirements and wants.
Keywords: Retirement Planning, Middle income groups, Demographic factors,
Financial literacy
INTRODUCTION
Financial system is essential to the nation's economic growth because it promotes
both saving and investment, the . It aids in mobilising and distributing savings and
makes it easier for financial institutions and markets to grow. As per the report of
Business Maps of India, the financial sector is now growing at a rate of over 8.5%
annually in India. An increase in the growth rate indicates that the economy is
expanding. The monetary and financial policies are able to maintain a steady growth
rate. The PGIM Retirement Readiness survey conducted by investment platform
PGIM discovered some troubling data. It revealed that 51% of Indians lack sufficient
financial preparation for retirement, with many of them having not even started. In
addition, 59% of people aren't saving money or making investments for the future;
they are just utilising their salary to cover current needs. According to the "Statista
Research Department" study, India's gross savings rate for the fiscal year 2021 was
just over 28 percent. This was a decrease from the over 30% in the prior fiscal year.
The country's projected GDP declined as a result of the corona virus (COVID-19)
pandemic, with GDP per capita reaching more than 2.1 thousand dollars in March
2020. The majority of us have wasted a lot of time dreaming about our upcoming

retirement and ability to stop working. People often daydream about retiring happy
and free of all obligations. Retirement is a time that should be stress-free and pleasant.
Nobody's retirement should or could be destroyed by anything. not even money.
Planning for retirement is therefore important from the time one begins working. The
likelihood of building the necessary corpus is better the younger one starts to plan for
retirement. A retirement calculator is a tool that makes it quick and stress free to plan
for retirement. Any nation with an expanding labour force must have a social security
system. It is expanding in India at a 15% Compound Annual Growth Rate. For many
years, provident funds and employee pension funds have provided the salaried class
with pension scheme support (EPF). However, given that our working population is
anticipated to increase to 727 million by 2030, this is insufficient. India has to
improve significantly from its current under-14% coverage of pension plans.
Objective of the Study

The main objective of the study is to examine the effect of Financial Literacy and
Demographic variables which are influencing Personal Retirement planning hailing
Middle Income groups in Kerala.
The specific objectives are -
 To analyse Retirement Planning and evaluate the related research efforts on it
 To examine whether Kerala people's retirement planning is influenced by their
‘Financial Literacy ’
 To examine whether ‘Retirement Financial Activity’ is affecting Kerala people's
retirement planning.
 To investigate whether ‘Retirement Planning Behaviour’ is affecting Kerala
people in retirement planning
 To investigate how Kerala people's demographic characteristics affect retirement
planning
Literature Search
Financial Literacy.
Planning ahead for retirement increases wealth holdings, and financial education
or financial literacy affects behaviour while making plans. The Organization for
Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) explains Financial education is the
process by which financial consumers and investors increase their understanding of
financial products and concepts and, through information, instruction, and/or
objective advice, develop the skills and confidence to become more aware of financial
risks and opportunities in order to make informed decisions, to know where to turn for
help, and to know how to handle them. According to Lusardi and Mitchell (2006),
people who are more financially literate are more likely to make retirement plans. A
2005 OECD report titled "Improving Financial Literacy" that states that "there is
much more to do and learn about financial education programmes and how to make
them better" highlights the significance of this issue (p. 16)
Retirement Planning Activity
The research (Bayer, Bernheim & Scholz, 1996; Clark & Schieber, 1998; Lusardi,
2005; Clark et al., 2006) indicates that different forms of financial education
programmes and the dissemination of information can positively influence retirement
savings behaviour. It has been discovered that educational seminars, written

correspondence, and website content are all useful teaching instruments in this
process.
Retirement Planning Behaviour
According to research, companies and fund managers educate employees on
retirement planning using written communication, websites, seminars, and workshops
(Bernheim 1998; Ernst & Young LLP Human Capital 2004; Krajnak, Burns &
Natchek 2008). These educational tools have also been proved to have an impact on
people's intention and behaviour related to saving for retirement (Clark & Schieber
1998; Lusardi 2003; Muller 2003; Nyce 2005).
Retirement Planning
According to research by Lusardi and Mitchell, the main cause of the poor living
conditions that many people experience during retirement is a lack of planning (2006,
2007).
The research was conducted using 100 samples as part of a pilot survey. Samples
were chosen so that the respondents would be familiar with the term "Retirement
Planning" in Kerala. There were 100 responders in all. There were 34 male
respondents and 66 female respondents in the sample. In Kerala, a questionnaire was
used as the study tool to gather information from various responses. The responses to
the questions ranged from strongly disagree to strongly agree on a five point likert
scale (1 to 5).
HYPOTHESIS
In this study, the relationship between various constraints that affect Kerala’s'
retirement planning is examined. In order to address these issues, the study develops
two areas of hypothesis, namely the comparison of variable with their respective
average and the relationship between various variables to support retirement planning.
One Sample Statistics
H01: Opinion regarding the Financial Literacy is equal to average
H11: Opinion regarding the Financial Literacy is not equal to average
Pearson Relationships between several factors that encourage retirement
planning
H01: There is no significant correlation between "Financial Literacy" and "Retirement
Planning Behaviour"
H11: There is significant correlation between "Financial Literacy" and "Retirement
Planning Behaviour"
H02: There is no significant correlation between "Retirement Planning Attitude" and
"Retirement Planning Behaviour"
H12: There is significant correlation between "Retirement Planning Attitude" and
"Retirement Planning Behaviour"
H03: There is no significant correlation between "Financial Literacy" and
"Retirement Planning Attitude"
H13: There is significant correlation between "Financial Literacy" and "Retirement
Planning Attitude"

Data Analysis and Discussion

With the use of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences, data were examined
and analyzed. First, Cronbach's Coefficient Alpha was used to assess the reliability
results. The items in this study were created using a literature review that was related
to a number of identified variables. The most relevant constructs were those that relate
to retirement planning. For the implementation of Retirement Planning, reliability
assessments were performed.
Table 1- Frequency Distribution of Demographic Profile
Variables Categories Frequency Percentage

1.Gender Male 34 34 %
Female 66 66 %
Total 100 100 %
2. Age 21 - 30 years 45 45 %
31 - 40 years 27 27 %
41 - 50 years 25 25 %
51 - 60 years 3 3%
Total 100 100 %
3. Education SSLC 5 5%
Pre-degree / Plus Two 5 5%
Degree / Diploma 37 37 %
PG 41 41 %
M.Phil / P.hD 12 12 %
Total 100 100 %
4. Marital status Single /Divorce /Separate 20 20 %
Married /Living together 80 80 %
Total 100 100 %
5. Occupation Government 16 16 %
Private 72 72 %
Self-employed 11 11 %
Public 1 1%
Total 100 100 %
5. Children No Child 24 24 %
Have one or more 76 76 %
Total 100 100 %
Below Rs. 20,000 42 42 %
Rs. 20001 -40000 31 31 %
6. Monthly Income Rs. 40001 - 60000 5 5%
Rs. 60001 - 80000 7 7%
Above Rs.80,000 15 15 %

Total 100 100 %
5. Children 7. Experience Less than 2 years 37 37 %

2 - 5 years 12 12 %
6 - 10 years 17 17 %
11 - 15 years 9 9%
Above 15 years 25 25 %
Total 93 100 %
8. Region Rural 57 57 %
Urban 43 43 %
Total 100 100 %
Retirement planning is used differently and more often by men and women. The
fact that 66% of the respondents were women and 34% were men is evidence. People
tend to develop retirement wealth depending on their gender experiences as a result of
recent social and economic changes in working conditions and patterns that affect
men and women in different ways (Weagley and Eunjeong, 2004). Studies indicate
that women generally have lower levels of financial literacy than males, giving the
impression that women have much less financial literacy than men. (2004) Euwals,
Angelika, and Axel Worthington (2005, 2006). Show in particular how men and
women adopt various working habits over the course of their life, which affects their
capacity to amass wealth. According to the above table [Table 1], 45% of respondents
are from 21 -30 age group, 27% from 31 -40 category and followed by people in the
age of 41 - 50 (25% of respondents).Young investors (18 to 24 years old) are aware
that they should prepare their retirement funds, thus this behaviour is
inappropriate savings (Webster, 1997). (Webster,1997). In addition to the investor's
age, which is a very visible factor that affects financial planning for retirement, the
investor's gender is also crucial. The majority of participants in this survey obtained
education was Post Graduate (41%) & followed by Degree / Diploma (37%). Deewr
(2007) Higher Education Statistics given that 62.3% of academic staff members
possess PhD degrees, it was anticipated that a sizable portion of respondents would be
at this level of education. Given that a significant portion of respondents are
academics and that this level of education is consistent with academic jobs, it is also
not surprising that the majority of respondents had at least completed their higher
education. According to the findings, married people are more likely to be planning
their retirement than single people.Gargi Pant (2013) For the study, the author took
into consideration the female faculty at Banasthali University in Rajasthan. The
study's author concludes by stating that married women are more aware of retirement
planning and have put more effort into retirement as compared to single women. They
also take modest risks and prefer to invest in less dangerous areas. Malaysia was the
location of a 2017 study on financial retirement planning by Fatemeh Kimiyaghalam
et al. A report from Employees Provident Fund (2015), a government organisation in
charge of managing retirement assets, served as the study's impetus. According to the
survey, employees working in the private sector do not have enough saved for
retirement, forcing them to continue working after they are no longer employed.
According to the study, more than half of respondents were belongs to Private
employees (72%) & come after to Government employees (16%). We deduced from
the data that the majority of people [42%] were into the Below Rs.20000 category &

followed by Rs.20000- 40000 category(31%). Majority of respondents acquiring

years of experience as 'below 2 years' (37%) and followed by 'Above 15 years'(25%).
Additionally, it was discovered that more people lived in rural areas (57%) than in
urban ones. In their conclusion of M Krishna Moorthi et al. (2012) note that
retirement behaviour is significantly influenced by demographic characteristics,
educational attainment, and income.
Table 2- Education and Occupation Group Cross Tabulation
Frequency
Investment Schemes SD D N A SA Total % of A & SA
NPS 4 17 22 38 19 57%
SIP 8 20 30 28 14 42%
PPF 2 16 26 30 26 56%
FD 0 9 23 36 32 68%
Tax-free Bonds 6 18 35 30 11 41%
Post office Scheme 3 12 22 42 21 63%
SCSS 8 17 37 25 13 38%
PMVVY 8 23 25 29 15 44%
According to the study, the majority of individuals are aware of the various
economic programmes. According to awareness, "Bank Fixed Deposits" and the Post
Office Monthly Income Programme are the two most popular. Tax-free Bonds have
the lowest level of awareness, followed by Systematic Investment Plan (SIP).
Table 3- Mean, Mode and Standard Deviation of different Variables

Sl. Item
No. Measure Acronym Mean Mode SD
Financial Literacy
I am very knowledgeable about FL1 3.41 4 0.933
1 financial planning for retirement
I am aware of Retirement planning
like most of the people FL2 3.51 4 1.049
2
I am very confident about planning
3 my Retirement funds FL3 3.37 4 1.022
When I am in need for a financial
services, I know exactly where to
4 obtain information, & what to do FL4 3.50 4 1.000
I am knowledgeable about how
5 financial security works FL5 3.41 4 1.026
I am knowledgeable about how
6 private investment plans work FL6 3.26 3 1.021

Retirement Planning Activity

RPA1 2.97 3 1.049
Frequently read articles / brochures
1 on investing or financial planning
RPA2 2.92 1.107
Read one or more books on investing
2 or financial planning 3
1.110
Frequently visited online financial RPA3 2.80
3 planning sites 3
Regularly tuned into television / radio RPA4 2.99 1.010
/ online media about investing or
4 financial planning 3
Conducted a thorough assessment of RPA5 2.89
5 your net worth 3 0.984
RPA6 3.02 3 1.073
Already identified specific spending
6 plans for the future
Discussed financial planning goals
7 with a professional (s) in the field RPA7 2.89 2 1.081
Discussed financial retirement plans
8 with an employer 's benefit specialist RPA8 2.76 3 1.065
Discussed retirement plan with a
9 knowledge friends or colleagues RPA9 3.03 3 1.077
I had participated in workshop,
seminar, or course on retirement
10 RPA10 2.66 3 1.148
Retirement Planning Behaviour
I am concerned about the current
status of my retirement planning
preparation
1 RPB1 3.43 4 1.047
I am assured that I will have a worthy
standard of living in my retirement
2 RPB2 3.41 4 0.911
At present, I am satisfied with my
retirement financial plan
3 RPB3 3.17 3 1.006
I am assured that I have worked out
expected income and expenditure in
4 my retirement life RPB4 3.21 3 1.085
Retirement Schemes
1 National Pension Scheme (NPS) RS1 3.51 4 1.105

Systematic Investment Plan (SIP) RS2 3.20 3 1.155
2
3 Public Provident Fund (PPF) RS3 3.62 4 1.099

Bank Fixed Deposit (FD) RS4 3.91 4 0.954

4
Tax free Bonds RS5 3.22 3 1.060
5
Post office Monthly income scheme
6 RS6 3.66 4 1.037
Senior Citizens Savings Scheme
7 (SCSS) RS7 3.18 3 1.114
Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandana
8 Yojana (PMVVY) RS8 3.20 4 1.189
The above table [Table 3] reveals that all measures of "Financial Literacy," with
the exception of FL6, have a mean above 3 and a mode of 4, indicating that the
majority of respondents are satisfied to the idea of "Financial Literacy" with regard to
retirement planning. In the table analysis, it was discovered that every measure of
"Retirement Planning Activity" had a mean value nears to 3 and a mode value of 3,
indicating that the majority of respondents were neutral to the idea of "Retirement
Planning Activity" in retirement planning. The majority of respondents are neutral
toward the idea of "Retirement Planning Behaviour," as evidenced by the fact that all
measures based on it have a mean of above 3 and the mode of 3 except the term RPB1
& RPB2 (mode=4), respectively. Additionally, it was discovered that all measures of
"Retirement Schemes,” have a mean above 3 and a mode of 3, indicating that the
majority of respondents are satisfied to the idea of "Retirement Schemes.". based on
the study, greater part of the people are well pleased in the schemes of National
Pension Scheme (NPS), Public Provident Fund (PPF), Bank Fixed Deposit (FD),Post
office Monthly income scheme & Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandana Yojana (PMVVY)
Table 4- Reliability Test of Constructs
Cronbach's Co-efficient Alpha
Sl. No. Measure Number of Items Cronbach's Alpha

1 Financial Literacy 6 0.849
2 Retirement Planning Activity 10 0.842
3 Retirement Planning Behaviour 4 0.839
4 Retirement Schemes 8 0.852
Cronbatch's Alpha was used to conduct a reliability test, which computes the
internal consistency of study constructs. The outcome is shown in the following table
[Table 4]. All four of the constructs have Alpha values greater than 0.80. As a result,
Nunnally [1978, p. 245] suggests that instruments employed in basic research have a
reliability of 0.80 or higher. According to George and Mallery's [2003]
viewpoint, >0.7 is considered acceptable and >.0.8 is considered good. This idea
states that all the constructs "Financial Literacy", "Retirement Planning Activity",
"Retirement Planning Behaviour" and "Retirement Schemes" are good. And overall
Cronbach's Alpha reliability of all the constructs had 0.873 point.

Table 5- Overall Mean and Standard Deviation of Constructs

Descriptive analysis of Constructs
Sl. No. Measure Mean SD
1 Financial Literacy 3.410 .807
2 Retirement Planning Activity 3.040 .882
3 Retirement Planning Behaviour 3.305 .808
4 Retirement Schemes 3.438 .805
"Retirement Schemes" and "Financial Literacy" had the highest mean values
among the variables in the abovementioned table [Table 5], respectively. The variable
with the lowest mean value was "Retirement Planning Activity". Additionally, it
shows that "Retirement Planning Activity" had the biggest standard deviation of all
the structures. "Retirement Schemes" had the lowest standard deviation of all the
variables.
Table 6- One Sample Statistics
Variable DF Mean Value SD Q2 t-value p-value
Financial Literacy 99 3.410 0.807 3 5.083 0.000**
Since P Value is greater than 0.5 when analysing Table 6 based on ‘Financial
Literacy’, we accept the null hypothesis and come to the conclusion that Financial
Literacy is average. Given the mean score of 3.410, it is clear that respondents'
perceptions of Financial Literacy were greater than the average level.
Table 7- Levene's Test for Equality of Variance
Correlation P
Correlating Variabes Coeffecient Value
'Financial Literacy' and 'Retirement
Planning Behaviour' 0.627 .000**
'Retirement Planning Activity' and 'Retirement
Planning Behaviour' 0.625 .000**
'Financial Literacy' and 'Retirement Planning

Activity' 0.585 .000**
The correlation coefficient need to consistently fall between -1 and +1. According
to Table 7's P Value for 'Financial Literacy' and 'Retirement Planning Behaviour’, we
can rule out the null hypothesis at a 1% level of significance, indicating that there is a
significant association between the two variables. As the co-efficient in this case is
positive, we may infer that FL and RPB have a positive correlation since the
correlation of co-efficients explains the type of relationship. There is a strong
association between FL and RP, with a correlation coefficient of 62.7%.
It was discovered that there is a significant relationship between 'Retirement
Planning Activity' and 'Retirement Planning Behaviour’ at the 1% level of
significance based on the P Value of 'Retirement Planning Activity' and 'Retirement
Planning Behaviour’ in the above table. The positive co-efficient of correlation
indicates that there is a positive association between RPA and RPB. RPA and RPB
showed a stronge amount of association (62.5% correlation coefficient).

According to the P Value of 'Financial Literacy' and 'Retirement Planning

Activity' in the above table, we can reject the null hypothesis at a 1% level of
significance, indicating that 'Financial Literacy' and 'Retirement Planning Activity'
have a significant relationship. We can infer that there is a positive correlation
between FL and RPA since the correlation coefficient is positive. FL and RPA had
58.5% correlation coefficient, which is a moderate level of correlation.
Noor Aza, a professor, and Kiran Patil, the study found a substantial correlation
between personal retirement intentions and saving habits. Based on the information
they have acquired, these qualities can be classified as 'Financial Literacy',
‘Retirement Planning Activity', 'Retirement Planning Behaviour’ and 'Retirement
Schemes'. The null hypothesis was rejected based on the significance level, and it is
now clear that behavioural factors do affect a person's retirement financial
plan.According to Hopkins, Catherine A. Roster, and Charles M. Wood (2006),
retirees who take a "new beginning" or "disruption" strategy tend to spend more
money on experience and activity-oriented product categories. On the other hand,
retirees who adopt "continuation" or "old age" styles are more likely to increase their
spending on passive or inward-looking product categories that are less experienced.
Limitations
A thorough analysis and a systematic sampling methodology were not used
because the study was a part of a pilot survey, and this is not indicated in the report.
The study's findings need to be assessed and validated with a larger sample size.
Because the study is limited by its sample size from Ernakulum, which did not cover
other districts in Kerala, a bigger sample size made up of other districts in Kerala
would be more convincing and thorough for generating predictions for the remainder
of Kerala. The specific characteristics known to have an impact on the planning
process within that particular department should be considered and incorporated into
the design of any proposed interventions. Setting goals was the one factor that
consistently predicted planning across all domains, making it the exception to this rule.
Goal-setting could be a key component in the design of treatments encouraging
holistic retirement planning because goals are adjustable and not fixed qualities of an
individual.
REFERENCES
1. Dr. Noor Aza Professor & Ms. Kiran Patil- Is retirement planning a priority for
individuals? A study in Bengaluru City. Retrieved from https://www.isme.in/wp-
content/uploads/2019/07/Retirement-Planning-Research-Paper.pdf
2. Nunnally, J. (1978). Psychometric Theory (Vol. 2). New York: McGraw-Hill
3. Worthington (2005, 2006), International Journal of Advanced Research in ISSN:
2278-6236
Management and Social Sciences Impact Factor: 4.400, Vol. 3 | No. 12 |
December 2014 www.garph.co.uk IJARMSS | 186
4. George, D., & Mallery, P. (2003). SPSS for Windows step by step: A simple
guide and
5. reference. 11.0 update (4th ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

6. Moorthy M K and Kai N Z 2012 A study on the retirement planning behaviour of

working individuals in Malaysia International Journal of Academic Research in
Economics and Management Sciences 1(2) p 14
7. EPFO wants funds to lower fee for investing in equity via, ETFs. (2015, June 30).
The Economic Times.
8. Hopkins, Christopher D., Catherine A. Roster, and Charles M. Wood. "Making
the transition to retirement: appraisals, post-transition lifestyle, and changes in
consumption patterns." Journal of Consumer Marketing 23.2 (2006): 87-99.

Rise and Reach of Theatre and Poetry: A study of Little

Magazine KeralaKavitha
Meera Mary Joseph
Research Scholar
Postgraduate and Research Department of English,
Nirmala College, Muvattupuzha
Email: marymeera@gmail.com
Abstract: Little magazines, often called ‘small magazines’ are literary magazines that
publish experimental literature and the non-conformist writings of relatively unknown
writers. Modern Malayalam poets had been inspired by the genre and started many
publications in the post- independence era of Kerala. Most of them were published
only a few volumes or editions. A very few of the magazines were fortunate enough
to publish at least 10 volumes. Out of them, Keralakavitha stands a special place in
promoting poetry and its reach in the state. This paper tries to trace the path and
developments through which the magazine flourished and contributed to the blooming
of new poets and theatre artists. The paper also glances through the special
characteristics and features of the magazine which assisted in the widespread
acceptance and thrive of the same.
Keywords: Poetry, Little Magazine, Keralakavitha, Modernism, Theatre, Avant-
Garde
“Little magazines acted as open, heterogeneous social settings in which

writers of various races, nationalities, and classes read and responded to each other's
work. Today, they provide loci of identification and difference, allowing us to map
the lines of connection, influence, conflict, and resistance that entangled the many
strands of modernism.”1Little magazines served as the wings of Modernism in
Literature, be it in any language. Along with Arts and Literature, these magazines
impacted cultural, political and social echelons of the radical youth and society. “Most
magazine editors say that there is no public for poetry… We believe that there is a
public for poetry, that it will grow, and that as it becomes more numerous and
appreciative the work produced in this art will grow in power, in beauty, in
significance… We hope to publish in Poetry some of the best work now being done in
English verse.”2Harriet Monroe, the founder and editor of the first ‘ideal’3 little
magazine Poetry: A Magazine of Verse published from Chicago familiarised the new
poets into the world of literature. To mention some of them are Ezra Pound (foreign
editor of the same), T. S. Eliot, Wallace Stevens, william carlos willams who are
masters of poetry respected for their valuable contributions.
Little Magazines ignited the rise of Modernism in Malayalam Literature. The
traditional, conformist and conservative editors of the mainstream magazines were
reluctant to give chance to many revolutionary Avant Garde writers with progressive
political inclinations. An exemplary example could be the rejection of the legendary
poem Kurukshetram by Dr. K. Ayyappa Paniker by the editor of fortnightly
Mathrubhumi Mr. N. V. Krishna Varrier. Navasahithi published from Madras under
M. V. Devan’s editorship altered the stage. Keralakavitha edited jointly by K.
Ayyappa Paniker and K. S. Narayana Pillai focussed attention to the modernist
writings and poetry studies. Many amateur and non-conformist writers found their
place among the established poets such as Edasseri Govindan Nair, O. N.

V. Kurup and Sugathakumari. Being an ardent advocate of modernism,

Ayyappa Paniker stood with the experiments of the new cult and gradually
Keralakavitha turned into a haven for them.
Keralakavitha: An Overview
The dedicated teamwork of countless poets, writers, critics and literary
persons resulted in the birth of Keralakavitha. The first print of the quarterly was
published on 1 January 1968 from Trivandrum. Since inception, the magazine holds a
st
distinct position in the history of Alternative publications of Malayalam literature.

The magazine gave prime importance to poems and poetry studies. Conforming to
ONV Kurup, Keralakavitha, the substantial dream of Ayyappa Paniker, gained its
shape and form during the discussions among ONV, Ayyappa Paniker, M. M. Basheer,
K. S. Narayana Pillai and A. Gangadharan in the evening gatherings at Connemara
Hotel, Palayam in Trivandrum.4 The magazine ensured an equal consideration to the
poems and articles sent by mainstream poets, neo-modern poets, post-modern poets
and the non-conformist poets to them without any biases. The magazine never had
foreword, prelude or introduction from the editors. Every volume had unique and
psychedelic illustrations on its cover designed by famed artists.
Pinnacling the Effort
The very first print of Keralakavitha was a cross section of the prevailing
Malayalam poetry. The magazine had works from poets of fame in various genres and
generations. It introduced poems in World literature to Malayalam through
translations and reviews. Poems of Lorca by O. N. V. Kurup along with notes to each
poem, Kaapirikavithakal, poems of Leopold Senghor by Kadamanitta Ramakrishnan,
Poems of Muktibodh by Sugathakumari etc are a few among them. Critiques on
Poetry and Poetics by K. S. Narayana Pillai and Kuttykrishnamarar put the magazine
into heterogeneity in its first publication itself. Translations of renowned poets,
Reviews on famous poems, Critiques on popular poetic techniques and styles,
Familiarizing different literatures etc served the purpose in the following volumes too.
The subsequent volumes set in print works of prominent and admired poets
such as Balamaniyamma, Edasseri Govindan Nair, N. N. Kakkad, M. M. Basheer, K.
Satchidanandan,
M. Govindan, Attoor Ravivarma, Vishnu Narayanan Namboothiri and so on.
Satchidanandan had himself attributed much to Keralakavitha in building him as a
translator and a critic. He says, “…recently, the translations of North-east Indian poets
were also for Keralakavitha… I have 16 collections of poetry translations in my name,
but the source of inspiration remains with Keralakavitha.”5
The second volume focussed on the emerging trends in the modern poetry. K
Satchidanandan attempted in introducing modern Indonesian poetry whereas N. N.
Kakkad articled on Neo-Poetry. The third volume centred around poetics along with
analytical articles on much appreciated poems. The fourth volume celebrated the first
year of magazine. It suggested on the use of poetic language by various poets.
Kavyabhasha by Satchidanandan is a key article of the volume.
1
Churchill, S.W.W., & McKible, A. (2005)
2 Monroe, H. (1912)
3
Carr, H., (2015)
4
Panangad, Pradeep (2018)
5
Satchidanandan, K. (2006)

The fifth volume concentrated on Tamil poetry. The cynical critique of Nakulan on
modern Tamil poetry is the main article. It also had translations of many famous
Tamil poets. The succeeding few volumes were dedicated to discussions on poetic
drama , the child of modernism. Since then, many dramas found its place in the
6
magazine.
It was in the ninth volume, Ayyappa Paniker published his poem, under
ONV’s editorship. He, again in eleventh volume, translated Wasteland by T. S. Eliot
which popularised the poem in the Malayalam literature. Post modern poems and
techniques were explored in the magazine. B. Rajeevan and K. G. Sankara Pillai
wrote about the post-modern Karnataka Poetry. Modern Kannada Literature was
discussed in detail in the eighteenth volume and the subsequent volumes had many
experimental poems of amateur writers.
In hand with Drama
Though the name of the magazine particularly pointed to poetry, the editors
took keen interest in publishing original and translated versions of several theatrical
works. Important among them is the translation of Waiting for Godot by Kadamanitta
Ramakrishnan published in the sixteenth volume. The third volume witnessed the
publication of Sakshi by Kavalam Narayana Paniker. Almost all the famous theatrical
works of Kavalam were published primarily in Keralakavitha. Poetic Drama found its
place of discussion in the magazine in the sixth volume. “Poetic Drama is
incorporated in Poetry…a true poetic drama delivers out of a poet who learns to write
drama.”7 The seventh volume published two poetic dramas- Thiruvazhithan by
Kavalam and translation of Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex.
“During 1960’s almost all branches of art all over India began a search for the
identity of the local culture signs. Kerala had experienced it through G.
Sankara Pillai and Kavalam Narayana Paniker, though attracted severe criticism. A
few theatre artists tried to amalgamate Margi and Desi concepts of classic and folk-art
forms; and in literature, the presence of M. Govindan created a flutter in the
intellectual circles.”8 And according to Kavalam, Keralakavitha conferred the place
for him to experiment and excel in theatre. And Ayyappa Paniker entitled his
specialisation in genre as poetic drama.9
Each volume of Keralakavitha was published from various places and the
ceremony would host the theatrical performance of the respective drama published in
that volume. Not only through print, but through actions too Keralakavitha went hand
in hand with drama and poetry. Every publication ceremony stood as a platform for
young and emerging poets to recite their poems.
6
Poetic drama is a genre of literature that refers to plays that contain distinctly poetic elements.
7
T. Ramachandran in Keralakavitha Vol.
8
Antherjanam, S. (2018)
9
Panangad, Pradeep (2018)

An Epilogue
Keralakavitha, through its wide history of decades, could amass artists who
had inclination to poetry and theatre. Keralakavitha could develop a parallel culture in
all realms of poetry- rendering of poem, its appreciation, successive developments
and in publication. Alienating from mainstream magazine in contents, authors, form,
style and even page setting, Keralakavitha remained a dream come true for the non-
conformist Avant Garde bunch of writers who later became the renowned poets of
ages.
Little magazines exist across time and space, adopts a variety of physical
forms and play many roles in affecting the progress of society. Despite its nebulous
properties, little magazines hold unique personality in the cultural and social settings
of the times. Keralakavitha is no exception to this. The magazine imbibed habits of
mainstream poetry magazines which then channelled to the neo-liberal and radical
thought stream of the society.
WORKS CITED
Antherjanam, Sindu. "A Comparative Study of Malayalam Literature and Paintings:
Trajectories of Evolution." Artha Journal of Social Sciences, vol.17, no.2,
(2018): 39- 57.
Carr, Helen. "Poetry: A Magazine of Verse (1912–36), ‘Biggest of Little
Magazines,’." The Oxford Critical and Cultural History of Modernist
Magazines (2015): 40-60.
Churchill, Suzanne W., and Adam McKible. "Little Magazines and Modernism: An
Introduction." American Periodicals: A Journal of History & Criticism vol.
15, no.1 (2005): 1-5.
Monroe, Harriet. “The Motive of the Magazine.” Poetry, vol. 1, no. 1, (1912): 26–
28. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/20569632.
Panangad, Pradeep. MalayalaSamanthara MasikaCharithram. (2018)
Satchidanandan, K. “Remembering Ayyappa Paniker.” Indian Literature, vol. 50,
no. 5, (2006): 13–19.

The Effect of Covid-19 on the Digitalization of Purchasing Process

Ninikala K1,*, B. Johnson2
1
Department of Commerce,
Providence Women’s College, Calicut
2
School of Business Studies, University of Calicut
*
Email: ninianoop@gmail.com
Abstract: Digital India is a programme which was started in 2015 to change India
into a digitally empowered society. The Digital India initiative has three main
components. They are building digital infrastructure, the delivery of digital products,
and digital literacy. The concept of Digital India influenced all the sectors towards
digitalization. Digitalization refers to the use of digital technologies to change a
business model and provide new revenue and value-producing opportunities; it is the
process of moving to a digital business. By the mid of 2020, Covid 19 pandemic
attacked the entire economies in the world and by the end of March 2020, the
Government of India declared complete lockdown and this lockdown continued for
long period. In this study the researcher aims to the identify the effect covid 19
pandemics on digitalisation. The study focused on the changes in the purchasing
process of customers prior to Covid 19 and after. The researcher evaluated the
changes in the buying behaviour of the customers, did the covid 19 pandemic and
lockdown influenced the customers towards online purchase? Is there any change in
the payment method? Do they still stick-on cash payment or switched to cashless
transactions? Did the ads provided in the social media influenced them to purchase
products? Do they purchase products through websites, mobile apps or through any
other electronic platform or still prefer offline purchase? This study is limited to the
state Kerala
Keywords: Online purchase, Digital Payment, Social media, Covid-19 pandemics,
Digitalization
INTRODUCTION
COVID-19 pandemic broke out in 2019, much of the world moved online,
accelerating a digital transformation that has been underway for decades. Children
started to attend the class online; most of the employees started to work from home;
number of firms adopted digital business models and many mobile applications were
developed to help “track and trace” the development of the pandemic. These activities
demonstrate the tremendous potential of the digital transformation (OECD, 2020).
Going digital is not new to the industry, the pandemic has significantly
accelerated the adoption of digital technologies, with far-reaching implications for the
future of not only the banking sector, but also the larger financial ecosystem. National
Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), has been pivotal to the emergence of the
digital payment ecosystem in India, launching innovative and successful initiatives
such as UPI, IMPS, Bharat Bill Pay, and ETC (electronic toll collection) through
FASTags. Growing internet and mobile penetration, availability of low-cost data
plans and the shift from offline to online shopping channels are also giving a fillip to

the adoption of digital technologies. The virus outbreak is spurring the adoption of
contactless digital payments; and there has been a surge in digital payment volumes
across online grocery stores, small retail outlets, online pharmacies, vegetable and
fruit vendors, recharges, bill payments as well as OTT (telecom and media) and
EdTech players. In these difficult times, the digital ecosystem built up over the years
has proven crucial in fulfilling business transactions, peer-to-peer transfers as well as
government direct benefit transfers. Contactless payments, through QR Code, wallets,
UPI or contactless cards, are gaining popularity as they offer convenience, safety and
security while allowing the consumers to maintain physical distancing (Doshi, 2020).
Literature Review
(Dvorak, Komarkova, & Stehlik, 2021) aims to understand the role of a crisis, in this
case COVID-19, in moderating the market environment and its ability to accelerate or
slow ongoing processes. Data was collected from the customers and retailers about
digitisation of shopping process before, during and after the crisis.
(Morrone, Raimo, Tarulli, & Vitolla, 2021) examined the level of digitalisation of
hotel industry, the underlying motivations, the effects of the digitalisation processes,
and the role of Covid-19 through a case study. According to the findings, the
motivations are primarily related to the desire to improve the quality of hotel
structures, adapt to competitors, and increase financial performance.
(Cvetkoska, Patel, & Dimovska ) study aimed to reveal the willingness of employees
in the banking sector in the Republic of North Macedonia to adapt to reorganised
working hours while using the safest payment methods in conditions when the world
is attempting to deal with the COVID-19 virus-caused crisis. Employees found it
difficult to adapt to working from home due to a lack of digitalisation and process
automation, but they found it much easier to adapt to the use of alternative
distribution channels.
(Fűzi, Géring, & Pál, 2022) purpose is to inquire into the effects of the COVID-19
pandemic on key actors and their expectations in the higher education (HE) sector.
The article emphasises the dynamic interconnection between digitalisation and
socialisation, as well as changing stakeholder expectations and voices, which should
be considered when HEIs choose their future paths post-COVID-19.
(Amoah, Khan, Wood, & Knight, 2021) researchers developed an advance conceptual
model in response to the pandemic by connecting the various forces for and against
digitalization. The analysis suggests that vested external interests, nostalgia, and
employer opportunism may inhibit adoption of emerging technologies, as well as
negative effects on employee well-being that undermine productivity, work-life
balance, and the future of work. While digitalization may create new opportunities, it
also introduces risks that are difficult to mitigate or plan for and finally discussed the
broader theoretical and practical implications of the study.

Research Gap
Many studies related to the effect of Covid 19 on digitalisation are there but none
of the studies focused on the changes happened in the purchasing process of
customers with respect to age and gender during the pre-post Covid-19 pandemic
period and level of digitalization in purchase and payment. This study is conducted to
fill this research gap.
Research Problem
The COVID-19 crisis has accelerated the digital transformation trends around the
globe, as evidenced in the development and expansion of digital infrastructure; the
shift to digital delivery of services by firms and within organizations, for instance, in
education, healthcare and retail; and increased implementation of digital technologies
in manufacturing. Although the pandemic has had a negative impact on many
businesses, it has also uncovered new opportunities for entrepreneurship. It has
boosted digital entrepreneurship, for instance, reflecting changing consumer
behaviour during and in the aftermath of the pandemic (Sorgner, 2021). In this study
the researchers aim to identify the effect covid 19 pandemics on digitalisation of
purchasing process. The study focused on the changes in the purchasing process of
customers prior to Covid 19 and after. The researchers evaluated the changes in the
buying behaviour of the customers, did the covid 19 pandemic and lockdown
influenced the customers towards online purchase or still they prefer offline purchase?
Does the purchasing process vary with respect to the age and gender of the
customers?
Objectives of the Study

 To determine the level of digitalisation in purchase and payment.
 To identify the changes happened in the purchasing process of customers during

the pre-post Covid-19 pandemic period.
HYPOTHESES
 H : There is no significant association between gender and digitalization in
0
purchase
 H : There is no significant association between age and digitalization in payment

0
The study was designed as descriptive based on both primary and secondary data.
Secondary data was collected from journals, websites, reports etc. Primary data was
collected from the customers using questionnaire. Non probability sampling technique
was used to select sample as the official database of the population was not available.
A sample of 100 was selected using convenient sampling method from the customers
in Kerala. The collected data was analysed using Chi Square test, mean and standard
deviation.

Reliability
Reliability of the scaled variables was measured using Cronbach’s Alpha test and
the value obtained is 0.717 which is greater than 0.70. It indicates that the data is
reliable.
Level of Digitalization
To identify the level of digitalization of purchasing process, researchers have
divided the digitalization into three levels i.e., fully digitalized, partly digitalized and
not digitalized. If the customers prefer only online mode, then it is defined as fully
digitalized, if the customers prefer both online and offline its partly digitalized and if
they prefer only offline mode it’s not digitalized.
Results & Discussions
Among the data collected, 39% of the respondents are male and 61% are female.
Majority of the respondent (45%) are of the age group less than 25, 28% of the
respondents falls under the age group 25-35, 11% between 35-45, 15% are of the age
above 55. The following table shows the respondents opinion about level of
digitalisation in their purchase. Researchers tries to find out the mode of purchase of
customers. They prefer online purchase, offline purchase or both. If they fully prefer
online purchase means purchase is fully digitalised, if they fully prefer offline
purchase means purchase is not digitalised and if they prefer both online and offline
purchase means the purchase is partly digitalised.
Table 1
Gender wise opinion on Digitalisation in Purchase
Digitalization in Purchase
Gender Not Digitalized Partly Digitalized Fully Digitalized Total
Male 13 18 8 39
Female 2 48 11 61
Total 15 66 19 100
Chi Square value: 18.760, df: 2, P value:0.000
Source: Primary Data
As per the above table majority of the customers (66%) said that they prefer to
purchase both online and offline, which indicates that the purchase is partly
digitalized. Only 19% said that they fully prefer online purchase and 15% said that
purchase is not digitalized which means they prefer to purchase the products offline.
In order to test whether the digitalization in purchase varies with gender the following
hypothesis was formulated:
H0: There is no significant association between gender and digitalization in purchase
H1: There is significant association between gender and digitalization in purchase

The hypothesis was tested using Chi Square test. The chi square value obtained at
degrees of freedom 2 is 18.760. The p value obtained is less than 0.05, the null
hypothesis is rejected and alternate hypothesis is accepted. It implies that there is
significant association between gender and digitalization in purchase.
Table 2
Gender wise opinion on Digitalization in Payment
Digitalization in Payment
Gender Total
Not Digitalized Partly Digitalized Fully Digitalized
Male 0 20 19 39
Female 2 34 25 61
Total 2 54 44 100
Chi Square value: 2.385, df: 2, p value:0.303
As per the above table 54% of the customers said that the payment is partly
digitalized and 44% said that the payment is fully digitalized only 2% responded that
payment is not digitalized. In order to measure the digitalization in payment varies
with gender Chi square test was used. The chi square value obtained at degrees of
freedom 2 is 2.385. Since the p value (0.303) obtained is greater than 0.05, the result
is not significant. It implies that there is no significant association between gender
and digitalization in payment.
Table 3
Age wise opinion on Digitalization in Purchase
Digitalization in Purchase
Age Group Not Digitalized Partly Digitalized Fully Digitalized Total
Less than 25 0 36 9 45
25-35 0 25 3 28
35-45 0 4 7 11
45-55 1 0 0 1
55 & above 14 1 0 15
Total 15 66 19 100
Chi Square value: 88.997, df: 8, p value: 0.000
As per the above table, majority of the respondents with an age less than 35
opined that they prefer both online and offline mode for purchase which means that
purchase is partly digitalized but majority of the respondents of the age above 55
prefer offline purchase.

The association between age and digitalization in purchase was tested using Chi
square test. The Chi square value obtained at degrees of freedom 8 is 88.997. The p
value obtained is less than 0.05, which means that the result is significant. It implies
that there is significant association between age of the customers and digitalization in
Purchase.
Table 4
Age wise opinion on Digitalization in Payment
Digitalization in Payment
Age Group Not Digitalized Partly Digitalized Fully Digitalized Total
Less than 25 2 24 19 45
25-35 0 13 15 28
35-45 0 2 9 11
45-55 0 0 1 1
55 & above 0 15 0 15
Total 2 54 44 100
Chi Square value: 29.946, df: 8, p value: 0.000
As per the above table 37% of the respondents below 35 years opined that
payment is partly digitalized and 34% opined that payment is fully digitalized. About
55% of the respondents opined that payment is partly digitalized where as 44%
opined that payment is fully digitalized. Only 2% opined that payment is not
digitalized.
In order to test whether the digitalization in payment varies with respect to the age
of the respondents, the following hypothesis was formulated and tested using Chi
square test.
H : There is no significant association between age and digitalization in payment
0
H : There is significant association between age and digitalization in payment

1
The Chi square value obtained at degrees of freedom 8 is 29.946. Since the p value is
less than 0.05, alternate hypothesis is accepted. It indicates that there is significant
association between age and digitalization in payment.
Effect of Covid 19 on Digitalization in Purchase Process
To identify the effect of covid 19 on digitalization of purchase process of
customer, the following constructs was identified and respondents were are asked to
mark their response on each construct for a period prior to covid 19 and post Covid 19.
This will help to identify the effect of Covid 19 on each construct.

Table 5
Effect of Covid 19 on digitalization in purchase Process
Prior to Covid After Covid-
Variables N 19 19
Mean S. D Mean S. D
I like to purchase products from shops 100 3.87 0.939 3.69 0.861
directly
I prefer to purchase both online and offline 100 3.68 1.062 3.85 1.077
products
Online shopping is more convenient to me 100 3.25 1.132 3.53 1.020
I prefer cash payment 100 3.44 1.085 3.14 0.954

I prefer cashless payment 100 3.37 1.041 3.80 0.867
I prefer to make payment through UPI/ PoS 100 3.43 1.057 4.01 0.882
Social media ads influenced me to purchase 100 3.25 1.038 3.55 0.989
products.
Offers and discounts provided by the shops 100 3.72 0.911 3.84 0.873
influenced me to purchase products
The mean and standard deviation of each construct was calculated for the response
of both the period i.e., prior to Covid 19 and after. As per the table for the response
about purchasing decision of customers prior to Covid 19; highest mean is for the
construct ‘I like to purchase products from shops directly’ (3.87) with a standard
deviation of 0.939 followed by ‘Offers and discounts provided by the shops
influenced me to purchase products’ with a mean 3.72 and standard deviation 0.911.
This indicates that these two constructs had high influence on the purchase decision of
customer during the period prior to Covid 19.
While evaluating the response of customers about purchase decision after Covid
19, it was found that highest mean is for ‘I prefer to make payment through UPI/ PoS’
(4.01) with a standard deviation of 0.882 followed by ‘I prefer to purchase both online
and offline products’ with a mean 3.85 and standard deviation 1.077. This indicates
that these two constructs had high influence on the purchase decision of customer
after Covid 19 pandemic.

CONCLUSION
The study was conducted to identify the effect of Covid 19 pandemic on
digitalization of purchasing process of customers. It was found that there is change in
the purchase decision of customers. During the period prior to covid 19 customers
preferred to purchase the products from the shop directly but now they prefer both
online and offline shopping. Earlier the customers preferred to make cash payment
after purchase but now they prefer to make payment through UPI/ PoS. There was no
change in the construct ‘Offers and discounts provided by the shops influenced me to
purchase products’ during both periods.
The level of digitalization in purchase is partly digitalized which means that
customers prefer to purchase the products directly from shops and online purchase
also. Digitalization in purchase varies with respect to age and gender of the customers.
The level of digitalization in payment is partly fully digitalized and other half opined
that it is partly digitalized. Digitalization in payment varies with respect to age of the
customers but gender of the customers does not have an influence on digitalization in
payment.
REFERENCES
Amoah, J. A., Khan, Z., Wood, G., & Knight, G. (2021, August 11). COVID-19
and digitalization: The great acceleration. Elsevier Public Health Emergency
Collection. Retrieved from
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8437806/
Cvetkoska, V., Patel, G., & Dimovska , M. (n.d.). A Delphi-AHP Approach to the
COVID-19 Effect on Digitalisation in the Banking Sector. The New Digital
Era: Digitalisation, Emerging Risks and Opportunities (Contemporary
Studies in Economic and Financial Analysis, 109A, 135-150.
doi:https://doi.org/10.1108/S1569-37592022000109A009
Doshi, S. (2020). How COVID-19 is accelerating digitalisation for the banking and
payments industry. The Economic Times-Insights.com. Retrieved from
https://etinsights.et-edge.com/how-covid-19-is-accelerating-digitalisation-
for-the-banking-and-payments-industry/
Dvorak, J., Komarkova, L., & Stehlik, L. (2021). The effect of the COVID-19 crisis
on the perception of digitisation in the purchasing process: customers and
retailers perspective. Journal of Entrepreneurship in Emerging Economies,
13(4), 628-647. doi: https://doi.org/10.1108/JEEE-07-2020-0260
Fűzi, B., Géring, Z., & Pál, E. S. (2022, February 28). Changing expectations
related to digitalisation and socialisation in higher education. Horizon
scanning of pre- and post-COVID-19 discourses. Educational Review, 74(3),
484-516. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/00131911.2021.2023101
Morrone, D., Raimo, N., Tarulli, A., & Vitolla, F. (2021, July 6). Digitalisation in
the hospitality industry: motivations, effects and role of Covid-19.
International Journal of Digital Culture and Electronic Tourism, 3(3-4),
257-270. doi:https://doi.org/10.1504/IJDCET.2021.116475
OECD. (2020). Digital Transformation in the Age of COVID-19: Building
Resilience and Bridging Divides. Digital Economy Outlook 2020

Supplement. Retrieved from www.oecd.org/digital/digital-economy-outlook-

covid.pdf.
Sorgner, A. (2021, Novenber). The COVID-19 crisis and digital transformation:
what impacts on gender equality? Retrieved from www.unido.org:
https://www.unido.org/stories/covid-19-crisis-and-digital-transformation-
what-impacts-gender-equality

Presencing the Invisible: Historical Revisionism Through the

Graphic Narrative
Sandra Mariam Xavier

St. Joseph's College,
Irinjalakuda, Thrissur
Email: sandramariam24@gmail.com
Abstract: The critical and rhetorical practise of postmodernism has been credited
with bringing about a shift in the ontological and epistemological modes of enquiry. It
has shaken the foundations of the general belief system and has exposed the biased
politics underlying the previously established truths, especially history. As has been
incessantly argued by critics both prior to and especially since the intellectual
movement of postmodernism , history is just a “narrativized account” that has been
formulated to substantiate the dominance of the elite. It has served as a hegemonic
discourse to validate its trivializing narrative of the marginalized. The ongoing ethical
interventions by postcolonialist and feminist, who leveraged by postmodernism, has
led to the discovery of some of the missing chips from the larger picture of nation’s
history. Interestingly, even graphic narratives, a sub genre of comics, one of the most
demeaned genre by the academia, has been used to find and unmute the voice of the
marginalized. Although the combination of graphic narrative and history leaves a bad
taste on the culturally refined tongue of the elitist academia, it has been recurrently
experimented with. Maus, Persepolis, The Best We Could Do, Palestine testifies to
not only the avant-garde experiments but also the success story behind it. The paper
looks at Grass , a memoir by Keum Suk gendry-kim as a historical narrative and how
with the use of graphic narrative the subjectivity of comfort women, previously erased
in favour of patriarchal-imperialist interest, surfaces. In addition, the paper explores
how graphic narrative, being a postmodern genre, helps the author challenge the
previous ontological and epistemological assumptions on the nature of truth and the
validity of the truth claims made in historical discourses.
Keywords: Graphic narrative, postmodernism, revisionism, comfort women,

marginalized
INTRODUCTION
The critical and rhetorical practice of postmodernism has been credited with
bringing about a shift in the ontological and epistemological modes of inquiry. It
permeated throughout the world a climate of skepticism towards the foundation and
underlying politics of the epistemic standards and traditions, established truths, and
what has been conveniently tagged as commonsensical. There were visible cracks on
the cemented borders that kept apart the factual and fictional, the self and the nation,
popular culture and high culture, and the presence of these oppositionally placed
phenomena within each other became more conspicuous. Postmodernism, as Linda
Hutcheon remarks, had a “controversial relationship with history” (“Postmodern”
299). History, as postmodernism posits, is a narrative account created by someone for
someone else. The act of re-presenting the past is not divested by the historian’s
ideologies. Its theories focused on a contrapuntal reading of historical discourses
involving a study of the ideologies underlying the ontological, epistemological

assumptions it propagated. Historiography has been found to embed nationalist,

imperialist, and patriarchal ideologies, ensuring their hegemony (). The philosophical
movement was successful in raising a renewed historical consciousness that
undermined the objectivity of history, and its claim of being founded on truth has
been undermined by postmodernism. The endorsed culture of revision of the
fundamentals pertaining to systems of knowledge extended to history as well. The
interpretations through historical revisionism “dismantle the “truths”, at times
mythologized, of traditional historiography” (Cattini I). All the different modes of
revisionism, be it evidence-driven revisionism, significance-driven revisionism, or
value-driven revisionism, focus on rewriting the officiated history. These revisions
within history aren’t immune to the dominant ideologies, but they are a conscious
form of accounting for the past that is aware of the inevitability of gaps in the
narrative of history. As Aviezer Tucker writes on revisionist history:
One of the chief revisionist strategies has been to “make fuzzy” epistemological
issues, to make the distinction between evidence-based probable knowledge of history
and fiction vague and unclear. It blurs the border between historiographic truth and
falsehood by claiming there can be more than a single “true” historiographic narrative.
(para 6)
In addition to unsettling the foundations of previously established systems of
knowledge, postmodernism has desensitized the reader to narratives that feature
unusual pairings of popular and elite culture, high and low art. These vivid
confrontations and interactions between diverse and, in most cases, oppositionally
placed phenomena are stimulated by the postmodernist urge for border crossing. That
being said, certain combinations are still beyond the horizon of the reader or academic
acceptance; one is graphic narrative and history. It comes as no surprise to comic fans,
who, following the underground revolution, have grown accustomed to seeing
unusual combinations of the sensual and comic or trauma and comic. The trendsetter
of this atypical co-mixture of history and comics/ graphic narratives was Art
Spiegelman, who brought attention to the complex semiotic system of comics with his
seminal work Maus. The work cemented the growing suspicion of the potential of the
comic form which was planted with the underground comix. A graphic narrative
became a medium where the impossible could be achieved. Concurring with this Art
Spiegelman claims that Maus could only take form through the medium of comics ().
Similar experiments have been conducted by Joe Sacco, Marjane Satrapi, Malik Sajid,
Lila Quintero. They are historical narratives that chart the subjective's formation and
growth alongside the nation's. Grass, the chosen text for the study, could also be
placed under this category.
Grass is a memoir published in 2019 by Keum-suk-gendry-kim. It is an anti-war
graphic novel, centering on the life of a comfort woman, Okseon Lee, a.k.a. Ok-sun,
who was abducted and forced into sexual slavery for the Japanese Imperial Army
during the Second World War. The graphic narrative is a biography of Okseon Lee,
covering the events of life from her childhood, prior to her abduction until her life
during the post-war era. The features of bearing witness to a traumatic past, self-
reflexive narration with the author featuring herself as a character trying to understand
and narrate Ok-sun’s life, etc. closely resemble Art Spiegelman’s Maus. But unlike
Maus, the frame narrator in Grass, i.e the author, is not as emotionally invested as
Artie, yet brings about a poignant narrative featuring the victimization of women
during the world war. The paper looks at Grass as a historical narrative attempting to
fill the lacuna within dominant historical discourses, which conveniently leave out the
war crimes of abduction, rape, and forced prostitution of helpless women. The paper

also explores how the genre of graphic narrative helps the artistic venture of gendry-
kim to problematize traditional historiography and adopt a democratic methodology
toward representation.
The preface to Grass briefly explains the widely used term "comfort women." It is
a euphemism for the Japanese word ‘ianfu’ which translates to prostitutes. Comfort
women refers to the victims of Japanese military sexual slavery. Their treatment of
comfort women was politically regulated and condoned. They not only preyed on the
most “vulnerable and accessible victims” but used their rape as an oppressive weapon
to further emasculate the Korean nation. This crime against women was kept under
wraps until a group of survivors filed a suit against the Japanese government, seeking
an official apology and compensation. Even when it was acknowledged, they weren’t
addressed as war crimes, nor were more information divulged on them. Evidence of
this war crime is under Japanese control; some of it is probably destroyed. The
available data available are either incomplete or manipulated.
In the face of this government-advocated inscriptional effacement, Ok-sun bears
witness to her individual tale of suffering and oppression during the Japanese
occupation of Korea.This act of bearing witness is a political act, countering the
deliberate attempts by the Japanese government to erase traces of this brutality that
they unleashed on helpless women. Furthermore, the political act also extends to what
is accomplished through Grass, a multiply-embodied memoir. Although a testimony,
it is devoid of the narcissism that is typical of life narratives. Her testimony
exemplifies the “heteroglossic” aspect, that Emira Derbel observes within women’s
autobiographies. It is opposed to the focus within traditional autobiographies, initiated
by male authors, on the solitary self. Instead, women’s life writings are multi-voiced.
Derbel writes, “the story is not of a single subject, but representative of a collectivity
of women’s stories through the voice of the female narrator” (2). Ok-sun’s self-
articulations, similarly, are representative of the collective, who have had a similar
experience of the horrors of war and the inhumanity that had taken over during the
war. Ok-sun in Grass not only narrativize her raped physical body, thereby reclaiming
her autonomy, but also the imaginary body, which has been stigmatized by both her
homeland and family. Through the biographical writing of Ok-sun, gendry-kim
materializes the subjectivity of a previously doubly-“shadowed” objectified being.
Her subjectivity is registered by giving form to the emotional truth behind her
experiences. Thus, Grass is not just a reply to the hegemony of the imperialist nation
of Japan but also to patriarchy, and thereby stands as a counter-narrative to
mainstream history.
The novelty of Grass lies in the fact that a graphic narrative is used to render
visible a group who were forced into invisibility. Even when there exist varied
choices of media such as documentaries/ photographs/ films, which people consider
realistic genres, gendy-kim uses the medium of graphic narrative to perform this
pregnant task of remembering the overlooked and forgotten past. With Art
Spiegelman’s Maus, the graphic narrative has proved itself to be a medium “fully
capable of emotion, remembrance, and healing” (Zuckerman 55). The choice of the
genre comes with some added benefits that align with the thematic preoccupation of
the text. An artistic representation of traumatic experiences such as abduction and
rape always involves an “aesthetic quandary”(55). Any other illustrations or
representations, except for evidence in the form of photographs, involve the risk of
trivialization or not doing justice to the experiences. Graphic narratives, even with
simplistic drawings, have been found to enable authors to articulate the
unrepresentable or the unspeakable. Its unorthodox format embodies a liberatory

stimulus that probes the author to authentically present their experiences without self-
censoring. Moreover, by transporting the events to the unfamiliar ground of graphic
narrative, the author is able to defamiliarize and achieve a distance from the events.
In addition to this, graphic narrative also gives form to a component that fails to
get replicated in official history i.e emotional truth. In Grass when Ok-sun narrates
her initial rape, the sequence shows the old ok-sun transitioning to her younger self
that was raped. A gradual receding of speech could also be observed when ok-sun
attempts to speak about her rape. Kate Douglas's explanation of “the language being
inadequate to articulate the traumatic experience” becomes most applicable here.
Each of these self portraits of ok-sun wears the same defeated, traumatized expression.
The page following this transition sequence is one with only the dirtied face of ok-sun
staring at the viewer/ reader with haunted eyes. This image is positioned at the center
of the page, and in the background are six panels in black. The panels' silence
becomes louder as the void within them is highlighted by white interstices bordering
them. This helps to convey the experienced horror and inner fragmentation that occurs
with such traumatic events. Following this, are three consequent pages mimicking the
same panel composition and placement sans Ok-sun’s image. This probably suggests
the continued trauma and perhaps the repetitiveness of the act that ok-sun had to
endure. Although dialogues appear on the following page, it is devoid of any images
of ok-sun. This conveys the degradation of the self, the demise of her innocence, and
the awful pain she had to endure in the process. As she recalls her experience of rape,
ok-sun’s older self is weighed down and is seen withering away with every moment
of recollection. A similar representation could also be found in Satrapi’s Persepolis.
When Marji, the protagonist, recalls a bombing in her neighborhood, she cites the
destruction of her neighbor Baba-Levi’s house. Following the panel where she finds
under the debris a hand with a familiar bracelet, which she identifies as belonging to
her friend Neda, is a blank panel in black. The panel is captioned "no scream in the
world could have relieved my suffering and my anger". Hilary Chute claims that
through such representation Satrapi implies that "stylized form (of graphic narrative)
can represent "reality" better than realism itself" (Poharec 23). Both Gendry-kim and
Satrapi “through their distorted understanding of torture and, to some extent, the
unrepresentability of horror evoke the artificiality of history because nothing can be
understood or explained if one does not experience it directly” ( 47)
Figure 1. Gendry-kim, Keum-suk. Grass.
Authenticity is always an issue when it comes to the reconstruction of the past.

Historical discourses are popular for their authentic representation. The simple

drawing accompanied by a concise verbal description doesn’t make the graphic

narrative a convincing candidate for authentic representations. However,
diagrammatic representation of maps, replication of buildings from real life, and
citing other sources of the narrative (a Japanese soldier’s diary), add to the
believability of the narrative and its authenticity “by showing the reader exactly what
is being portrayed rather than just description of it” (Zuckerman 65). The testimony of
ok-sun, as well as the addition of such diagrams of maps, and real buildings, makes
Grass a biographical documentary, lending more authenticity to the narrative.
Moreover, the reader is also assured of the author’s commitment to accuracy when
she herself travels to the sites of oppression that ok-sun mentions in her (hi)story.
Gendry-kim’s fastidiousness as a researcher becomes evident here. The reader is also
made aware of the author’s conscientious effort to accurately depict the memories of
Ok-sun when she relays all the events as narrated by ok-sun. The backstory behind the
scar on her hand is of the least significance in comparison to the rest of her
story. Instead of resorting to the endorsed methodology within the traditional
historiography of selective representation of events, gendry-kim provides a verbatim
visualization of ok-sun’s narration. This alerts the reader to the distortions that occur
in official history, which is a strategically compiled interpretation of only selective
events.
Unlike the modernist methodology of recording history, Grass is a self-reflexive
narration of history drawing attention to the non-chronology, gaps, and
misconceptions that are part and parcel of historical narratives. It is doubly mediated-
the narrative that the reader’s receives is the memory of the witness’s memory, and
the same defines the official history we consume. The appropriateness of using
graphic narrative to represent ok-sun’s memory becomes evident here. As Spiegelman
claims, graphic narratives possess “the synthetic ability to approximate a mental
language that is closer to actual human thought than either words or picture alone”
(Young 672). It is aware of and represents the dislocutions, losses, absences/ gaps,
and non-chronology that is intrinsic to narratives drawn from the memory. When ok-
sun narrates her personal story of how she got punished for stealing persimmons fruit,
the narrative abruptly changes its focus to the political context of the period, the
china-japan war. Other interruptions to the narrative are also recorded in the narrative,
like when the caretaker of the house of sharing takes Ok-sun away from the author.
Most often the image of trees has been included when there is a break in the narrative.
It is used as a connector to scenes that are temporally spaced apart. Similarly, images
of the landscape and the surrounding trees, shrubs, and weeds serve as substitutes for
uncertain information. For instance, when Ok-sun states, “My father was from the
north. That’s all I know. I don’t even know what city he was from. He said
somewhere near the Tumen river. He was tall and strong and my mom was about my
size. She was pretty, but he was so-so” (loc.69). The gaps within the narrative is not
only highlighted in the narrative but it is formalistically also captured through the
gutter. Grass also consciously draws attention to the difficulties in acquiring
information from the experienced / the witnessed. Gendry-kim shows how Ok-sun is
not able to get past her exclamations about the injustice done to women like her and
the need for the government to compensate them. This repetitiveness in her response
is captured by the frame narrator, who in a series of panels shows the same image and
response. The transparency accorded through self reflexive narration not only adds to
the credibility of the narrative but also highlights the lack of it in official history.
Through graphic narrative gendry-kim is able to presence the memory of the
silenced and subjugated, countering the effort of the government that tries to erase any

traces of it. This is narrativized by gendry-kim, who upon her visit to Japan can find
no evidences to Ok-sun’s narrative. Even the collective memory of it has been
tampered with and erased by the Japanese government. Grass is a historic revisionism
bearing witness to the injustice and seeks to fill the gap that exist within the narrative
of official history. Through this process it counters both the patriarchal and imperialist
attempts to present itself as a philanthropist venture. The genre’s self reflexivity, the
pregnant gaps/ gutter, its capacious form affording the inclusion of maps, its potential
to represent the unspeakable makes the twisted lines of history readable (Chute 200).
WORKS CITED
Cattini, Giovanni C. Historical Revisionism: The Reinterpretation of History in
Contemporary Political Debate
https://docs.llull.cat/IMAGES_175/transfer06-essa03.pdf.
Chute, Hilary. "The Shadow of a past Time": History and Graphic Representation
in "Maus." Twentieth Century Literature, Vol. 52, No. 2,summer, 2006.
Derbel, Emira. Iranian Women in the Memoir: Comparing Reading Lolita in
Tehran (1) and Persepolis (2). Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2017.
Hutcheon, Linda. “Postmodern Provocation: History and “Graphic” Literature.”La
Torre ,vol.II,no.4-5,1997.
Sidonie Smith . Introduction: Mapping Women’s Self-Representation at
Visual/Textual Interfaces. Interfaces: Women, Autobiography, Image,
Performance,2002.
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/maize/mpub9739969/1:18/--life-writing-in-
the-long-run-a-smith-watson-autobiography?rgn=div1;view=fulltext.
Poharec, Lauranne. Showing the Unsayable: Trauma and Juxtaposition in
Persepolis and A Child’s Life and Other Stories.2014, University of Mexico,
M.A.Thesis.
Tucker, Aviezer. “Historiographic Revision and Revisionism:
The evidential difference.”Past in the Making:Historical Revisionism in
Central Europe after 1989,Budapest: Central European University Press,
2008, pp. 1-14. Open Edition Books
<http://books.openedition.org/ceup/1582>.
Tongsuthi, Janet L. “Comfort Women of WWII.” UCLA Women’s Law Journal,
vol.4,no.2,1994.Doi: 10.5070/L342017602.
Young, James. Art Spiegelman’s “Maus” and the Afterimages of History.” Critical
Enquiry, vol.24,no.3,1998.
Zuckerman, Samantha. The Holocaust and the Graphic Novel: Using Maus and Its
Narrative forms to Bring Credence to the Medium.”Kedma,no.6,spring,2008.

An Eco-Critical Study of William Wordsworth’s “The Tables

Turned”
Sharad Kashyap
Research Scholar
Singhania University, Rajasthan
Email: sharad.kashyap985@gmail.com
Abstract: William Wordsworth is the most prominent poet of Nature in Romanticism.

He opposes the materialism in his poetry. The Tables Turned is a satire to the bookish
knowledge of the world. He rejects the concept of scientific world through his poetry
and illustrates the importance of Nature in learning. The results of Industrialization
and the French Revolution jolted his nature-loving nature. He was against the
anthropocentrism.
Keywords: Wordsworth,Romanticism,Materialism,Industrialization,Anthropocentrism
William Wordsworth has been associated with nature since his childhood. He
was born in Lake District, a beautiful natural site with vivid natural scenery. As a
child he used to spend his time in the lap of nature. For this very first period of his life
(1770-1787), He likes to communicate with nature throughout the day when nature
plays the role of a guardian and nurse for him. In An Evening Walk he writes
Dear Brook, farewell! To-marrow’s noon again
Shall hide me, wooing long thy wildwood strain;
But now the sun has gained his western road,
And eve’s mild hour invites my steps abroad. (‘An Evening Walk’ 90)
Second period of his life (1787-1797) was a period of uncertainty of storm and
stress, including his university life at Cambridge, his travels abroad and his
revolutionary experience. He observed the changes in natural phenomena during the
Industrial Revolution from 1760. Outbreak and consequence of the French
Revolution made him return to nature again. He spent three years (1797-1799) in self
contemplation and speculation. As the result, we find The Lyrical Ballads in 1798. By
this time, nature has been a teacher, a guide and a faithful friend for him. He thinks
the materialism and industrialism the responsible for the destruction of nature. His
passionate love for nature made him against the bookish knowledge. He satires on
scientific knowledge which makes the human greedy and destructor of nature. He
appeals to human beings to let the nature be your teacher and you will find more to
learn than a man.
As Morton says “In order to think in a truly ecological way, we must let go of
‘nature’.” We find The Tables Turned as a suggestive ecological poem of Wordsworth
for human beings. He tells the world there is no other better mode of learning than
nature. We can learn from every part of nature. It is the basic truth of learning. He
doesn’t criticise the bookish knowledge but warns the human beings not to depend on
books. It is well known that there is no book in Stone Age. Since the beginning of the
civilization, human learn everything from nature. Nature has taught him to survive in
difficult situations, to eat, to cultivate, to reproduce, to cure etc. afterwards our
forefathers wrote their experiences in books which are an important source of our
knowledge in present days. The poem raises this question why we cannot learn direct

through nature. In the light of Eco-criticism, this poem tells us that we can learn from
the every natural object. We shall have to be sensitive towards nature and its
messages. From morning to night, each phenomenon of nature teaches us something.
It teaches us to know time and directions from the movements of the sun, the moon
and the stars. We learn music from the birds. We know about the beauty from natural
scenes. Even today, nature has the power to refresh us, to remove our sadness and to
make us feel happy. We cannot learn new things from the books as books have what
our ancestors had learnt from nature. Nature is an ultimate source of knowledge so we
must go through nature and try to learn from it. Although it is not easy to learn from
nature for everyone, but we can learn from it with the manner of ‘try and error’ As Pt.
Nehru writes in one of his letters to the children of India, “You will be more sensible
and open your eyes and ears to this beauty and life that surround you. How easy it is
to make friends with them and everything in nature, if you go to them affectionately
and with friendship!” Anthropocentricism has made the earth a laboratory where all
the natural objects are the tools of experiments. On the other hand, The Tables Turned
suggests us all the natural objects like sun, mountains, green fields, fresh air, trees,
forests and birds like linnet and skylark are the teaching tools of nature. He says that
our scientific knowledge and quest to know more are the main reason of destruction
of nature:
Our meddling intellect
Mis-shapes the beauteous forms of things-
We murder to dissect. (‘The Tables Turned’ 28)
Today, there are a lot of environmental crises like global warming, COVID-19,
climate change, etc. Literature and science must come on the same stage to save the
environment and overcome these problems. As Aldous Huxley says in his book
Literature and science 1963 “the gap between the Man of Letters and Man of
Laboratory can be bridged only if interconnections are made between ‘the relationship
of living things to one another and to their inorganic environment’ and described by ‘a
(poet’s) heart that watches and receives’ and a scientist’s ‘bird eye knowledge of
science’.” (108) A close observation to the present situation suggests us that we must
follow the principle of Wordsworth again to save the humanity from natural disasters
and accept the nature as supreme power. Wordsworth rightly says:
The anchor of my purest thoughts, the nurse
The guide, the guardian of my heart, and soul
Of all my moral being. (‘Tintern Abbey’ 639)
We must learn again from the nature and once again accept nature as our
teacher. None but nature can save all of us. All these ecological problems are the
result of our manipulation with nature and its objects.
WORKS CITED
Bate, Jonathan. Romantic Ecology: Wordsworth and the Environmental Tradition.
1991. London: Routledge Revival. 2014. Print
Coupe, Laurence. General Introduction, The Green Studies Reader: From
Romanticism to Ecocriticism. 2000. Ed. Laurence Coupe. London:
Routledge, 2004. Print
Huxley, Aldous. Literature and Science. New York: Harper and Row, 1963. Print
Long, William J., ‘The Age of Romanticism’ English Literaure: Maple Press, Script
Edition 2011. Print

Morton, Timothy. Ecology without Nature: Rethinking Environmental Aesthetics.

Cambridge, MA: Harvard UP, 2007. Print
Wordsworth, William. Lyrical Ballads with Other Poems in Two Volumes. T. N.
Longman and O. Rees, Paternoster-Row, 1800. Print

Option Trading Strategies for Volatile Market Conditions: A Study

of Select Steel Companies in India
Rachappa Malge
Faculty in Commerce
Government First Grade College,
Kamalapur , Karnataka
Email: rachumalge@gmail.com
Abstract: Financial derivatives are good instrument for reducing the risk. Forward,
Future, Options and Swaps are the instruments of financial derivatives. It is an
approach for calculating the value of a stock option and it give the traders an
opportunity to make profit irrespective of the direction of the market. Options can be
used for hedging and speculative purposes and most of the individual investors use
options for speculation. It is available for bullish, bearish and volatile market
conditions. In the present study options strategies is applied to forecast the volatility
and return of select Indian steel company.
Key words: Options, Hedging, Speculative, Bearish and Bullish.
INTRODUCTION
One of the main attractions for trading in options is the leverage involved. One
can think of big holdings with less amount of investment. Options give the traders an
opportunity to make profit irrespective of the direction of the market. Options can be
used for speculative and hedging purposes. Most of the individual investors use
options for speculation. Usually Risk-seekers trade in the options market rather than
average traders. But the fact is that derivatives are very good instruments in
minimising the risk. Extensive range of option trading strategies enables the users to
leverage the funds available for investment. Options trading strategies are available
for bullish, bearish and volatile market situations. However, it is found that many
investors do not trade in options market by using these option strategies. They trade
based on trading calls received from the broking firms. If one can predict the
direction of the market, it is very easy to book profit by using option trading strategies.
Events in the recent past have highlighted that the volatility and uncertainty is an
inherent feature of today's financial markets.
Many option trading strategies have been suggested and practiced. There are many
option trading strategies. There strategies can be med to profit based on the investor’s
requirement and market conditions. One can choose the strategy based on this risk
bearing capacity and prediction about the market. All the option trading strategies can
be categories in three parts: Strategy for Bullish market, bearish market and volatile
market.
Profile of Indian Steel Industry and Select Stocks
The Indian steel industry is one of the core industries and striving for continuous
modernization, up gradation of older plants to newer plants and higher energy
efficiency. It is more than a century old industry in India.The first integrated steel
plant was established by Tata i.e., Tata Iron & Steel Company in 1907.The inherent
strength of the Indian steel industry is availability of raw materials and skilledlabourat

reasonable price. These factors are contributing to cost advantage of the domestic
steel industry. The Steel industry has been getting demand from the sectors such as
infrastructure, aviation, automobile,engineering, power generation, petrochemicals
etc.
The Report of Working Group on Steel for the 12th Five Year Planstates that many
factors having the potential of raising the per capita steel consumption in the
country.An estimated infrastructure investment is about nearly a trillion dollars, a
projected growth of manufacturing from current 8% to 11-12%, increase in urban
population to 600 million by 2030 from the current level of 400 million, coming out
of the rural market for steel currently consuming around 10 kg per annum buoyed by
projects like make in India, Bharat Nirman, Rajiv Gandhi AwaasYojana, Pradhan
Mantri Gram Sadak Yojanaand others. The National Steel Policy (2005) by reviewing
rapid developments in the domestic steel industry and the stable growth of the Indian
economy predicted that the steel production to be reach 110 million tons by 2019-20.
(Source: An Overview of the steel sector Ministry of Steel, Government of India)
The present study is confined to three steel companies namely; Tata steel and JSW
Steel to representative the Indian steel industry Brief profile
Tata Steel is the part of eminent Tata group which is ranked among the most
powerful corporate groups in India. It was started in 1907 in Jamshedpur and has been
contributing to the country’s growth from last 100 years. Company operates in more
than 50 countries and has the capacity to produce 30 million tons of crude steel per
year. Tata Steel is headquartered in Mumbai and more than 80,000 employees are
associated with this company it is one of the fortune 500 company.
The JSW Steel was established in 1982 which has acquired 3rd place in Indian
Steel sector and having more than 28 years of experience in steel industry. Company
is the part of million dollars. The product portfolios of JSW include Hot and cold
Rolled Product, Galvanised and Pre‐painted Galvanized Product, TMT Bars, Wire
Rods and Special Steel Products etc. JSW is headquartered in Mumbai and more than
90,000 employees are associated with this company.
Objectives of the study
The specific objective of the study as are as under;
 To know the profitability of Indian steel companies for Volatile market option
Strategies.
 To provide the suitable suggestions for findings.
A brief description the research design is as under:
 Types of research: Applied research was used to find the appropriate option
trading strategies during volatile market conditions.
 Sources of Data: The data has been collected from the old website of National
Stock Exchange and entire is secondary data.
 Population: All the stock options of NSE constitute as a study population.

 Sampling Method: The judgement sampling method has been applied for this
paper.
 Sample size: Three month stocks of Tata steel and JSW steel companies are
selected for the study.
 Data taken: 07/01/2022 to 27/01/2022.

28/01/2022 to 24/02/2022
25/02/2022 to 31/03/2022
Data Analysis and Interpretation

The study is based on secondary data. An effort has been made in this paper to test
the applicability of Option Trading Strategies meant for volatile market conditions
with reference to selected Indian Steel Companies. The following strategies have been
used, for the three months data. Long Straddle, Short Straddle, Long Strangle and
Short Strangle
Long Straddle
A Straddle is a volatility strategy and is used when the stock price or index is
expected to show large movements. Long straddle strategy involves buying a call as
well as put on the same stock or index for the same maturity and strike price, to take
advantage of a movement in either direction. If the price of the stock or index
increases, the call is exercised while the put expires worthless and if the price of the
stock or index decreases, the put is exercised, the call expires worthless. Either way if
the stock or index shows volatility to cover the cost of the trade, profits are to be
made.
When to Use: The investor thinks that the underlying stock or index will experience
Short Straddle
A Short Straddle is the opposite of Long Straddle. It is a strategy to be adopted
when the investor feels the market will not show much movement. He sells a Call and
a Put on the same stock or index for the same maturity and strike price. It creates a net
income for the investor. If the stock or index does not move much in either direction,
the investor retains the Premium as neither the Call nor the Put will be exercised.
However, in case the stock /index moves in either direction, up or down significantly,
the investor’s losses can be significant. So this is a risky strategy and should be
carefully adopted and only when the expected volatility in the market is limited.
When to Use: The investor thinks that the underlying stock or index will experience
Table No.1
Long Straddle for TATA STEEL
(In Rupees)
Closing
Date of price of
Net
transaction Date of Strike Premium the Pay
Transaction Pay
(Spot expiration price paid stock on off
off
price) date of
expiration
1240 116.58 -
07-01-2022 27-01- Buy 1 CE Nil
1088.35 116.58
(1160.35) 2022 1240 5.90
Buy 1 PE 151.65 145.75

Total 122.48 151.65 -29.17

1300 -
28-01-2022 24-02- Buy 1 CE 226.03 Nil
226.03
(1167.50) 2022 1300 34.27 1074.05
Buy 1 PE 225.95 191.68
Total 260.30 225.95 -34.35
1440 247.86 -
25-02-2022 31-03- Buy 1 CE Nil
247.86
(1289.35) 2022 1440 0.83 1307.2
Buy 1 PE 132.8 131.97
-
248.69 132.8
Total 115.89
The total premium paid for transactions shown in the Table no.1 is Rs. 510.4 and the
net payoff is Rs.-179.41
Table No.2
Long Straddle for JSW STEEL
(In Rupees)
Closing
price of
Date of
Date of Strike Premium the Pay Net
transaction Transaction
expiration price paid stock on off Payoff
(Spot price)
date of
expiration
Buy 1 CE 720 59.84 Nil -59.84
07-01-2022 27-01-
(672.85) 2022 720 1.37 621.1
Buy 1 PE 98.9 97.53
Total 61.21 98.9 37.69
Buy 1 CE 640 100.7 Nil -100.7
28-01-2022 24-02-
(659.95) 2022 640 2.8 569.35
Buy 1 PE 70.65 67.85
Total 103.5 70.65 32.85
690 110.28 -
25-02-2022 31-03- Buy 1 CE Nil
110.28
(646.6) 2022 690 1.59 732.65
Buy 1 PE 42.65 41.06
Total 111.87 42.65 -69.22
The total premium paid for transactions shown in the Table no.1 is Rs. 212.2 and the
net payoff is Rs.1.32
Table No.3
Short Straddle for TATA STEEL
(In Rupees)
Closing
Date of price of
transaction Date of Strike Premium the Pay Net
Transaction
(Spot expiration price paid stock on off Payoff
price) date of
expiration
07-01-2022 27-01- Sell 1 CE 1240 116.58 1088.35 Nil 116.58

(1160.35) 2022 1240 5.90 - -

Sell 1 PE
151.65 145.75
-
122.48 29.17
Total 151.65
Sell 1 CE 1300 226.03 Nil 226.03
28-01-2022 24-02-
(1167.50) 2022 1300 34.27 1074.05 - -
Sell 1 PE
225.95 191.68
-
260.30 34.35
Total 225.95
Sell 1 CE 1440 247.86 Nil 247.86
25-02-2022 31-03-
(1289.35) 2022 1440 0.83 1307.2 -
Sell 1 PE -132.8
131.97
Total 248.69 -132.8 115.89
The total premium paid for transactions shown in the Table no.1 is Rs. -510.4 and the
net payoff is Rs.179.41
Table No.4
Short Straddle for JSW STEEL
(In Rupees)
Closing
price of
Date of
Date of Strike Premium the Pay Net
transaction Transaction
expiration price paid stock on off Payoff
(Spot price)
date of
expiration
Sell 1 CE 720 59.84 Nil 59.84
07-01-2022 27-01-
(672.85) 2022 720 1.37 621.1
Sell 1 PE -98.9 -97.53
Total 61.21 -98.9 -37.69
Sell 1 CE 640 100.7 Nil 100.7
28-01-2022 24-02-
(659.95) 2022 640 2.8 569.35 -
Sell 1 PE -67.85
70.65
-
103.5 -32.85
Total 70.65
Sell 1 CE 690 110.28 Nil 110.28
25-02-2022 31-03-
(646.6) 2022 690 1.59 732.65 -
Sell 1 PE -41.06
42.65
-
111.87 69.22
Total 42.65
The total premium paid for transactions shown in the Table no.1 is Rs. -212.2 and the
net payoff is Rs.-1.32

Table no.5
Glimpse of Profitability of Options Trading Strategies of TATA steel and JSW
Steel
Payoff (In Rs.) Net Payoff (In Rs.)

Strategy TATA steel JSW Steel TATA steel JSW Steel
Long Straddle 510.4 212.2 -179.41 1.32
Short Straddle -510.4 -212.2 179.41 -1.32
It can be inferred from the above table that Long Strangle is the better strategies
than Short Strangle. Two stocks have yielded profit under Long Straddle Strategies.
Findings
 The study findings shows that one can profit by trading based on option trading
strategies.
 Normally steel stocks are volatile, as they are exposed to exchange rate risk and
other factors. Therefore, option strategies for volatile market can be applied.
 Long straddle and Long strangle strategies have yielded positive payoff in both
the steel stocks.
 Short straddle and short strangle have shown losses in both the cases.
 The long straddle and long strangle, the payoff is higher for these companies for
one company in case of long straddle.
 TATA steel has shown high profits in long strangle and loss in short strangle
 JSW Steel has shown high profits in short strangle and loss in long strangle.
Suggestions
 The study analysis indicates that options are not highly risky.
 It is advisable to trade based on option trading strategies to have decent return on

investment.
 Based on the payoff of various strategies it can be said that one can make profit
by using option trading strategies meant for volatile market condition.
CONCLUSION
Majority of the investors are familiar with the cash segment of stock market. But,
the awareness about derivatives is relatively less. Investment in options is very
options require lot of knowledge of the market and ability to predict the market
movement. Good number of options trading strategies is available for bullish, bearish

and volatile market situations. Many investors do not trade in the options market by
using the options trading strategies. They trade based on trading calls received from
the broking firms. It is found that profit can be booked if the options trading strategies
are followed. But it is very important to choose the appropriate strategy as lot of
strategies is available. The study has proved that all strategies may not work all the
times. Based on the analysis of the select strategies it is advised to use Long Straddle
and Long Strangle strategies during volatile market conditions.
REFERENCES
1. Dhondiba and Dr. Panduranga An Empirical Investigation of the Black - Scholes

Model - A Case Study of Pharmaceuticals stock options.
2. Fischer Black and Myron Scholes, The Pricing of Options and Corporate
Liabilities, The Journal of Political Economy, Vol. 81, No. 3, May - June 1973,
pp.637-654.
3. Prashant Joshi (2014), Forecasting Volatility of Bombay Stock Exchange,

International Journal of Current Research and Academic Review, 2014, 2(7), pp.
222-230.
4. Francesco Guidi and Rakesh Gupta (2012-14), Forecasting volatility of the

ASEAN-5 Stock Markets: A Nonlinear Approach with Non-normal Errors,
Griffith Business School Discussion Papers - Finance, Griffith University, No.
2012-14.
5. www.investopedia.com
6. www.wikipeda.com
7. www.nse1.com

A Study on Colonial Intrusion, Displacement and Migratory Slavery

in Abdulrazak Gurnah’s Novel Paradise
Vinaya G. Naik
Assistant Professor
Chinmaya College of Arts, Commerce and Science, Tripunithura
Email: vinaya.ajithkumar@gmail.com
Abstract: Colonialism is the establishment, exploitation, maintenance and expansion

of colonies in the territory by people from another territory. The East African coastal
region comprising of islands like Zanzibar, Mozambique, Mafia, Malindi and Pemba
has been very important for European colonisers during the 19th century especially
Britain. Abdulrazak Gurnah is one of the most emerging writers in East Africa for the
last two decades. He is an author who has chronicled the refugee experience and
colonialism’s harsh impact in all his books. Paradise written by Gurnah depicts an
earlier period in African history. The novel narrates the story of Yusuf, a 12year old
boy who is sold (becomes a pawn “rehani”) to a wealthy merchant Uncle Aziz,
because his father can no longer pay his debts. In the Tanzania of this novel, parents
routinely use their children as security in business, slave traders kidnap five year old
girls in broad daylight, actual cases of child abuse are openly discussed while drinking
tea on the street. Gurnah creates a satirical narrative and he calls it ‘Paradise’. The
slavery which is portrayed in the novel is the system of pawning which was prevalent
in the East African countries. Pawning is a type of slavery in which someone’s child
is used for paying off debt. Yusuf used to live in a rural area with his parents up to
twelve years. When Uncle Aziz came for a visit to his house, he was ignorant about
his departure from his native place. But soon he realized he was there as rehani. When
Yusuf arrived at this new place he started working in the shop to pay his father’s debts
to Uncle Aziz. Yususf and his new companion Khalil, who was also a pawn worked
in a shop but did not get any wages for it. However they were not kept in full captivity.
They were free to explore the nearby villages as they wished. The only way for Yusuf
to return home is when his father pays off the loans- a possibility so unlikely that he
resigns himself to a life of physical drudgery Displacement is an important theme
noticed throughout the novel. Slavery is depicted as the biggest factor which
displaces characters in the novel. The article tries to analyse how Yusuf’s illusion of
Paradise shatters soon and how he takes control of his own fate.
Keywords: Colonialism, slavery, pawning, displacement
INTRODUCTION
Abdul Razak Gurnah was born in Zanzibar, Tanzania in 1948. He is a reputed
novelist and academician. Like most of the protagonists in his novels, he made
England his home when he migrated in 1968. He came to England to pursue a
university education. Gurnah was also driven out of Zanzibar to escape the civil
unrest, whereby the sustained violence against the Arab population in the country
made it an unwelcoming and uncomfortable home space for them. He received his
PhD from the University of Kent, where he was later a professor in postcolonial
literature. Gurnah documents the British migrant experience, the troubled experiences
of individuals living in post-colonial Zanzibar and how individuals residing in the two
cultural spaces find routes into their subjectives by undertaking philosophical and

subjective journeys. Gurnah has written nine novels and his career as an author spans
over three decades, with his earliest book being Memory of Departure (1987) and the
latest one being Gravel Heart (2017). His most acclaimed novels are Paradise (1994)
and By the Sea (2001), which were shortlisted and long listed for the Booker Prize
respectively. Desertion (2005) was shortlisted for 2006 Commonwealth Writes
Prize.
Paradise set in East Africa in the period immediately preceding the advent of
German colonization in Tanganyika, focuses on pre-colonial trade expeditions carried
out between the coastal Arabs/Swahili and the inland communities. This novel is the
most engaged with of Gurnah’s novels, (Schwerdt 1997, Bardolph 1997) and is often
seen as writing back to Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness (J. U Jacobs: 2009).
Published in 1994, Paradise is about Yusuf a young boy who is forced to grow
through the numerous journeys he is compelled to make at the bidding of his master,
‘Uncle Aziz’. Yusuf’s double displacement and lack of rootedness; his whole
diasporic condition presented all within East Africa, present a local idea of
displacement and bring to fore the fact of domination that predates colonization.
Diversity of culture and multiple levels of domination come to being in this text.
Paradise tells the story of a young boy Yusuf, who is pawned by his father to
Uncle Aziz, a rich merchant, to cover for his father’s debt. At the age of twelve,
Yusuf leaves his hometown of Kawa and travels with the merchant to his coastal
home. While the merchant travels to trade in the interior, Yusuf is let in the charge of
Khalil, another rehani (Pawn) who runs the merchant’s shop. It is from Khalil that
Yusuf learns that the man he calls ‘Uncle Aziz’ is not his real uncle and that his
relationship with the merchant is not kinship defined but a business matter. On the
second journey, the merchant takes Yusuf with him. He leaves him in the mountains
with a trade associate, Hamid. In this household, Yusuf acquires knowledge of the
Koran and goes on trading trips further into the interior with Hamid and Kalasinga, a
Punjabi truck driver who teaches him the skills of a motor vehicle mechanic. At
Hamid’s house, Yusuf is erotically drawn to Asha, Hamid’s eldest daughter. During
his stay at Hamid’s, Yusuf matures from an innocent boy, “completely uninterested in
his looks” (102). Due to the shameful potential of Yusuf’s relationship with Asha – a
young and unmarried Muslim girl, Hamid asks the merchant, who happens to pass by
regularly to take Yusuf away with him. Yusuf is now part of a caravan trading
expedition into the interior of Tanzania and he is tutored by the merchant and his men
I the ways of trade. Though this trading expedition turns out a failure as a result of
the hostility of tribes in the interior, Yusuf survives and learns the real meaning of
trade and the power of network that drives it. After returning to the coast, the
merchant leaves Yusuf with Khalil. However things take a different turn because of
the merchant’s wife, who is only indentified to the reader throughout the novel as ‘the
Mistress”. Disfigured by a wound on her face and lonely because of her husband’s
long periods of absence, the Mistress become sexually besotted with young
Yusuf. She believed that Yusuf has been sent by God to cure her. Initially the
merchant’s wife only needs Yusuf’s prayers. However the quick pace of events is
revealed to the naïve Yusuf by Khalil, who suggests that she longs for an erotic
encounter with Yusuf. Unable to restrain her yearning for Yusuf’s body, the wife
confesses to her husband: “One touch from that beautiful boy will cure this wound in
my heart” (205). At this juncture, Yusuf is not aware of the wife’s craziness as he is
himself very inexperienced in sexual matters. Later, when the merchant is away, the
Mistress tries to sexually force herself on Yusuf, but he runs away with a torn
shirt. Yusuf explains what happened and the merchant is satisfied with his

explanation and asks Yusuf not to worry about it. However, instead of staying with
the merchant, Yusuf deserts and joins the Germans colonial army to become a
porter. By doing so, Yusuf abandons his dream of eloping with Khalil’s sister, Amina,
a former rehani but now married to the merchant.
Displacement
Displacement is an important theme we can notice throughout the storyline.
Slavery is depicted as the biggest factor which displaces characters in the novel.
Gurnah advocates that we are as alienated as we are connected, particularly in a
culture that deals with pawn kind of slavery and trade. This theme of displacement is
continued through the post-colonial analysis that the novel proceeds. The novel
reconsiders texts on colonization and transcribes back to them. As Julie Newman
proposes, “postcolonial novelists reposition the novel in relation to its point of origin,
or historical position so that they can „repossess their own stories‟ and „take control
of their own reality‟, are, through their self-consciousness, politically more effective
than representational or nationalistic works.” (Newman 4). Both Khalil and Yusuf are
emigrants, and both have emotional impact. Though they are not physically much
tortured by Aziz, but reaction towards the situation reflects their mental agony. They
express their feelings in different ways. In The Mountain Town, the subject of
displacement becomes clear. As far as Khalil is concerned, he has acknowledged his
destiny of being a pawn. He knows all the terms and conditions of his slavery and
mentally negotiates and accepts them. He is faithful to his master and expects Yusuf
to be like him.
He instructs Yusuf: “He ain‟t your uncle; you‟d better learn that quickly. It‟s
important for you. He doesn‟t like little beggars like you calling him Uncle, Uncle,
Uncle. He likes you to kiss his hand and call him Seyyid. And in case you don‟t know
what that means, it means master. Do you hear me, kipumbu, we, you little testicle?
Seyyid, you call him that. Seyyid!” (Gurnah,52).
Khalil frequently prompts Yusuf of his place. He wants Yusuf and himself to
recognize each other as slave. On a trip to the mountain town, Yusuf comes to be
aware of the true meaning of displacement when Mohammed Abdalla shouts that he
has to trade with them and the ways of the savage. It‟s time you grew up and saw
what the world is like…” (Gurnah,53). On the journey Yusuf acquires the
temperaments of the civilized. He is told relentlessly that the savages do not get
familiar with God and that is why the civilized will always conquest the savage. He
learns that: “This is what on this earth we do …. To trade we go to the driest deserts
and the darkest forests, and care nothing whether we trade with a king or a savage, or
whether we live or die. It‟s all the same to us. You‟ll see some of the places we pass,
where people have not yet been brought to life by trade, and they live like paralyzed
insects. There are no people more clever than traders, no calling more noble. It is what
gives us life.” (Gurnah, 119). On the journey with the purpose of trade, Yusuf is
introduced to the viciousness of trade. Even though he experiences the splendor of the
places he visits and the people he comes across. He learns to read the Quran and
discovers an intellect of identity within it. The Quran in the novel is used to depict
how trade and religion have a special relationship. Yusuf, unlike Mohammed and
Khalil, still tries to accept and adjust with his own paradise despite the situations of
his enslavement. Displacement is also generally originated by how a person is seen.
But Yusuf escapes from this feeling after reading Quran. In the novel we do not come
across any moment where he deliberately calls “others‟”another person.

The dominant theme in the novel ‘Paradise’ is that of displacement, of characters

constructing new ideas of home and belonging in migration, and whose lives are
controlled by legacies of colonialism and Indian Ocean histories of trade and slavery.
Even then, Gurnah’s focus is on relationships, the details of how different encounters
create relationships across barriers and how the characters surmount the barriers in the
process. He presents characters grappling with various ideas of belonging, unstable
relationships within families, and the power play that comes into being in the
relationships. As the characters attempt to chart new relational territories for
themselves using a variety of strategies, their past remains a constant reminder of
something that has gone awry. It is a past that they are constantly trying to patch up
through the formation of other relationships. The East African coastal region that
Gurnah narrates has for several centuries been a point of early encounters between
Africans, Arabs, South Asians and Chinese. These encounters have given rise to
unequal trading and economic relations which have served in shaping the history of
this region in the process unearthing the repressed story of slavery, forced removals
and tragedies that shaped the history of the region in diverse ways.
Migratory Slavery
This novel is divided into six segments which moving around the stories of the
young slave Yusuf and his master Aziz. We must note that the type of slavery that is
most evident in this book is not what generally people associate with but in Paradise it
is the slavery of „pawning‟. Pawning is a way of having someone‟s child to be used
for debt. Pawning system was very much prevalent in the East African countries.
Gurnah creates a satirical narrative and that is he calls it “Paradise”. Gurnah’s
paradise begins when Yusuf becomes a pawn, or “rehani”(Arabic), to Uncle Aziz.
Through this new journey of life with Uncle Aziz Yusuf is drive into a new world that
was entirely different. Yusuf used to live in a rural area with his parents up to twelve
years. When Uncle Aziz came for a visit to his house, he was ignorant about his
departure from his native place. Yusuf was used as compensation for his father’s debt,
“He had come to understand fully that he was there as rehani, pawned to Uncle Aziz
to secure his father’s debts to the merchant.” After leaving his parental home, he
travels with his new master to his household. When Yusuf arrived at this new place
which is called “Paradise” by Gurnah, he started working along with another slave
Khalil in Aziz‟s shop. Here first time he gets conscious about his own identity. Aziz
started dreaming to visit the East African dominant place with his new master but his
desire is devastated when Aziz go away by leaving him in a small mountain town in
the custody of his relative Hamid and his wife Maimuna. But it was not the end of
Yusuf‟s dream. Several merchants take halt at Hamid‟s house and from here Yusuf
starts to collect stories about their explorations in the interior part of the East Africa.
Still Yusuf was unaware that Uncle Aziz was not his real uncle. In the custody of
Hamid, he found new companion Khalil who was also a pawn to Aziz. He was also
working in the shop to pay his father’s‟ debts to Aziz. They both worked in a shop,
but did not get any wages for it. However they were not kept in fully captivity so they
had some free time to visit nearby villages simply as they wished. This type of slavery
was not the similar as what the Europeans were taking Africans to the America.
Although it was different from Europeans mode of slavery, it does not mean that
humiliations were not committed to it. Africans did not want to be seen as being as
cruel as the Europeans. Even though there were a number of forms of slavery that
existed in Africa before the arrival of Europeans, it was very unusual to find the type
of chattel slavery. It was also not moral to take children as payment for debts. Here in

the novel we find the development of a soft relationship between Yusuf and Aziz.
When Aziz came back from his journey, Yusuf started spending more time with Aziz.
After sometimes, he went on trade expeditions with him. They used to talk with each
other in a way that reader of the novel would not expect slave and master with each
other. By the time Aziz begins to see Yusuf as part of the family. He let his home
opened to him, “You have a home here with me. You know that, I think. Make it your
home and we will talk when I get back.”(Gurnah,195)
Paradise, is Gurnah’s fourth novel. The protagonist is Yusuf, a beautiful boy, sold
into slavery by an inept father at the age of twelve. The story lasts for five years of his
life thus ending just after he turns seventeen, not quite an adult. The narration starts
shortly before young Yusuf leaves home in the company of a rich Uncle Aziz to start
a life of servitude. His hope for a better life, away from poverty in his parents’ home
is soon scuttled with the information that Uncle Aziz was actually a rich merchant and
not remotely related to him.
“As for Uncle Aziz, for a start, he ain’t your uncle” (23), is the piece of
information he gets on arrival at the merchant’s residence. He is quickly
enlightened on the fact that he was a slave. “You are here 39 because your Ba owes
the Seyyid some money. I’m here because my Ba owes him money “(24).
This comes from Khalil who was pawned earlier and is now assigned to be
Yusuf’s mentor. Reality dawns on Yusuf when they are thereafter made to operate
outside of the merchant’s main family house where his two wives reside,
“They slept on the earth terrace in front of the shop, shopkeepers by day and
watchmen by night, and covered themselves with rough calico sheets” (23).
Slavery occurs in the Aziz household in many forms, Amina is Khalil’s foster
sister, with whom they had been pawned off but who was set free through her
marriage to the merchant,
“[Y]our uncle Aziz married her last year. So now he is my brother as well as your
uncle, and we are one happy family in a garden of Paradise” (207),
Khalil informs Yusuf of his sister’s position in the family. The senior wife is
enslaved by a debilitating skin condition for which a cure has eluded the best known
doctors and medicine men. Hamdani the gardener is a freed slave who questions the
whole idea of freedom as seen by the slave owners:
“They offered me freedom as a gift. She did. Who told her she had it to offer? I
know the freedom you are talking about. I had the freedom the moment I was born.
When these people say you belong to me, I own you, it is like the passing of the rain
or the setting of the sun at the end of the day. The following morning the sun will rise
again whether they like it or not. The same with freedom. They can lock you up, put
you in chains, abuse all your small longings, but freedom is not something they can
take away”. (223-4)
Slavery in its different forms occupies a central place in the family in Gurnah’s
fiction. According to Gwyn Campbell (2004), slavery and slave trade is 4000 years
old in the Indian Ocean world. But slavery as practiced here differed greatly with the
way it was conducted in the Western tradition. Where in the Western tradition slaves
were outsiders of foreign origin, in the Indian Ocean world they were internal, in
some instances relatives to the slavers. Slavery in Gurnah’s fiction is as expected,
fashioned against the Indian Ocean World practices. The most common slave practice
in this region was pawnship where mostly girls were given out for indebtedness,
largely within the same cultural and linguistic community. In some instances, young
women were pawned off to be married to redeem a family’s debt. In such instances,

the women were not considered as slaves in the strict sense, but their basic freedoms
were still limited.
Slavery occupies a crucial place in the lives of the children under narration in the
novel under study here and also creates a kind of family that can only be described as
layered if not paradoxical. The relationship between Aziz the merchant and Yusuf the
protagonist in Paradise is more of foster father-foster son than master-slave. The
situation presents a slave child belonging to that house with a dilemma as he cannot
claim to be a part of the family, yet like in the case of Yusuf, is being groomed to
assume a key role in the family business. The children operate within a limited agency
owing to the interstitial space they occupy within the only family they can call theirs.
The slave status gives them very little room to act independently as it is mapped in a
way that limits their personhood. Yusuf the protagonist has to contend with journeys,
discrimination and interaction with different people, free and bonded. He questions
different ways in which the people he interacts with view issues. In this particular
instance, he is puzzled by the fact that Hamdani the gardener made a choice of not
taking the freedom offered by his mistress.
“No doubt there was wisdom in it but it was wisdom of endurance and impotence,
admirable in its way perhaps, but not while the bullies are still sitting on you and
releasing their foul gasses on you”. (224)
The impotence that he notices in the gardener exists in him too, not overtly, but
leads him to exchange one form of servitude for another when he leaves the
household of Aziz the merchant to join the German army at the end of the novel.,
there are elements of disruptions of the narrated childhoods. In the novel, it is quite
apparent that the child characters presented suffer levels of upheaval which interrupt
the flow of their lives.
CONCLUSION
To conclude, the consistent themes running through Gurnah's writing include
“exile, displacement, belonging, colonialism and broken promises by the state. We
definitely see all of these themes in Paradise, set in Tanzania just before the start of
World War I.
Our hero is Yusuf, indentured to a wealthy Arab businessman at age 12 to pay off
a portion of his father’s debts. We watch Yusuf come of age as a thoughtful and
remarkably beautiful boy. His master Aziz is brave, cunning, and cool-headed,
delegating the cruelty required by his business to his employees. He uses the greed
and gullibility of small-time merchants on his trading routes to risk their money in his
business ventures, coming away with most of the profits when business is good, and
an occasional slave when the business does not go well. Yusuf becomes an apprentice
of sorts, where his innocence and beauty make him a compelling companion for Aziz,
and an object of desire for Aziz’s enigmatic wife.
In the six years of Yusuf’s servitude he undergoes many adventures, with the most
compelling being the journey into the heart of the Congo. This reverse trip is opposed
in many ways to Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, with colonialism and the African
culture it aims to replace both exposed for their violence and cruelty, but not for their
savagery. In the end, the 18-year-old Yusuf has lost his innocence and is banished
from the Garden of Paradise. With nothing to tie him to a home, family, or culture he
can call his own, he gives up any pretense to a self-directed future and joins the
German colonial masters to fight in a war he has no stake in.
Yusuf represents many things in this novel: innocence and its loss, beauty as the
impetus of desire, the cruel consequences of “vengeful acquisitiveness”, even Africa

as a whole, so easily succumbing to the bondage of colonialism when there is no

foundation of respect for human freedom to combat it.
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socio literary study”, Ph.D Thesis, Jiwaji University, 2018
Thakur, Rajesh. “An Analysis of Migratory Slavery in the Novel ‘Paradise’ by

Abdulrazak Gurnah”. New Academia: An International Journal of English
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Journal. No. 44829) Vol. VII Issue I, Jan. 2018
Wright, Derek. Contemporary African Fiction. Breitinger: Bayreuth University,

1997.

A Study on Role of Insurance Companies in Driving Growth of

MSMEs with Special Reference to ICICI Lombard Insurance
Company.
Nizamole Abdul Kader*, Ansala N L
MES College Marampally
*
Emal: nizaabdulkader916@gmail.com
Abstract: Micro, Small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) are a key component
of every economy. Studies fill the literature with the importance of MSMEs as
employment generators, innovators, factors in the supply chains of larger enterprises,
and important contributors to gross domestic project. Access to insurance can play a
significant role in mitigating risks faced by poor households and micro, small,
medium enterprises (MSMEs) by smoothening consumption, building assets,
absorbing shocks, and managing risks associated with irregular and unpredictable
income. Yet, standard insurance services are out of reach of the millions of the poor
and disadvantaged. Proper risk management reduces the likelihood that risks will
materialize and, if it does, insurance reduces or eliminates the financial impact.
Insurance can make MSMEs resilient to shocks, making them more financially sound.
Tailor-made regulation on insurance products that specifically target SMEs will
contribute to increased uptake. For successful uptake of the MSME insurance, it is
essential that products offered should add value and are affordable to targeted
consumers. The main objective of this study was to analysis of the relationship
between the contributions of insurance company and the growth of micro, small and
medium enterprises in Kerala using ICICI Lombard Insurance Company. Also, the
main objective is to study main factors that affects the growth of MSMEs, to evaluate
the role of insurance companies to the progress of MSMEs and to examine the factors
obstructing the purchase of insurance cover by MSME. The research was descriptive
in nature involving quantitative methods which was administered through secondary
data. The total sample comprised of 50 respondents of all the managers and
employees of ICICI Lombard Insurance Company. Simple random sampling was used
and administered Scheduled questionnaire to the sampled or selected employees.
Findings revealed that innovation is a strong empirical evidence for fast growing
MSMEs, competition has a great effect on MSMEs industry and credit remains a great
challenge to the growth of MSMEs. Besides that, insurance companies mitigate risks
and enhance loan acceptability by MSMEs sector with banks. It was concluded that
improvement in business skills increases the performance of MSMEs. Also, ICICI
Lombard Insurance Company need to have a fresh look at the scope and spectrum of
services provided to MSMEs and have a better understanding on the scale of
enterprise sector.
Keywords: MSMEs,mitigate risk,innovators

INTRODUCTION
MSME is a business that is privately owned and operated with a small number of
employees and relatively moderate volume of sales. The definition of MSMEs varies
from country to country depending on the level of development and the strength of the
economy. The lower limit for small scale enterprises is set at between five and ten
workers and the upper limit is set at between fifty and one hundred workers.
Percentages and frequencies are also employed in the analysis. The research was
descriptive in nature involving quantitative methods which was administered through
secondary data. Findings revealed that innovation is a strong empirical evidence for
fast growing MSMEs, competition has a great effect on SMEs industry and credit
remains a great challenge to the growth of MSMEs. Besides that, insurance
companies mitigate risks and enhance loan acceptability by SMEs sector with
banks.va there are approximately 52,69,814 MSMEs currently in operation and they
comprise over 90% of the private sector. They contribute to employment, provision of
basic goods and services, and generation of export and tax revenues for national
socio-economic development. MSMEs and informal enterprises account for over 60%
of Gross domestic product [GDP] and over 70% of total employment in low-income
countries, while they contribute about 70% of Gross domestic product [GDP] and
95% of total employment in middle income countries. The location of these SMEs is
mostly in urban areas with 80% located therein.
India's non-life insurance penetration is less than 1% of GDP vs world's close to 3%.
MSME's contribution to the GDP is about 37%, and it is generating employment for
over 11 crore people, with 75% male and 25% female. Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal,
Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan,
Madhya Pradesh.There are around 6.3 crore registered MSMEs across India which
require insurance support and it is estimated that only 5% of which are registered.
Thus, the market opportunity is close to $ 40 billion.
With the help of right kind of insurance coverage, one can protect their company.
The decision should be made keeping in mind various factors like nature of business,
employee strength, location and financial capability of the company. Other products
that are useful to the MSMEs are Sookshma Udyam Suraksha and Laghu Udyam
Suraksha, both protecting the property of MSMEs and Workman Compensation.
Crisis in cash flow or a liquidity crunch is one of the main concerns SMEs face while
running a business. Every business should have working capital to sustain the
functions of the company, pay its employees and grow in the market. Insurance helps
in case of unprecedented financial risks and are usually mitigated with insurance
coverage. SMEs also have to understand that they are highly dependent on third
parties for their supply chain. Thus, any kind of interruption or financial risk related
to . Due to the increased awareness, Indian insurers received 22,205 death claims
worth Rs 1,644 crore during 2020-21 where the demise was due to COVID-19 against
Rs 1,307 crore of premium collected. General and health insurers have, as of June
2021 received over 1.8 million claims amounting to Rs 24,000 crore.
Objective of the Study
The main objective of the study on role of insurance companies in driving the growth
of SMEs in India:
1. To examine the relationship between ICICI insurance and the MSMEs.
2. To assess the contribution of insurance companies to the growth of MSMEs

3. To investigate the factors inhibiting the purchase of insurance cover by MSME

operators.
Scope of the Study
Insurance helps the business owner mitigate the risk when he starts new ventures.
Starting a new business is never easy, and the financial burden can be tremendous.
Insurance companies understand this and mitigate the financial risk carried by the
business owner. Insurance companies help absorb losses. Though the extent of
absorption differs from policy to policy, one can claim a certain amount. The
absorption of loss that may have incurred is one of the essential benefits of insurance.
Having insurance increases, the credibility of the business. The credibility helps the
business owner avail of loans more quickly and helps in times of valuation of the
company. An MSME insurance is extremely vital as it allows to protect all unforeseen
and unfortunate situations. The right insurance can be the safety blanket that one can
fall back upon in case of unexpected loss.
The research was descriptive and explanatory in nature involving quantitative
methods which were administered through scheduled questionnaires. Primary data
collected from the total sample of 50 respondents comprised of all the managers and
employees of ICICI Insurance Company. Secondary data was obtained from the
library materials, textbooks, internet and journals.
Literature Review
Lama Assistant Professor(2018) Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs)
have emerged as a highly vibrant and dynamic sector of the Indian economy over the
last live decades and not only played crucial role in providing large employment
opportunities at comparatively lower capital cost but also helped in industrialization
of rural and backward areas, thereby reducing regional imbalances and assuring more
equitable distribution of national income and wealth. MSMEs are complementary to
large industries as ancillary units and this sector contributes to the socioeconomic
development of the country. It contributes significantly to India's GDP and export
earnings besides meeting the social objectives including that or providing
employment opportunities to millions or people across the country
(Skipper,2001) Insurance contributes to the promotion of financial stability,
facilitation of trade and commerce, management of risk in an effective manner,
mobilization of savings, allocation of capital in an effective way and also it acts as a
complement of Government security programs.
(Browne and Kim 1993, Beck and Hebb 2003)Insurance can be broadly
categorized as life insurance, non-life insurance and reinsurance. life insurance
represents the long- term funds whereas the non-life insurance represents short -term
funds. Reinsurance can be defined as security of other insurance company against loss.
However, existing literatures show that insurance development significantly affect the
economic growth
Ujjal Bhuyan (2016) MSMEs sector has emerged as a dynamic and vibrant sector of
the economy. The Indian economy is expected to grow by over 8 per cent per annum
until 2020 and can become the second largest in the world, ahead of the United States,
by 2050, and the third largest after China and the United States by 2032.
Dr. Ashim Kr. Das (2019) The MSMEs are the best representatives of economic
activities. The development of MSME largely depends upon the availability of

financial services, including insurance, which is a crucial element of sustainability of

businesses in the long run. The insurance sector along with other financial sectors
needs to work effectively so as to remove uncertainties from the operation of business.
Theoretical Aspect of ICICI Insurance
ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company Ltd. is one of the leading private
sector general insurance company in India offering insurance coverage for motor,
health, travel, home, student travel and more. Policies can be purchased and renewed
online as well. ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company Limited is a general
insurance company in India. It is engaged in general insurance, reinsurance, insurance
claims management and investment management. The company has a Gross Written
Premium (GWP) of ₹143.20 billion (FY 2021). The firm offers policy insurance and
renewal through its intermediaries and website. It markets assurance products
including Car Insurance, Health Insurance, International Travel Insurance, Overseas
Student Travel Insurance, Two Wheeler Insurance, Home Insurance and Weather
insurance. ICICI Lombard has 273 branches and 840 virtual offices spread across the
nation. Established in 2001, ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company is a joint
venture between ICICI Bank- India’s second largest bank and Fairfax
Financial Holdings Limited- a financial services company based in Toronto. ICICI
Bank had 64% stake in the venture while Fairfax had 36% in the joint venture. ICICI
Lombard General Insurance is the largest private sector general insurance company in
India.ICICI Lombard's Gross Written Premium (GWP) was ₹143.2 billion in fiscal
2021 ICICI Lombard had the second highest industry market share of 8.30 percent in
the general insurance market as of February 2022.
ICICI Bharat Sookshma Udyam Suraksha Policy provides insurance cover for
physical loss or damage to, or destruction of, insured property relating to your
business. This policy is for enterprises where the total value at risk across all insurable
asset classes at one location does not exceed ₹ 5 Crore (Rupees Five Crore) at the
policy commencement date.
ICICI Bharat Laghu Udyam Suraksha Policy
The policy covers the insured property related to the business against insured peril
at one location with the total value at risk above ₹ 5 Crore and upto ₹ 50 Crore. This
include Buildings, Plant & Fixtures, Machinery, Stocks RM, and Finished Goods &
Stock in process.
Standard Fire and Special Perils
The policy covers the insured property related to the business against insured peril
at one location with the total value at risk above ₹ 50 Crores. This include Buildings,
Plant & Fixtures, Machinery, Stocks RM, and Finished Goods & Stock in
process.Credit and finance for MSMEs: ICICI Lombard said its general insurance’s
suite of products will be offered across over 980 banking touchpoints of AU Small
Finance Bank spread over 20 states and two union territories. ICICI Lombard General
Insurance on Monday announced a bancassurance partnership with scheduled
commercial bank AU Small Finance Bank to provide its customers access to the
insurer’s portfolio and enhance penetration across India. Bancassurance is referred to
insurance products of an insurance company sold to its customers through banks with
a tie-up between banks and the insurance company. Sanjeev Mantri, Executive
Director, ICICI Lombard said the partnership will help further strengthen its
distribution and unravel growth opportunities through the bank’s wide network. “With
our extensive range of customised solutions for risk management, we are confident

that we will be able to address varied customer segments across India.” The company
has issued over 29.3 million policies, settled 2.3 million claims and has a Gross
Written Premium (GWP) of Rs 185.62 billion in FY22. ICICI Lombard has 283
branches and 11,085 employees as on March 31, 2022. ICICI Lombard General
Insurance Company on Monday said it will settle the MSME clients' admissible
claims of up to Rs 5 lakh within 10 days of completing the claims survey. This marks
the International MSME Day observed on June 27 to recognize the contribution of
these industries.
The claims settlement process is a first-of-its-kind service to enable faster claim
settlement for MSMEs and startups, ICICI Lombard said in a release. With this, now
businesses shall receive the offer for settlement of their admissible property and
marine claims of up to Rs 5 lakh within 10 working days of the claims survey.
ICICI Lombard sold 1.5 million (15 lakh) policies to MSMEs as of March 31, 2022.
The insurer said it uses state-of-the-art AI and big data analytics to enable this faster
decision-making process and aid claims payments.This facility will empower MSMEs
to manage unwarranted situations arising from any mishaps. "MSMEs have been the
backbone of Indian economy and have shown tremendous resilience even when faced
with unprecedented challenges in the recent past," Sanjeev Mantri, ..
ICICI Lombard, one of India's leading private general insurance companies, saluted
the Indian MSMEs on International MSME Day. The United Nations observes this
day on June 27 every year to recognize the contribution of these industries. As a token
of honour, the company has launched a multimedia campaign emphasizing that
MSMEs are an integral part of the Indian economy and acknowledges their enduring
spirit.
Data Analysis and Interpretation

Data discusses by using Spearman Correlation Coefficient to find out the results
revealed that innovation is a strong empirical evidence for fast growing SMEs,
competition has a great effect on SMEs industry and credit remains a great challenge
to the growth of SMEs. Besides that, insurance companies mitigate risks and enhance
loan acceptability by SMEs sector with banks. However low income earned by SMEs,
high premium cost and paperwork and experience and beliefs inhibit the purchase of
insurance cover by SMEs. Nevertheless, there is a strong positive relationship
between insurance companies and the growth of SMEs.
To study the relationship between two or more variables it is a basic norm to
check whether the variables are related to each other. If the variables are not related
among themselves, then there is no point in assuming any liner relationship between
them and drawing any regression equation involving those variables will simply be
spurious. Therefore, the study checked the basic relationship between variables by
using Test of Correlation between two variables. The correlation test revealed that the
two variables are positively and significantly correlated. The development of MSME
has a strong positive correlation with the development of non-life insurance sector. It
was expected as the development in non-life insurance sector will result in more
selling of those products which are designed to protect the entrepreneurs at small as
well as large business sector from any uncertainty in the process of business. Two
variables MSME and Non-Life Insurance are involved in this study.. The data for
same was extracted from Annual Reports from 2017-22 issued by Ministry of Micro,
Small and Medium Enterprises, Govt. of India and is available in their website
www.msme.gov.in .. The Risk protection service of non-life Insurance is a vital
contribution towards encouraging the entrepreneurs to take up new ventures, explore

new market place, promote innovation, gear up production by increasing the marginal
productivity of capital etc. The Entrepreneurs face a very challenging task of
procuring financial support during their inception as well as during their incubation
period. Finance is a difficult area to get access to and sometimes, it is available only
through informal financial establishments. Many Entrepreneurs fail to stand up this
tough phase leaded by financial crunch and die an early death, posing an adverse
example for the others.
The non-life Insurance can play a role of savior in these scenarios. The financial
houses are reluctant to advance financial support to the fresh entrepreneurs due to
their uncertainly of operation and successful continuance, as Entrepreneurs initially
operate in a medium or small scale and are easily affected by changes in the business
environment. But, if that uncertainty of continuance of their enterprises can be
removed by using Insurance protection, the financial houses will not be reluctant to
provide financial support. The entrepreneurs can transfer the insurable risks to the
Insurer for a payment of premium and be free to concentrate of business operation.
The insurance protection against uncertainties will enable them to qualify for financial
assistance provided by banks and other financial houses. This will promote
commercial activities setting favourable example for others to start enterprises. The
economic growth will also be accelerated due to increase level of production and
commercial transactions.
In sum, extending accessible insurance product to the MSMEs should be the
prime agenda for creating a supportive environment. Insurance sector lacks in
providing tailored and customized products for MSME segment and this scenario
needs to be changed with proactive participation from the former. It is critical for the
insurance industry to understand the requirement of the MSME customers and
provide appropriate options so that they can cater the need of the segment and the
people working in it, giving them the confidence to grow further. The Govt. of India
should also come forward with policies and regulations to bring the MSMEs under the
insurance umbrella providing them some basic protections either at free of cost or at
most affordable rate which will encourage the promotion of MSMEs and
entrepreneurship in India paving the road to economic development.
Why MSMEs need better insurance

Only 5% of SMEs are covered, suggesting a significant coverage gap. A large
business could collapse under increasing pressure and fail to withstand a disaster.
Therefore, reinsurers need to look at the insurance potential of SMEs and MSMEs and
help them regain confidence and provide a safety net following a loss. The case study
identified policy, management, industry, technology, information, competition,
accidents, legal issues, market risks, and criminal activities as the greatest risks.
The global economy’s collapse, a virus sweeping the planet, severe blockages and a
sluggish economy have delayed its development to a $5 trillion economy by 2024-
2025 by 2020.
Suppose the insurance sector’s reach is extended to encompass these firms. In that
case, the insurance industry may see substantial growth while also supporting these
small businesses in maintaining their stability and helping MSME recover and
become stronger.To safeguard the future of our customers, we need to simplify the
whole customer experience.These include assessing, purchasing and applying for
insurance benefits, all of which must be streamlined. This would help MSMEs secure
their future and contribute even more to India’s economic growth in the years ahead.

Findings of the Study:

The major findings of this study have been derived from the analysis and presentation
of data for this paper.
1. Based on the data analysis; insurance companies have contributed immensely to
the growth of business enterprises through provision of financial security.
2. It has also been revealed that insurance companies play a positive role in
stimulating activities in all areas of investment ranging from capital and real
estate management in ICICI Insurance Company Limited.
3. It is evident from the study that under insurance of property is another major
problem that limits the smoothness of insurance company towards business
development in ICICI Insurance Company Limited.
CONCLUSION
This study has succeeded in establishing that a direct or positive relationship
exists between investment in insurance companies and business growth of ICICI
Insurance Company Limited. This means that insurance companies immensely boost
business enterprises and tremendously played a positive role in stimulating activities
in all areas of investment ranging from capital and real estate management.
Consequently, lingering problems affecting insurance companies include under
insurance of property and continual changes in government policies and regulations,
the government use policy actions to protect both the insurers and the insured in the
country and encourages people to patronize insurance companies.
Suggestions:
From the above analysis, the study was able to develop some recommendations: -
1. Insurance companies should ensure continuous contribution to business
enterprises through financial security to foster economic growth of ICICI
Insurance Company Limited.
2. It recommended that insurance companies should continue promoting their
activities in the areas of insuring investment, capital accumulation and real estate
management in ICICI insurance company limited.
REFERENCES
1. Chatterjee & W. Rodolfo, “Insurance for Micro, Small, and Medium-sized
Enterprises,” ADB Briefs, vol. 78, 2017, pp. 1-5.
2. A.K. Panigrahi, “Risk Management in Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises
(MSMEs) in India: A Critical Appraisal,” Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing &
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3. Aruwa and S.A.S, “Financing options for small and medium-scale enterprises in
Nigeria,” The Nigerian Journal of Accounting and Research, Department of
Accounting, Ah-madu Bello University, Zaria, Vol.1 (2), 2004 , pp. 45-67.
4. A. Terungwa, “Risk Management and Insurance of Small and Medium Scale
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1(1), 2012, pp. 8-17
5. C. Mark & G. Andrew, MSME and Historical Explanation in MSME in Theory
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www.zotero://attachment/1667. D. Ariyo, (2005). Small firms are the backbone

of the Nigerian economy. Available: http://www.lib.umi.com.
6. D.B.E. Ekpenyong & M. O. Nyong, “Small and medium-scale enterprises
development In Nigeria,” Seminar Paper on Economic Policy Research for Policy
Design and Management In Nigeria, NCEMA/AEPC, Nigeria, April 1992, pp.
24-25. 10. D. Kahneman & T. Amos, “Prospect Theory: An Analysis of Decision
Under Risk,” Econometrica - Journal of the Econometric Society, 1979, pp. 263–
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7. D.M. Jadi, N.A. Manab, & S.N. Ahmad, Insurance as a Risk Transfer Mechanism
in Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), Conference Paper, August 2014.
8. D. Vander Nest, The Impact of Black Economic Empowerment on the
Management of Small Companies in South Africa. Unpublished Master’s
Dissertation. Rand Afrikaans University, 2004.
9. E. Congregado , Measuring MSME: Building a Statistical System, Softcover
reprint of hardcover 1st ed. 2008, Springer.

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ISSN : 2249-7862 (Print) : 2455-877X (Online)

St. Stephen’s Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies and Research

Volume XV, 2023

Multidisciplinary Online International Conference

Patron Saint: St. Stephen

Advisory Board 2022-23

Editorial Board 2022-23

◆ Co-Editor : Dr. Sincy Joseph (Asst. Professor, Dept. of Botany)

1. Arman Nisha Ansari 1-8

2. Aamila T A, Shahina N K 9-16

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4. Balaram Panda 25-36

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8. Anju T R, Ashly Babu, Divyaja Shaji, Hiba Fathim S 66-72

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It is with great pride, enthusiasm and anticipation that I invite you to

Dr. Jisha George

(Asst. Professor, Department of Commerce)

A Study on Emerging Trends that are Reshaping the Digital

Abstract: The emergence of digital marketing has gradually changed the

internet for different answers. Digital marketing is a subcategory of marketing that

Digital Marketing Tools:

2. Alexa: Amazon-powered alexa.com is an unexplored tool. The stool is used for

Role of Emerging Digital Marketing Technology:

 Entry resistance is low.

Trends in Digital Marketing:

Legal Issues in Digital Marketing

Mycorrhizal Association of Verbenaceae and Lamiaceae Plants:

Abstract: The growth of medicinal plants is assisted by mycorrhizal techniques

Vesicular arbuscular mycorrhizal (VAM) fungi are most commonly arbuscular

MATERIALS AND METHODS