DOCSLIB.ORG

Urban Studies

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Urban Studies Urban Studies http://usj.sagepub.com/ Beyond the 'Exclusionary City': North-east Migrants in Neo-liberal Delhi Duncan McDuie-Ra Urban Stud 2013 50: 1625 originally published online 16 November 2012 DOI: 10.1177/0042098012465126 The online version of this article can be found at: http://usj.sagepub.com/content/50/8/1625 Published by: http://www.sagepublications.com On behalf of: Urban Studies Journal Foundation Additional services and information for Urban Studies can be found at: Email Alerts: http://usj.sagepub.com/cgi/alerts Subscriptions: http://usj.sagepub.com/subscriptions Reprints: http://www.sagepub.com/journalsReprints.nav Permissions: http://www.sagepub.com/journalsPermissions.nav >> Version of Record - May 3, 2013 OnlineFirst Version of Record - Nov 16, 2012 What is This? Downloaded from usj.sagepub.com at UNSW Library on August 5, 2014 Urban Studies at 50 50(8) 1625–1640, June 2013 Article Beyond the ‘Exclusionary City’: North-east Migrants in Neo-liberal Delhi Duncan McDuie-Ra [Paper first received, July 2011; in final form, August 2012] Abstract Scholars have noted the ways in which Delhi’s transformation into a global city has enclosed urban spaces excluding the urban poor, labourers and migrants. One of the neglected aspects of this focus is the way in which Delhi’s transformation has created new opportunities for migrants from north-east India. This article is an ethno- graphic account of migrants from the north-east in Delhi. It is argued that employ- ment opportunities in the neo-liberal spaces of the global city are fuelling a rapid increase in migration from the north-east, the very limit of India’s geographical and cultural imaginary. Outside these spaces of economic inclusion, north-east migrants continue to live as exceptional citizens and experience racism, discrimination and violence. The experiences of north-east migrants in Delhi suggest that the exclusion- ary city narrative is an incomplete view of urban change in India, and reveal how neo-liberal transformation is connecting heartland cities to frontier regions in ways previously unimagined. Introduction India’s embrace of neo-liberalism has had a groups. One such group are migrants from profound impact on urban areas. The drive north-east India—the very limit of India’s to transform Delhi into a global city has been geographical and cultural imaginary. This critiqued for reorganising, sanitising and article is an ethnographic account of migrants enclosing urban spaces, excluding the urban from the north-east in Delhi. Migration from poor, labourers and migrants (see Baviskar, the north-east to Delhi has increased drama- 2003; Chaplin, 2011; Dupont, 2011; Rao, tically in the past half-decade. I argue that the 2010). One of the neglected aspects of this experiences of north-east migrants in Delhi focus on exclusion is the ways in which the suggest that the exclusionary city narrative is new spaces created by Delhi’s transformation an incomplete view of urban change in India. have created new opportunities for different The so-called neo-liberal transformation of Duncan McDuie-Ra is in the School of Social Sciences and International Studies, University of New South Wales, Morven Brown Building, NSW 2052, Australia. E-mail: [email protected]. 0042-0980 Print/1360-063X Online Ó 2012 Urban Studies Journal Limited DOI: 10.1177/0042098012465126 Downloaded from usj.sagepub.com at UNSW Library on August 5, 2014 1626 DUNCAN MCDUIE-RA Delhi has created jobs in retail, hospitality Initially, I attempted to conduct formal and call centres—employment coveted by interviews; however, most north-east migrants north-east migrants. Further, employers in were uncomfortable with this method and these sectors desire migrant labour from the many said that they did not have anything north-east in particular, targeting their dis- important to say. Respondents were much tinct appearance and their English language more open to informal conversations. I had skills. These changes link the north-east fron- conversations with north-east migrants every- tier to India’s heartland cities in ways that day for almost three months and during a were unimaginable a generation ago. Despite shorter follow-up visit. Some of these conver- these opportunities, north-east migrants sations were brief. On a university campus, I experience a number of challenges in Delhi, would meet a north-east migrant and ask some of which mirror the experiences of where they are from, what they are doing in other migrants and others that are particular Delhi and how they find it. That could take a to ethnic minorities from the north-east. few minutes and we might never meet again. These challenges are less a product of the Other migrants I saw almost every day. In neo-liberal spaces of the city and more a rem- north-east neighbourhoods, we would talk nant of embedded stereotypes towards ethnic while passing in the street, while cooking, or and tribal communities from the north-east when I went to their flat in the evenings and frontier. thus, after three months,weendeduptalking This article is the result of ethnographic for many hours. There were all manner of fieldwork carried out in Delhi from interactions in between these extremes. All of December 2010 to February 2011 and again the respondents mentioned in this article have in December 2011. It also builds upon been given pseudonyms. eight years of ethnographic research in the This article has four sections. The first north-east itself. Delhi was chosen because section reviews the ‘exclusionary city’ nar- it has the largest community of north-east rative present in critical accounts of Delhi’s migrants and the migrant community is neo-liberal transformation. The second sec- more diverse in terms of its ethnic and tion discusses push and pull factors leading socioeconomic origins. Ethnographic field- north-east migrants to Delhi. The third sec- work was conducted with migrants from all tion analyses the challenges faced by north- parts of the north-east, but was more con- east migrants in Delhi. The concluding sec- centrated among migrants from the states tion discusses the ways in which north-east of Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Mizoram migration complicates the ‘exclusionary and Nagaland. This is partially explained by city’ narrative and suggests new ways of higher numbers of migrants from these thinking about the links between frontier states and because I began with contacts and heartland. from these states and through snowball sampling I met other members of their net- The Exclusionary City works predicated on family, clan and ethnic ties. During fieldwork, I lived in a north- The liberalisation of India’s economy from east migrant neighbourhood, Humayanpur, the late 1980s (officially since 1991) has trans- in south Delhi. I conducted interviews and formed urban areas through the privatisation conversations with north-east migrants and enclosure of urban spaces, the creation of throughout the city in places where they investment-friendly infrastructure and the live, work and study. partial privatisation of governance and welfare Downloaded from usj.sagepub.com at UNSW Library on August 5, 2014 NORTH-EAST MIGRANTS IN DELHI 1627 (Bavsikar, 2003; Chaplin, 2011; Lama-Rewal, Plan for Delhi 2021, released in 2007 2011). David Harvey defines neo-liberalism as (Dupont, 2011, p. 533). The global city aspiration has necessi- a theory of political-economic practices that tated a shift in urban logic. Construction proposes that human well-being can be best that is ‘planned’ is afforded legitimacy, advanced by liberating individual entrepre- whereas construction that is ‘unplanned’ neurial freedoms and skills within an institu- can be deemed illegitimate and subject to tional framework characterized by strong demolition (Ghertner, 2011). Bhan (2009, private property rights, free markets, and p. 128) estimates that 45 000 homes in free trade (Harvey, 2005, p. 2). Delhi were demolished between 2004 and 2007, reflecting a shift in ‘‘how the urban Neo-liberalism is regularly identified at the poor in India are represented, governed and heart of India’s urban transformation, judged’’ (p. 131). Bhan argues that the rights although in the literature neo-liberalism is of Delhi’s poor are eroded by the targeting often used interchangeably with liberalisa- of ‘encroachers’, seen as improper citizens tion to describe the same phenomena. of the city (p.139). The poor, including the Neo-liberalism takes on a variety of working poor, are seen as threats to the sani- national and sub-national forms. In the case tised spaces of the global city. Key to this of India this has necessitated a shift from the rationale is the creation of exclusionary role of the state as provider under Nehruvian spaces: gated neighbourhoods, restricted- socialism, to the role of the state as a cham- entry shopping malls and restricted-entry pion for private investment and market parks and green spaces. Waldrop argues that penetration. The role of the state in this pro- such spaces reflect anxiety derived from the cess is varied at the federal and local levels, perceived crumbling of old caste and class and in different sectors of the economy and boundaries and the need to ‘‘re-establish a society (Gupta and Sivaramakrishnan, 2011). sense of order’’ (Waldrop, 2004, p. 99). Transformation is constant in urban India Fernandes calls this ‘‘the spatial reconfigura- and, as Gooptu (2011) warns, many of the tion of class inequalities’’ part of a larger processes attributed to neo-liberalism are phenomenon of the ‘‘politics of forgetting’’ not necessarily unique to the past two wherein ‘‘marginalized social groups are decades but take on a distinctive character rendered invisible and forgotten within the under neo-liberalism. For Gooptu (2011, p. dominant national political culture’’ 38) distinctiveness can be seen in the cre- (Fernandes, 2004, p. 2416). ation of ‘entrepreneurial cities’ to trigger Citizen participation in the city’s gov- economic growth, with dramatic conse- ernance is altering the locus of political quences for the reorganisation of urban power.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Prashant Tamang's Perfor
    Draft for the Kathmandu workshop on 'Creation of Public Meaning during Nepal's Democratic Transition' (4-5 September 2011); DO NOT CITE or QUOTE Resurgence of ‘Nepali National Identity’ in the Age of Identity Politics and Media Globalization: Prashant Tamang’s Performance in Indian Idol 3 and Discourses in Nepali Print Media By Harsha Man Maharjan 1. Introduction Prashant Tamang, the winner of Indian Idol 3, a reality show of Indian television channel, Sony Entertainment Television (SET), got a contract of a music album with Sony BGM Music Entertainment (India) Pvt.Ltd, as a prize and he named it Dhanyavad, a Nepali word for Thanks. It was released in November 2007, and contained 11 songs: three Nepali and eight Hindi songs. It was different from what previous winners did: they came up with their albums containing Hindi songs only. Why was this difference? According to Tamang, who hails from Darjeling, and a member of West Bengal Police, this album was a tribute for Nepali community who were living in India and abroad, and who voted passionately for him while he was participating in the program.1 Since then he had acted in three films in Nepali language as hero, and the first of them, Gorkhapalatan was big hit. It is interesting that Amit Paul, who became second in the program, had sung a song in Hindi movie, Luck By Chance and few others participants are hosting programs in Indian TV channels. All name and limelight Tamang is having is definitely the result of his celebrity figure as an Indian Idol.
    [Show full text]
  • An Overview of Indian Nepalis's Movements For
    International Journal of Research in Social Sciences Vol. 9 Issue 4, April 2019, ISSN: 2249-2496 Impact Factor: 7.081 Journal Homepage: http://www.ijmra.us, Email: [email protected] Double-Blind Peer Reviewed Refereed Open Access International Journal - Included in the International Serial Directories Indexed & Listed at: Ulrich's Periodicals Directory ©, U.S.A., Open J-Gage as well as in Cabell‟s Directories of Publishing Opportunities, U.S.A AN OVERVIEW OF INDIAN NEPALIS’S MOVEMENTS FOR AUTONOMY (1907-2017) Deepik a Gahatraj* Abstract Thepaper is an attempt to understand the various facets of demands for recognition and autonomy of Indian Nepalis. The paper will discuss the various phases of statehood movements in Darjeeling hills. First, the pre-Independence phase and demands for regional autonomy. The second phase deals with the demand for a separate state called Gorkhaland under the leadership of Subash Ghising in 1980s. Third phase discusses the renewed demand for Gorkhaland under the leadership of Bimal Gurung in 2007. And the last phase deals with the upsurge that took place in summer of 2017 when the declaration by the state cabinet to make dominant Bengali language as a compulsory subject in school triggered the prolonged demand for statehood and recognition. Keywords-autonomy, demands, movement, nepalis, recognition, statehood. * PhD Scholar, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi 929 International Journal of Research in Social Sciences http://www.ijmra.us, Email: [email protected] ISSN: 2249-2496 Impact Factor: 7.081 Nepalis are the ethno-linguistic community in India residing in the states of West Bengal and Sikkim, however over the years, segments of these original settlements have moved onto the Indian hinterland but still the corps of Indian Nepalis continues to reside in the two states mentioned above.
    [Show full text]
  • Reality TV and Participatory Culture in India
    Popular Communication ISSN: 1540-5702 (Print) 1540-5710 (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/hppc20 Reality TV and Participatory Culture in India Aswin Punathambekar To cite this article: Aswin Punathambekar (2010) Reality TV and Participatory Culture in India, Popular Communication, 8:4, 241-255, DOI: 10.1080/15405702.2010.514177 To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/15405702.2010.514177 Published online: 27 Oct 2010. Submit your article to this journal Article views: 706 View related articles Citing articles: 10 View citing articles Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at http://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=hppc20 Popular Communication, 8: 241–255, 2010 Copyright © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC ISSN: 1540-5702 print / 1540-5710 online DOI: 10.1080/15405702.2010.514177 ARTICLES Reality TV and Participatory Culture in India Aswin Punathambekar University of Michigan This article focuses on events surrounding the third season of Indian Idol in order to assess the changing relationship between television, everyday life, and public political discourse in contem- porary India. In the summer of 2007, media coverage of Indian Idol focused on how people in Northeast India cast aside decades-old separatist identities to mobilize support for Amit Paul and Prashant Tamang, the two finalists from the region. Situating this media phenomenon in relation to the changing landscape of Indian television and the socio-historical context of ethno-national politics in Northeast India, I explore how reality television, combined with mobile media technologies and practices, has enabled new modes of cultural and political expression. Positing the notion of “mobile publics,” I argue that participatory cultures surrounding television create possibilities for the renewal of everyday forms of interaction in public settings that may have been forgotten, subdued, or made impossible under certain political circumstances.
    [Show full text]
  • Challenging the State by Reproducing Its Principles
    Zurich Open Repository and Archive University of Zurich Main Library Strickhofstrasse 39 CH-8057 Zurich www.zora.uzh.ch Year: 2013 Challenging the state by reproducing its principles. The demand for “Gorkhaland” between regional autonomy and the national belonging Wenner, Miriam Abstract: Contrary to assumptions about the dualist relationship between region and nation, I propose to understand both as simultaneously emerging. An analysis of the rhetoric of the “Gorkhaland” movement that demands a separate union state in India to be carved out of West Bengal demonstrates that although the movement challenges the distribution of power over territory, it does so by using a “pan-Indian grammar,” to borrow Baruah’s terminology. This is reflected in imaginative geographies that endow the demanded territory with meaning and render it an ethno-scape, while at the same time presenting it as a viable part of an imagined Indian nation. The Gorkhas attempt to bridge the gap between the “national” and the “regional” and challenge dominant identity ascriptions. In doing so, they stress their multiple belongings and affiliations. In this process the Indian nation is produced at various levels of society. Posted at the Zurich Open Repository and Archive, University of Zurich ZORA URL: https://doi.org/10.5167/uzh-87966 Journal Article Published Version Originally published at: Wenner, Miriam (2013). Challenging the state by reproducing its principles. The demand for “Gorkha- land” between regional autonomy and the national belonging. Asian Ethnology, 72(2):199-220. M*'*+, W#--#' University of Zurich Challenging the State by Reproducing its Principles The Demand for “Gorkhaland” between Regional Autonomy and the National Belonging Contrary to assumptions about the dualist relationship between region and nation, I propose to understand both as simultaneously emerging.
    [Show full text]
  • Labour, Trade Union and Tea Industry: Contextualizing Indian Plantation System
    JOURNAL OF ADVANCES IN SOCIAL SCIENCE AND HUMANITIES Received 13 Jan 2021 | Accepted 19 Jan 2021 | Published Online 24 Jan 2021 DOI: https://doi.org/10.15520/jassh.v7i1.559 JASSH 07 (01), 1395−1401 (2021) ISSN (O) 2395-6542 RESEARCH ARTICLE Labour, Trade Union and Tea Industry: Contextualizing Indian Plantation System SARAD GURUNG 1Assistant Professor Kalimpong Abstract College, Kalimpong West Bengal, The present study tries to examine the correlation between labour, India trade union and tea industry in India with particular reference to Darjeeling Tea Industry. In order to understand, complexities between labour, trade union and tea industry in Darjeeling hills, it requires to be discussed the origin of tea industry. As far as the origin of tea industry in Darjeeling hills is concerned, during early 1850s the first experimental tea plantation started. By 1856, experimental tea plantation was trans- formed into full-fledged commercial industry in Darjeeling hills. Owing to increasing demand of tea, the planters require more labour forces. However, since the beginning of tea industry in Darjeeling, one can understand that the living conditions of workers are said to be poor. As we shall see, the origin of trade union in tea industry began during 1940s to mobilize the workers voice. Thus, this study tries to examine the existing socio-economic conditions of tea garden workers and how trade unions are active to mobilize the workers’ voice. Keywords: Labour, Trade Union, Tea Industry, Plantation and Darjeel- ing. 1 INTRODUCTION started the experimental cultivation near Alubari and Jalpahar areas of Darjeeling at an elevation of 7000 arjeeling is an integral part of eastern Hi- ft.
    [Show full text]
  • Vote for Prashant Tamang: Representations of an Indian Idol in the Nepali Print Media and the Retreat of Multiculturalism*
    30 EBHR-41 Vote For Prashant Tamang: Representations of an Indian Idol in the Nepali print media and the retreat of multiculturalism* Harsha Man Maharjan Introduction According to dominant accounts of the relationship between media and nationalism, the media can play a role in both inventing and perpetuating national culture. In his most quoted work, Benedict Anderson has discussed the role of the media, and especially the print media, in constructing national identities (Anderson 1983). Silvio Waisboard claims that scholarship has identified, in relation to this construction of national identity, three roles of media: ‘making national cultures routinely, offering opportunities for collective experiences, and institutionalizing national culture’ (Waisboard 2004: 386). Michael Billig’s surveying of a single day of the British media reaches a similar conclusion, arguing that these media represented the homeland by using words such as ‘our’ and ‘here’ alongside symbols such as the flag in their representations of Britain (Billig 1995). This article discusses a struggle between proponents of monocultural and multicultural national identities in the Nepali media and contributes to a debate on the increasing trend towards a retreat from multiculturalism. The idea of multiculturalism or the tolerance of difference began in the late 1960s in western democracies, and was manifested in the recognition of the rights of ethnic, racial, religious and sexual minorities. This trend encountered heavy criticism from academics and politicians from the mid 1990s onwards. Kymlicka has argued that it is only in the case of immigrants’ rights that there has been a backlash and that there is no backlash regarding the rights of ethnic peoples and other minorities (Kymlicka 2010).
    [Show full text]
  • European Bulletin of Himalayan Research 41 2012 Ebhr 41
    EUROPEAN BULLETIN OF HIMALAYAN RESEARCH 41 2012 RESEARCH OF HIMALAYAN BULLETIN EUROPEAN EBHR 41 ARTICLES The Kinship Terminology of the Sangtam Nagas 9 Pascal Bouchery and Lemlila Sangtam 41 Vote For Prashant Tamang: Representations of an Indian Idol in 30 Autumn-Winter 2012 the Nepali print media and the retreat of multiculturalism Harsha Man Maharjan ‘Objectionable Contents’: The policing of the Nepali print media 58 during the 1950s Lokranjan Parajuli Maoist gates in Jumla and Mugu districts: Illustrations of the 84 ‘People’s War’ Satya Shrestha-Schipper ‘This is How we Joke’. Towards an appreciation of alternative values 100 in performances of gender irony among the Gaddi of Himachal Anja Wagner CONFERENCE REPORT 121 EBHR BOOK REVIEWS 125 EUROPEAN BULLETIN OF HIMALAYAN RESEARCH Autumn-Winter 2012 published by the EBHR Editorial Committee in conjunction with Social Science Baha, Kathmandu, Nepal European Bulletin of Himalayan Research The European Bulletin of Himalayan Research (EBHR) was founded by the late Richard Burghart in 1991. It is the result of a partnership between France (CNRS), Germany (South Asia Institute, University of Heidelberg) and the United Kingdom (School of Oriental and African Studies [SOAS]). From 2010 to 2014 the Editorial Board is based in the UK and comprises Michael Hutt (SOAS, Managing Editor), Ben Campbell (University of Durham), Ian Harper (University of Edinburgh), Sondra Hausner (University of Oxford), Heleen Plaisier, Sara Shneiderman (Yale University), and Arik Moran (University of Tel Aviv, book
    [Show full text]
  • Women in Gorkhaland Movement a Sociological Study
    WOMEN IN GORKHALAND MOVEMENT A SOCIOLOGICAL STUDY Dissertation submitted to Sikkim University in partial fulfilment of the Requirement for the Award of the Degree of Master of Philosophy Submitted by Ashlesha Rai Department of Sociology School of Social Science Sikkim University Gangtok- 737102 2015 1 Declaration I declare that the dissertation entitled “Women in Gorkhaland Movement: A Sociological Study” submitted to Sikkim University for the award for the degree of Master of Philosophy is my original work. This dissertation has not been submitted for any other degree of the University or any other University. Ashlesha Rai Roll No: 13MPSG01 Regd No: 11SU4415 We recommend that this dissertation be placed before the examiners for evaluation Head of the Department Supervisor 2 Certificate This is to certify that the dissertation entitled “Women in Gorkhaland Movement :A Sociological Study” submitted to the Sikkim University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy in Social Sciences embodies the result of bonafide research work carried out by Ms. Ashlesha Rai under my guidance and supervision. No part of the dissertation has been submitted for any other degree, diploma, associated-ship, fellowship. All the assistance and help received during the course of the investigation have been duly acknowledge by her. Ms. Sandhya Thapa Department of Sociology Sikkim University Place: Gangtok Date: 3 Acknowledgement I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge sincere thanks to my supervisor Dr. Sandhya Thapa whose guidance, support; encouragement enabled me to complete my dissertation. This work would not have been complete without her help. I am also thankful to all the respondents for their support and being frank and forthcoming in giving me the responses.
    [Show full text]
  • Details of Persons Detained/Arrested by Sikkim Police for Last 24 Hours
    DETAILS OF PERSONS DETAINED/ARRESTED BY SIKKIM POLICE FOR LAST 24 HOURS DATED: 09/11/2014 1. NAME, AGE 1. PARSURAM CHETTRI, 25 YRS., 2. FATHER’S NAME S/O- GANESH BDR. CHETTRI OF RHENOCK 3. ADDRESS 2. MANOJ RAI, 29 YRS., S/O- PRATAP SINGH OF 32 NO., 3. TILOK SHARMA, 32 YRS., S/O- LT.T.R.SHARMA OF RHENOCK, 4. TEK BDR. PRADHAN @ MILAN PRADHAN, 25 YRS., S/O- CHANDRA KR. PRADHAN OF MARCHAK 5. ANAND BHUJEL, 18 YRS., S/O- B.B.BHUJEL OF SOMBARIA 4. CASE NO./ RANIPOOL P.S. Cr.P.C. CASE SECTIONS UNDER WHICH ARRESTED 5. DATE OF ARREST DETAINED ON 08/11/2014 6. NATIONALITY INDIAN 7. PREVENTIVE DETENTION U/S- 41 Cr.P.C. UNDER CR. P.C. 8. INFORMATION GIVEN TO FATHER/MOTHER/HUSBAND/ WIFE/ CHILDREN/RELATIVES DETAILS OF PERSONS DETAINED/ARRESTED BY SIKKIM POLICE FOR LAST 24 HOURS DATED: 09/11/2014 1. NAME, AGE 1. DEEPAK RAI @ SOKPA, 24 YRS, 2. FATHER’S NAME S/O- KAMAL RAI, R/O- SICHEY, GANGTOK 3. ADDRESS 2. TSHERING SHERPA, 28 YRS., S/O- LT. DAWA SHERPA, R/O- LAL BAZAAR, E/SIKKIM 4. CASE NO./ SADAR P.S. CASE FIR NO.368/14, DTD.8/11/2014, SECTIONS UNDER WHICH U/S- 454/380 IPC ARRESTED 5. DATE OF ARREST BOTH ACCDS. ARRESTED ON 08/11/2014 (.) CASE IS UNDER INVESTIGATION (.) 6. NATIONALITY INDIAN 7. PREVENTIVE DETENTION - UNDER CR. P.C. 8. INFORMATION GIVEN TO FATHER/MOTHER/HUSBAND/ WIFE/ CHILDREN/RELATIVES DETAILS OF PERSONS DETAINED/ARRESTED BY SIKKIM POLICE FOR LAST 24 HOURS DATED: 09/11/2014 1.
    [Show full text]
  • Northeast Migrants in Delhi
    amsterdam university press amsterdam Duncan McDuie-Ra Race, Refuge and Retail Retail and Refuge Race, Northeast Migrants in Delhi Northeast Migrants in Delhi › Duncan McDuie-Ra Northeast Migrants in Delhi Publications Series General Editor Paul van der Velde Publications Officer Martina van den Haak Editorial Board Prasenjit Duara (Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore) / Carol Gluck (Columbia University) / Christophe Jaffrelot (Centre d’Études et de Recherches Internationales-Sciences-po) / Victor T. King (University of Leeds) / Yuri Sadoi (Meijo University) / A.B. Shamsul (Institute of Occidental Studies / Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia) / Henk Schulte Nordholt (Royal Netherlands Institute of Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies) / Wim Boot (Leiden University) The IIAS Publications Series consists of Monographs and Edited Volumes. The Series publishes results of research projects conducted at the International Institute for Asian Studies. Furthermore, the aim of the Series is to promote interdisciplinary studies on Asia and comparative research on Asia and Europe. The International Institute for Asian Studies (IIAS) is a postdoctoral research centre based in Leiden and Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Its objective is to encourage the interdisciplinary and comparative study of Asia and to promote national and international cooperation. The institute focuses on the humanities and social sciences and, where relevant, on their interaction with other sciences. It stimulates scholarship on Asia and is instrumental in forging research networks among Asia scholars worldwide. IIAS acts as an international mediator, bringing various parties together, working as a clearinghouse of knowledge and information. This entails activities such as providing information services, hosting academic organisations dealing with Asia, constructing international networks, and setting up international cooperative projects and research programmes.
    [Show full text]
  • India's Singing Star – Lv Revanth
    Published: 09-05-2017 Updated: May 8th, 2017 INDIA’S SINGING STAR – LV REVANTH For someone who has had no formal training in music and faces the linguistic barrier of not knowing Hindi, winning the Indian Idol title on national television is proof that passion and hard work can achieve just about anything. LV Revanth Kumar, the Vizag boy who was crowned the Indian Idol shares his story with Yo! Vizag. Driven by Passion The Rockstar Tag Born and brought up in Srikakulam, Revnath’s Even before he wowed the audiences on the family shifted to Vizag when he was still studying show, LV Revanth had garnered quite a fan-base in school. Growing up in a typical traditional joint as a singer and performer. Impressed by his style family, LV Revanth Kumar was driven by music. In on stage, he was often called a ‘Rockstar’. spite of having no formal training as a child or no Explaining the tag he says, “Singing and musical background in his family, he took part in performing are two different aspects. And, singing singing competitions right since his fourth form. and performing at the same time during live shows, is quite difficult. I took it up as a challenge; “I do not have a musical background, and am not as I concentrated on singing well, I also worked on a trained classical singer. In primary school, we my presentation, and developed my own style of were taught the Vedas and the Bhagavat Gita. In performing on stage.” my opinion, the advantages in my favour were my voice, family backing, good fortune, and, I believe, chanting of the Vedas that I did in my early school “My performance style was so well days.
    [Show full text]
  • Use of Technology to Assert Identity: Towards a Theory of Expanding Circles of Identity
    Use of Technology to assert Identity: Towards a Theory of Expanding Circles of Identity Naresh Kumar Agarwal Department of Information Systems, School of Computing, National University of Singapore, Singapore E-mail: [email protected] Abstract The question of 'identity' is a complex one. It concerns who we are, and who we identify ourselves to be. The importance and sensitivity of identity is highlighted by the fact that while it gives one a sense of belonging, a narrow and skewed interpretation of one's identity can lead (in its extreme form) to acts of hatred, violence and terrorism. With the connectivity and ease of use brought about by the Internet and ICTs, people are findings new ways to connect and form circles of identity. Through examples from communities in social networks and internet forums on voting for reality shows, this paper shows how people are using these media to assert their sense of identity. The primary contribution is an explication of the properties of the 'circle of identity,' leading to a theory of expanding circles of identity. Here, the circle of identity is seen as a circle of duality. It unites and divides - all at one go. The theory of expanding circles of identity recommends individuals to expand the circle of identity to one level higher while interacting with another individual – to a level that includes that other individual within the circle rather than exclude the individual. The theory aims to help streamline the identity thought in order to bring about cohesiveness and inclusiveness. Keywords Identity, Stereotyping, Use of Technology to Assert Identity, Theory of Expanding Circles of Identity 1.
    [Show full text]