LUX MONTIS Vol 7 No.2 July 2019

BAMA’S KARUKKU AS A TESTIMONY OF THE TRIPLE JEOPARDISED

ANGELA TERESA KALLOLI A SSI . P ROF . C HRIST COLLEGE M YSORE

SYNOPSIS An autobiography is distinguished from a testimony in that the former is merely talking about the events in life while the latter is written with a purpose. Bama has woven the two together making her work into a testimonial autobiography. She was a victim of the triple jeopardy of being a woman belonging to an untouchable caste and a member of a religious minority group. When Bama speaks as the representative of the subaltern community, Karukku becomes the testimony which depicts not only her life but also the life of the Dalit community to which she belongs. Testimonial literature gains prominence when there is an urgency to communicate a problem of poverty, subalternity, imprisonment, struggle for survival, and so on. Bama’s unusual way of writing her autobiography demands the immediate response and attention from the readers.

Key Words Casteist Oppression, Untouchables, Disillusionment, Religious Intolerance, Dalits

Bama is a celebrated Dalit woman writer in Tamil whose works have been translated into English, French and several other regional languages for that pristinely rural taste every reader experiences as he or she goes through the pages of her books. Born as Faustina Mary Fathima Rani in Puthupatty village, near Madurai, in 1958, she assumed the pen name Bama and published her debut autobiographical work Karukku in 1992. Two more novels Sangati and Vanmam were published in 1994 and 2002, respectively. Her short stories Kusumbukkaran (1996), Oru Thathavum Erumayum (2004) and Kondattam (2006) smack of that original native flavour. Her latest novel Manushi, the sequel to Karukku, is soon to be published. Karukku is the first Dalit autobiography in Tamil by a woman writer who opted to use the rustic language of the Paraya community as her medium to discuss various forms of violent oppression unleashed on

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Dalits – the jeopardy due to social setup, gender bias and religious intolerance.

Susairaj, her father, was employed in the Indian army and Sebasthiamma, her mother, along with her grandmother, was a labourer who toiled for the landlords, to bring up their five children. Their family converted to Christianity way back in the eighteenth century. She did her schooling in her village and completed her degree at St. Mary’s College, Tuthukkudi. Following the completion of the B.Ed. degree, Bama started working as a teacher. Her life took a turn when she took the sacred vows to become a nun, as an attempt to break away from caste bonds and pursue her goal to help poor Dalit girls. She expected that she could work with the poor Dalits and create awareness among them but unfortunately she was shocked to find that her desire could not be fulfilled as she was posted in a convent in North India. After seven years, Bama left the nunnery in protest against the discrimination the Church meted out to Dalit Christians. After a period of disappointment and disillusionment, Bama slowly dispensed such thoughts and began to gain strength to defend herself and her community in positive terms, thanks to Rev. Fr. Mark S.J. and Fr. M. Jeyaraj, who encouraged her to write and gave her moral support to build self confidence and self respect. Presently she is working as a school teacher at Uthiramerur, near Kancheepuram.

The word ‘Dalit’ has its origin in Sanskrit, meaning ground, suppressed, crushed or broken to pieces. “Dalits are a bloc of castes in the lowest rungs of social hierarchy that stand condemned as untouchables.”(Mathew 3) “Dalits are all those who are oppressed: all hill peoples, neo-Buddhists, labourers, women, destitute farmers and all those who have been exploited politically, economically or in the name of religion”(Holstrom xviii-xix). Dalit literature is the representation of the Dalit reality to enable the development of a new consciousness and identity among Dalits. Bama’s works are among those that are evaluating and exploring a changing Dalit identity “Bama seeks an identity but seeks a change which means an end to that identity” (xix). Karukku, her first autobiographical work explains the sufferings of Dalits. ‘Karukku’ means Palmyra leaves, which with their serrated edges on both sides are like double edged swords. She describes her caste-based trauma in corporeal terms:

Not only did I pick up the scattered Palmyra Karukku in the days when I was sent out to gather firewood, scratching and tearing my skin as I played with them. The driving forces that shaped this book are many events that occurred during many stages of my life, cutting me like Karukku and making me bleed… (xiii).

She recollects the unjust social structures which plunged her into ignorance, made her feel trapped, feel suffocated and the desperate urge to come out of these made her bleed.

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Bama’s reflections on her childhood, in a caste divided village in Tamil Nadu, makes her recreate her experiences as a Dalit child in Karukku. The innocent child Bama, unaware of untouchability, witnessed an elder from her community bringing some vadai’s in a small packet held around with a string. Though she was amused at first, she learnt from her brother that Naickers are of the upper caste and they, the Parayas are of the lower caste and therefore the Paraya must not touch them lest they be polluted. She comprehends the humiliation of being a Paraya, “Had the name become that obscene? But we too are human beings” (Karukku 18). Likewise the upper caste Naicker women would pour out the drinking water from a height of four feet, while Bama’s grandmother, ‘Paati’ and others received and drank it with cupped hands held to their mouths. The untouchability practised was very terrible for her to bear. It was heart wringing to see her Paati keeping her vessel near a drain and the Naicker woman tipping the left- over into the vessel. But Paati said, “These people are the Maharajas who feed us our rice. Without them how will we survive? Haven’t they been upper caste from generation to generation and haven’t we been lower caste? Can we change this?” (Karukku 14).

Poverty and illiteracy have driven the Dalits to the extreme that they almost accept the upper caste domain. Dalit children are victims of negative stereotyping and of the aspersions cast by teachers who have internalized these stereotypes. Bama records her experiences of being victimized thus at school and college in her Karukku which is simultaneously an intense personal experience and that of a community. If any untoward incident happened at school, the blame would undoubtedly fall on the slum children who were unaware of it. Though Harijan children were considered untouchables, they were used for cheap labour like carrying water to the teacher’s house, watering the plants and they were made to do the entire chores that were needed for the school. The much maligned Paraya community is often considered to be dirty and ‘naturally’ prone to criminal activities. When Bama was in her seventh standard, she was wrongfully accused of having stolen a coconut from the tree which stood in the school compound. Hence, when the headmaster said, “You have shown us your true nature as a Paraya” or when the priest said, “… after all you are from the Cheri. You might have done it. You must have done it” (Karukku 17), they were voicing the negative opinion propagated about the Paraya community or Dalits as such. There were other similarly embarrassing situations which reiterated their oppressive state. Bama, after graduation, began to look for jobs and it was then she realized that “even with an education one has to face many difficulties when trying to earn a livelihood. Being a Dalit creates a problem” (Sangati 119). It was sad to note that Bama, being an unmarried Dalit woman was not easily accepted into the fold of society. It was hard to find lodgings as it was to find employment, “People hesitate to rent houses to Dalits” (Karukku 120).

The depiction of the machinery of the state and its inefficiency in helping the Dalits in anyway, is an important subtext in Karukku. The legal system, the police, the legislature, providing

3 LUX MONTIS Vol 7 No.2 July 2019 access to and admissions in schools and colleges prove quiet ineffective in their final implementation as the people involved in executing these policies are often themselves full of pre-conceived notions of essentialized caste related behaviour. Bama to her surprise heard her lecturer announce, “Will Harijan students please stand; the government has arranged that scheduled caste students should get special tuition in the evenings” (Karukku 19). Only two students stood up and one among them was Bama. The other students were ‘bitter with contempt’ and she was filled with a sudden rage.

Even if the government prefers to call this as ‘positive discrimination’ or ‘affirmative action’, the effect it created is to intensify the prejudices instead of removing them, “It struck me that I would not be rid of this caste business easily, whatever I studied, wherever I went” (Karukku 19). After entering a convent as a nun, she had a very different and trying experience which proved that casteism has infiltrated into religious institutions too. To her dismay she found that the convent did not care for the poor and low caste children. The trauma of discrimination was so severe that they were made to feel a strong sense of alienation leading to self doubt and questioning of their very identity. Bama herself experienced this angst:

Are Dalits not human beings? Do they not have common sense? Do they not have such attributes as a sense of honour and self respect? Are they without any wisdom, beauty, dignity? They treat us in whatever way they choose, as if we are slaves who don’t even possess human dignity. They seem to conspire to keep us in our place; to think that we who have worked throughout history like beasts, should live and die like that, we should never move on or go forward. (Karukku 24)

Bama also depicts how Dalit Christians are treated in our country. The Church becomes partial and supports and encourages the upper class and upper castes, while it denounces the lower classes and lower castes, and thereby it refrains from its true duty, distorts the real image and teachings of Christ and instead preaches only docility, meekness and subservience to the faithful while suppressing the radical, liberative teachings of Jesus. Some of the Dalit communities like the Parayas converted to Christianity only to escape casteist oppression but had been greatly disillusioned as they were unable to tolerate the oppression, humiliation and disrespect within the church to the extent of not being allowed to bury their dead in the cemetery within the village or behind the church. Further, reservation benefits are not granted to Dalit Christians as theoretically Christianity does not recognize caste. The Government reservation policy fails to take into account the gap between belief and practice; and Dalit Christians face the brunt of it.

The critique of practice in Catholic Christianity occurs in Karukku at two levels. One is from the point of view of a young girl belonging to the religion and other from the vantage point of

4 LUX MONTIS Vol 7 No.2 July 2019 a Dalit woman. Both are inter-related in that as a young girl she is ‘taught’ the religion by the clergy that she later joins, in the hope of using the church as a platform, for social work. However, as an adult when she recounts the childhood experiences it shows certain insensitivity to children’s feelings which marked the clergy. The Dalits who desire to be priests or nuns are thwarted by marginalization from the initial stage itself, “It is because of this that even though Dalits like me might wish to take up the path of renunciation we find there is no place for us there” (Karukku 69). She is very hard at the Christian missionaries, not the visiting foreign missionaries but their colonial cousins, the caste-conscious nuns and monks, and she recounts the discriminatory attitude of the nuns at the convent extensively. The position of the women, especially of the oppressed class, is very precarious both within and without the church. The Church does nothing to eliminate superstitious beliefs, nor does it instruct the poor Dalits how to lead a fearless and peaceful life.

“As a woman and as a Dalit Christian, Bama’s act of expression can be viewed as a subaltern expression. It came out as a resistance against the ongoing caste and gender oppression. Also the book becomes the testimony of a Dalit Christian woman’s bitter experiences. Her act of witnessing has turned out to be a source of inspiration to her fellow-beings. Bama’s way of writing her autobiography is quite different from the usual style.”(Mathew 3) Her deliberate attempt to deviate from the usual style of autobiographies has resulted in a Dalit testimonial autobiography. She expresses her anguish in Karukku thus:

Life is difficult if you happen to be poor, even though you are born into the upper class. When this is the case, the condition of those who are born into the Paraya community as the poorest of the poor struggling for daily survival, doesn’t need spelling out. (Karukku 67 - 68) The personal humiliations, sufferings and feelings drawn out by her depict the agony of the community too. Bama’s writings on discrimination and oppression are on the grounds of not only caste but also gender.

Bama criticizes the domestic violence and abuse of Dalit women at home by Dalit men, and the sexual and occupational harassment faced by them outside their homes at the hands of the upper caste men and the police. The collusion of patriarchy with caste hegemony causes a harsher and more unjust suppression of Dalit women. Through her writings, Bama unravels various phases of Dalit women’s life from birth to adulthood, especially of the Paraya community. Lakshmi Holmstrom in the introduction to the English translation of Karukku refers to the literary endeavour of Bama thus, “It grows out of a particular moment, a personal crisis and water-shed in the author’s life, which drives her to make sense of her life as woman, Christian Dalit” (Karukku 7). Karukku is a collective biography of a people who have been structurally subordinated for centuries. By placing Paraya women in the centre, Bama offers a different feminine view of the community, its experiences and its history. Violence in the life of the Paraya women differs from

5 LUX MONTIS Vol 7 No.2 July 2019 the violence done to men of their community because these women become the Dalits of the Dalit when ill-treated by their Dalit husbands who are abused by the upper castes unjustly, violently and arrogantly.

Bama’s grandmother worked as a servant for Naicker families where even the little ones called her by name and ordered her for everything, and her grandmother like all other servants would call the boy respectfully “Ayya, master” and run about to do his bidding. Even during his tender years, a boy learns to dominate a particular caste and their gender. Suppression and discrimination is naturally imbibed by the boy and the elder Dalit women endure this. Every day she would go to the Naicker houses, sweep out the cow shed, collects the dung and dirt, and brings the left-over rice and curry from the previous day. Bama was ready to do any job to help her mother, but she could not digest the discrimination, “… even if they did the same work, men received one wage, women another. They always paid men more. I would never understand why.” (Karukku 47).

Oppression found its way even into the games children played. Girls were not allowed to play boys’ games like kabadi or marbles or chellaanguchi; if played, they were roundly abused. The play by children referred to in Karukku is an instance to be reckoned with:

When school was over, we children joined together and played our games. We made no distinction between boys and girls. We played together… two or three boys would play at being Naicker. The rest of us would call them ‘Ayya’, ‘Ayya’ and pretend to be their ‘pannaiyaal’. These boys would act as if they had a lot of power over us. They’d call us names, humiliate us, and make us do a lot of work. We’d pretend to work in the fields all day and then collect our wages and go home. We also played at keeping shop. The boys managed the shops, pretending to be the Nadar Mudalaali (Karukku 48).

The games of children continued; they played as being married – the husband coming home drunk and hitting his wife; the police arriving and beating him up. As they grew older, the boys and the girls had different games. This shows how the ideology of social system that is founded on caste, class and gender discrimination filters into the young minds of children. In another sense, the play by children reveals the intermingling of caste, class and gender identities within the Indian society.

Bama’s narratives are focused not only on the sorrows and disillusionments of Dalit women but also on their optimism and strength. They were aware of their oppression and conscious of the injustice done to them that they wanted to resist. Bama, as an individual, begins her experiential journey from a sense of helplessness to a sense of dignity and shows how she struggles

6 LUX MONTIS Vol 7 No.2 July 2019 to come out of the cultural schizophrenia usual to the Dalits. She becomes her own text and makes an earnest attempt to show the socio-religious slavery stamped upon the hapless population by ‘Varna Vyavastha’ and narrates how the caste-based religious social institution is detrimental to women’s uplift. Vehement protest against patriarchy is the open agenda of her writings. She manifests all the characteristics of a Dalit writer whose “pen is like a sharp axe with which she is cutting the weed thickly grown over the centuries in this ancient land.” In the words of J. Waghmare, “Bama’s writings celebrate Dalit women’s subversive strategies to overcome their oppression. She hopes, through her writing, to influence the Dalit women readers to shape their lives positively. Her works also emphasize on empowerment of Dalits through education.”

She takes a stand for liberation from the casteist and the gender oppression where both caste and gender are seen as liberating points from which to construct a language or to create a literature that is political in form and subject matter. “Language is to communicate. I specifically or adamantly use my people’s language. So if I have to write about my people it has to be in their language,” says Bama (Bama Interview 57).She uses the Tamil Dalit dialect for narration, argument and comments and uses folklore legend, myths, swearwords, etc. to draw narratives closer to everyday life. She has rejected the validation of standard language because she wants to express herself in the language of her people. Moreover, voicing one’s experiences in one’s mother tongue gives greater sharpness to the expression. Karukku was written in a spontaneous style which she chose not to correct because it was an outpouring of her and she found her own voice and style, and created an identity for herself and her community. Most of the Dalit women, being illiterates, speak colloquial Tamil to communicate and the narrator belonging to the same community could only express herself in uncouth, open, unliterary style and she has been recognized both nationally and internationally. “She has created a Dalit spoken idiom which renders a distinct resonance to her writing. Her autobiographical writings break all conventions of life writings and there is a specific rhetorical strategy to create a space for inter subjectivity, of being the victim and the witness simultaneously. Bama has created a Dalit feminism that celebrates Dalit women’s lives and work-culture, thereby engendering a communal and gender bonding”. It is not with the slightest trace of humiliation that Bama now addresses herself as Paraichi but rather with a proud awareness of her ethnicity

She has received the Kural Amaippu Award (1992), Cross Word Book Award (2000), Dalit Murasu Kalai Illakkiya Award (2001), Amuthan Adigal Illakkiya Parisu (2003) and many more. She is invited by Universities in India and abroad and has delivered several lectures at various conferences and has dedicated her life to uplift the downtrodden in general and Dalits in particular. Her deliberate attempt to break away from the so-called style and diction of autobiographies makes Karukku unusual, personal, and a one of a kind testimony of the triple jeopardised.

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WORKS CITED

PRIMARY SOURCE Bama, Karukku. Trans.Lakshmi Holmstrom . New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2011.Print.

SECONDARY SOURCES Bama, Sangati. New Delhi: OUP, 2005. Print. Mathew, Rini Reba . Bama’s Karukku : A Subaltern Testimonial Autobiography . Univ. Of Hyderabad. Wikinut. 8 Sept. 2012. Web. 5 Aug. 2016. Bama. Interview by Manoj Nair. Outlook India.25 April 2001.Web.5 Aug. 2016. Bama. Interview by Suchitra Behal. ‘The Hindu’ Metro Plus Delhi.6 Mar. 2003. Web. 8 Sept. 2016. Tamil Dalit Literature : An Overview. Round Table India.7 June 2010. Web. 15 Sept. 2016. Waghmare, J. M. Literature of Marginality: Dalit Literature and African American Literature. Ed. N. M. Aston. New Delhi: Prestige Books, 2001. Print.

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E-COMMERCE-PAST PRESENT & FUTURE

AISWARYA.KP ASSISTANT PROFESSOR DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE AND MANAGEMENT STUDIES MALABAR CHRISTIAN COLLEGE,KOZHIKODE

ABSTRACT Today, the market place is flooded with several e-commerce options for shoppers to choose from. A variety of innovative products and services are being offered spoiling customers for choice. Online shopping is no more a privilege enjoyed by your friends and family living in the US or UK. Today, it is a reality in India. In the last couple of years, the growth of e-commerce industry in India has been phenomenal as more shoppers have started discovering the benefits of using this platform. There is enough scope for online businesses in the future if they understand the Indian shopper’s psyche and cater to their needs. Internet and its associated information technologies significantly transformed the way we live our life. It touches every aspect of our life and one of the aspects is our purchasing habit. This report mainly focuses on retail E-commerce or B2C (Business to Consumer). Since inception earlier in 1995, E-commerce is enjoying the era of explosive growth. This paper deals with the introduction of E-commerce, its definitions, the difference between E-commerce and E-business, E-commerce organizations and its classification based on types of transactions and involved parties and benefits of E-commerce to organization and consumer. Further, it gives an overview of evolution of E-commerce at global as well as India level. E-commerce current scenario with major statistics, leading E-commerce models discussed in chapter three. Apart from this, the paper discussed key drives of E-commerce in India. It gives an idea about key challenges faced by E-commerce industry in India and highlights of future trends of E-commerce in India. Finally, Conclusion and recommendations are discussed

Keywords: E-commerce, Internet, electronic retailing, E-business, World Wide Web

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INTRODACTION The idea of electronic commerce started in the early 1970s. During this time, „electronic commerce‰ meant the facilitation of commercial transactions electronically, using technology such as Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT). This technology allows businesses to send commercial documents like purchase orders or invoices electronically. The use of ICT has enabled innovations in the world of business by introducing the concept of electronic commerce or e-commerce. E- Commerce (EC) is the process of buying, selling, transferring or exchanging products or services via computer network. The second of generation of e-commerce was introduced in the 1980s with the acceptance of credit cards, automated teller machines (ATM) and telephone banking. The current concept of e-commerce started around 1998. When the world wide web (www) and Internet computing was introduced in the early 1990s, many people were expecting that e- commerce would soon become one of the most important applications of www. However, it took more than five years before a Commerce is referred to all the activities including the purchase and sales of goods or services - marketing, sales, payment, fulfillment, customer service etc. Electronic commerce is performing commerce with the use of computers, networks and commerce-enabled software (more than just online shopping). Electronic commerce (e-commerce or ecommerce) has grown extraordinarily since the spread of the Internet. Different varieties of commerce are conducted in this way, like electronic funds transfer, supply chain management, Internet marketing, online transaction processing, electronic data interchange (EDI), inventory management systems, and automated data collection systems. Electronic commerce also consists of the exchange of data to facilitate the financing and payment aspects of the business transactions

Objective – * Evolution of E commerce in India past, present and its future * To analyze the importance of e commerce * To analyze advantages and type of e commerce

E-Commerce Commerce is referred to all the activities including the purchase and sales of goods or services- marketing, sales, payment, fulfillment, customer service etc. Electronic commerce is performing Commerce with the use of computers, networks and commerce-enabled software (more than just online shopping). Electronic commerce (e-commerce or ecommerce) has grown extraordinarily since the spread of the Internet. Different varieties of commerce are conducted in this way, like electronic funds transfer, supply chain management, Internet marketing, online transaction processing, electronic data interchange (EDI), inventory management systems, and automated data collection systems. Electronic commerce also consists of the exchange of data to facilitate the financing and payment aspects of the business transactions 10 LUX MONTIS Vol 7 No.2 July 2019

MEANING OF E- COMMERCE E-commerce means buying and selling of products or services over electronic systems such as the internet and other computer networks. E commerce draws on technologies such as mobile commerce, electronic funds transfer, supply chain management, Internet marketing, online transaction processing, Electronic Data Interchange (EDI), inventory management systems, and automated data collection systems

Ecommerce, also known as electronic commerce or internet commerce, refers to the buying and selling of goods or services using the internet, and the transfer of money and data to execute these transactions. Ecommerce is often used to refer to the sale of physical products online, but it can also describe any kind of commercial transaction that is facilitated through the internet. Whereas e-business refers to all aspects of operating an online business, ecommerce refers specifically to the transaction of goods and services

Examples of Ecommerce Ecommerce can take on a variety of forms involving different transactional relationships between businesses and consumers, as well as different objects being exchanged as part of these transactions.

1. Retail: The sale of a product by a business directly to a customer without any intermediary.

2. Wholesale: The sale of products in bulk, often to a retailer that then sells them directly to consumers.

3. Drop shipping: The sale of a product, which is manufactured and shipped to the consumer by a third party.

4. Crowd funding: The collection of money from consumers in advance of a product being available in order to raise the startup capital necessary to bring it to market.

5. Subscription: The automatic recurring purchase of a product or service on a regular basis until the subscriber chooses to cancel.

6. Physical products: Any tangible good that requires inventory to be replenished and orders to be physically shipped to customers as sales are made.

7. Digital products: Downloadable digital goods, templates, and courses, or media that must

11 LUX MONTIS Vol 7 No.2 July 2019 be purchased for consumption or licensed for use.

8. Services: A skill or set of skills provided in exchange for compensation. The service provider’s time can be purchased for a fee.

IMPORTANCE OF E COMMERCE 1 . Wide variety of products 2. Lower Cost than traditional shopping and selling 3. Less time consuming and faster consumer consumption 4. Exciting offers and shopping deals notifications 5. Transparent business system 6. Faster business expansion 7. More employment opportunities 8. Enhancement in digital products and services production 9. Low maintenance cost 10. Multiple selling and marketing options 11. More Customer retention than traditional shopping 12. Quality compulsion for sellers 13. More Contribution of customers in brand success 14. Personalized customer experiences 15. Speeding up the national economic development 16. Enhancing Technology development in villages

Advantages of Ecommerce * 80% of online users uses internet to make online purchase * Wider Audience reach * Purchase decision are influenced by Ecommerce * Ecommerce provides Convenience * Search Engine Help you to gain new customers * Store promotions becomes easy with Ecommerce * Ecommerce can expand your brand name * The ability to earn on holidays as well Boost conversion rate

Types of E- commerce Models There are four main types of ecommerce models that can describe almost every transaction that takes place between consumers and businesses.

1. Business to Consumer (B2C): When a business sells a good or service to an individual

12 LUX MONTIS Vol 7 No.2 July 2019 consumer (e.g. You buy a pair of shoes from an online retailer).

2. Business to Business (B2B): When a business sells a good or service to another business (e.g. A business sells software-as-a-service for other businesses to use)

3. Consumer to Consumer (C2C): When a consumer sells a good or service to another consumer (e.g. You sell your old furniture on eBay to another consumer).

4. Consumer to Business (C2B): When a consumer sells their own products or services to a business or organization (e.g. An influencer offers exposure to their online audience in exchange for a fee, or a photographer licenses their photo for a business to use)

Past The state-owned Videsh Sanchar Nigam Limited (VSNL) launched Internet Services in India in August 1995. For the first four years , VSNL was the sole provider of Internet Services in the Country. In the first years, broadband usage in India was growing 20% per month, according to the Internet Service Providers Association of India (ISPAI). Thanks to the progress in the penetration of ICT and especially, the Broadband Policy announced in 1995, the term monopoly and allowed provisioning of Internet Services by Private Operators. The Terms and unlimited number of players. ISPs could set their own tariffs and even their own International Gateways.

online departmental store. The website Fabmart.com was launched in September 1999 and at the time, it offered only music CDs for sale. Between February and October 2000, the website introduced additional categories including books, movies, watches, and groceries. In February 2002, Fabmart.com launched its offline grocery store in Bangalore, India. However in December company was re-structured into two independent entities - Fabmall.com, which focused purely on the online retailing business, and Fabmall which focused on the Fabmall chain of grocery stores. In June 2004, Fabmall merged with Trinethra to become one of the largest grocery chains in India, which was in turn acquired by Aditya Birla Group in December 2006 and rebranded as distinct websites - Indiaplaza.com to serve customers in the US, and Indiaplaza.in to serve customers in India. In February 2011, the company merged both websites into a common single website, Indiaplaza.com to serve customers worldwide. One of the earlier such electronic retailing initiative was Duncan & Macneil-funded

Firstandsecond.com, set up as a pure-play online book shop which further strengthened it offline presence by acquiring brick-and-mortar outlets at various locations in India. In March 2002, the company clocked revenues of Rs 6.5 crore. With a collection of over 2.5 million titles,

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: 1 Low Internet Penetration In 1998 there were only 1,400,000 internet users out of total population of 1,094,870,677 which accounted for meager 0.1% of penetration.

2 Limited Acceptability Despite of comparative high penetration in metro cities were not a heaven for electronic retailers because there was shop at every nook and corner and availability of product was easy.

3 Competitive Pressure Because of relatively small turnover of a nascent sector, every new entrant exerted more pressure on operating margins. Every electronic retailer eyed a small margin.

4 Low penetration of Plastic Money Low popularity and penetration of credit cards and debit cards further made electronic retailing an uphill task.

5 Poor Infrastructure Lack of proper infrastructure to support such IT enabled retailing revolution much of efforts tumbled down during dot com burst.

6 Indian buyers were hesitant to buy online Many consumers are hesitant to purchase items over the Internet because they do not trust that their personal information will remain private.

Present The last decade of retail was dominated by the entry of chain stores in India with both Indian and international brands vying the Indian consumer. While these brands have been working on aggressively building their presence across the width of the country, yet Indian consumers were lured by shopping in international destinations or had to reach out to metros or tier I to purchase popular brands or products. In this decade, the retailing divide already started to narrow down and the Indian consumer too, like his global counterpart, is increasingly shopping online. The opportunity is immense and today retailers, many of whom once adopted a wait-and-see attitude, can no longer ignore the Internet. Merely having a retail website is not enough and retailers need to reconsider who their customers are and how they behave in this digital century. Easy access to the Internet has also played an important role in the growth of the market. Changing lifestyles of the Indian youth and their exposure to the developed markets, coupled with the soaring real estate costs in India, have certainly inspired many an online e-retail venture. The

14 LUX MONTIS Vol 7 No.2 July 2019 online retail industry is evolving to create a bright commercial ecosystem already touching e Retail industry is impressive. Travel portals today account for over one third of the total domestic flight ticket bookings. In spite of the consumer becoming price and convenience sensitive the market share has only grown with growing affluence and infrastructural support. E Retailing has led to an overall growth of the industry. Future In recent years, the Ecommerce revolution has transformed shopping to the point where you can find a great deal without even getting dressed. Although the amount of time and money we spend online grows every year, the Ecommerce experience has changed very little since its inception.

In the beginning, Ecommerce was touted as a “Jetsons-esque” online phenomenon that would transform the way we shop. In many ways, it has lived up to that expectation, but still lacks many of the basic virtues embodied by the in-store shopping experience.

For instance, if you shop regularly at your favorite boutique, chocolate, or fitness equipment store, it is likely that the employees or owner will get to know you.

They will remember what you have purchased, become familiar with your particular taste or workout preference, and suggest items that may be of interest to you. Most online sites begin without any offsetting strategies that could give buyers an equivalent online experience.

Conclusion With higher penetration level of internet, more users, newer technologies, innovative business models, changing demographics and consumer behavior electronic retailing is all set to soar high in coming few years in India. E Commerce is the online buying and selling process which is extremely important in our daily life now

REFERENCES http://en.m.wikipedia.org http://www.researchgate.net WWW.google.co.in WWW.mystudycorner.net/ecommerce http://www.iosrjournals

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AN ANALYSIS OF THAKAZHI SHIVASHANKARA PILLAI’S SHORT STORY VELLAPOKKATHIL

NIRMAL ISSAC THOMAS MA, ENGLISH GIAL

ABSTRACT

Vellapokkathil “In the Flood”is Thakazhi’s most famous short story and it can undoubtedly be rated as one of the best short stories in English language, titled; In the Flood. The story is a graphical portrayal of the flood; how it affects the poor people’s life, and how people survive during natural calamities. The story also portrays a dog that is being abandoned by its master during the crisis. By analysing the story ,it becomes evident that one should leave all his valuable things during the time of crisis The flood resulted in the complete degradation of a land.The ruminations or the thought of flood reminds the author of death and losses. My research reflects on how the protagonist survived during the time of crisis and how the loyal dog fulfilled its love and loyalty towards his master .

The study of the short story compares the pathetic experiences that the keralites faced during recent Flood. This study analyses flood and its consiousness, How Human love fails when it is compared with Animal love .

‘In the Flood’ the most famous short story by Thakazhi Shivasankara Pillai was translated to English by P. P Raveendran.

The strory portraits the calamity of flood and how it affected the common men’s life. The dog which is being portrayed in the story is a most loyal one, as one who guarded the house till its last moment. The central character of the story Chenna was afraid of the flood, just like anybody else. He has been surviving the flood alone. On three conscecutive days he hoped that the waters would recede. But fortune didnot favour him. Thakazhi in his text, has depicted great skill in picturising the flood and its effects that made Chenna’s life more pathetic. 16 LUX MONTIS Vol 7 No.2 July 2019

Chenna cried aloud to the boatmen, but nobody heard his cry, No hands came to his rescue. His wife was pregnant and he had four kids. These situations made his condition more pathetic. Atlast his saviour came in the form of a catamaran. Chenna hastily drew his wife and children towards the boat. His cat also leaped into it, but Chenna didnot notice the dog who was sniffing around the western end of the hut whom he left behind. This shows how human beings value their pets during the time of crisis. ‘Human nature during calamities can be highlighted through his action. Chenna never thought about his dog. His primary aim was to save his family, but he forgot to recognise the dog’s loyalty and love towards his master.

Water reached almost the top of the hut. The dog saw so many boats and catarmaran’s but noboby came to rescue him. The people on the boat didnot consider the lives of animals as equal to human life. Human beings treats animals fairly only when they find some benefit out of it. Rarely people do otherwise. The dog guarded the house during the crisis represents the ill treated human beings who doesnot have humanity. They used calamity as an opportunity to manipulate the poor ,These people represents the evil nature of the society when somepeople face adversaries and miserable conditions in life,there are others who utilises this according to their situations.

The dog has also faced an attack from a Crocodile, both are animals,but crocodile consider the flood as a great opportunity to have the dog.The crocodile in the story represents those humanbeings who were engaged in humiliating others, There are people who are intrested in pushing down others into miseries, At the same time some others act like helping hands during these adversaries.

The story focuses on the family and the dog left behind by the family to die. it had showed loyalty towards its master until its very last breath. Atlast it was the crocodile who captured the dog.

The loyalty of the dog shows how animal lovve lasts. After the flood Chenna the central character comes back, When he found out his hut, he also searched for his dog. But all he found was the body of the dead dog. Chenna even wondered whether it was his own dog. This is the real attitude of human beings, We forget those who helped us in our miseries and in the time of crisis. The flood in the story has to be partially a tidal flooding, When the story opens , the writer presents all the characters who were on the third floor of a temple. Lots of people were on the roof of their houses, hoping to be rescued as the water continued to rise. The affection of animals ,especially the dog was also valued by the writer, with flood as the basic theme of the story. Human beings had the tendency to forget those who guarded and saved their lives during crisis. This type of tendency and approach xcan be depicted throughout the story.

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From 8 th August 2018, We the natives of Kerala had experienced the worst flood that had happened in nearly a century. Over 483 people died. The heavy monsoon rainfall, and the openings of almost all dams resulted in the flooding. The fishermen from different parts of Kerala were engaged in the flood rescue mission. This was how the Keralites experienced the real love and this is the time when we united, But after the flood the unification became exhausted. Relevant issues and certain judgements over religious rituals splitted the bonds of humanity. The dog in the story is the best example for the man who had forgotten his humanity.We have to improve the flood control methods. Flood relief methods helps to reduce the drastic effects of the flood. The armed forces in kerala were engaged in flood rescue operations. Keralites joined their hands during the rescue mission. Religious places like churches, mosques,and the temples acted as a platform for the rescue mission. They provided shelter for the affected. Social networking sites became control rooms, which boosted up the rescue misssion.

Conclusion The study of the short story “In the Flood” compares the pathetic experiences that the keralites faced during recent flood. Through this study I analysed flood and its consiousness, and how Human love fails when it is compared with Animal love. Through this presentation I needs to express my tibute towards those who lost their lives during rescue missions.

Reference · Sivasankara Pillai, Thakazhi (2007). Vellappokkathilum mattu pradhaana kathakalum (. Kottayam, D C Books. · ”Kerala floods: . New Indian Express. 30 August 2018. Retrieved 2 September 2018. · ”Kerala floods: Fishermen set a new model in rescue mission” . Times of India. Retrieved 17 August 2018.

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A STUDY ON BEHAVIOURAL FINANCE AND VARIOUS BIASESTHAT CAN AFFECT INVESTMENT DECISIONS

D EVI K RISHNA .V R ESEARCH SCHOLAR SN C OLLEGE K OLLAM

ABSTRACT One of the biggest challenges to our own success can be our own instinctive behavioural biases. The concept of behavioural finance helps us recognize our natural biases that lead us to making illogical and often irrational decisions when it comes to investments and finances. A prime example of this is the concept of prospect theory, which is the idea that as humans, our emotional response to perceived losses is different than to that of perceived gains. According to prospect theory, losses for an investor feel twice as painful as gains feel good. Some investors worry more about the marginal percentage change in their wealth than they do about the amount of their wealth. This thought process is backwards and can cause investors to fixate on the wrong issues.This study focus on the common behavioural biases that affect our investment decisions.

KEYWORDS: Challenges, behavioural,Biases, Investments

INTRODUCTION Behavioural finance, a sub-field of behavioural economics, proposes psychology-based theories to explain stock market anomalies, such as severe rises or falls in stock price. The purpose is to identify and understand why people make certain financial choices. Within behavioural finance, it is assumed the information structure and the characteristics of market participants systematically influence individuals’ investment decisions as well as market outcomes.His efficient market hypothesis (EMH) proposes that at any given time in a liquid market, prices reflect all available information. There have been many studies, however, that document long-term historical phenomena in securities markets that contradict the efficient market hypothesis and cannot be captured plausibly in models based on perfect investor rationality. Many traditional models are

19 LUX MONTIS Vol 7 No.2 July 2019 based on the belief that market participants always act in a rational and wealth-maximizing manner, severely limiting these models’ ability to make accurate or detailed predictions.

Behavioural finance attempts to fill this void by combining scientific insights into cognitive reasoning with conventional economic and financial theory. More specifically, behavioural finance studies different psychological biases that humans possess. These biases, or mental shortcuts, while having their place and purpose in nature, lead to irrational investment decisions. This understanding, at a collective level, gives a clearer explanation of why bubbles and panics occur. Also, investors and portfolio managers have a vested interest in understanding behavioural finance, not only to capitalize on stock and bond market fluctuations but to also be more aware of their own decision-making process.

OBJECTIVE 1. The overall objective of this paper is to add to the body of knowledge in the area ofbehavioural bias.

2. To study the impact of behavioural biases on investment decision

3. To study various methods to avoid the behavioural biases

METHODOLOGY The data for the study is obtained from secondary sources like journals, books, publications etc.

Behavioural Finance -Concepts Behavioural finance encompasses many concepts, but four are key: mental accounting, herd behaviour, anchoring, and high self-rating. Mental accounting refers to the propensity for people to allocate money for specific purposes. Herd behaviour states that people tend to mimic the financial behaviours of the majority, or herd. Anchoring refers to attaching a spending level to a certain reference, such as spending more money on what is perceived to be a better item of clothing. Lastly, high self-rating refers to a person’s tendency to rank him/herself better than others or higher than an average person. For example, an investor may think that he is an investment guru when his investment performs optimally but will dismiss his contributions to an investment performing poorly.

Biases Studied in Behavioural Finance Bias is a tendency to lean in a certain direction, often to the detriment of an open mind. Those who are biased tend to believe what they want to believe, refusing to take into consideration

20 LUX MONTIS Vol 7 No.2 July 2019 the opinions of others. To truly be biased, it means you’re lacking a neutral viewpoint. Sprouting from cultural contexts, biases tend to take root within an ethnic group, social class, or religion. Bias, prejudice, and discrimination all live under the same roof. Bias is an inclination toward one way of thinking, often based on how you were raised.

For example, in one of the most high-profile trials of the 20th century O.J. Simpson was acquitted of murder, but many people will remain biased toward him and treat him like a convicted killer anyway.

Prejudice is a feeling toward a person based solely on their affiliation with a group. It often casts an unfavourable light on someone simply because they’re a member of some family, church, or organization.

For example, millions of people around the world consider Tom Cruise to be a very talented actor. He’s also labelled as one of Hollywood’s nicest guys, purportedly treating his cast and crew with the utmost kindness and respect. However, his affiliation with Scientology prompts all kinds of negative press, causing some people to feel prejudice toward him.

Discrimination comes into play when one starts acting upon an inherent prejudice they possess.

For example, during the time of slavery, men and women held prejudices against African Americans and, in turn, discriminated them through slavery, segregation, and other heinous acts. Examples of Bias in Behaviours

If someone is biased toward women, they might display that bias by hiring a man over a more-qualified woman.

If someone is biased toward a certain religion, they might show it by making rude or insensitive comments, or go as far as vandalizing religious buildings.

If someone is biased toward same-sex couples, they might discriminate against them by refusing entrance into a club or hotel.

If someone is biased toward a political affiliation, they might show it with name calling or refusing to believe their opponents could be right about anything. Of the four concepts, two (herd instinct and self-rating/self-attribution) are biases that significantly affect financial decisions. A prominent psychological bias is the herd instinct, which leads people

21 LUX MONTIS Vol 7 No.2 July 2019 to follow popular trends without any deep thought of their own. Herding is notorious in the stock market as the cause behind dramatic rallies and sell-offs. The herd instinct is correlated closely with the empathy gap, which is an inability to make rational decisions under emotional strains, such as anxiety, anger, or excitement.

The self-attribution bias, a habit of attributing favourable outcomes to expertise and unfavourable outcomes to bad luck or an exogenous event, is also closely studied within behavioural finance. George Soros, a highly successful investor, is known to account for this tendency by keeping a journal log of his reasoning behind every investment decision. Many other tendencies are studied within behavioural finance, including loss aversion, confirmation bias, availability bias, disposition effect, and familiarity bias.

Investing Biases Behavioural biases hit us all as investors and can vary depending upon our investor personality type. These biases can be cognitive, illustrated by a tendency to think and act in a certain way or follow a rule of thumb. Biases can also be emotional: a tendency to take action based on feeling rather than fact.

Pulled from a study by H. Kent Baker and Victor Ricciardi that looks at how biases impact investor behaviour, here are eight biases that can affect investment decisions:

Anchoring or Confirmation Bias: First impressions can be hard to shake because we tend to selectively filter, paying more attention to information that supports our opinions while ignoring the rest. Likewise, we often resort to preconceived opinions when encountering something — or someone — new. An investor whose thinking is subject to confirmation bias would be more likely to look for information that supports his or her original idea about an investment rather than seek out information that contradicts it.

Regret Aversion Bias: Also known as loss aversion, regret aversion describes wanting to avoid the feeling of regret experienced after making a choice with a negative outcome. Investors who are influenced by anticipated regret take less risk because it lessens the potential for poor outcomes. Regret aversion can explain an investor’s reluctance to sell losing investments to avoid confronting the fact that they have made poor decisions

Disposition Effect Bias: This refers to a tendency to label investments as winners or losers. Disposition effect bias can lead an investor to hang onto an investment that no longer has any upside or sell a winning investment too early to make up for previous losses. This is harmful because it can increase capital gains taxes and can reduce returns even before taxes.

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Hindsight Bias: Another common perception bias is hindsight bias, which leads an investor to believe after the fact that the onset of a past event was predictable and completely obvious whereas, in fact, the event could not have been reasonably predicted.

Familiarity Bias: This occurs when investors have a preference for familiar or well- known investments despite the seemingly obvious gains from diversification. The investor may feel anxiety when diversifying investments between well-known domestic securities and lesser known international securities, as well as between both familiar and unfamiliar stocks and bonds that are outside of his or her comfort zone. This can lead to suboptimal portfolios with a greater a risk of losses.

Self-attribution Bias: Investors who suffer from self-attribution bias tend to attribute successful outcomes to their own actions and bad outcomes to external factors. They often exhibit this bias as a means of self-protection or self-enhancement. Investors affected by self- attribution bias may become overconfident.

Trend-chasing Bias: Investors often chase past performance in the mistaken belief that historical returns predict future investment performance. This tendency is complicated by the fact that some product issuers may increase advertising when past performance is high to attract new investors. Research demonstrates, however, that investors do not benefit because performance usually fails to persist in the future.

Worry: The act of worrying is a natural — and common — human emotion. Worry evokes memories and creates visions of possible future scenarios that alter an investor’s judgment about personal finances. Anxiety about an investment increases its perceived risk and lowers the level of risk tolerance. To avoid this bias, investors should match their level of tolerance with an appropriate asset allocation strategy.

Avoiding Behavioural Mistakes By understanding the common behavioural mistakes investors make, a quality financial planner will aim to help clients take the emotion out of investing by creating a tactical, strategic investment plan customized to the individual. Some examples of strategies that help with this include:

Systematic Asset Allocation: We utilize investment strategies such as dollar cost averaging to create a systematic plan of attack that takes advantage of market fluctuations, even in a down market period.

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Risk Mitigation: The starting point of any investment plan starts with understanding an individual’s risk tolerance.

CONCULUSION The most important aspect of behavioural finance is peace of mind. By having a thorough understanding of your risk appetite, the purpose of each investment in your portfolio and the implementation plan of your strategy, it allows you to feel much more confident about your investment plan and be less likely to make common behavioural mistakes. Working with a financial planner can help investors recognize and understand their own individual behavioural biases and predispositions, and thus be able to avoid making investment decisions based entirely on those biases

REFERENCES 1. Olsen, R. (1998). ‘Behavioural finance and its implications for stock price volatility’, Financial Analysts Journal, 54(2):10-18.

2. Tony Brabazon, (2000). ‘Behavioural Finance: A new sunrise or a false dawn?’ coil summer School 2000, University of Limerick, pp 1-7 8. Debont, Werner, 1998, ‘ A portrait of the individual investor’ European

3. Avanidhar Subramanian, (2008).’Behavioural Finance: A review and synthesis ‘European financial management, vol: 14, issue 1, pp; 12-29.

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CALAMITY AN INSIGHT TO THE WORDSMITH.

A PARNA P RATHAPAN & N AIR A TUL A JAYKUMAR III rd BA E NGLISH GIAL, V ADAVATHOOR

ABSTRACT We analyse Calamity and Man/Nature through the following paper. Calamities have long been inspiration for writers to bring out the stark realities of human life. The calamities cause a great havoc in human civilization. Not only men but also other living beings existent in the nature, have to suffer the blows of devastation. Floods have been the zeitgeist lately which has fuelled unity in mankind beyond regional and communal differences. It is a fact that many writings testify that great works of literature also include the reminder of the great power and facets of life through calamities and disasters. Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai’s work “In the Floods” which is a focal point of the following presentation beacons the struggle for survival through the life of a dog, giving a new perspective over the effects of a calamity suffered by living beings.

Hence, calamity forms a posthumous bond with men and nature which provides for inspiration in literature. This paper attempts to decipher the bond.

“I always tried to turn every disaster into an opportunity” an iterate by John.D.Rockefeller, an American business magnate set us thinking about our topic “Calamity an insight to the Wordsmith”. Every disaster that takes root over earth is an inspiration to writers. Though civilization suffers a devastating blow to its existence, writers scribe out lines which either sprout as rays of hope or give readers lessons of melancholy.

One such work that caught our eye was ‘Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai’s “In the Flood”. We draw your attention to the following. “Vellapokkathil”or “In the Flood” is Thakazhi’s most famous short story and it can undoubtedly be rated as one of the best short stories in Malayalam. It is a graphical portrayal of the flood, how it affects poor people and how pilferers thrive on

25 LUX MONTIS Vol 7 No.2 July 2019 natural disasters. But more than that, it is the touching tale of a dog abandoned by its master during the floods.

The description of the faithful dog that guards its master’s hut till death and its heart rending cry resembling that of a hapless human being elevates the story to tragic heights. The short fiction ‘In the Flood’ is an allusion to the devastating floods of 1920’s that occurred in Kerala. The tale revolves around the pet dog of a poor man Chenna. The dog is left behind during their rescue which still guards its owner’s house even at the cost of its life. For the pilferers the flood was a golden opportunity to revel in the harvest and produce of the poor farmers. The sole source of income that the farmers depend on would either be pilfered or perish during such calamities. This work delineates the focus from human beings and towards animals, who are the silent victims.

Being a younger generation we are incognizant of the former floods, but we are more than acquainted with the recent floods that traumatized Kerala. These occurrings are no doubt the culmination of substantial human influence. Houses, apartments, places of worship and transportation were shut down. The residences of people were water logged to such an extent that they had to survive on the terraces with nominal ration for weeks. We from Girideepam Institutions witnessed these floods first hand and so we decided to reach out and help the needy. This itself beacons unity to all us fellow beings. The boon we obtained was that the so called “Unity in diversity” which was gone with the wind resurfaced when it was needed the most. The unselfish acts irrespective of caste and race performed by people restored the faith in humanity.

CONCLUSION Many such catastrophic events result in literary works produced by writers. A fresh example is of Director Jayaraj Chandrashekar’s decision to make a film out of the recent Kerala floods. We have already been given a wakeup call with the floods. But it looks like we are nowhere on the road for resurrection because soon their might befall another tragedy on our state, if we continue our inconsiderate acts at Alappad though this might not be something we want happening but soon we may find a literary work lamenting the loss of Alappad.So, we better not play the blame game and hustle up to save what is left of our motherland. Hence, calamity forms a posthumous bond with men and nature which provides for inspiration in literature.

Works Cited * “John D Rockefeller Quotes” Brainyquote.com * Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai. “In the Flood” ,Rainbow Colours

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SUPERSTITIONS AND THE CAPTIVE AGGLOMERATION CALAMITY AND RELIGION

Minna Sabu II nd year M.A ENGLISH GIAL, KOTTAYAM

ABSTRACT Calamity refers to any event causing great and often sudden damage or disaster. Our state Kerala recently faced a huge terrible calamity. Most of the Keralites, especially the middle class people believed in a superstition that the state is facing a divine wrath. Recently, religious issues occurred tremendously in Kerala. In Hindu community, Christian community and Muslim community the people fought to hold their power. Recently, the Shabarimala case most of Hindus especially women said that all the natural disasters which affected are nothing the curse of God. The mass construct certain religious notions and superstitions. According to Sigmund Freud, Religion is an illusion or wish fulfillment. In the contemporary society we can see how people make religion as a tool.

KEY WORDS · Richard Hoggart’s Superstition · Religious issues · Punishment · Divine retribution

SUPERSTITIONS AND THE CAPTIVE AGGLOMERATION Superstition is a belief or practice resulting from ignorance, fear of the unknown or a false conception of causation. Most of the masses believe in superstition. They didn’t even think about reality or realistic facts. Recent calamity which happened in Kerala are natures reaction but the Keralites believed that it was a divine wrath. Richard Hoggart in his essay “Superstition” explains about three different superstitious belief; Fate, Luck, Chance. In this society the working

27 LUX MONTIS Vol 7 No.2 July 2019 class people merely connect calamity with their superstious fate. They thought that the negative actions of human race reap the entire calamity which happened in society. The people curse the negative hands which brought all the disasters to the world. Recently in Kerala the Flood happened. Most of the people believed that the disaster occurred because of the negative actions of human race.

Even if God examines his people with calamity, the upper caste people were not ready to share their life with other caste people. They hold their superstitions and beliefs in their mind. They follow the traditional beliefs in their life, even if their life didn’t have any kind of assurance. In India one of the ancient superstitious tradition was ‘sati’, the people considered it as their custom even though the revolution wiped out these tradition, in certain community these kinds of fake beliefs and superstitious tradition happening. Natural disaster are to be expected in a world of sin and evil. The ‘sometimes’ presence of natural disasters tells us that God is still in control, by sustaining and preserving nature. Even in science Newton the scientist says that “For every action there is equal and opposite reaction”. In the case of calamity also people believed that the action of human beings leads into a natural calamity. Even if the generations had changed, developments came, lifestyle, technology and perception of human race had become modernized but their beliefs were under developed. They were blindly following certain superstitious religious beliefs. Recently, religious issues occurred tremendously in Kerala. In Hindu community, Christian community, and Muslim community the people fought to hold their power. Recently, the Sabarimala case most of Hindus especially middle class people said that all the natural disasters which affected are nothing but the curse of God. The mass construct certain religious notions and superstitions. According to Freud, Religion is an illusion or wish fulfillment. In the contemporary society we can see how people make religion as a tool.

“Religion is a system of wishfull illusions together with a disavowal ofreality, such as we find nowhere else but in a state of blissful hallucinating confusion” (Freud, Future of an illusion, 43)

According to Hindu mythology, when Kali Yuga enters in to the world. The citizens will suffer greatly from the extremity of cold, wind, heat, rain and snow. They will further tormented by quarrels, hunger, thirst, disease and severe anxiety. Hindus believed a superstion that the Lord Ayappa came to save their life at the time of Kali Yugha. To enrich their superstition the issues which happened related to Lord Ayappa and Sabarimala temple became a reason. The women who entered into the Sabarimala Temple were considered as women witches mainly by other women’s itself. According to Hindu superstition Lord Ayappa is the 10 th Avatar. All the calamities especially Flood and huge rain occurred because of all the negative actions done by Human race. The people cursed the political authority who all helped to enter the women into Sabarimala

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Temple. The calamity or the disaster which actually happened in their mind itself. The people were blindly following the superstition. In India most of the southern parts were affected by natural calamities, especially AndraPradesh, Kodak, Chennai, Kerala etc.. the people believed that these were the end of the world. They again hold up the Hindu belief about Kali Yuga through these natural calamities.

The Mullaperiyar Dam issue between Kerala and Tamilnadu is a worst one. For the security of Dam and protection for people in kerala, Kerala government tried to reconstruct the Dam but Tamilnadu people stick on their opinion that no need to rework the mullaperiyar dam, they didn’t even concern about Keralites life instead they were busy with building Temples. Their action stick on religion not on peoples life. They hold their Superstiton tightly, but not aware about the security of their neighboring state Kerala.

According to Christianity also, the people or the believers had the superstition that the anarchy which happened in Christian religion especially the corruption which done by Priests from different diocese deals to the flood and huge rain in Kerala society. People consider Priests and Nun in churches as the intermediator of God and them. Even if they followed the materiatistic or worldly life, god punished them and the entire society, these were the superstition which constructed in the mind of Christian believers. In Bible, the story of Noah and his Ark from the book of Genesis deals with an apocalypse or Divine Retribution.

“ I will send rain on the earth for 40 days and 40 nights, and every thing that I have made I will wipe out from the face of the earth.” ( Genesis 7:4)

The people deals a worldly life by satisfying the physical pleasures and they had a superstition that they can lead immoral life by hiding God. But the Old Testament God was very angry and punishable. He punished the society by providing huge flood. Noah the faithful man and his family rescue from flood by providing an Ark made by him. The materialistic action of human race leads to full destruction. Even now also, the people believed that God punished Keralites for their over fascination towards materialistic life. Even in Israel and Palestine the Muslims get killed and attached. Due to the inhuman activity a disaster of stone rain occur as a divine retribution.

The main aspect which came into the heart of human race especially religious believers and religious nonbelievers after a calamity is the superstitious believes in their mind. Non believers or atheist argued that all the destruction happened because God doesn’t exist in the world. But believers had a superstitious faith that all the negative aspect came into the world is a sign of the end of the world. Mostly Christians believed that the disasters were the sign of Jesus second

29 LUX MONTIS Vol 7 No.2 July 2019 coming to the world to hold his disciples. These superstition gives faith and strength to them. For them the calamity is a hope as well as punishment and life leads through predictions.

Psychological impact is very high due to this superstition. The mind of the people set in a permanent way. They didn’t even think about the real reality or fact in their life and in society. Their ancestors followed a superstition so they also following it and made new superstitious belief according to this. These superstitious belief among the masses and the whole community construct a world particularly fake world. Fear is the main source of superstition, and one of the main source of cruelty. Because of fear in their superstition, they made cruel activities inorder to hold their superstitious belief. The disaster or the calamity may occurred in nature but the actual destruction which happened in the mind of human race itself.

CONCLUSION Superstition in India is considered a widespread social problem. Some of the beliefs and practices are centuries old and are considered part of the tradition and religion, but the introduction of certain laws opposed the entire superstition of multitudes. The title “Superstitions and the captive agglomeration” signifies that as a spreading disease, the fake belief is spreading all over the world. The people connect these fake religious belief to the natural calamity. Not only in India but also in the whole world people are running after superstition. Even if they were educated or liberated all these magical things leads their life. The religious notions and superstition should wipe out from the world. Then only the world became a garden of Eden.

WORK CITED Holy Bible . Red Letter ed. Uhrichsville, Ohio: Barbour, 2006. Print. Freud , Sigmund. The Future of an Illusion. Garden City(N.Y.):Anchor Books,1964.

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COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF DISASTER MANAGEMENT BETWEEN JAPAN AND INDIA

M ERINE T HOMAS IMA E NGLISH CMS K OTTAYAM

ABSTRACT Calamity is a bitter truth from which no one can escape. Human being has been encountering calamities since the dawn of existence. Calamities cannot be prevented from occurring, because they are part of the natural environment in which we live. Natural disastersare socialand political phenomenon. Natural disasters do not only threaten lives or damage property, they can severely affect societies and their socio-political structures. Social structures create vulnerability to natural hazards and governments are often seen as responsible for the effectsof disaster.This paper investigates the impact of calamities on man. Japan has been severely devastated by earthquake followed by Tsunami. The severity of the calamity was beyond imagination. India is also facing such consequences very frequently. Japanese lessons can be helpful to India to overcome with this challenging and vulnerable

Also, the establishment of effective early warning systems and the identification and strengthening of emergency shelters is crucial. Decentralization of disaster management plans and disaster education to increase public awareness is fundamental to enhance resilience.

While millions flock to the City of Dreams in hope of a better life, let us contribute towards its realisation by ensuring the city’s continued existence and resilient progress.

It’s stocktaking time for India. Japan, which was supposed to be the leading experts on earthquakes, has been pulverised by a cumbersome disaster. The country, which frequently practiced mock emergencies, had the sophistication and cutting-edge technology to deal with such tragedies is now struggling to come to terms with the extent of damage caused by the earthquake and tsunami. Today, they find that both their technology and manpower are lacking.

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For a country like India, which has far lesser sophistication and disaster management skills, it is time for some self-analysis. How will we respond to such a disaster given the fact that a warning of the tsunami did not reach the fisherman on the coasts of Tamil Nadu in 2004.

No country on Earth is better prepared than Japan to deal with earthquakes- or the tsunami that results from them.

The humanitarian behavior of the Japanese people amazingly wondered the world’s media. Japan is a pioneer in disaster management, especially earthquakes. This earthquake prone country is a pioneer in preparing against disasters, consists of the Central Council for Accident Prevention, chaired by Prime Minister, set of cohesive rules for immediate response to all of the unexpected incidents, the advanced research system and the public education about disasters. As a result of this plan, in the case of an accident, people, government officials and rescue departments knows exactly what to do while the alarm is sounded, without chaos.

Every schoolchild in Japan will be familiar with earthquake drills in which alarm sounds and children retreat under their desk to shelter from falling debris. The drill takes place every month, with the children being taught to go heard-first under the desk and cling to table legs until the quake is over. The local fire department also takes groups of children in to earthquake simulation machines to familiarize them with the sensation of being in a earthquake. School with two storeyed or more have evacuation chutes which children can slide down to safety.

Many lessons were learned from Kobe earthquake of 1995 that killed 6,400 people and forced a reassessment of the building regulations for both residential offices and transport infrastructure. Buildings are made earthquake proof with the aid of deep foundation and massive shock absorbers that dampen seismic energy. Immediately after an earthquake in Japan, all television and radio stations switch immediately to official earthquake coverage which informs people to retreat to higher grounds or, on the coast, purpose-built tsunami defense bunkers.

For those trapped, all offices and many private houses in Japan have an earthquake emergency kit, including dry rations, drinking water, basic medical supplies. Offices and schools also keep hard-hats and gloves for use in the event of a quake.

Disaster Management: Fallacies and Solutions Generally a disaster results in significant loss in social, psychological, and economic aspects. It not only leads to structural damages, but also leaves families torn apart, children orphaned, livelihoods destroyed, and communities traumatized.

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Nonstructural factors such as lack of responsiveness of government officials and ineffective leadership are mainly responsible for any disaster mismanagement. India is vulnerable to a variety of natural and man-made disasters. Strong and effective emergency management has been a felt need in all corners of the world.Effective policies play a vital role in mitigating the impact of disasters and reducing likely losses of life and property.

Economic resources are important for any disaster management. Yet, it has been recognized that economic resources did not necessarily translate into greater investment in this domain, as there is no dearth of issues that demanded governments’ attention and resources. Disaster management has seldom acquired importance in the agenda of governance, unless there is a major natural or man-made disaster. The major shortcomings observed in Indian disaster management, along with their probable solutions, are discussed. It has been observed that states which have suffered major disasters are more likely to undertake policy reform in building capacities for tackling them.

CONCLUSION The result of this paper is that people as well as the country is responsible for the miserable conditions during calamities. Educational institutions such as school and college should give awareness regarding calamities and how it can be tackled effectively. Developed nations should help the poor nations socially and economically. Government should be take effective in maintaining stability among people

The challenge for government in disaster response and relief is determining when it should take a “hands-on” role and become actively involved, and when the goal of recovery is best- served by stepping back in favor of other institutions better suited to the task.

The immediate benefits of using military and police presence to keep the peace, deter violence, and protect property are quite clear, but it is also important to recognize the long-term benefits of re-establishing civil order. . A second role for which government institutions are well- suited is providing the public goods that form the infrastructure of a community. In disasters, public goods may include such activities as search-and-rescue operations and evacuation coordination.

We must affirm the right of affected people to receive assistance and protection with dignity and without discrimination in times of disaster, calamity and c ivil strife. Actions, based

33 LUX MONTIS Vol 7 No.2 July 2019 only on need, should be taken to prevent or alleviate human suffering that arises out of disaster and conflict.

Works Cited Shah, A. J. ‘’An Overview of Disaster Management in India.’’ Disaster Management and Human Health Risk (2011).Print.

“NaturalDisasters Are Unavoidable. What Is Avoidable Is The Sense Of Economic Hopelessness That Follows.” Google Search. Google. Web.05 Feb.2019.

“Lesson 3 : When Disaster Strikes, What can Government Do?” Foundation For Teaching Economics. Web. 05. Feb. 2019.

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DISMANTLING OF IDENTITY AFTER CALAMITY IN THE GRAPES OF WRATH

S HALABHA R ACHEL A BRAHAM A SST . P ROFESSOR , D EPT . OF E NGLISH , GIAL.

ABSTRACT A calamity is realised, whether natural or manmade, when people are seriously and irrevocably affected by a catastrophe. The ‘affected’, from that distinct moment turns out to adopt a new title or label: the victim. Once the affected individual alters into a victim, he or she is made to embrace their new identity, shedding off the integrity that they had lived with, into that of a victim’s. Thus, their individual identity is dismantled in order to be incorporated into the general tag line, as the ‘victim’ or ‘affected’.

The Joad family in John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath too had undergone the same dismantling. A family that lived on its own, was forced to leave behind everything they ‘owned’; everything that marked their identity, to California, as Oklahoma turned into a huge dust bowl. Once they left their land, they were no longer known as the Joad family, but as one among the ‘Okies’.

The dismantling of identities has both positive and negative implications. While it represents and yields unity and togetherness amongst people during a disaster, it also marks out the beginning of self disintegration. This dissolution of the self leads to desperation and in turn trauma, for it brings in a feeling of loss and the pain of a dilapidated life, which otherwise would have been better, if it wasn’t for the calamity.

The paper entitled, “The Dismantling of Identity after Calamity, in The Grapes of Wrath” attempts to analyse The Grapes of Wrath, as a text illustrating the gradual dismantling of the Joad family’s identity into that of the Okies during their journey to California in search of a living, hope, and their lost identity.

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Keywords: Identity, victim, Okies, Dust Bowl, California, migrants, Jeffersonian agrarianism.

Dismantling of Identity after Calamity in The Grapes of Wrath Calamities or catastrophes had always affected mankind and posed a huge threat to them, from time immemorial. Religious texts, the various art forms and cultural histories of varied nations across the world attest to this. Even though the way they are smitten and the manner in which they cope up and survive the calamity differs according to the various nations and its people, some factors remain the same despite all these differences. One among them is the dismantling of identity. No matter whichever calamity affects the world, the question of identity dismantling remains the same everywhere.

A person’s identity is what defines him. It is the sole factor that upholds his or her individuality. Once a person loses their identity, his or her individuality will be questioned, and their existence as a separate individual will be negotiated, for it becomes generalised into a faction. His or her individuality will be cast aside as something that is no more important, since they will be tagged under the tagline of ‘the victim’ or ‘the affected’.

Through his The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck drew an impressive picture of America’s Oklahoma, when the Dust Bowl wrecked damage all over the state. With the Joad family in the center, Steinbeck unfurls the life of a mediocre farming family as they migrate to California to get back their ruined life and dreams.

The Dust Bowl was a phenomenon that occurred during the 1930s in America and Canada and lasted for about a decade. Severe dust storms whisked sand everywhere making the land arid, tearing away the crops and immersing everything in sand and dust all throughout the Southern Plains. The people had no other choice except to leave their land and homes, and migrate to some other land. Steinbeck describes it as:

And then the dispossessed were drawn west-from Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico; from Nevada and Arkansas, families, tribes, dusted out, tractored out. Car-loads, caravans, homeless and hungry; twenty thousand and fifty thousand and a hundred thousand and two hundred thousand. They streamed over the mountains, hungry and restless- restless as ants, scurrying to find work to do- to lift, to push, to pull, to pick, to cut- anything, any burden to bear, for food. The kids are hungry. We got no place to live. Like ants scurrying for work, for food, and most of all for land. (The Grapes of Wrath 127)

When they sold out all their possessions and belongings to leave for California, they were also forced to leave behind something else, their identity. It was something they had no use

36 LUX MONTIS Vol 7 No.2 July 2019 of. Nothing would benefit them if they held on to their identity. So, the migrants willingly or unwillingly gave away their individual identities, to be labelled as the ‘Okies’.

Okies were people who were the natives of Oklahoma. The term became popular when they migrated to California, where it was used in contempt for the poor migrants of Oklahoma. They were segregated by class, stereotyped and contemned as an ethnic group and were despised as white trash. Back in those days the term ‘Okie’ was more or less a racial epithet. “Okie was a curse word, says Tom Hoskison, whose family journeyed from Purcell to California’s San Joaquin Valley in 1946, [and people were] ashamed of the Oklahomans who migrated to California during the Dust Bowl” (Jackson).

Steinbeck’s novel renders the plight of about 450,000 people, who were forced out of their lands, in search of employment and their lost life. These families who migrated to California in huge masses terrified the Californians who feared that they would be robbed of their life. Thus the incoming masses were labeled ‘Okies’, a derogatory term which referred to any outcast from the Southwest or northern plain states.

Even though the story revolves around the Joad family, it narrates the distress of a large mass of people. “The Joads’ troubles — dispossessed, stripped of dignity, and struggling to maintain familial unity — are not unique to their family, but representative of an entire population of migrating people” (Vlcek). This suffering of the wandering families and their oppression by larger, more powerful forces was a social crisis of widespread magnitude during that period. Even the turtle that Steinbeck describes in chapter two is symbolic of the hardships of the Joad family and the others on Route 66, their exodus to hope. Despite all the troubles that they face, both the turtle and the migrants reach their destination in the Southwest California.

The agonies faced by the Okies can also be paralleled with the experiences of the Israelites in the Old Testament. They correspond conjointly with the oppression of the Israelites by the Egyptians, their exodus out of Egypt, and their eventual entrance into the land of Canaan. Steinbeck’s description of the Okies as “a people in flight” (126) alludes specifically to this biblical story. Sanora Babb’s Whose Names are Unknown is another novel which based on the Okies and their flight to California. Her text details on how the Californians perceived the Okies: An attempted strike to get a dollar a hundred weight had the owners hiring thugs, spending thousands of dollars to keep these people [Okies] in their place even though they were close to starving to death. After all, these owners had never seen an Okie. And that made it easy to think of them as little more than a number on a ledger page. It robbed the Okies of their humanity in the eyes of the owners. (118)

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Once the Okies reach California, the “hardest to bear is the hostility of the natives who have derogatorily labeled the newcomers ‘Okies’” (Vlcek). Steinbeck delineates this through the two men returning from California; “Well, Okie use’ ta mean you was from Oklahoma. Now it means you’re a dirty son-of-a-bitch. Okie means you are scum. Don’t mean nothing itself, it’s the way they say it…You got to go there…You got to hear it” (218).

Steinbeck’s social philosophy, which is related to the theory of Jeffersonian agrarianism, is evident in his text. The alliance of the farmers to their lands, and their extreme suffering when they were torn away from it testifies to this. For them, their land is their life force. Their lives revolve around the earth they cultivate and the cycles of growth that they care for. Their self respect and dignity is totally based on this accord and therefore when the bond was severed, they lost their life and identity. This emotion is evident from Steinbeck’s tenant’s words; “Funny thing how it is. If a man owns a little property, that property is him, it’s part of him, and it’s like him…that property is him.” (42-43)

When the citizens of Oklahoma lost their land, they had also lost their identity along with it. When they sold their belongings, their past, memories of the past and identities were also thrown away. The query, “How can we live without our lives? How will we know it’s us without our past?” (Steinbeck 96), exposits this misfortune. When the buyers are eager to take away the tenant’s possessions for cheap prices, they don’t realize that it’s not just acquiring ‘things’ but that, they are also procuring the farmers’ past, their toils, their passions and bitterness. Their dignity is bruised, as they are forced to rid themselves of personal items, which by way of their connection with the land, define them. Shame, desperation, and fear characterize the families as they try to sell their belongings. “Taken away from the land that is their home, they are, figuratively speaking, dead” (Vlcek).

In the Joad family, it was the men who were given priority and importance in accordance with their age. But as the family left their farm, the power structure began to alter, just as their identities. The tearing of the family from its agrarian roots is primarily responsible for this change in the structure of the family. Deprived of everything that they have considered beloved, the people are also stripped of their self esteem. Also with Granpa’s death and the addition of the Wilson family along with the accession of Jim Casy, shows the dismantling of the Joad family from a single identity into that of a group of victims. This is apparent in Ma Joad’s concerns that her family is losing out on each other and that they are breaking down as individuals. But as the journey intensifies and the ordeals accrue, she becomes helpless and is compelled to dissipate her family and combine it together with the entire community of migrating victims.

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Once the affected came together in California, and were capable enough to pull together themselves, their identities began to take back form. The novel recounts the circumstances responsible for the growing animosity and bitterness of the dispossessed. Frightened, tired, and hungry, these wanderers began to join together; victims of the same circumstances, with the recognition of the gathering migrants that there is strength in uniting together. As the thought changed from ‘I’ to ‘We’ their endeavor to get back their identity also began.

The people who were flexible, who were ready to give up their identities to survive, were the first ones to fetch their identities back. The theme of survival by pragmatism is illuminated by the inmates of these transient and self-governing camps. Those who kept on thinking about the ‘I’ remained passive, whereas those who joined their hands as a ‘We’ began to embrace their new identity and thereby life.

CONCLUSION The social philosophy presented by Steinbeck in The Grapes of Wrath is convoluted and even conflicting. The ideologies of Jim Casy, approved and acted upon by Ma Joad and gradually realized by Tom Joad, had forced the ‘little people’; the distressed and destitute Okies, to come together and gain power against the capital-minded owners. It was this social philosophy which maintained that human survival is dependent upon the binding together of humans, to find strength in group unity and action.

Works Cited: Babb, Sanora. Whose Names are Unknown, Oklahoma UP, 2006.

Jackson, Ron. “The evolution of the “Okie” name”, newsok, 28Apr. 2009, newsok.com/article/ 3365061/the-evolution-of-the-okie-name.

Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath, Pan Books, 1975.

Vlcek, Kelly McGrath. ”CliffsNotes on The Grapes of Wrath.” CliffsNotes, 03 Feb. 2019, www.cliffsnotes.com literature/g/the-grapes-of-wrath/the-grapes-of-wrath-at-a-glance.

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THE REPRESENTATION OF WOMANHOOD IN TAGORE’S CHITRA AND ITS RELEVANCE IN MODERN TIMES

ANGELA TERESA KALLOLI A SSI . P ROF . C HRIST COLLEGE M YSORE

ABSTRACT This paper explores the representation of womanhood in the one act play ‘Chitra’ which is highly relevant to the representation of the present-day women of grit in contemporary literature and writings. The modern woman is often criticized for her forward thoughts and her uncompromising self assertion which people refer to as lacking culture and quite unlike the fabled perfect women in the epics and the writings of old. ‘Chitra’ puts forward the idea of single parenting, the dual roles of a mother as well as that of a successful working woman (monarch of a kingdom), that of liberty, equality and the readiness to do what it takes to get what she wants. These have been portrayed as the qualifying qualities of an able and respectable queen of the royal house of Manipur and consort to Arjuna the Hero of the Mahabharata. This paper attempts to identify and elaborate on such aspects which the modern writers of the 21st century seem to be at a great loss to present, while Tagore in the 19th century envisioned an empowered and emancipated woman with great resources of mental and physical strength as he did in ‘Chitra’.

Key Words Emancipation, Empowerment, Self Assertion, Uncompromising, Unflinching

‘Chitrangada’ in Bengali or ‘Chitra’ in English is a one act play by the Literature Nobel laureate of 1913, Rabindranath Tagore. “Tagore’s plays are basically expressions of the soul’s quest for beauty and truth.” (Shukla,149) Though they are simple in structure, with minimum characters and with a single plot, they advocate the rather serious social issue of the real identity of a woman. This paper attempts to identify and elaborate on certain aspects and traits of the

40 LUX MONTIS Vol 7 No.2 July 2019 modern woman, which Tagore in the 19th century envisioned as an empowered and emancipated woman with great resources of mental and physical strength as brought out in ‘Chitra’.

Tagore wrote the lyrical drama ‘Chitrangada’ in 1892. Its English translation ‘Chitra’ was published in 1914, in the timeframe of the late 19th century, a period of Bengali renaissance with its movements like the Brahmo Samaj, women’s education and other social changes ushering in rapid socio-cultural transformation. “Chitra is the first clear exposition of feminism in India by Tagore”(Shukla,149). It is also interesting to note that the origin of this play is found in an incident in ‘The Mahabharata’ which was written ages before. It is also striking to note that the representation of womanhood is relevant to the modern age where women assert their identity and celebrate feminism. By and large, Tagore’s views about women were bold and radical and he put them in his writings with unflinching frankness and in fact, he was not labelled a feminist until recent times. The Mahabharata story of the warrior-princess is treated in an original style in Tagore’s lyrical drama ‘Chitrangada’. Chitra’s quest for love has both feminine and feminist overtones and he makes changes in the Mahabharata story to give his heroine the attributes he would like modern Indian women to possess.

Chitra is a monarch, but she was a leader of her country not by election or selection. Leadership was thrust upon her. “Women Leaders especially in monarchic systems derive their authority through succession, divine sanction etc., or from attributes of race, class or caste; gender being reduced to a minor consideration in our understanding of politics.”(Rajan,104) Chitra’s own words shows this,

“CHITRA: I am Chitra, the daughter of the kingly house of Manipur. With godlike grace Lord Shiva promised to my royal grandsire an unbroken line of male descent. Nevertheless, the divine word proved powerless to change the spark of life in my mother’s womb - so invincible was my nature, woman though I be.

“MADANA: I know, that is why thy father brings thee up as his son. He has taught thee the use of the bow and all the duties of a king.” (Tagore 2,3)

Chitra handles her duties with efficacy and finesse that her subjects say:

“Villagers: Princess Chitra was the terror of all evil doers. While she was in this happy land we feared natural deaths, but had no other fears.

Arjuna: Is the warden of this country a woman?

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Villagers: Yes, she is our father and mother in one.”(Tagore, 43,44).

She is also responsible; she appoints sentries and adequate protection for her kingdom during the time she sets for herself. She doesn’t just ignore her country when she chooses Arjuna.

Chitra is a woman who has received education and training and she possesses liberty. The liberty to go hunting, dress as she chooses, the liberty to make decisions regarding the security and upkeep of her kingdom and the liberty to choose a husband. “The representation of Chitra... needs to be seen from another angle too. Feminism, we agree by now, does not mean breaking social norms but it stands for creating a social structure where women are free and able to take decision and make choices. The social settings in which the heroines move are conducive to freedom. They roam about freely in the jungle, are fearless, have choices and the society seems to have accepted these norms. Their feminine body does not become a hindrance ...”(Bande,52)

Chitra displays the determination and the readiness to do what it takes to achieve her needs. She is young and in love; her hero first ignores her for her boyish dress and later rejects her not impressed by her plain looks. The second revelation comes to her that she is not beautiful. She is too spirited to let go the rejection. Particularly painful is the fact that Arjuna may have thought of her as a shaky and embarrassed woman, wanting in self-control; a woman like any other ordinary woman, and surely, she is not ordinary. She seeks help from Madana, the god of love and Vasanta, the god of Eternal Youth to make her beautiful just for a day. She regrets that Arjuna feigned celibacy to reject her. “Abstinence of a man!” “Shame be on me, Shake even that I couldn’t.” She feels accursed as she could not shake a Kshatriya’s vow when a woman’s beauty can unsettle even the sages. Her boldness when she frankly shares her intimate, amorous thoughts with Madana and Vasanta is admirable. They give her the boon for one year and happily she woos Arjuna afresh. What she shares with Madana and Vasanta amply illustrates that she is constantly undergoing self-analysis. “I am not the kind of woman who with silent patience suffers constant pangs in night-long tears,” says she and hides them in the morning. She is not like the thousand others. She knows she can “open the door of his heart and make a place there forever.” But she has no time and she cannot wait. With borrowed beauty she wins him over, is in ecstasy intoxicated by the first flush of love. Chitra has taken full advantage of her “borrowed” beauty, has asserted her sexuality unabashed and offered her body passionately. (Bande, 48,49)

Chitra’s self assertion which comes in the end shows us that Arjuna is left spell-bound by the bare simplicity of the truth. The gift that I proudly bring you is the heart of a woman. Here have all pains and joys gathered, the hopes and fears and shames of a 42 LUX MONTIS Vol 7 No.2 July 2019 daughter of the dust; here love springs up struggling toward immortal life. Herein lies an imperfection which yet is noble and grand...

I am Chitra. No goddess to be worshipped, nor yet the object of common pity to be brushed aside like a moth with indifference. If you deign to keep me by your side in the path of danger and daring, if you allow me to share the great duties of your life, then you will know my true self...Today I can only offer you Chitra, the daughter of a king.”(Tagore,56-58 ) Chitrangada is not worried over the outcome of her revelation. She tells him the truth with a careless grace which seems to say, “Here I am what I am. Take it or leave it.” She has made her choice. She has chosen the exact moment when to divulge the truth and she has offered her true self to his view (Bande 49), as Chitra “is feminine in affection and manly in valour”(Tagore). Chitra is the representative of womanhood that would have men to treat them as human beings, to be accepted and recognized. She confesses without inhibitions, “If your babe, whom I am nourishing in my womb be born a son, I will train him in heroic trends. I shall myself teach him to be a second Arjuna, and send him to you when the time comes, and then at last you will truly know me” (Tagore 57). The avowal to bring up her unborn son as a single parent is significant here. It is indicative of power. Culturally and historically, power is men’s prerogative. But when Chitrangada exercises her personal power, she seems to derive it out of an implicit acceptance of her identity. Women’s power is often personal and born out of an individual’s right to make decision about particular aspects of social life. In Chitrangada’s case, there is legitimacy to her actions, not because she is a mythic figure but because Rabindranath Tagore’s poetic imagination and psychological insights into the inner workings of the feminine mind are very much down to earth (Bande, 45, 46). Chitra changes her disguise twice, discarding her male attire on discovering her woman’s heart and then abandoning her “unreal beauty” for her real self. The one donning man’s dress is the saviour Chitra; the beautiful one is the thirsty Chitra; but the one who reveals herself in all inner beauty of womanhood is the real Chitra – Arjuna’s equal in companionship, the mother of his valiant son, and feminine in affection but manly in valour (Bande 50). In the context of feminism we are reminded of the three segments that Ellen Showalter has given – feminine, feminist and female. Feminism is the period of imitation and of submission; feminist is that of anger and the search for new paradigms, and the female stage is the one of recognition of strength as a woman. Chitrangada as the boyish entity is in the stage of imitation which is followed by her surrender to Arjuna. She is feminist in her anger against her disguise and the female self when she recognizes her female power. (Bande, 51) Tagore’s envisioning of Chitra is what the modern woman strives to be, with the access to freedom and equal opportunity that men possess, independent, endowed with the power and liberty to think and make and with awareness of her sexuality and attractiveness. The modern

43 LUX MONTIS Vol 7 No.2 July 2019 woman is multifaceted; she is well educated, trained and qualified. She is strong enough to multitask, smart enough to climb the ladder of success, graceful but competitive, emotional and affectionate, persevering to be beautiful and recognized and above all, is self assertive. Chitra is the forerunner of this forward race.

CONCLUSION In a New York Times article which appeared on March 22, 1914 the writer puts it beautifully: “Chitra, however was a surprise. We did not look for an oriental even though a seer, to write a book (especially twenty-five years ago when this was written) that might serve as evangel to the most advanced among modern Occidental women – yet this is just what Rabindranath Tagore has done. By ‘advanced occidental women’ is meant the sane and sincere women who are endeavouring – whether by advocating political equality with men or by opposing it in detail – to venture the highest good for that sex” (March 22, 1914). ‘’The Mahabharata stories of Chitrangada, the folk and literary versions can help us evaluate our stand on feminism – the frank expression of the urge of the body, single parenthood, acceptance of girl child/woman as a ruler and the ability of the female to know where to draw the line. On close reading the stories reveal a beautiful balance of the female and feminine (Bande 52,53). Thus Chitra is an iconic representation of the modern woman by Tagore.

WORKS CITED PRIMARY SOURCES Tagore, Rabindranath. Chitra. London, Macmillan. 1961. print Bande, Usha. Culture, Nature and Literature. Delhi, Rawat Publication. 2012. print

SECONDARY SOURCES Tagore, Rabindranath. Chitrangada.Trans. A Complete Translation of Tagore’s Chitrangada. Birendranath Roy. Calcutta, Sribhum Publication Co. 1957. The New York Times, “Tagore’s Ideal Woman”. March 22, 1914. Dhawan, R.K. and K.Venkata Reddy, ed.. Flowering of Indian Drama, New Delhi, Prestige books. 2004. print Rajan, Rajeshwari Sundar. Real and Imagined Women. London, Routledge.1993. print Ahuja,Ram. Indian Social System. Jaipur, Rawat Publication, 2006. print Shukla, Reshu. Tagore’s Chitra: An Epitome of Love, Truth and Beauty’, Prospectives and Challenges in Indian English Drama. New Delhi. 1998. print

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MASS CUSTOMISATON: NEXT REVOLUTION IN MARKETING

S HRUTHY . K FDP substitute in commerce, S.A.R.B.T.M Govt. college, koyilandy

ABSTRACT Every customer is unique with their set of demands and needs.The concept of marketing has been changing over the past decades to meet the ever changing expectations of the customers. The explosion in the technology has completely changed the face of marketing with customers becoming more demanding . Today many of the leading companies are introducing customised marketing as a means to satisfy the unique needs of the customers. “ Customisation is a method where by an advertiser tries to customise the message to the unique needs of a specific customer or specific subset of customers. It is usually targeted towards a high net worth niche”

Key words: customisation , customer satisfaction, unique needs, demanding

INTRODUCTION “Customer is the king in marketing and in this new age business customisation along with quality is the surest way to win over the king”—Philip Kotler

Customisation was more common in the IT field since the 80’s, like tailoring or customising certain offerings or solutions to specific customer needs. Spurred by he growth of internet and related technologies, many leading companies like Dell are beginning to deploy customerisation on a larege scale. But today it has started becoming the buzzword for marketing to the mass. Hats off to the technology which has made this a reality. Importance of the study

The study has great relevance because in the near future even a common man is going to customise each product that he is going to buy. So this article tries to throw light into the insights of customisation. 45 LUX MONTIS Vol 7 No.2 July 2019

Objectives of the study · Explain the term customisation · Describe how it is different from personalisation · Point out few customisation strategies · Analyse the potential benefits and challenges for a company adopting this strategy Research methodology The study is analytical one. It has been carried out with the help of secondary data collected from various books, journals and websites. Market segmentation: The base of market customisation is segmentation. The main reason behind it is to make it easier to target and personalise marketing campaigns. Successful marketing strategy is to target a segment or section of a market through dividing them into groups that share similar characteristics, based on common preferences ,needs or other similarities. It is a marketing process that makes efforts of marketing more efficient in terms of cost, time, and other resources. Patterns of segmentation:

There are mainly four ways of segmentation. A company can follow any of these patterns according to their type of product, size of segment, strength of competitors amount of money and time available etc.

Undifferentiated marketing: Here the producer or marketer does not differenciate between different types of customers. There will be only one marketing strategy for several market segments and has only one type of product to be produced and marketed.

Differenciated marketing A number of market segments are identified and a different marketing mix is developed for each of the segments.

Concentrated marketing This is a strategy of concentrating all marketing efforts on a single segment within the total market.

Customised or personalised marketing In this case ,firms view each customer as a seperate segment and customise marketing programmes to that individuals specific requirements

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LEVELS OF MARKET SEGMENTATION In spite of having many advantages, today the marketers have changed from mass marketing to micro marketing in order to satisfy the varied tastes, aspirations and desires of the modern customers. The marketers choose one of these four levels.

Segment marketing Market is divided into two or more segments having similar characteristics and the marketer concentrates on one or more of them as market.

Niche marketing It is a sub segment within a segment whose needs have been not yet identified and served by a marketer. It is a strategy of producing and selling products specifically for a small unexploited part of the market.

Local marketing Here the marketing programme is tailored to the needs and wants of local customer groups.

Individual or customised marketing The ultimate level of marketing where the individual customer decides what and how to buy. They design their own products and services.

Customised marketing Dictionary meaning of customised marketing is tailoring a particular product to the specific needs of an individual customer. Customised marketing is generally practised by companies whose products are very expensive or unique, such as custom home builders or airplane manufacturers, because these products can be designed to suit the special needs of each customer.

Personalisation Vs customisation Personalisation is when the system you are using tailors itself to you and your behaviour. A good example is flipkart watching your buying and search histories to change their front page to feature similar items.

Customisation is when the user explicitly changes things-font,colours, layout etc. An example is “ Bombay deing’s customised bedsheets which says- get a bedsheet as unique as you. Create, upload and receive – you are just three steps away from your own unique bedsheet.”

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How to customise? There are no hard and fast rules as to how to customise. The following are some of the strategies adopted by leading firms step into customisation. 1.customise customer relationship management system to impress your customers. 2.Customise live chat platforms to connect with the audience 24x7. 3.Customise the website to attract a niche in the market 4.customise communication to get closer relationship with customers. 5.Remodel business tools or processes to suit the needs of the mass.

Advantages of customisation ·Meets customers needs more closely ·increased customer satisfaction ·keeps business updated ·production on demand problems of customisation ·high cost ·needs specialised skills ·longer time for production ·takes more delivery time ·cannot be returned if not satisfied

CONCLUSION Delivering value and satisfaction is the ultimate goal of any marketer. So keen observation and adaptation to the demands of prospective customers is part of his business. Customisation has been taking place in many of the fields. These days it is taking place in every range of products. It is sure that in future we are going to witness more. Finally thanks to the technology without which it would have not been possible.

REFERENCES: - Philip kotler, prafulla y. Agnihotri, “principles of marketing,2010 edition - W.J Stanton’ “fundamentals of marketing” 5 th edtiton - pillai and bhagavati, ‘marketing mangement: ,himalaya publishing house websites: · www.google.com · www.wikipeadia.com ·

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ART AS AN ADMONITION OF CALAMITIES; EXEMPLIFIED THROUGH THE PAINTINGS OF MICHELANGELO, DA VINCI, MONET AND MUNCH.

S AMIYA S ARAH A BRAHAM III BA E NGLISH BCM C OLLEGE , K OTTAYAM SAMIYAARATHARA @ GMAIL . COM

ABSTRACT: Calamities are best depicted through art, especially paintings. The paper looks into the ways in which the paintings fashioned in various centuries attempt to give an apocalyptic warning about the destruction of environment as a result of its exploitation by mankind. The four different paintings; the renaissance artworks, A Deluge ( 1517–18), by Leonardo da Vinci, and The Deluge ( 1512 ), by Michelangelo, the impressionistic painting Flood Waters (1896), by Claude Monet, and the expressionistic painting The Scream ( 1893) , by Edvard Munch depicts an apocalyptic vision about the catastrophe of nature. While science provides facts and rational explanations about calamities and its repercussion, art provides a more subjective standpoint about the aftermath of man’s blind exploitation of nature; it gives a warning to mankind that his actions might lead him to his own doom. Art, especially paintings, captures the mind of the perceiver and prompts him to think both emotionally and logically at the same time.

The 16 th century paintings, The Deluge ( 1512 ), by Michelangelo and A Deluge ( 1517– 18), by Leonardo da Vinci, are instances that suggest that the apocalyptic warning is not a novel subject matter to the artists, but were present even centuries back. The late 19 th century painting Flood Waters (1896), by Claude Monet also suggests a futuristic warning about the annihilation of nature. Yet another artwork The Scream ( 1893) , a composition created by the Norwegian Expressionist artist Edvard Munch, makes the observer brood over the wake-up call for mankind to become answerable for his own acts and become altruistic in the future.

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Keywords: Apocalyptic warning, 16 th century paintings, Expressionism, Impressionism, The Deluge, A Deluge, Flood Waters, The Scream.

Art as an Admonition of Calamities; Exemplified through the Paintings of Michelangelo, Da Vinci, Monet and Munch.

Collins English dictionary defines calamity as “an event that causes a great deal of damage, destruction, or personal distress” (“Calamity”). A calamity could be seen as a wake-up call if it has at least affected the people mentally, rather than physically. Calamities are nature’s way of communicating its frustrations to mankind, who are the sole roots of such aggravations. It is indeed an admonition to man that he should become wise enough to realize his own misdoings and bring an end to it.

The Deluge by Michelangelo is a representative compilation of the biblical story of the great flood during the days of Noah. The painting is one among the famous frescoes he painted between 1508 and 1512 on the ceiling of the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel. The painting represents various images of people struggling to escape the increasing waters and the heavy downpour. One notable feature of the painting is its depiction of Noah’s ark. Through the painting, Michelangelo might have intended to show the people how pathetic the condition of mankind had become, all because of his own egocentric acts. While bringing the sufferings of the people on board, Michelangelo has also attempted to convey the other side of the story; the story of one man who, despite all the struggles, managed to escape the raging waters safe and sound.

The depiction of the biblical Noah’s ark is suggestive of the healthy relationship that man and nature could have had if he hadn’t exploited nature on the first hand. Just as Noah became selfless in his venture to escape the dangers, and saved the fractions of Mother Nature along with him, mankind in general should also have been selfless in their actions towards nature, or else, as it is evident, it takes so little time for Mother Nature to retaliate with double force. “Focusing on the meaning of ‘The Flood’ there is a view that it is looking to provoke the observer into thinking about the desperation of those in danger from the flood” (“The Flood”).

Art, in general, could be considered as “a reminder of the struggle and continuous efforts to alleviate pain and suffering” (“Art on Disasters”). It is not only an aggravation to arouse the senses of man in order to put an end to his egoistic deeds, but rather a catalyst to promote beneficial actions that converse louder than mere words of grief and pity. Michelangelo was deeply concerned by the fate of the doomed people who were unable to escape the waters that brought nothing but wretchedness to their world.

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A Deluge (1517–18), by Leonardo da Vinci, is one of the most enigmatic and visionary works of the entire Renaissance. In the painting, the destruction caused by the flood is immense and almost complete. The flood has left nothing solid as its remains; the whole landscape has become indistinct in the hurly-burly of the wind and waters. In the painting everything is reduced to mere debris; “armies, cities, horses, trees and even mountains are helpless before the unleashed fury of storm and flood” (Jones). The drawing depicts a dramatic image of a flood in a landscape where there is nothing to spot apart from the jets of water shooting and splashing all over. Nothing is clear in the painting, except the tumultuous waters which appear as if there has been an explosion. The waters are portrayed as innumerous curls, which may indicate that they are entangled in the cataclysmic storm and both together create an indistinct picture of demolition and chaos. The painting generates an apocalyptic warning by suggesting that man’s struggles against the forces of nature are futile as long as he is unwilling to compromise his self-centeredness.

The 16 th century paintings hint that the apocalyptic warnings of nature had not been a new-fangled notion, but an age-long wake up call for mankind. Ever since the art movements like Expressionism and Impressionism came into discourse, distinctive interpretations about each work of art appeared. But still man hasn’t got the simple idea into his head that it’s already too late to turn back in time and make things better. Even though he is anxious about his fate on the degenerating earth, he still has not digested the bitter truth that the nature is no more willing to serve his selfish requirements. This is the reason why more and more literature and art are being produced day in and out in order to serve as a wake-up call for mankind.

In Michelangelo’s paintings the destructive forces of nature and the elements are hardly indicated. He does this with a logical intention in mind. “He sees all passion and torment, all toil and victory in human terms; for him it is not the event itself which is decisive but its effect on those who experience it, expressed in movement and gestures” (“The Deluge, by Michelangelo”). The impressionistic paintings like Claude Monet’s Flood Waters convey an idea beyond the mere picture. They go into the depths of the beholder’s psyche and make him sensitive to what he perceives. “Impressionism,…relieved artists from the strictures of realism, and asks them to give an “impression” of something, rather than a realistic rendering” (Gaugy ). Expressionistic paintings too create an unusual impact upon the perceiver. Its primary intention is “the expression of feelings or spirit and it therefore - in effect -gives an artist permission to distort image or even dispense with image altogether, in order to better convey emotions or spirit” (Gaugy ). The Scream by Edvard Munch is the finest example for such expressionistic paintings that capture the wakefulness of the observer.

Even though Claude Mon et is not usually regarded as an apocalyptic artist, his composition, Flood Waters is considered as a very good example of an impressionistic apocalyptic

51 LUX MONTIS Vol 7 No.2 July 2019 painting. There is not even a speck of life and vitality in the flooded landscape depicted in the painting; everything is abandoned and lifeless. The trees stand upright in the waters as ghostly figures across a dull background. The river Epte, a tributary of the Seine is the source that flooded the meadows around Giverny, the location in the painting. The painting was created by Monet in the autumn of 1896, when the heavy rains hit the entire countryside and transformed it into a “startling mirror-like surface” (“Flood Waters”). It depicts the absolute hopelessness and gloomy ambience of a calamity stricken landscape. It stands as a sign of caution to the future that is yet to come.

The Scream is an autobiographical expressionistic construction created by the Norwegian Expressionist artist, Edvard Munch in 1893. The original German title given by Munch to his work was Der Schrei der Natur (The Scream of Nature). The agonized face in the painting is said to indicate the anxiety of modern man. The inspiration of the painting could be traced to Munch’s personal experience when he went out for a walk during the sunset. Munch recalled that during his walk, he suddenly saw the sky turn into a blood red colour. He sensed an infinite scream passing through nature. “Scholars have located the spot to a fjord overlooking Oslo, and have suggested other explanations for the unnaturally orange sky, ranging from the effects of a volcanic eruption” (“The Scream”). In his diary in an entry headed “Nice 22 January 1892”, Munch wrote:

I was walking along the road with two friends – the sun was setting – suddenly the sky turned blood red – I paused, feeling exhausted, and leaned on the fence – there was blood and tongues of fire above the blue-black fjord and the city – my friends walked on, and I stood there trembling with anxiety – and I sensed an infinite scream passing through nature.

Lots of theories have come forward retelling the sources of inspiration for Munch’s composition. Among them is the theory that Munch created the painting based on the view that he saw in the sky during the walk in the sunset. According to certain theorists, the painting is a reflection of Munch’s “memory of the effects of the powerful volcanic eruption of Krakatoa , which deeply tinted sunset skies red in parts of the Western hemisphere for months during 1883 and 1884, about a decade before Munch painted The Scream” (“The Scream”). “Three researchers report in the February issue of Sky & Telescope that it would have been the color Munch saw as he took a sunset stroll along the Ljabrochausseen road (now Mosseveien) in the port city of Christiania (now Oslo) in late 1883 or early 1884. At that time the detritus from the eruption of the Indonesian volcano Krakatoa, on Aug. 27, 1883, had just reached Norway” (Panek).

From the sources of its inspiration, it is natural to interpret The Scream as a painting that reflects the cry of nature and the anxiety that it evokes in mankind. The red background of the

52 LUX MONTIS Vol 7 No.2 July 2019 sky could be interpreted as the aftermath of the volcanic eruption of which theorists talked about. The distorted sexless being in the painting might signify the modern man who gets entrapped in the danger of having exploited the nature and subsequently finds himself in a condition of helplessness. From Munch’s own description, it could be said that the ‘scream’ that he supposedly heard in the surroundings might be symbolic of the scream of nature itself, a warning call from mother nature or even a futuristic self reflection of mankind’s dismal wail for help, a cry to escape from the crumbling foundations of nature.

In the past, most of the apocalyptic warnings came from prophetic sayings like those in the bible. “An apocalypse that passes unnoticed is useless as a moral argument. The predictive visions that once characterized our end-times narratives, and which functioned as a call to repentance and salvation, required that we recognize in advance the apocalyptic moment—the event horizon between our world and the next” (Mauk). While writings effectively warned the readers about the doom that is yet to come, art, especially paintings efficiently conveyed deep thoughts into the minds of the observer. “According to a certain mind-set, the Earth has always been about to seize up and cast off its unworthy inhabitants. Consider the development of linear perspective during the early Italian Renaissance. Some of the most bizarre and unstable uses of perspective from this era are found in depictions of global destruction and cataclysm, especially in renderings of the biblical flood, a popular Renaissance theme” (Mauk).

CONCLUSION To wrap up the interpretations of the four different calamity paintings of various centuries, it could be concluded that whichever the century a particular art belonged to, it unambiguously imparted an apocalyptic warning, or rather a wakeup call to mankind. Art has proved over the years that it has the power to prompt man to ruminate on his actions and brood over his fate on this earth in the coming years. Art makes man think both logically and emotionally instead of depending wholly on sophisticated scientific facts and reasoning. No other discourse has such influence on man’s thought processes except for art which is subjective and unconstrained.

Works cited: “Calamity.” Collins Dictionary. www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/calamity .

“Flood Waters.” The National Gallery, www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/claude-monet-flood- waters .

Gaugy , Michelle. “What’s the difference between expressionism and impressionism (art/music)?”, Quora.com, 18 Jun. 2015, www.quora.com/Whats-the-difference-between-expressionism-and- impressionism-art-music.

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Jones , Jonathan. “The 10 most apocalyptic floods in art.” The Guardian.com, 17 Feb. 2014, www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/jonathanjonesblog/2014/feb/17/10-most-apocalyptic- floods-in-art-monet .

Kunguma, Olivia. “Art on Disasters.” www.ufs.ac.za/docs/librariesprovider22/disaster- management-training. PDF file.

Mauk , Ben. “Distant Hammers.” the Paris Review, 4 Feb. 2016, www.theparisreview.org/blog/ 2016/02/04/distant-hammers/ .

Panek, Richard. “ART; ‘The Scream,’ East of Krakatoa.” The New York Times, 8 Feb. 2004, www.nytimes.com/2004/02/08/arts/art-the-scream-east-of-krakatoa.html.

“The Deluge, by Michelangelo.” Michelangelo.org, www.michelangelo.org/the-deluge.jsp.

“The Flood.” Michelangelo.net, www.michelangelo.net/the-flood/.

“The Scream.” Wikipedia, 19 Jan. 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ The_Scream#Sources_of_inspiration .

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FEMALE VILLAINS AND THEIR JOURNEY OF BREAKING STEREOTYPES: A STUDY ON GILLIAN FLYNN’S GONE GIRL

D ONA S OMAN A SSISTANT P ROFESSOR IT G OPESHWAR AND R ESEARCH S CHOLAR NIT U TTARAKHAND .

ABSTRACT Gender studies scholar Rebecca Stringer proclaims that many feminist authors have criticized the representation of women as victims and promoted a brand of agency affirming feminism. In her book Knowing Victims, Stringer argues that these critiques of “victim feminism” do not affirm women’s agency and declare a lack of women’s personal responsibility, which is, in Stringer’s view akin to victim blaming. Gillian Flyn’s classic novel Gone Girl exemplifies with its characterization of the protagonist Amy Elliot Dunne the sinister sociopath who is not ready to play ‘victim’ of social expectations and rather takes the whole world under her spell. She is the modern educated and working class woman who is ready to don the role of a psychopath killer in order to break away from the tangles of stereotype she is associated with. Not only does she decides the future for herself but also takes the rein of her husband’s thoughts and life in her hands. This paper aims at discussing how Amy breaks away from the tangles of playing a victim of her demanding parents and husband and cleverly manipulates the situations surrounding her to her own benefit.

Key Words: Gender Stereotype, Victimization, subjucation

Gender stereotypes exist in society in every walk of life. Every person right from the time he/she is born is made conscious of being a “him” or “her”. It leads to practice of further stereotypes associated with that particular gender. People are constantly being judged based on their gender and the assumptions associated with them. Gone Girl is a novel which throws a fresh whiff of light on victim feminism and presents to us a character who not only breaks away from all the expectations associated with being an emotional, emphatic victim rather takes the gear of her life in her own hands and shifts the pace of her plans as per her will.

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Gone girl is a psycho-thriller centered on a married couple Amy and Nick having different perspectives on life and marriage. The whole novel is cleverly intertwined in weaves of lies, deception, insecurity, superficiality all taking the readers on a rather bumpy ride. The protagonist of the book is Amy Elliot, a Harvard educated writer and a native New Yorker. She was an icon from the time she was a child as her parents meticulously documented her life through the Amazing Amy series. We can see the transformation of Amy from the ‘Amazing Amy’ image to the ‘real’ Amy in the novel when her married life is challenged. Amy grows up in an atmosphere where everyone looks up to her as the amazing, diligent, obedient calm girl who is the apple of every eye which they suppose to be the model on which her parents invented the fictional character Amy in her book. She always tries to live upto the image of this Amy which is not at all the true self- which is locked secure deep inside her, herself unaware. Readers of the book assume that what they read are chronicles of this sweet and flawless girl. Even Nick believes her to be so: “He (Nick) loved the girl I was pretending to be cool girl. Cool girl is fun. Cool girl never gets angry at her man. She always smiles… she likes what he likes.”(210)

Amy is the perfect wife who has to bow down to the whims of her husband shattering all her dreams, relocating to a totally different place at his mother’s without even asking her opinion or permission. Here we can see how the image of an all obedient wife is expected of her. Many instances in the novel underline the fact that Amy was just treated merely as an object of pleasure when not abused. Nick, in midst of an argument pushes her and she falls down. Amy states:

“What scared me wasn’t that he pushed me… what scared me was how he wanted to hurt me more. What scared me was that I finally realized that I am frightened of my own husband.” (214)

As if this was not enough, Nick begins an affair with his student. This triggered her to peel off the mask that was oppressing her and she goes on a psychopath journey sans remorse or pity. She fakes her own murder in order to exact revenge on Nick and plans to go into hiding until Nick is framed for her murder and then she proposes to commit suicide so that the police discover her body. Even when her plans fail, she exacts her vengeance by coming back and making sure that Nick can never trespass her realm of territories.

Amy hates to play the role of a vulnerable victim and takes back the power in her marriage. Amy is a character who redefines the whole idea of empowerment. Flynn in an interview states that: “For me, [feminism is] also the ability to have women who are bad characters … the one thing that really frustrates me is this idea that women are innately good, innately nurturing. In literature, they can be dismissably bad – trampy, vampy, bitchy types – but there’s still a big pushback against the idea that women can be just pragmatically evil, bad and selfish ... I don’t

56 LUX MONTIS Vol 7 No.2 July 2019 write psycho bitches. The psycho bitch is just crazy – she has no motive, and so she’s a dismissible person because of her psycho-bitchiness.”

Nick himself expected his wife to be the damsel in distress, whose life was to be centered around him. The fact that Amy was far smarter and intellectually superior and a far greater writer made him uncomfortable. He tried his level best to undermine her using clever tactics of separating her from her comfortable surroundings and pointing out flaws in her and refusing to confront the issues in their marriage. He felt emasculate and this led to his infidelity.

“I couldn’t handle the demands of greatness.….I turned he into the brittle, pricky thing she became….Worse, I convinced myself our tragedy was entirely her making.” (202)

CONCLUSION The men in Amy’s life : her father, Nick and even her former boyfriend Desi have tried to control and exploit her. Desi, who she finds solace in after being robbed, is a gentleman in the beginning essaying the role of a savior but later on he also shows up his true colours. Desi, keeps her under his custody as a slave without letting her go or talk to anyone outside. Even when Amy decides to go back to Nick, he prohibits her from doing so. Amy who again feels oppressed by a man in a fit of rage kills him and has little or no sense or remorse. She cleverly manipulates the whole situation and frames charges on Desi of abducting her and repeatedly raping her and pleads innocent of killing him as she had done so for self-protection. This final act of crime is what she engages in to steer clear of all the pent-up anger and grief. Amy returns back to Nick fully aware that Nick will never mess with her again. It is Amy’s cold lack of empathy that makes her a nightmare, and this is yet this is another way in which she fails to fit neatly in a box. She is not a female stereotype, but an unhinged, complex, flawed villain who has repeatedly been cast as one by others.

Works cited: 1. Flynn, Gillian.Gone Girl. UK: Hatchette UK, 2012. Print 2. Butler, Judith B. Gender Trouble. New York: Routledge, 1990. Print 3. Cosslett, Rhiannon Lucy. “Female Villains and false accusations: a feminist defence of Gone Girl”. New Statesman America, October 2014, https://www.newstatesman.com/ culture/2014/10/female-villains-and-false-accusations-feminist-defence-gone-girl . Accessed 29 April 2019 4. Burkeman, Oliver. “Gillian Flynn on her best seller Gone Girl and accusations of misogyny”. The Guardian, May 2013, https://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/may/01/ gillian-flynn-bestseller-gone-girl-misogyny . Accessed on 30 April 2019

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BENYAMIN’SYELLOW LIGHTS OF DEATH AS A HISTORIOGRAPHIC METAFICTION

G ISHIN G EEMON M.A. E NGLISH G IRIDEEPAM I NSTITUTE OF A DVANCED L EARNING , V ADAVATHOOR

ABSTRACT Yellow Lights of death is a novel written by popular Malayalam writer Benyamin. It was first published in August 2011. The novel is a collection of letters from a fictional character along with the pursuit of letters by real character and the narrator, the author itself. Here the author brings two family history and combined the two histories in a certain point. The Reader believes it as a history but history proves it as only his (author’s) fiction.

The major places showed in the novel are real places. One among the setting is in the Island, ‘Diego Garcia’, It is an Island, which is an American military outpost in Indian Ocean. History proves that, the Island was never had inhabited. Here the narrator shows, the family of Christy Andrapper, who had been the first inhabitants of this Island and the major part of the novel are the happenings in this Island. The next setting of the novel is in Kerala. The reality in the events and places in Kerala are more believable than that of Diego Garcia. The ‘Udayamperoor Sunnahadhose Church’ is a real church situate near Tripunithura, Kerala. There are also many believes based on different appearances of Mother Mary. In this novel, the reader become difficult to seperate the fiction with history. The author become successfull in creating a large history from fiction by putting some reality along with history.

Historiographic Metafiction is a term coined by Linda Hutcheon in her essay, “The poetics of postmodernism”. Historiography is the compilation of history or writing about history. Metafiction is the writing about the act of writing, in other words, Author make the reader aware about the fictional nature of the work. Both fiction and history seen to derive their force from verisimilitude than from any object truth. Both are intertextual, deploying the texts of the past within their own

58 LUX MONTIS Vol 7 No.2 July 2019 complex textuality. The kind of novel asks us to recall that history and fiction are themselves historical terms and that their definitions and interrelations are historically determined and vary with time. In both fiction and history writing today, our confidence in empiricist and positivist epistemological has been shaken but perhaps not yet destroyed. Linda Hutcheon gives a detail information in the part, Historiographic Metafiction :”The Pastime of past time”.

It is hardly surprising then that the contemporary social preoccupation with social media and its ability to foster networking and renew old friendships figures prominently in Yellow Lights of Death, a translation of the author’s third Malayalam novel, Manjaveyil Maranangal.

Benyamin has made a courageous attempt to traverse new frontiers in this novel. It is also a whodunnit, a genre rarely attempted by top Malayalam novelists. The protagonist, Christy Andrapper, is an aspiring writer on the island of Diego Garcia, who cannot come to terms with the deaths of two friends.

While the real Diego Garcia is a desolate American military outpost in the Indian Ocean, Benyamin’s Diego is the ideal diaspora settlement. Its people, of Malayali, Sinhalese and Tamil descent, have surprisingly managed to preserve their organic links to the mainland. Despite no evident source of income, the island also supports a steady stream of fresh arrivals from the mainland.

Andrapper is a witness to the very public murder of his classmate, Senthil, but when the administration passes it off as a death by cardiac arrest, Andrapper cannot resist the urge to unravel the truth. To complicate matters, Andrapper has to deal with another acquaintance’s death. This incident takes him back to Kerala, where he becomes embroiled in the centuries-old ritual practices of a minor Syrian Christian sect.

Subsequently, Andrapper’s life takes a turn for the worse, but it spurs him to overcome the writer’s block and pen down the dramatic turn of events.

This is where the author Benyamin makes an entry into the plot. Andrapper, apparently, is such a fan of Benyamin’s writing that he trusts the author with his “autobiographic” notes, without having met him even once. However, there is a catch. A traumatised Andrapper has mailed Benyamin the first part of his autobiography, and Benyamin and his friends must rely on the clues embedded in that part, and their ingenuity and guile, to secure the remaining.

It is in the novel’s resolution that Benyamin makes some interesting choices which may become a sticking point with many readers. Benyamin invokes his prerogative as creator to

59 LUX MONTIS Vol 7 No.2 July 2019 desist from arriving at a perfect resolution for either the main plot or the sub-plots. The idea is, obviously, to let readers arrive at their own conclusion and fire up a debate over the novelist’s plot devices, if not about the plot itself.

The characters in the novel seem familiar and identifiable, at least for the Malayali reader. What heightens the novel’s contemporary feel are the names of these characters - Meljo, Melvin, Salu, Jijo and Nibu. Benyamin here is referring to a period from the 1970s to the early 1990s when Keralites found such names secular and even fashionable for their children.

Historiographic Metafiction keeps distinct its formal auto representation. “It problematizes the very possibility of historical knowledge.” This feature is clearly evident in the novel. The very first chapter of the novel shows the author along with his friend visit the character Meljo’s ‘Velyedathu veedu’ in Udayamperoor. Here the real characters and real places problematizes the possibility to find fictional character and fictional place. The real character’s journey is in search of rest of the letters of Christy Andrapper. Here the the Christy had send his first mail to the author and he gave him the task to find the rest according to his own wish. The author and some one from ‘vyayachanda’ travel through kerala to find remaining letters. The places they travelled and institutions they visited are real. One member on this group, along with his family travelled to Diego Garcia itself to find letters. He is one among the close friend of the author. He finds two letters,met with the characters showed by Christy in his letters and saw Christy’s house in Diego Garcia by visiting there. The search of letters reach to its final letter, it is breaking it’s information at a point of Christy’s life. The reader himself find the information for the ultimate letter by reading the final section of the novel. All above events shows the problemetizing of the very possibility of historical knowledge. The reader is unable to find whether the letter is real or unreal. In case, if it is unreal, the reader himself wrote the final letter of Christy in the reader’s mind. If it is real, the history of the Island raises many question against it’s reality.

‘The linking of “fictitious” to “mendacious” stories (and histories) is one with which other historiographic metafictions also seem to be obsessed. The letters of Christy include a detail description of history of his family. The history starts by the historical character Andrew Parera. He came to Kerala along with Vascoda Gama. Parera made many treaties and carried many businesses with the historical characters, Unnirama varma Koyithampuran, Samoothiri, King of Kochi and Marthandavarma. The histories are narrated along with the accurate years those happened. The Andrapper family is one among the Madampi Family who are the descendents of Dieago Perera, the son of Andrew Perera. Andrapper family migrated to Diego Garcia by accepting an offer from the French East India Company. Diego Garcia is a land of lake. The main mode of transportation is boat. Andrapper family was very rich with a number of slaves, ships, agriculture lands and power. Later the family began to lost everything one by one. Christy is the

60 LUX MONTIS Vol 7 No.2 July 2019 last generation of Andrapper family in Diego Garcia. He found all this historical knowledge from a forbidden room in their house. Here the reader can purposely find the linking of histories, fiction and mendacious elements.

“Andrew Perera was one among the sailor with Vascoda Gama who changed the history of India. Kerala was a dream land for Andrew Perera and he learned Malayalam language within few days. Thus he became the first European who learned Malayalam language....Andrew Perera was honoured many gifts from King of Kochi, Unniramavarma.. Andrew Perera acquired all rights for business.... Unniramavarma who suffered due to Samoodhiri’s disturbance encouraged smart Perera’s permanent residence in Kerala with his mkm wife Dayarus Catherina... In 1545, King of Kochi assigned Diago Perera, son of Andrew Perera as the Madampi of Land... Andrapper family was one among the 72 Madampi families.... In 1674, French signed a treaty with Andrapper. According to the treaty French received all wealth of Andrapper in Pondicherry and gave the Island Diego Garcia to Andrapper. French gave all authority of Diego Garcia to Andrapper family.”

‘The interaction of historiography and metafictional reject both “authentic” and “inauthentic” representation.’ Histories and fiction never support truth or false. One’s authentic may be an inauthentic for another. In these type of Historiographic metafictions, the history is mixed with the fiction. So the readers differentiate both in different manner. The real church, Sunnahadhose Church in Udayamperoor had been put into the fiction. The story related to ‘Thaikattamma’ and the black magic behind this religious superstition is surrounded to the Sunnahadhose Church in the novel. The history of ‘Kaldaya’ community. The author placed ‘ ‘Thaikattamma’ along with ‘Manarkattu madhavu’, ‘velankanni madhavu’ and ‘koratti muthi’. ‘Thaikattupalli’ is the church of Thaikattamma and it is connected with the ‘Mariampalli’ in Diego Garcia. The connection is based on a history of ‘King Thoma’. ‘Paliyathachan’ betrayed the husband of Mariyam, (queen of Udayamperoor, who is the daughter of King Thoma) and send him to Silon. But Mariyam never said against her belief and remained as a virgin. The history of Melvin’s family from the 10 th century is described in a part in chapter nine of the novel. Nobody can question the fiction in the history or history in the fiction in this part. Some people believe most as the history. Some readers argue it as fiction. So In this Historiographic Metafiction, the reader should reject the idea of authentic and inauthentic representations.

“The Nasrani dynasty of Thoma kings has a history of thousand years... In AD 510, Udayamperoor old Church was built by Persian immigrants, Mar Aabo and Mar Prothu, who were Kaldaya bishops...Vilyarvattom language teachers were one who taught Malayalam language to Andrew Perera...In 1599, Udayamperoor Sunnahadhose had been summoned and brought Malankara church under the control of Pope...In 1653, KoonanKurashu oath had taken and

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Malankara nasreenis withdrawed all burdens of Roma. Vilyarvattom King Thoma was one who lead such a protest against Parankis... Vilyarvattom had only lasted for 50 years after Koonankurishu..Paliyathachan conquered the power of King Thoma..The descendents of Mariam, daughter of King Thoma has being livingstill these days.”

Historiographic Metafiction prevent the presentation from ‘being conclusive and teleological’. This novel has not a proper conclusion and it not give a teleology to the reader. In the final part of the novel, the author visits many places to find further about the Senthil’s death. Christy didn’t give the real reason behind Sendil’s death. He had put it to the author to find. Author collected some information and put it to reader to find. So the novel is not conclusive. At last author showed many discussion over the released novel (manjavayil maranagal). It reveals the meaninglessness teleological vision of the novel.

The problemetizing of the nature of historical knowledge need a seperate view of history and fiction as narrative genres. Novels incorporate social and political history to some extent, though that extent vary. Historiography; is a structured, coherent and teleological’ as any narrative fiction, it is not only the novel but history too. that is “palpably betwixt and between”. Both history and fiction are cultural sign systems, ideological constructions whose ideology includes their appearance of being autonomous and self-contained. History and fiction; The two genres may be textual constructs, narratives which are both non-orginary in their reliance on past intertexts and unavoidably ideologically laden.

Historiographic Metafiction utilizes two modes of narration, multiple point of view and openly controlling narrator, that blurs subjectivity. The novel shows both type of narration. The use of intertextuality, as a means in which to “close the gap between past and present or the reader and a desire to rewrite the past in a new context.” This novel used the same technique. The bringing out of a number of historical texts, contexts, beliefs and the other works of the author itself intended to close the gap between past and present. It also close the gap between fabricated history and the reader. The referents of history are believed as true. But in history it is false. Historiographic Metafiction “plays upon the truth and lies of the historical record.” Historiographic metafiction acknowledges the paradox of the reality of the past but it textualized accessibility to us today. Historiographic metafiction is interested in making readers examine historical texts as a means of authenticating the fictional text.

CONCLUSION In connection with Linda Hutcheon’s definitions about Historiographic metafiction clearly proves the novel Yellow lights of death by Benyamin as a Historiographic metafiction. It is obvious that every characteristics of Historiographic metafiction is clearly showed by this novel. The fact

62 LUX MONTIS Vol 7 No.2 July 2019 that seperate Historiographic Metafiction from Historical metafiction or Historical fiction or Historiographic fiction is the above mentioned characteristics. Hutcheon’s Historiographic metafiction is a highly elevated concept than other. Historiographic Metafiction is prominently seen in postmodern novels. The readers of late twentieth century and twentyfirst century were interested in these kind of works. The development in this concept opened many ways to new styles and forms in the postmodern literary world, especially in novels.

Works cited Benyamin. Manjavayil Marangal. Print. DC Books. April 2016 Hutcheon Linda. Historiographic Metafiction: “The Pastime of the past time”.Pdf. Review, Yellow Lights of death.

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RELEVANCE OF PLANNING IN THE BUSINESS WORLD

RIJU THOTTATHIL A SST . P ROFESSOR IN COMMERCE C OLLEGE O F A PPLIED S CIENCE ,K UTHUPARAMBA

ABSTRACT Every organisation has certain objectives to achieve.Proper planning helps an organisation to achieve this objective.Planning is the basic managerial function.The primary objective of a business organisation is to increase sales and maximise profit through customer satisfaction.All managers dream of these and strives to achieve their goals.But,to turn these dreams into reality,managers needs to work hard in thinking about the future.They have to think in advance what to do,when to do,how to do and by whom to do.This is the essence of planning.Developing strategic plan in time is crucial for every business.This study attempts to understand the relevance of planning in the business world.

Key Words 1. Planning, 2. Relevance of Planning in business.

INTRODUCTION Planning refers to deciding in advance what is to be done,when it is to be done,how it is to done and by whom it is to be done.Planning bridges the gap between where we are and where we want to go.It includes setting objectives for a given period,formulating various course of action to achieve them and then selecting the best possible alternative from among the various course of action available.It is important for a business organisation to plan and control the activities of the business.If,activities are not properly planned,it may not be possible to achieve what is desired or even if achieved,it may be at a very high cost.By stating in advance how work is to be done,planning provides direction for business action.Planning is a pervasive function as it requires at all levels and for all activities in the business.Developing appropriate plan in time is crucial for every business. 64 LUX MONTIS Vol 7 No.2 July 2019

Objectives of the study 1.To understand the meaning of planning. 2.To understand the features of planning. 3.To identify different types of plans used in the business. 4.To understand the relevance of planning in the business world.

Research Problem The research problem under this study is to understand the relevance of planning in the business world.

Research Methodology The necessary data has been collected from secondary sources.Different books,journals and websites are used for the completion of the study.

Features of planning 1.Planning focuses on achieving objectives Planning seeks to achieve certain objectives and all plans are linked with the goals of the organisation. 2.Planning is the primary function of management Planning is the first function of management.All the other functions of management viz, organising,staffing,directing and controlling can be performed only after developing necessary plans. 3.Planning is pervasive Planning is a pervasive function as it requires in all types of organisations and at all levels of management. 4.Planning is continuous The managers have to monitor,modify and revise the plans according to the prevailing conditions on a continuous basis. 5.Planning is futuristic Planning essentially involves looking ahead and preparing for the future.The purpose of planning is to meet future events effectively to the best advantage of an organisation. 6.Planning involves decision making Planning involves detailed examination and evaluation of each alternatives and choosing the most appropriate one among them. 7.Planning is a mental exercise Planning requires application of the mind involving foresight,intelligent imagination and sound judgement.It is an intellectual activity of thinking before doing.

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Relevance of planning in the business world Planning is one of the most important project management and time management technique.Planning is preparing a sequence of action steps to achieve some specific goal.If, a person does it effectively,they can reduce much the necessary time and effort of achieving the goal.Aplan is like a map.The relevance of planning in the business world can be understood from the following points. 1.Achievement of objectives Objectives of the business can be achieved without any problem as planning provides guidelines for all activities of an enterprise.Good management is Management By Objectives (MBO) .It is through the planning function that the management focuses its attention on the formulation of objectives.Objectives indicates the direction of growth. 2.Planning provides innovative ideas Planning is thinking in advance and therefore there is a scope of finding better and different methods and procedures to achieve the desired goals. 3.Planning facilitates decision making Planning works for efficiency and economy in operation.Planning is concerned with pre- determined and well thought out course of action.Therefore,it helps in avoiding confusion and disorder.By predicting future,planning helps in future oriented decisions. 4.Planning reduces uncertainty Planning is concerned with the future which is uncertain and very difficult to predict.Since the risk and insecurities are minimized,planning is essential to keep strict control on future events.An organisation operating with planning will always be better than that of an organisation operating without planning. 5.Planning reduces overlapping and wasteful activities Planning involves selection of the best possible course of action.Plans indicates how various tasks are to be completed and how resources are to be utilised. It helps to eliminate all types of waste and to achieve maximum utilisation of available resources. 6.Planning establishes standards for controlling Controll cannot be exercised without planning.Through planning,management decides the standard of performance.With the help of standards,comparisons can be made with actuals. If, there is a difference,proper steps can be taken to correct it.

Types of Plans The various types of plans used by a business organization are as follows 1.Objectives Objectives means the desired future position that the management would likes to reach.Objectives needs to be expressed in specific terms. 2.Strategy

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Strategy is a comprehensive plan for accomplishing organisational goal.It refers to future decisions defining the organisation’s direction and scope in the long run. 3.Policy Policies are guidelines to managerial action and decisions in the implementation of strategy.It is the general statements that channelize energies towards a particular direction. 4.Procedure Procedures are routine steps on how to carry out activities.They provides exact manner in which any work is to be performed. 5.Method Method provides the prescribed ways or manner in which a task has to be performed considering the objective. 6.Rule Rules are specific statements which provides information on what to do and what not to do under a given situation. 7.Programme Programmes are detailed statements about a project which outlines the objectives,policies,procedures,rules,tasks etc to implement any course of action. 8.Budget Budget is a statement of expected results expressed in numerical terms.Production budget,Marketing budget,Sales budgets and Master budgets are some examples of budgets prepared by a business.

Conclusion A business plan is a very important strategic tool for entrepreneurs.A good business plan helps a business organisation to achieve its short term and long term objectives.Planning is an inevitable managerial function as it facilitates decision making.Planning reduces uncertainties by stating in advance activities to be done and provides innovative ideas.Planning reduces overlapping and wasteful activities by selecting the best possible course of action.By considering all these facts,I conclude that the relevance of planning in the business world is beyond words to be expressed.Every organisation irrespective of its size need proper and timely planning. Reference 1.http://www.googlesir.com 2.http://www.nasdaq.com 3.http://www.marketing91.com 4.http://www.yourarticlelibrary.com 5.http://www.caa.biz 6.wikipedia 7.NCERT Plus TwoText book -2015:Principles and functions of management.

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THE PROPHETIC VISION OF SARAMAGO: THE CAMPS OF KATRINA AND KERALA FLOODS

D EVIKA V S TUDENT , II MA E NGLISH S T A LBERT ’ S C OLLEGE E RNAKULAM

ABSTRACT Jos é Saramago published his monumental literary work Blindness in 1995. The novel shocked the readers through its powerful depiction of the anarchy and chaos that humankind can descend into, at the first sight of calamity – manmade or natural. They fall into the depths of discord and lose all illusions of control they previously exerted. About ten years later, in 2005, hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana, Florida and New Orleans. And in 2018, the small state of Kerala in the South of India was hit by the second worst flood it had ever seen. In both cases, human life descended into its worst possible conditions – lack of food, shelter and any form of basic organization, despite the efforts of their respective Governments. Juxtaposing these events with Saramago’s Blindness, the author’s vision seems almost prophetic. This description of anarchy that human life can descend into at the first glimpse of a calamity takes its physical form in the camps of people escaping Katrina and the Floods. These camps turn into sites of absolute chaos, spiraling downward due to the impossibility of maintaining any sort of control whatsoever. This is the dimension this paper aims to study – the fragility of human hierarchies, the all-consuming strength of chaos and the acts of kindness and vision that can help restore hope.

The Prophetic Vision of Saramago: The Camps of Katrina and Kerala Floods

“What’s the world like these days, the old man with the black eyepatch had asked, and the doctor’s wife replied, There’s no difference between inside and outside, here and there, between the many and the few, between what we’re living through and what we shall have to live through” (Saramago 229). Published in 1995, Jos é Saramago’s Blindnessshocked the readers with its tone of premonition and prediction – a world affected by white sickness that left no one

68 LUX MONTIS Vol 7 No.2 July 2019 behind, a disease powerful enough to push humankind down to its last straw of ‘humanity’. Ten years since, in 2005 and twenty three years since, in 2018, calamities struck two places separated by kilometers, continents and oceans, pushing people down to their worst possible state, shockingly reminiscent of the condition of Saramago’s blind and unnamed city.

“The sceptics, who are many and stubborn, claim that, when it comes to human nature, if it is true that the opportunity does not always make the thief, it is also true that it helps a lot” (Saramago 17). Jos é Saramago’s novel narrates the story of an unnamed city affected by a rare case of epidemic blindness termed the ‘White Sickness’, a blindness triggered by no physical or mental disturbances or lesions. The affected are then rounded up and quarantined at an old, abandoned mental asylum. The narrative progresses through the horrible experiences of people who lost all they had, locked together in a race towards survival, one that is dangerously hopeless and hopeful at the same time. Quite unimaginable. Until 2005, when a massive and deadly Category Five hurricane hit Florida and Louisiana, the largest destructions being concentrated in the city of New Orleans. Loss, in terms of lives and infrastructure destroyed the city, and its psychological wellbeing. The calamity left its inhabitants without homes, roots and most importantly, communities to go back to. This analysis aims to focus on the effects of calamities, be it manmade or natural, on humannature when it is threatened by a loss of familiarity, property and belonging. Nate Scott, writer, editor and cultural analyst of the online news and entertainment website ‘For the Win’ published a two-part article, the first titled ‘Refuge of Last Resort: Five days inside the Superdome for Hurricane Katrina’ on August 24, 2015, followed by ‘How one couple’s desire to rebuild New Orleans nearly tore them apart’ on August 28, 2015. These articles provide a distressing insight into the lives of thirty thousand evacuees stuck in the city’s Superdome for five days, as the hurricane raged outside. This study is a journey through the experiences of Doug Thornton, general manager of Louisiana Superdome, Denise Thornton, his wife and founder of Beacon of Hope, “a resource center where locals could come and find information, borrow tools and work together to get people back in their homes”, and Lt. Col. Doug Mouton, commander of the 370 National Guard troops and a group of dedicated workers, who fought a battle to bring the evacuees back to safety and humanity.

“Thousands were suddenly homeless or stuck, surrounded by several feet of water, ominously rising. The number of lives lost in just one weekwas 324. By the end of the floods, 483 people lost their lives”, says the narrator of ‘Kerala Floods: The Human Story’, a documentary released by the Discovery Channel on November 12, 2018. The year 2018 gave Kerala, a small state in the south of India the second worst flood of its lifetime. Lives, property and communities floated away, unable to stand up to the pressure of the rising waters of Periyar, Pamba and other rivers and their tributaries. People were rescued from houses, apartments and offices via

69 LUX MONTIS Vol 7 No.2 July 2019 helicopters, boats and other available transport, with the assistance of the Indian Army, Navy, the Fishermen and general public. The documentary quotes the example of Sajitha Jabeel, stranded in her house, only two days away from her due date who was saved by the Navy and gave birth to a healthy baby in the Navy Hospital. Similarly, evacuees flowed into the thousands of relief camps set in different parts of the state, which were “humble abodes, running on a collective spirit of dignity and affection”. Along with the documentary, personal experiences at Flood Relief camps add to the analysis.

What, in fact, is the absurd man? He who, without negating it, does nothing for the eternal…he prefers his courage and reasoning. The first teaches him to live without appeal and to get along with what he has; the second informs him of his limits. Assured of his temporarily limited freedom, of his revolt devoid of future, and of his mortal consciousness, he lives out his adventure within the span of his lifetime…A greater life cannot mean for him another life (Camus 43).

Observing human beings affected by a calamity reveal many of the qualities of an absurd individual – working on nothing else but courage and reasoning and working for and within this life alone. In Blindness, the doctor’s wife, the only person with vision finds it unbearable to witness the chaos and loss of control around her and this makes it even more intolerable than being blind. Quite similar is the case of Doug and Denise Thornton, the only people able to carry out any action to sustain the lives of thirty thousand Katrina evacuees. A disturbingly shocking similarity one can draw between Saramago’s Blindness and the events of the Louisiana Superdome is the wave of crime that unfolds in both cases. “Inside the Superdome, things were descending further into hell. The air smelled toxic. People had broken up into factions by race, separating into small groups throughout the building that the National Guard struggled to control. A few of these groups wandered the concourse, stealing food and attacking anyone who stood up to them” and in Blindness, “…a circle of blind inmates armed with sticks and metal rods from the beds, pointing outwards like bayonets or lances, confronted the desperation of the blind inmates…the food will now be sold, anyone who wants to eat must pay” (Saramago 131-132). The possibility of shortage made the inmates forget the next person in the room. This is reflective of a very crucial human trait that reveals itself during calamities, visible in the book, during Katrina and the Kerala floods – hoarding. All evacuee camps inevitably see cases where families try to hoard supplies – food, clothing and toiletries. “More than one million people have swarmed into relief camps in Kerala to escape devastating monsoon floods that have killed more than 400 people, officials said as a huge international aid operation gathered pace.People are flocking to camps as the scale of the desolation is revealed by receding waters and the forces rescue more people each day” (NDTV). The relief camps in Kerala worked effectively and efficiently, but behaviors influenced by distrust and distress resulted in hoarding and wastage of food articles

70 LUX MONTIS Vol 7 No.2 July 2019 such as bread, milk and biscuits. The excess of and rotting away of food thus turns into an inevitable characteristic feature of any evacuee camp, be it of white sickness, hurricane or flood.

The cases of crime did not end with stealing of food alone. “After a week, the blind hoodlums sent a message saying that they wanted women. Just like that, Bring us women…Unless you bring women, you don’t eat” (Saramago 159). Doug Thornton recalled the downward spiral of events at the Superdome – “A man had been caught sexually assaulting a young girl. Reports of other rapes were widespread”. Sexual harassment, assured by the impossibility of any quick action against the perpetrators, increased in number, leaving the rest of the evacuees in shock and mistrust. No such cases were reported from the relief camps in Kerala, which largely functioned harmoniously.

“Homes are not homes without the communities surrounding them. The Thorntons didn’t want to move back if none of their neighbors would. So they reached out. They saw people in the street. Those neighbors were thinking the same thing the Thorntons were: Is anyone else going to come back?” Denise Thornton’s ‘Beacon of Hope’ turned into a meeting place, trying to get people of New Orleans to come back home. For this, it was necessary to get them to believe that it was possible to rebuild their communities. Rehabilitation is both a physical and psychological process. The internees of Saramago’s Blindness escape the horrors of quarantine and at the end of the novel, begin to regain their sight, one by one. The first blind man, his wife, the doctor and his wife, the girl with the dark glasses, the old man with the black eye patch and the little boy with the squint, huddled together in the doctor and his wife’s apartment regain their eye sight and wonder what they would do next, in a nation ruined by blindness. But the very last line of the novel sets the tone for their rehabilitation – “The doctor’s wife got up and went to the window. She looked down at the street full of refuse, at the shouting, singing people. Then she lifted her head up to the sky and saw everything white, It is my turn, she thought. Fear made her quickly lower her eyes. The city was still there” (Saramago 309). Meanwhile, “The deluge in Kerala washed away large parts of the state. But natural disasters often provide opportunities for fresh starts…Not just the government, but the citizens are also thinking of the future and their clear role in it”, states the narrator of ‘Kerala Floods: The Human Story’. In all cases, rehabilitation brought the same emotions – joy, fear and doubts about the uncertainty of the future.

Conclusion it is impossible to not notice a pattern here. These calamities, all partially natural and manmade, traverse through the same pathways, though separated by cultures, languages and media. Jos é Saramago’s Blindness is without a doubt highly prophetic, reflective of the author’s vast and intrinsic knowledge of human nature. The hurricane of 2005 and the Kerala floods of 2018 tested human capacities in terms of patience, courage and perseverance. Human beings, in all

71 LUX MONTIS Vol 7 No.2 July 2019 their absurdities, perversities and chaos, still manage to exist due to the vision and empathy of humans themselves – the doctor’s wife, the Indian Army, Navy, the fisher folk and commoners, and people like Doug and Denise Thornton. This puts Camus’ idea of the ‘greater life’ into perspective.

And to put the entire idea into perspective, in the words of the narrator of ‘Kerala Floods: The Human Story’, “The lessons from Kerala are lessons for the world. And while rebuilding the state will take time, the floods have ironically provided all the stakeholders the opportunity to think anew”. Replace Kerala by New Orleans, Indonesia or quarantine and calamity still teaches the same basic lesson.

Works Cited Agence France-Presse. “In Kerala, 1 Million People Are Taking Shelter In About 3200 Relief Camps.” NDTV, 21 Aug. 2018, www.ndtv.com/india-news/in-kerala-1-million-people-are-taking-shelter-in-about-3200-relief- camps-1903959 Camus, Albert. “The Absurd Man”. The Myth of Sisyphus, translated by Justin O’Brien, England, Hamish Hamilton, 1955, pp. 43-44. Discovery Channel. “Kerala Floods: The Human Story.” YouTube, Wild Discovery , 14 Nov. 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?v=xH_YyYKu2GU Saramago, Jos é. Blindness, translated by Giovanni Pontiero and Margaret Jull Costa, London, Vintage, 2004, pp. 17-309. Scott, Nate. “Refuge of Last Resort: Five days inside the Superdome for Hurricane Katrina”. For The Win, USA Today Sports, 24 Aug. 2015, www.ftw.usatoday.com/2015/08/refuge-of-last-resort-five-days-inside-the-superdome-for- hurricane-katrina Scott, Nate. “How one couple’s desire to rebuild New Orleans nearly tore them apart”. For The Win, USA Today Sports, 28 Aug. 2015, www.ftw.usatoday.com/2015/08/how-one-couples-desire-to-rebuild-new-orleans-nearly-tore- them-apart

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STATUS OF THE TRANSGENDER: FALSITY OF THE INDIAN SOCIETY TOWARDS TRANSGENDER

L IJA M ARY J ACOB G UEST L ECTURER BKC OLLEGE A MALAGIRI , K OTTAYAM

ABSTRACT The Hijras have been an integral part of Indian society since time immemorial. Indian society diverse in culture, language, tradition, religion and indigenous ethnic groups live harmoni- ous loyal of the Third Gender entirely from the mainstream society. They are often viewed as “sexual ambiguous” figures, a notion that of ten infuse fear in many individuals of this “othered group”. And even this segregation is ironic as the transgender is considered divine-respected and evil-the tabooed individual sat the same time. In Indian mythology and in ancient religious script ures there are mentioning of Hijras to be equalized with Gods like Shiva and as who were the companions of Gods like Krishna. For many rituals they are considered to be the ones who will be stow blessings on the other hand they are termed as the ones who bring evil to the society and disgrace to the family to which they are born. This is double standard as hijras performing reli- gious ceremonies at weddings and at the birth of male babies, involving music, singing and danc- ing is intended to bring good luck and fertility while the person who brings all the seas considered to be cursed. The duality of the society where hijars are celebrated for their beings ‘other’ concurrently alienating them from the lime light is debatable. This double standard of the society towards the transgender is discussed in this paper entitled “Status of the Transgender: Falsity of the Indian society towards transgender” and tries to examine on what terms these ironic state is prevailed in thesociety

Introduction All are familiar with the word Transgender mostly defined as state of being neither male nor female is mostly someone with “a female psyche captured in a male body” from which they want to get rid of. Third Gender people are the ones who are born with sex characteristics, such as chromosomes, gonads, or genitals that do not fit typical binary notions of male and female. To73 LUX MONTIS Vol 7 No.2 July 2019 understand trans-sexuality, we have to understand the difference between sex and gender. While ‘sex’ represents the physical difference as male and female binaries, indicated by the external appearance of genitalia and the presence of gonads, ‘gender’ is the psychological recognition of fitting into the social categories such as boy/man or girl/women.

Falsity of Indian Society Indian mythology has in it, many references to altered sexual states. The name Ardhanarishwara refers to God Shiva, who is in the form of half man and half woman, an androgynous deity. In various versions of Ramayana, there is reference to King Ila, who spent half his life as man and half as woman. In Mahabharata, Arjuna spent a year of his life in inter- sexed condition. There is also reference to King Bangasvana, who was changed into a woman by Lord Indra, whom he had offended. Another reference during Mahabharata is to Shikhandini who was born female, but raised like a man and trained in warfare. After an encounter with a Yaksha, Shikhandini came back as a man, was called Shikhandi and fathered children.

During the ancient world the transgenders were given importance and were accepted in the society. They acquired even close relation with the rulers and have held positions in their kingdoms. In modern cosmopolitan world which is tending to say have moved far from the stereotypes of the society, have made the life of transgender miserable. From the guardians of the royal courts, their positions have deteriorated to being considered as ‘socially outcast’, ‘unwanted people’, subjected to mockery, ridicule and derogatory remark. Hijras are often encouraged in streets, trains, and other public places, where they demand money from young men. If refused, the hijra may attempt to rattle the person into giving money, using obscene gestures, profane language and even sexual advances. Many trans-genders are harassed by the police; many of them commit suicide because of the rejection from the society. In society there are several myths surrounding the hijra community. Hijras are considered dangerous. They are known for bestowing blessings but curses too.

The society whichmarginalises these individuals only for their appearance has great value for them when it comes of blessing. The Hijras or Kinnar would be able to give blessings to people during auspiciousoccasions, such as childbirth and marriage. This ceremony is also known as Badhai, in which Hijras dance, sing and give blessings. This state is often contrasting that how we trust the same individual for being cursed and having divine quality. Here occurs the double standard of the society debarring the Hijras from their day to day life despite considering them to be having divine qualities. Because of the awareness of the strength and the power they posses as it is described in the mythologies the general human were feared of these individual who don’t processes any characteristics of the social binary of male and female. From these unwanted fear they might have aloof Hijras from the main stream society speaking of them as “cursed beings”.

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If the God has cursed them, how can they possess some unique qualities like the boon of blessing for fertility and prosperity which the so called properly created people don’tpossess?

Even thoughpeople consider them divine and godly they were parted from all the aspects of the society including education, job, life style, shelter, many rituals and religious functions even from proper burial ceremony,thus forcing theminto sex work. The one reason for being forced into sex work is because of the unavailability of livelihood resources. The job sector is not ready to employ them even if they are qualified, because of the societal stigma attached with them. As a result of this they are pushed to lead their life in poverty or end up taking refuge in beggary and sex work. This forced prostitution turns them into carriers of STD.

The other major area of concern is the constant denial of housing in housing societies and other areas leading them to being housed in slums with unhygienic background causing various infectious diseases. Or migrating to distant faraway places where there isles human inhabitation where they form their own colony without proper shelter and facilities to lead a life harmoniously as the other citizens do.

Then arouse the totally bewildering attitude of the society towards the Hijara not permitting them the proper funeral ceremony which is done equally according to each individual’s religious perspective or practice. Even though they lead a life following a particular religion hijrasarenot allowed a proper burial and even their dead bodies are not allowed to present or buried in public and in broad daylight. These funeral ceremonies are done at night without any outsider to watch the dead body. There is a belief that since a hijra cannot give birth the one who witnesses the dead body of a eunuch would be cursed by infertility in their rest of the life. Even when the dying eunuch is considered divine and Godly their dead bodies are considered impure. When there are religious texts, equal for those who follow the particular religion why does there is a need for another ideology or religious practice for the transgender or the Hijras. They have the right to practice and get the rituals as per described in those religious text which they follow rather than discriminating or debarring them only because they are not the stereotypical gender binaries which the society accept.

The conflict in the sexual identity of the Hijras forms the debarring of them from the society. Human psyche plays a crucial role in this transgression. By birth the trangender is considered as an evil norm whobrings bad luck and will degrade the family honour. The individual is forced to suppress their urge to change into another gender to which they are not born- on the contrary where the individual want to transform from their “wrong body” in which their actual identity is captured. Every time this transgression is a painful with the negation from the family as well as the bullying of the society. During their early childhood children get cues from their parents

75 LUX MONTIS Vol 7 No.2 July 2019 about how an appropriate behaviour should be according to their gender. When the child identifies his/her interest in the playing things ofthe opposite gender, the child would start to get the idea that something or some part in him/her should bechanged or should remain hidden. From here starts the imbalance and conflict within the child’s psyche. What he/she interested in is not accepted by the society or family according to his/her gender. The aftermath happens in two way that either the individual will hide its feeling and will move with the wave of the society in a depressed psychological state or one who is incapable of hiding their feelings will present themselves as boyish-girl or feminine-boy with lots of complex in mind. The psychology of the third gender is not examined by the family or society, their view points are always biased by their concept of sexual binaries of male and female. Only the general binaries are accepted what else comes in conflict with these binaries will be consideredas “disorder” or ‘malfunction”. The hormonal alteration is the fact behind this transgenderality and the human body or any living body cannot deny this urge as the hormones balances the whole function of a living being. Even when the individual lives with all these frustration they are again bullied by the society and rejection is faced by them from their own family and friends and from the religion where everyone is considered as God’s beautiful creation. There is no shelter for the Third Sex even in this 21 st century where science, technology, psychology, anthropology, sociology, and human rights are at its peak. Still they should protest themselves for gaining the basic human right.

Responsibilities of civil society How can we boast ourselves of being ‘global citizens’ when educated elite don’t even acknowledge such issues?

Stop discriminating people just because of their gender and respect the individual and their identity, as every being has the right to life and freedom of expression.Don’t subject them to dehumanizing treatments; consider them equal as the other gender binaries existing in the society.The families and other institutionalized individuals shall accept their individuality. There should be a change in the psyche of each individual in the society in order to diminish this gender discrimination.Everyone has the right to participate in the political engagement. Law should encourage transgender in participating in the political discourse providing reservation.Everyone has the right to education;which has been given to every Indian citizen at free of coast and has made it compulsory for children aging from age 6-14. The government shall endeavour effort to make sure that the transgender too comes under the Right to Education act.

Conclusion What we need is a drastic change from the unscientific beliefs on gender bias. Instead of considering the Hijras or the Kinnars as divine species and people with boon of blessings or considering them who should be cremated differently because of their gender, they should be

76 LUX MONTIS Vol 7 No.2 July 2019 treated as individuals or ethnic group who possess their own culture and identity. Proper education and livelihood should be given to them in order to make a sustainable living, rather than begging alms on streets or trains and getting money from blessing and dancing in ceremonies. India still struggles to give the Third Gender their rights and identity. Third gender or hijras are four times more likely to live in poverty because of non-employability and unemployment. Reservations should be made for the Third Gender in each sector of the society until their status in the society improves from mere babblers to, who live proudly with the sweat of their toil. Only when the society would accept each gender as their own then only India can said to be a country with ‘unity in diversity’ considering all the gender equally and acting with mutual respect.

Work Cited 1 Dec. 2017. www.wittyfeed.com/amp/59325/secrets-about-hijars . Gandhi, Pooja. Anthropospublication.com/2015/12/04/hijras-the-third-gender-of-india-pooja- gandhi/. Vidya, Living Smile. I am Vidya: A Trangender’s Journey. New Delhi; Rupa Publications, 2007. Vyasa, Veda. Mahabharatha.

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CALAMITY AND CHILDREN

R OOPAK . R BBA I ST YEAR GIAL

ABSTRACT We can expect climate change to alter the frequency, magnitude, timing, and location of many natural hazards. Children, particularly the poor and those in developing countries, are at risk. It considers three ways that natural disasters may harm children disproportionately, often with long-lasting effects. First, disasters can damage children’s physical health. Children may be injured or killed, but they may also suffer from such things as malnutrition caused by disruptions in food supply or diarrheal illness caused by contaminated water. Moreover, disasters can cut off access to medical care, even for non-disaster-related illnesses. Second, disasters can cause mental health problems. But children can suffer psychological harm from the damage to their homes and possessions; from migration; from the grief of losing loved ones;

How can we mitigate the dangers to children even as disasters become more powerful and more frequent? For one thing, we can prepare for disasters before they strike, for example, by strengthening school buildings and houses. Actions that have been proven to help to children after a disaster such as quickly reuniting them with parents and caregivers

INTRODUCTION “Disasters strike hardest at the most vulnerable groups- the poor, and especially women, children and the elderly.”Children are in the process of physical and mental development, they are at particularly high risk of harm from a disaster. As compared with adults, children depend more strongly on stability in their daily lives and environment and they are more vulnerable to the direct consequences of a disaster, including shortage of food and potable of water, coldness due to poor sheltering and a loss of protection in the family. The situation requiring disaster health care can be divided into natural disaster {earthquake, storm, flood, and tsunami, volcanic eruption, etc.} man made disasters [ fire, chemical, explosion, train accident, etc.} and the presence of refugees. Different types of disasters pose different6 needs in the provision of health care support

78 LUX MONTIS Vol 7 No.2 July 2019 for children with different degrees of urgency. The common fact is that disasters affect the lives and physical, mental, and psychological health of numerous children every year worldwide.

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS AND PUBLIC HEALTH EFFECTS OF DISASTER ON CHLDREN A major disaster hits the entire group of victims at the same time. There are differences reflecting socioeconomic strata, such as that a reinforced concrete condominium may remain intact after a large earthquake next to wooden flat that collapse. This section outlines the characteristics of health care for children following disasters. The issues regarding mental care and psychological support are detailed in the next section.

DEATH OF CHILDREN The cause of death among children vary greatly depending on the type of disaster such as earthquake, flood, etc. Following the Hanshin Awaji Earthquake, an overwhelming majority of the children under the age of 15 who died lost their lives due to suffocation (55.7%), crushing (12.3%), and construction (15.3%). Nearly all of these cases were reported to have been almost instantaneous death.

HEALTH CARE FOR CHILDREN FOLLOWING DISASTER A major disaster also causes serious damage to medical institutions. Physical damage including collapse and destruction of hospitals and clinics, as well as death and injury of personnel may be considerable. Disruption of transportation systems may prevent physician and nurses in the disaster area from going to work. Damage to the operational aspects may also be serious such as the breakdown of information system interrupting communicational need for the transportation of patient.In the case of disasters in Japan, many of the families with infants and children evacuate relatively early after a disaster occurs, and the number of patients visiting pediatric outpatient departments tends to decrease over time.

SYSTEM OF HEALTH CARE FOR CHILDREN IN REFUGES In preparing for disasters, it is important to establish system of health care for children refuges. The systems for health care in refuges are operated mainly by administrative bodies and local hospitals. However, a lack of good coordination between refuge health care system and volunteer activities has sometimes caused problems. In the Niigata Chuetsu Earthquake in 2004, volunteer physician administered influenza vaccination to children in refuges, but this caused a problem in identifying who received a vaccination and who did not, because the volunteer physician failed to keep vaccination records.

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INFECTIONS The risk for the incidence of infectious diseases increases due to deteriorated hygiene and Overcrowding within several days after a disaster. Thereafter, depending on the level of hygiene at the refugee camp, the risk for various infections has been shown to increase (Table 1).

DISEASES FACTORS PREVENTION

Diarrhea Contamination of food/water TORS Safe water supply

ARI Lack of shelter and blanket Shelter and clothes

Malaria New environment Mosquito net

Measles Over-crowding Immunization

Tuberculosis Over-crowding Early detection/treatment

Tetanus Injury or delivery Clean delivery/treatment

Parasite diseases Contamination of water Safe water supply

Scab Lack of water Water supply and soap

The most common types of infections observed n refugees camps including diarrhea, acuterespiratory infections (ARI), measles and malaria which are called the 4 major killers. In addition increases have been reported in various infections, such as the epidemic of tuberculosis due to crowded living conditions, tetanus arising from unsanitary treatment of injury and childbirth, various parasitic infections and scabies due to the shortage of water.

A . E FFECTS ON P HYSICAL H EALTH Following major disasters, children often suffer from a range of health problems. Natural disasters can affect the children’s health through several channels.1 st , a disaster can reduce intake of calories and of essential vitamins and nutrients because a family loses food crops or income to spend on food.2 nd a disaster can destroy health infrastructure. This can mean that illness or injuries cause4d by the disaster are difficult to treat and become worse, but it also means that non-disaster-related health problems may go untreated

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EFFECTS ON SCHOOLING Effects on Schooling Natural disasters can harm schooling in three primary ways. First, the disaster can destroy schools themselves, interrupting children’s education. Second, if children are hurt or sick or malnourished, they may not attend school as frequently and/or may perform more poorly in school. Third, in developing countries in particular, a disaster that reduces household wealth or income may lead parents to shift children out of school and into the labor market to help enhance family income. If those impacts on schooling persist—and whether they do is still an open question among researchers—they could reduce earnings later in life. This section reviews two types of studies on these topics: (1) studies from developed countries that tend to focus on how changing schools, spending time out of school, or the trauma of the disaster itself can affect educational performance and (2) studies from developing countries that focus on whether households move children into the labor market at the expense of schooling.

CHILDHOOD EXPOSURE Childhood Exposure Most studies of how disasters affect health during childhood focus on malnourishment in developing countries. They generally examine one or more of three indicators of children’s health: stunting (failure to grow adequately in height, an indication of malnourishment), measured by height-forage z-scores; being underweight, measured by weight- for-age scores; and wasting, measured by weight-for-height scores. Stunting, being underweight, and wasting could be caused by shifts in consumption or decreases in food supply, among other things. First, in very extreme disasters, children may be more likely than adults to be injured or killed. For example, children in Indonesia were less likely than adults to survive the 2004 Indianm Ocean tsunami. It may be that greater physical strength increases the chances of survival; children were less likely to die when more prime-age men lived in the household or when households were headed by a primeage male fisherman.15 Second, children could be at higher risk for a range of diseases, some of them involving malnourishment and some not. For example, after the 2004 tsunami, a Red Cross emergency relief hospital in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, found that children were more likely than adults to suffer from acute diseases, particularly upper respiratory and gastrointestinal infections.16 Poor sanitation or disruption of medical care could be behind those increases in disease. Researchers have observed poorer nutrition among children in many countries after many types of disasters. For example, in Bangladesh, among a sample of more than 4,400 children from birth to five years old, those older than two who had been exposed to an extreme flood in 1998 had lower height for-age z-scores (the measure of stunting) than did children who hadn’t been affected; moreover, the children in the sample didn’t grow faster after the flood to make up the loss.17 In Ivory Coast, among a sample of 1,600 households, extreme rainfall in 1986 increased by 3 to 4 percent the proportion of children from birth to 10 years old who were malnourished.18 In Nicaragua—among a sample of 2,764 households, of which 396 were affected by 1998’s category 5 Hurricane Mitch—children from birth to four years old who had experienced the...... storm were four times as likely...... to be undernourished.19 ...... 81 LUX MONTIS Vol 7 No.2 July 2019

The empirical evidence on how sudden, weather-related disasters affect children. Researchers have shown that disasters can harm children’s physical and mental health as well as their schooling. Younger children seem most susceptible. The effects of the severest disasters or of shocks to health and schooling at critical periods in children’s development can last for years, even into adulthood. That said, children’s responses to disaster vary widely depending on the type of disaster; the countries, communities, and families in which children live; and the characteristics of individual children. We’re beginning to understand some of that variation— such as critical ages, differences by gender, or the roles of certain social structures or policies in mitigating impacts—but we need much more work to identify what can make a disaster’s impacts more or less severe. One area we know too little about, for example, involves differences between rural and highly urbanized areas. If we better understood what drives variation in people’s responses to disaster, we could improve both mitigation policies and coping strategies.

Three other large gaps in our knowledge stand out. First, researchers have carried out very few careful policy evaluation studies to understand which interventions are most effective. Although this is partly because it’s difficult to gather the data needed to do such studies well, further work in this area is warranted. Second, although researchers have uncovered many associations between disasters and outcomes, the pathways by which disasters produce the observed effects are largely unknown. I’ve discussed many hypotheses in this article, but we poorly understand which mechanisms operate when, or to what degree. Research that identifies such mechanisms could help us develop better responses. Finally, we don’t know enough about whether and how living with higher risk of disasters can translate into behaviors that affect children’s wellbeing. As climate change alters extreme events, some places may begin to see more frequent natural disasters, from floods to heat waves. Households could have a harder time recovering from repeated disasters, and the effects on children could be many times more severe than those from a onetime shock. Studying areas that already face repeated disasters could help identify strategies for other areas as the climate warms. For example, Bangladesh has introduced schools on boats to keep children in school even during a flood. On a warming planet, we may need such responses even in areas that until now have been unaccustomed to

Keeping children safe and free from harm is what we believe in and what we do. The Child Protection Programme is a core sector of our work. Children pushed into child labour, children facing abuse in the community, children trafficked, children affected by a calamity or emergency situation - Save the Children works to protect children from different kinds of harms- abuse, neglect, exploitation, physical danger and violence. Despite the rampant economic growth in the last two decades, lakhs of children in India continue to be exposed to different forms of exploitation – mental and physical. For example, a shocking 82.2 lakh children (aged 5 - 14 years) are still into the abhorrent practice of child labour which is destroying their childhood.

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A simple premise that every child deserves a happy and safe childhood is what drives us to run projects in the remotest parts of India to protect children from harm.

How do we do it? We work with the most disadvantaged local communities, sensitising and educating them about the rights of children to help them understand that children are meant to be at school and not work.

We form Children Groups through which we bring together vulnerable children in a community.

These children then collectively work our solutions to help themselves and each other and ensure child rights in their area are upheld.

We work very closely with these Children Groups and train them to identify and prevent cases of child marriage, child trafficking, child abuse and child labour . We map out-of-school children, street children and those who are involved in child labour and facilitate their movement into schools by the means of enrolment drives.

Another major aspect of our work is to coordinate with the district and state level authorities to ensure right implementation of laws so that children in the area are kept safe

For vulnerable children above 14 years of age, we organize skill-based vocational trainings like beautician courses, security guard training, etc. and prepare them for dignified employment opportunities

In 2013, we rolled out a Missing Children Helpline in Jharkhand and West Bengal where reports of missing children could be logged.

In 2014 we joined forces with IKEA to kick start a mega project to prevent child labour in the cotton farming areas of Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan.

During emergencies and disasters, we set up Child Friendly Spaces where affected children find a safe and conducive environment to overcome the trauma

Last year (2017), we protected 4.09 lakh children from different forms of harm.

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While we take being safe for granted, there are many, many children in India who need protection. You can keep children from harm and provide them a happy childhood. We utilise a child rights programming framework and keep in mind the cross-cutting themes of child participation, non-discrimination and best interests of children. Our child protection work focuses on three key “evidence” groups: 1. Children affected by disasters/emergencies and conflict, including Child Centered Disaster Risk Reduction.

2. Children on move- child trafficking, street children, migrants children

3. Children involved in harmful work and

4. Children with inadequate parental care including alternatives to institutional care. Understanding good and productive practices in care and protection is a major focus of our programme work. This requires quality programme implementation, monitoring and evaluation (research & studies) and learning from the evidence and advocate to be scaled up. Some of the most important activities of our Child

CONCLUSION · Improving the understanding of the situation of vulnerable children in need of care and protection.

· Building children’s resilience and supporting their participation in their own protection, including child-led organisations and child-to-child support.

· Promoting diversion from inappropriate or punitive responses and encouraging the reintegration of children who have been stigmatised because of their coping strategies in the absence of effective protection mechanisms.

· Demonstrating the benefits of preventative approaches and early intervention over interventions at a later stage.

· Supporting the development of community-based care and protection systems.

· Support to the co-ordination and integration of services and support to vulnerable children.

· Building the care and protection of children into broader social welfare, poverty reduction and other national development strategies.

· Building the capacity of duty bearers to deliver effective care and protection for children.

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· Advocating for legal and policy reform in line with the principles and standards of the United Nations Convention on Rights of the Child.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. Paula McDiarmid, ed., In the Face of Disaster: Children and Climate Change (London: International Save the Children Alliance, 2008).

2. James J. Heckman, “The Economics, Technology, and Neuroscience of Human Capability Formation,” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 104 (2007): 13250–55, doi: 10.1073/pnas.0701362104

3. Olivier Deschênes, Michael Greenstone, and Jonathan Guryan, “Climate Change and Birth Weight,” American Economic Review 99 (2009): 211–17, doi: 10.1257/aer.99.2.211.

4. Robert Jensen, “Agricultural Volatility and Investments in Children,” American Economic Review 90 (2000): 399–404, doi: 10.1257/aer.90.2.399.

5. Christopher J. Lonigan et al., “Children Exposed to Disaster: II. Risk Factors for the Development of Post-Traumatic Symptomatology,” Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 33 (1994): 94–105, doi: 10.1097/00004583-199401000-00013.

6. Save the Children, Unaccounted For: A National Report Card on Protecting Children in Disasters (Fairfield, CT: Save the Children, 2013).

WEBLIOGRAPHY https://sciencing.com/negative-effects-natural-disasters-8292806.html

https://www.savethechildren.in/resource-centre/articles/why-children-are-most- vulnerable-during-a-natural-disaster

https://www.savethechildren.in/what-we-do/child-protection

......

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ART THERAPY A METHOD TO TACKLE THE TRAUMA BY CALAMITIES

R OSHNA S HAJAHAN I MA English Language and Literature CMS COLLEGE, Kottayam

ABSTRACT Calamity, according to the definition given in Merriam Webster, is a disastrous event marked by great loss and lasting distress and suffering. The suffering and huge losses often leads to depression and trauma in the mind of affected. Following any distressing or life-threatening event, psychological trauma can set in. Sufferers may develop emotional issues, such as extreme anxiety, anger, sadness, survivor’s guilt, or PTSD. They may have ongoing problems with sleep or physical pain, trouble with their personal and professional relationships, and low self-esteem issues. Kerala has faced the worst flood in its history in the month of August, where more than 450 people lost their life and the state faced huge losses. 19-year-old student in Kerala ended his life after flood waters destroyed his documents. Another 54-year-old went back from the relief camp to find his house in ruins and hanged himself. A similar third suicide was reported from Kerala as well. In this paper I am focusing on the importance of art as a medicine for trauma by calamities.

Trauma due to calamities People can experience trauma in a number of different ways depending on how they handle certain events in their life. Trauma can occur following the death of a loved one, witnessing a terrible accident, or fighting in a war. One of the less common types of trauma can happen when a person experiences a natural disaster. Any overwhelming and distressing experience can trigger trauma in an individual no matter what age or prior life experience. Natural disasters can be especially traumatic because they can involve people seeing multiple accidents and even deaths in many cases. Experiencing a natural disaster can cause you to fear for your own safety and can often lead to symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. The American Psychological Association defines trauma as “an emotional response to a terrible event like an accident, rape or 86 LUX MONTIS Vol 7 No.2 July 2019 natural disaster.” Kerala flood The major problem faced by the doctors after the flood is the depression of the affected people. Many of the people lost their dear ones, some saw the destruction of the entire life’s savings, some list everything including their homes. Devastated over finding his house in ruins, Rocky (54), a resident of Kadamakkudy in Kothadu, committed suicide. A middle aged man died out of cardiac arrest after seeing the deteriorated condition of his house. Children are the worst affected by the calamity. A boy of 10 years, starts screaming when he heard the sound of rain and began to ask for an uruli(a utensil), in which his father took him out of the flooded House. Many children has become silent after the flood. After a detailed survey, the health department of kerala has published a report according to it, children are the worst affected by the flood. Most of them are diagnosed with serious cases of trauma.

Trauma is defined as experiencing an event involving the threat of death or serious injury accompanied by intense Fear, helplessness or horror. According to van der Kolk (1987), trauma may occur when an individual loses the sense of “having a safe place within or outside onself to deal with frightening emotions and experiences” . Ordinary systems of care become overwhelmed when a traumatic event occurs. As a result , an individual may lose a sense of control, connection, and meaning in life (Gonzalez-Dolginko, 2003).PTSD is a mental health condition brought on by experiencing or witnessing an extremely traumatising event. People experiencing this condition can have nightmares, anxiety and intense flashback episodes. It can be seen weeks after the traumatic event has occurred. The right combination of therapy, and sometimes medication, can have dramatic changes in a person who is experiencing PTSD.

A solution There are many ways to bring the affected people back to normal life. This paper particularly focuses on Art in the face of disaster—as a form of creative expression, as a pathway to healing, and as a means for contributing to community. “Art Therapy is a way to provide distance from the intense affect associated with the Disaster, and a way to work around and through the natural defences that arise when trying to link affect with cognition”. In the literature, a common finding shows that art Therapy provides a medium for communication and a means to facilitate the healing of emotional scars for children following a disaster event. Art therapists aim to provide a safe holding environment, creative platform for children to tell their trauma narratives, and reduce experience Of symptomology including an opportunity to regain emotional control and reduce stress. Belief that every person is in possession of internal resources for understanding and healing in the face of traumatic experiences Has been a guiding philosophy for therapeutic models that focus on strengthening a person’s sense of agency and capacity to form and follow his own path to recovery. The role of expressive arts in harnessing and bringing these resources

87 LUX MONTIS Vol 7 No.2 July 2019 to consciousness is underscored in times Of trauma when rational and verbal modalities are not always readily accessible to the traumatized person. Art therapy has been utilized as a means of treating those suffering from traumatic experiences. Children who are incapable of putting their trauma into words almost always can process their traumatic event through Creative activities .

The techniques involving the use of imagery are among the most effective in reducing the symptoms of PTSD. The mind stores trauma in memory as imagery; therefore art therapy is likely to be helpful in processing and resolving it. The use of drawing with Traumatized children enables them to express emotions and verbalize experiences more effectively than talking alone. Art therapy enables children to reproduce the trauma symbolically, thereby controlling emerging memories and integrating experiences without becoming overwhelmed. Art therapy helps to empower traumatized children by rebuilding their fractured sense of competency and control. Art therapy also may reduce the negative psychological Impact of natural disasters with children Art therapy sessions enable children to express internalized trauma that could not be previously verbalized, decreasing defenses and offering an Image of safety . Children’s graphic representation of their feelings can greatly facilitate their recovery.

In 2013 twin disasters struck Philippines, one after the other, and it shattered the normal lives of the people. Although the government and various non governmental organisations addressed the issue with massive relief operations, they faced a huge problem when they saw that half of the affected are diagnosed with serious cases of traumatic conditions. As a solution for this, a group was formed under the leadership of visual artist Alma Quinto, known as One Heart Express. To reach out to the victims of disasters specifically geared towards psychosocial intervention, this was the main focus of the issue. They used expressive arts for healing, empowerment and education. They conducted two-day workshop in various parts of the country, the participants engaged in different art activities to help them recover from trauma. Participants made storybooks, drew about their lives, painted about the calamities they had to face, and even created heart cards that were later given to the affected ones.

On Oct 8, 2005, an earthquake of magnitude 7·6 on the Richter scale struck Kashmir and parts of Pakistan’s North West Frontier Province. Nearly 3·3 million people were affected.Pakistan Association for Mental Health assembled a team. A manual was prepared that included techniques on active listening, grief counselling, and problem solving. The section for children included brief instructions about their physical and nutritional requirements, and the need for closeness to family. In developing countries, especially in south Asia, art therapy is almost non- existent. The artwork generally used in psychiatric clinics and hospitals is part of occupational therapy, and the aim is simply to keep the patient occupied. Therefore the manual specifically mentioned play and art therapy to help the children express their feelings and emotions. No training or instruction was given on interpretation of the children’s drawings and paintings. 88 LUX MONTIS Vol 7 No.2 July 2019

On the morning of December 26, 2004, a 9.0 magnitude underwater earthquake triggered a series of deadly Tsunamis that devastated coastal communities across eleven Southeast Asian countries. The small island nation of Sri Lanka, just off the southern tip of India, was one of the Countries hit hard, with over 30,000 people killed as the Tsunami slammed coastal area. Many Sri Lankan children expressed fear of a recurring tsunami, experienced separation anxiety, or refused to attend school. Art therapy was an effective, psychologically beneficial, and culturally applicable intervention for children affected by the tsunami in Sri Lanka. Through simple, translated art tasks, they readily shared trauma and pain not previously verbalized. The children’s artwork revealed Traumatic tsunami experiences, grief over the loss of loved ones, the importance of family, the centrality of culture and religious heritage, and future dreams. Through art Therapy, the children were able to regain emotional control that was shattered with the tsunami and to commemorate their loss.

Cases in Kerala In a study conducted among the children from the flood affected regions, almost half of them showed traces of PSTD. It is found out that fear of death has caught up with some children. Some of them have been affected by the loss of their pets, toys, cycles, etc. At the time of flood and the rehabilitation process that followed, few payed attention to the traumatic cases in children. Oorali is a popular music band in Kerala, conducted a series of programmes in various camps all over the state in collaboration with NIMHANS Bengaluru. They sang songs for the children, told stories, made them play with the musical instruments. Indian government has taken steps to ensure the mental wellbeing of affected people. Many authors in the Indian Journal of Psychiatry have suggested interventional methods for the disaster victims. Highlighted are the concepts like prevention of psychological disorders, preparedness, organization of mental health teams at disaster sites, prioritizing care for the groups with higher risk, rehabilitation, involvement of local individuals and organizations in post-disaster psychosocial work and training the primary care health professionals to provide mental health care

CONCLUSION Art provides a vent to express the internal pain for the patients. Variety of form and brilliancy of color in the object presented to patients are an actual means of recovery.” ~ Florence Nightingale. Many countries has successfully managed to get over the PTSD in children with the help of art. If we check the history of the past few years we will understand that the calamities have became an often visitor of our country. Its high time we must prepare ourselves to tackle any pathetic conditions. Since children are the valuable treasures of each countries, special consideration should be given to their health.There are wounds that never show on the body that are deeper and more hurtful than anything that bleeds. Along with other rescue operations conducted at the time of calamities, importance should be given to protect the future of our

89 LUX MONTIS Vol 7 No.2 July 2019 country from these silent killers. Otherwise the children will lose their happy childhood and the nation, it’s better future.

Works Cited “Flood Waters.” The National Gallery, www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/claude-monet-flood- waters .

Shah, A. J. ‘’An Overview of Disaster Management in India.’’ Disaster Management and Human Health Risk (2011).Print.

“Calamity.” Collins Dictionary. www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/calamity .

“The Flood.” Michelangelo.net, www.michelangelo.net/the-flood/.

Kunguma, Olivia. “Art on Disasters.” www.ufs.ac.za/docs/librariesprovider22/disaster- management-training. PDF file.

Camus, Albert. “The Absurd Man”. The Myth of Sisyphus, translated by Justin O’Brien, England, Hamish Hamilton, 1955, pp. 43-44.

Scott, Nate. “How one couple’s desire to rebuild New Orleans nearly tore them apart”. For The Win, USA Today Sports, 28 Aug. 2015,

Robert Jensen, “Agricultural Volatility and Investments in Children,” American Economic Review 90 (2000): 399–404, doi: 10.1257/aer.90.2.399.

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RELIGION AND ITS INTERPRETATIONS ON CALAMITY

A KSHARA P RASAD I MA CMS C OLLEGE , K OTTAYAM

ABSTRACT Disasters have long been explained in terms of their being the consequence of extreme dimension of natural hazards. The so called dominant hazard disaster paradigm emphasizes the rare (in time) and extreme (in magnitude) dimension of earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, cyclones, floods and so on. Scientists, institutions, governments and media often mention ’extra-ordinary’ and ‘un-certain’ phenomena, ‘un-expected’ disasters , ‘un- scheduled’ and ‘un-anticipated’ damage that affect regions that are ‘under-developed’, ‘over- populated’, ‘un-informed’, ‘un-prepared’ or ‘un-planned’. Natural hazards and disasters are thus often considered exceptional with reference to the prevailing social fabric (Gaillard, 2011).

The response of people towards such un-expected instances depends on how they perceive it. Individuals or societies with low perception for the threat are likely to adjust poorly to threats of natural hazards while those with a high risk perception tend to behave in a positive anticipatory way. Religious interpretations are another sort of response anticipated by the common folk. Religion as Einstein says is an incarnation of the most childish superstitions. It can act as a significant factor behind the way elements of the society interact with the notions of development as well as disaster. Even in our contemporary times religion and spiritual worldviews has much relevance that people tend to believe in religious interpretations rather than the factual ones. As a result disasters become portrayed as divine retribution by religious groups as well as fatalistic attitude of victims.

Disaster stories are omnipresent in the tradition of the three major monotheist religions Islam, Judaism and Christianity (Dynes,1998). Surprisingly, however the set of scientific studies on the topic is limited. All major recent treaties on hazards and disasters as well as older ones have overlooked or totally omitted religion in their assessment of world in the field. The religious studies and theology fields have been similarly silent on issues pertaining to natural hazards and

91 LUX MONTIS Vol 7 No.2 July 2019 disasters. Through this paper the researcher attempts to analyse religious interpretations of calamities and the role religion plays in the aftermath.

CASE STUDY (Aitape Tsunami) The Aitape tsunami of 1998 was one of Papua New Guinea’s worst ever disasters. Over 2,000 people died and 10,000 more were forced to permanently relocate. The devastation was predictable, with severe underdevelopment exacerbating the effects of tsunami and hampering the response. Yet the pastors from the Combined Churches Organisation (CCO), made up of local churches, saw the disaster’s origin not in the vulnerability of the people and the society or even in the scientific causes behind the creation of large waves but in the sinful hearts of people, whom God was forced to punish because of their lack of Christian faith. By establishing new churches in the tsunami’s aftermath, the pastors saw themselves as undertaking a kind of disaster mitigation programme ensuring that future disasters did not take place due to sin and faithlessness.

Kashmir Earthquake The Kashmir earthquake of 2005 occurred on 8 October in Pakisthan administered areas of Kashmir. The earthquake also affected countries in the surrounding region where tremors were felt in Afghanisthan, Tajikisthan and Chinese Xinjiang. It is considered as the deadliest earthquake to hit South Asia since the 1935 Quetta earthquake. In the aftermath of the 2005 Kashmir earthquake, many Islamic leaders interpreted the disaster as punishment from God. Similar is the case of Morolica, Honduras,where both Catholics and Evangelicals seemed to regard a devastating flood as a result of Hurricane Mitch as part of God’s design or punishment. Despite the fact that the community in question was situated on the flood plains of two rivers, few people conceded that the vulnerable location was a contributing factor, and only a small number saw relocation to a safer site as a priority.

Kerala flood The floods of Kerala (2018) was a Level 3 Calamity and was the worst flood in Kerala after the great flood of 99 that took place in 1924. According to the government records, one sixth of the total population of Kerala had been directly affected by the floods and related incidents. The flood which was caused by unusually high rainfall during the monsoon season took a toll of about 483 lives. Yet there was misanthrophic and malicious faith interpretation given to the calamity by religious groups as well as public. Entry of women to Sabarimala shrine as per the Supreme Court verdict and beef culture prominent in Kerala were pointed as reasons of the flood. Interpretations of disasters are highly heterogeneous in nature and depend on local socio-historical and ethno political context. Religion further intermingles with structural causes of vulnerability and often serves as a factor of marginalisation that leads some groups to be discriminated against.

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Discrimination may lead to greater vulnerability and unequal access to aid in the aftermath of disasters. The vulnerability paradigm in our present day focuses on structural sinfulness caused by unequal distribution of wealth and power rather than victim’s sinfulness.

CONCLUSION Religious groups are well integrated within local communities and are thus often able to respond to disaster in a short time span. Moreover these institutions benefit from a high level of trust among local communities .Yet this cultural alignment is not helpful all the time as in the case of volatile Muslim areas where Western aid bodies are viewed with suspicion. In such a situation the local religious bodies, communities, organizations have the greatest capacity to assist in disaster relief and construction which was evident in the case of Aitape tsunami and Kerala floods.

Reference Gaillard, JC. ‘’Religions, natural hazards, and disasters: An introduction’’, 40:2,81-84, DOI: 10.1016/j.religion.2009.12.001

Palathunkal, Joe, ‘’Kerala floods and faith-interpretation: A dangerous course’’ livingfaith-, August 21, 2018, www.livingfaith.in/news/kerala-floods-and faith-interpretation-a-dangerous-course/1990

Reale, Andreana, ‘’ Acts of God(s): the role of religion in Disaster Risk Reduction’’ odihpn , September 2010,odihpnorg/magazine/acts-of-gods-the-role-of-religion-in-disater-risk-reduction/ ‘’2005 Kashmir earthquake’’ HISTORY, A &E Television Networks. November 9 2009 www.history.com/topics/natural-disasters-and-environment/kashmir-earthquake

Davies. H.L and J.M Davies‘’The Aitape 1998 tsunami: Reconstructing the event from interviews and field mapping.’’Nctr.pmel.noaa.gov/PNG/Upng/Davies020411/

93 LUX MONTIS Vol 7 No.2 July 2019

LIFE AFTER THE WAVE : AN ACCOUNT OF SONALI DERANIYAGALA’S MEMOIR WAVE

A RCHANA BABU 1 MA E NGLISH P OSTGRADUATE D EPARTMENT OF E NGLISH G IRIDEEPAM I NSTITUTE OF A DVANCED L EARNING V ADAVATHOOR .

ABSTRACT The havoc of a calamity, whether man made or natural is always a dark reality for the entire universe. It strikes the life of the victims more powerfully than anything.The 2004 Indian ocean earthquake and tsunami is one of the deadliest calamity that the world had ever witnessed.The destruction were huge and unimaginable. Even after several year of the incident many of the victims could not come out of the horrifying situations that the tsunami had left behind. Wave is a memoir by a tsunami victim Sonali Deraniyagala who lost her entire family in that calamity. The book gives a very vivid image of that dark day when everything turned head over heels in a fraction of time. Wave is an account of what happened and what followed that deadliest wave. Deraniyagala portrays the aftermath of such deadliest incident by presenting the life she had lead after losing her entire family in the tsunami. Her inner trauma, her memories about her family, her home gives us the image of a lost soul who is a victim of the most destructive calamity that the nation had to face.

The paper aims at reading the life of the survivors of such a destructive by analysing the life Sonali as she described in her memoir. Analysing Sonali as a representative of thousands of survivor who face the darker side of life. The life after the calamity is more heartbreaking than the calamity. The paper tries to analyse the challenges one had to face in the life after the calamity and how they overcome those challenges.

Calamities are the real nightmares for the man kind. From the first ever flood described in the Bible till the very recent disaster, the results are horrifying.The lose that calamities creates

94 LUX MONTIS Vol 7 No.2 July 2019 is often unpredictable and unimaginable.calamities not only creates physical destruction but also mental disturbance to the survivor. The havoc that every calamity had created is beyond limits. It is not necessary that calamities have to be natural. The man made calamities are much more terrifying.the wars, floods, cyclones, storms, and much more, we witness many face of calamities which are capable of wiping out the entire mankind.

Literature has always been a medium to communicate human life and reality through language. As calamities are the dark realities of man kind. It always finds a major influence on literature. There are numerous literary works that depicts the effect and cause of calamities.Many natural and man made calamities which were a real nightmare for the human world has effectively depicted through literature which project the intensity of the calamity and the destruction that happened. Through movies,paintings,poems,novels,short stories, memoirs literature had projected the realities of calamities. Wave is a memoir by a Sri Lankan born European economist Sonali Deraniyagla. It is an account of the 2004 boxing day Indian ocean earthquake and tsunami.she had lost her husband Stephan Lissenburg, sons and her parents in the deadly tsunami that hit on Sri Lankan coast. Sonali along with her family were on a vacation the southeastern coast of Sri Lanka. It was a place were the tsunami had reached with full intensity. The book is often described as “one of the saddest stories a human being could ever tell”.

As a victim and a survivor of the most deadliest calamity that the world had ever faced Sonali had shown a great courage to pen down her experiences and challenges she faced during and after the tsunami. Sonali once said that the book was not intentionally written it just happened and that she wrote it for herself. It is a true account of the terror that tsunami had created in the southeast Asian countries. On 26 December 2004, the boxing day, an under sea earthquake with a magnitude of 9.1 struck the Indonesian island Sumatra. It was the third largest earthquake the world have ever record. The result of which was the most deadliest tidal attack by sea that reached out across Indian ocean far away as East Africa. Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Thailand, Maldives where the places where tsunami was at its peak.

The word tsunami was not a familiar usage for the common people, for them it was an unexpected huge wave that had taken away everything. The waves were capable of wiping out the whole humanity more than 2 lakh people lost their life and thousands were missing. This include the foreign visitors who came to enjoy the vacation.Apart from this there where unimaginable material destruction and a reconstruction was not an easy task. Even after a decade many people are still in that fear of the huge wave that engulfed everything in a very short span of time. Tsunami had lasted for about seven hours by this time it had created a massive destruction which will be ruminated by seven generation.

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The wave is the strongest depiction of the horror that tsunami had left behind in the mind of people who were not at all aware of what was happening to them. Sonali along with her family were in their usual vacation in her native country they where staying at a beach safari hotel on Yala cost. The book begins by describing the wave that suddenly came up to the hotel room. They were about to leave. There was nothing unusual. Children were playing, Sonali was chanting with one of her friend in her door. Everything was going good. All that they could feel a bit different that day was that the sea had raised up to the shore a little bit more than usual. They never imagined that there life will be up side down in the next moment. The wave was not like the normal wave. It was indeed a sudden attack. Sonali’s parents were staying at the same hotel but she didn’t even get time to inform them about what was happening. She grab her children and ran out of the hotel with her husband. They don’t had any idea about what was happening there at that moment . The wave was such a horrifying face of sea they never witnessed anything like that before. Before they recognise what exactly happened everything was out of control. The jeep that they were travelling was filled with water, they tried to keep their children at top.

Everything changed in just a second the jeep turned down and Sonali was under the jeep. She felt severe pain in her chest, things were happening so fast that she were unable to understand what was happening to her. Sonali was completely lost and was in the water she couldn’t believe what just happened. The wave was so unexpected and they didn’t realised the destruction that wave created. She was rescued by a group of men and take her to the hospital. She was completely out of mind. She was thinking about her children and her husband. She had lost all hope and started believing that theory were all died. She was taken to her aunts house in Colombo. After so many days her informed her about the death of her parents and her elder son Vikram. And about after a mont or two she was informed that her husband’s and her younger son’s body were recognised. She was in a stage of trauma by then. Her world seems to be end. All that she had had gone. She was alone and was not yet came out of the horror that the wave had created.

She was in a great depressed mood. She start drinking too much and began taking drugs to sleep. She was afraid to sleep. Thinking that she will forget that day if she slept. Even after a long period she couldn’t dare to step out of her room. She visited their home in Colombo where her parents were living ,it was from there they left for the vacation. She was occupied with memories of her family. She thought of ending her life thinking that she won’t be able to withstand their absence.she writes that “an army of family and friends” watched over her, day and night.she wishes to forget her haunted memories of the day, but is unable to do so. She struggled a lot in the initial days after the calamity. As years passed she emerges reluctantly , in her memories of their harmonious life, she returned to their home at London were she can feel the presence of her

96 LUX MONTIS Vol 7 No.2 July 2019 husband and children everywhere. She remember about the birth of their children’s, about how she met her English husband at Cambridge and her childhood at Colombo.

She used to frequently visit Colombo and the place where she lost her world. After several years when she visited the place where they were staying at that time she find some thing which was belonging to her children and husband. Even after several years she couldn’t come out of that traumatic state of loosing her family. It was really a challenge for her. The book talks about the story of her from the day the disastrous wave attacked them till her life in London after eight long years. She was not able to move on without the memories of her loved ones in fact it was their memories that keep Sonali alive . “ wave is somehow both jaggedly raw and beautifully crafted at the same time. Above all, it speaks to power of the human spirit to survive, to love, to remember. It reminds us that these often mundane lives of our families’ must be cherished, because we never when an extraordinary event may come along and change it all” this is a comment by Marcia Kaye, an author and journalist. In her review of the book.

It is considered as the most moving book about grief. The grief that Sonali suffered and all the victims of the calamity suffers is something which has no resolution. In spite of its subject matter, she manages to imbue the book with a lifetime guarantee of happiness, but the real kind of hope, the tiny sort that one has no choice but to cling to when everything else has been ripped away. Deraniyagala explores both the predictable aspects of her grief, such as feelings of being completely bereft, as well as the unexpected ones; for instance, blame and shame. “I lost my dignity when I lost them”,she writes. Her identity now escapes her. Is she still a mother? A daughter? She feels laid bare, her too awful to divulge whenever a new acquaintance asks if she’s married or has children. Yet in not revealing the truth she feels deceitful.

“I stun myself each time I retell the truth to myself, let alone someone else”.She’s horrified that by mourning her sons first, then her husband, then her parents, there may be a pecking order to her grief. It is not a book just about grief but about love, care and the relationship. Through her book she reveals the bond that she shared with her family. The book is a manifestation of what exactly happens in a life after a calamity. For a survivor to raise from the grief and trauma the had gone through is not that easy. The terror that the wave had created is carved in the mind of the survivors. It can’t be removed. In what all way they try to come out of that terror. It is not possible. In the case of Sonali she is still struggling to find her identity and to cope up with her loss. There is no closure , no redemption, no acceptance in Sonali’s memoirs.

Wave is most profoundly, an answer to the question of how one can hold on to the knowledge of a world that preceded disaster. The disaster not just create the material lost. When they arrive uninvited nothing can stop them and the impact they create is something beyond limits.

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That will change the entire life. One will not be the same person after facing such a dangerous event. It is totally out of control and one must need a strong will power to withstand that destruction. If a memoir can create so much of impact in readers it is beyond our imagination how it really was.

CONCLUSION The calamity can either be manmade and natural, the impact it has in the life of the people is much more horrifying. And to overcome from such situations needs a great courage and not an easy task. Through this memoirs Sonali tells us that it is better to leave with the memories than trying to forget it. She through her life proves that it is the love, and memories of the past that will help us to overcome that trauma which the calamity had created. Wave is the most strong, touching and genuine account of the terror of tsunami. Every calamity has almost same effect on the life of the survivors. Sonali through her life gives courage to those horrifying challenges. The griefs we face doesn’t have a proper resolution. It changes shape and evolve and marches forward.

R EFERENCE Dalrymple, William. “Wave by Sonali Deraniyagala review”. The Guardian. www.theguardian.com , 03 April 2013. Accessed 04 February 2019. Deraniyagla, Sonali. Wave. Alfred A. Knopf. New York.2013. Kaye, Marcia. Book Review; Wave by Sonali Deraniyagla. Colombo Telegraph. www.colombotelegraph.com , 2013. Accessed 04 February 2019. Phukan, Rumani Saikia. “Top 10 Natural Disaster in the History of India. My India. www.mapsofindia.com , 2016. Accessed 04 February 2019. Wave (Deraniyagla Book). Wikipedia, May 2018. en.m.wikipedia.org. Accessed 04 February 2019.

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TRAUMAS OF MEMSAHIBS: A FEMINIST READING OF ANNE DE COURCY’S THE FISHING FLEET:HUSBAND HUNTING IN THE RAJ

ANNA MARIA SIMON AND ANJITHA MATHEW GUEST LECTURERS BCM COLLEGE, KOTTAYAM

ABSTRACT A calamity is an event that causes a great deal of damage, destruction, or personal distress. The difference between natural and man-made disasters is the element of human intent or negligencethat leads to human suffering and environmental damage; many mirror natural disasters, yet man has a direct hand in their occurrence. These are the net result of inadequately managed man-made hazards and they typically cost the most in terms of human suffering, loss of life and long-term damage to a country's economy and productive capacity. Trauma is the response to a deeply distressing or disturbing event that overwhelms an individual’s ability to cope, causes feelings of helplessness, diminishes their sense of self and their ability to feel the full range of emotions and experiences. This paper aims to investigate the traumatic experiences British women have undergone in India as a result of the manmade environmental disasters. The ‘Fishing Fleet’ is the term used for those British girls, who in order to escape the piercing arrows of spinsterhood, made the most difficult voyage to India, where sex-deprived British men thrived. Anne de Courcy’s The Fishing Fleet: Husband-Hunting in the Raj is all about them. Through a feminist reading of this text, especially by using the theories of Simone de Beauvoir, this paper aims to study the problems faced by these young women, who have been completely neglected in most historical and feminist studies. It addresses the problems arising from the marriage-market in the Raj, where these women are plucked away from a comfortable home in England, brought to India against their wishes, and ‘sold’ like cattle to suffer a life of loneliness and total submission. The environmental problems are also discussed, since the Indian climate, along with its numerous diseases and pests, made life a nightmare for these women.

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All these are demonstrated through the first-hand experiences of some of the Fishing Fleet girls as recorded in de Courcy’s work, and relating them to the feminist ideologies of de Beauvoir. “It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife” (1)- thus starts Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, one of the greatest novels in English literature that establishes the institution, or rather, the ‘sacrament’of marriage as the only allowed route to social and financial security. In the case of Anne de Courcy’s The Fishing Fleet: Husband Hunting in the Raj, this sentence can be rewritten as-”It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single woman in possession of a limited fortune, must be in need of a husband”.

Indeed, the nineteenth century was a period in which there was no real way for young women of the ‘genteel’ classes to strike out on their own or be independent. Education for women was only to increase her attractiveness in husband-hunting and only imparted a practical training for their domestic role, which according to de Courcy in The Fishing Fleet included- ”…dancing, singing, sketching, and how to sit up straight, with needle work to fill in the endless evening hours…” (13). In fact, Byron, on the subject of ‘female education’ in The Works of Lord Byron in Verse and Prose, spitted out that women should “read neither poetry nor politics- nothing but books of piety and cookery” (248). As in the case of Isabel Allende’s Daughter of Fortune, where education in a woman was considered an evil trait, in the Victorian society, “too much education in a girl was a serious handicap to her matrimonial chances” (de Courcy 63).

Few occupations were open to women and they were not highly respected or well-paid, nor did they have good working conditions. A woman who did not marry got labelled as a “dependent” and had to live with her family, and marriage was the only means of escape from an uncongenial family situation. Thus, even the great Queen Victoria had to have her mother (with whom she was not even on speaking terms), live with her in the palace in the late 1830’s, until she married Albert. For men however, “marriage was not on the cards” (de Courcy 60). The men serving the East India Company were not allowed to marry before the age of thirty and as de Courcy points out, the young ICS man “ate and drank when and where he could, had no family ties, no wife or children to hamper him…”(60).

The Victorian attitude towards spinsters was highly negative since, Maunsell Field in “The Spinster Looks at Marriage” believes that marriage “was the great object of every woman, and she who did not attain to it was a complete failure”(558). As de Courcy notes down in The Fishing Fleet, marriage was the only means through which a woman could attain a good “status, financial security, children, a household and a pleasant life among her peers” (11). However, the gender imbalance in the British population made conditions even worse for the increasing population of unmarried women, referred to as ‘superfluous women’ or ‘redundant women’. From the late nineteenth century when the Raj was at its height, most British men went out to India and other 100 LUX MONTIS Vol 7 No.2 July 2019 colonies of Britain to serve as administrators, soldiers, and businessmen. So, while they were technically a part of the British population, they were unavailable for marital purposes, and thus, England suffered from a lack of ligible young bachelors. This saw the emergence of what is termed as the ‘Fishing Fleet’, which refers to young women who travelled out to India in search of husbands. India, where European men greatly outnumbered European women, therefore became a marriage market, where even the plainest could find a mate.

Anne de Courcy’s The Fishing Fleet: Husband Hunting in the Raj is all about these young British girls, who were compelled to take up a very dangerous and tiresome journey by ship, that lasted several months, to a place, completely different from their homeland, characterized by severe heat and deadly diseases, from where, some never even returned, all in order to find a husband. Through a feminist reading of The Fishing Fleet: Husband Hunting in the Raj, we intend to prove that it was not just the Indian women who suffered during the time of colonization, but also the British women, whose problems have completely been neglected in most historical and feminist studies. In fact, their suffering almost equals the problems of the colonized women, since, because of the evil called ‘Colonization’, they were shipped to an alien country, completely different from theirs’, all in order to satisfy the sex-deprived men out there, and to escape the piercing arrows of spinsterhood. They were treated as mere commodities with expiry dates, since they were given a specific time period to find husbands, and if they couldn’t, they would be sent back to England, labelled as “Returned Empties”. Thus, the intelligent and the educated, the poor and the plain- looking, and those of Eurasian ancestry were the low quality ‘products’ that existed in this strange marriage market. The environmental problems they had to face were many, which includes sea- sickness and sea-storms; the severe heat (in spite of which they were compelled to wear corsets, stockings, gloves and heavy gowns!); illnesses like cholera, malaria, dengue, smallpox and rabies; mosquitoes, scorpions and snakes; floods and earthquakes- things they were familiar with, only through legends and fairy tales. For most Fishing Fleet girls, India meant loneliness and boredom, living perhaps on an isolated plantation, with the separation from their children, who would be sent to England to be given an ‘English education’. After confronting all these problems, they have to face the appalling inescapable burden of criticisms, including those from the great E.M. Forster, since one of his characters in A Passage to India remarks: “After all, it’s our women who make everything more difficult out here” (217).

Oh Nature, Have Mercy! Musing upon the climate of India, the narrator in Ruth Jhabvala’s Heat and Dust exclaims: “I think perhaps God never meant that human beings should live in such a place” (146). With its numerous diseases and extreme climate, India became a kind of death-trap for the young members of the Fishing Fleet. Because of the British men’s colonizing mission in India, the women were plucked away from a comfortable home and environment in England, and thrust into a place where, according 101 LUX MONTIS Vol 7 No.2 July 2019 to de Courcy in The Fishing Fleet, “illness struck like lightening, often without warning” (241). In the British Raj, they were constantly threatened by perils, which they believed, existed only in legends and fairy tales- “there were snakes, floods, riots, houses collapsing after the foundations had been eaten away by white ants, occasional panthers in the garden, rabies, earthquakes, landslides and inexplicable fevers” (de Courcy 242). Thomas Hood’s poem “I’m Going to Bombay” best exemplifies this- “If I should find an Indian vault / Or fall a tiger’s prey / Or steep in salt, it’s all his fault” (Section 8, 5-7). Indeed, it is the men’s fault. It is their greed for power and authority, and lust for sexual pleasure that brought these women to face the extreme cruelties of Nature.

The most difficult of all these was the journey by ship that lasted almost six months or more. Kitty in Jane Austen’s Catharine or the Bower observes: “To a girl of any delicacy, the voyage in itself, since the object of it is so universally known, is a punishment that needs no other to make it very severe” (198). Compelled to marry, they unwillingly took the most arduous voyage, even risking death by shipwrecks or attacks by pirates. Often, these ships were crammed, with no proper toilet facilities and very poor water supply, and by the end of the journey, many of the girls suffered from malnutrition and various diseases. The ships also carried hens, pigs, cows, horses, and other animals to be sold in India, just as the women were sold in the marriage market, and the noises from these animals made sleep impossible. As de Courcy notes in The Fishing Fleet, “With the insanitary conditions, the endless bouts of seasickness, the effluvia from animals and passengers, one can only imagine the stench, let alone the discomfort” (20).

Claudine, a member of the Fishing Fleet, wrote in her diary: “Felt very seasick…Mummy fainted in the bathroom. Had fever…” (de Courcy 18). Another girl, Minnie Blane, referring to her sister, wrote in a letter: “Tell Cissy never to undertake such a thing. It is horrible!”(de Courcy 20). Though de Courcy does not mention anything about Cissy, we can assume that perhaps, she too suffered the same fate of her sister, like all other Fishing Fleet girls. Margaret MacMillan in Women of the Raj quotes a woman’s diary: “Those who have not been at sea can never conceive the hundredth part of the horrors of a long voyage to a female in a sailing vessel” (18).

Diseases were also common in the ships. In The Fishing Fleet, a woman, who had lost three children before, sailing to join her husband in India, lost her last child to scarlatina. Florence Evans, a member of the Fishing Fleet wrote about her: “Poor mother she was insensible for hours after” (de Courcy 24). So, the women were compelled to take painful vaccinations, where, instead of the usual needle and syringe, “a two-pronged needle, dipped into the vaccine solution” was used to prick the skin “several times” (de Courcy 30). Since it would leave a scar, doctors would do it on the legs of women rather than on the upper arm, so that it would not impede their desirability in the marriage market.

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Mary A. Procida observed in Married to the Empire: “The memsahib who deserted her hardworking spouse for the social whirl of hill stations…was the butt of frequent jokes and nasty insinuations in Anglo-Indian literature” (46). However, according to de Courcy in The Fishing Fleet, the heat, “sometimes like a scorching blast from a hot oven, sometimes sticky and damp” (85) made life a burning hell for these women. Charles Allen in Plain Tales from the Raj: Images of British India in the 20 th Century quotes George Carroll, serving the East India Company: “I was very much against the white women because I considered that they were apt to let us down in prestige by going off to the hills every hot weather and leaving one down below” (176).Writers like Rudyard Kipling in Plain Tales from the Hills urged the women to stay with their husbands in spite of the severe heat. One of them who obeyed this patriarchal command was Mary Curzon, the wife of the Viceroy, whose letter recorded in Lady Curzon’s India, Letters of a Vicereine, reads- “I’m going to send the babies to Simla the end of this month as the heat is very great. I cannot go with them as my duty is with George…” (57). Thus, a wife in the Raj was required to be completely subordinate to her husband, and as de Beauvoir says in The Second Sex – “she follows wherever his work calls him, which determines their place of residence” (449). The Anglo-Indian wife often saw herself packing up a home for the umpteenth time, without any complaints or protests.

In spite of the heat, the European women in the Raj were forced to wear heavy dresses, including corsets, stockings and gloves. De Courcy in The Fishing Fleet quotes the excited Jean Hilary: “I found I could keep my stockings rolled round garters, so wore no stays on the journey, which was much cooler!” (86). Nights were as hot as the days, and while men were allowed to sleep outside in the gardens under the mosquito nets, women were prevented to do so, and as Monica Campbell Martin wrote in her diary- “In hot weather, sleep was a real problem” (de Courcy 91). Adding to this was the prickly heat, where one’s skin gets covered in all “sorts of unpleasant-looking things” (de Courcy 91), which could lessen their chances of finding a ‘good’ husband. The severe heat also caused boils, eczema, infections and fevers. Desiree hart, struck down by a combination of scarlet fever, diphtheria and jaundice, lost her hair and “turned a dull mouse colour”, and she later wailed- “Oh how awful I look! No one will want to marry me now!” (de Courcy 242). As de Beauvoir says in The Second Sex- “Woman…is even required by society to make herself an erotic object” (543). Any blemish in her appearance lowers her value in the marriage market. Further, the difficult climate of India prevented many of the girls from stepping out of their houses and they were forever imprisoned.

De Courcy quotes Lady Canning in The Fishing Fleet: “Any attempt to go out, even in a carriage, makes one gasp, and dissolve…An open window or door lets in a flood of hot air, as though one were passing the mouth of a foundry” (88). “In the India of the Raj sudden death was a close neighbor” (de Courcy 241), and since a woman residing in a remote area with her

103 LUX MONTIS Vol 7 No.2 July 2019 husband could be miles away from the nearest doctor, “she had to keep a well-stocked medicine chest and know how to deal with everything from malaria to snake bite” (de Courcy 278). A woman, fit and healthy, could die the very next week she arrived in India, and Charlotte Canning, the wife of the first Viceroy, was one of them, as she died of malaria, aged only forty-four. Sheila, another Anglo-Indian wife contracted malaria only once, which was strange, since malaria was so frequent in the Raj as a common cold. However, she almost died of small pox, and was treated as an outcast because of its contagious nature. She notes down in her diary: “It was like being social pariah” (de Courcy 305). Another sufferer of dengue fever describes her experience- “Every bone in my body felt as though it were being crushed in a vice, with hot knives stabbing into my brain” (de Courcy 247). Cholera was another major disease that claimed the lives of many Fishing Fleet girls in the Raj. Rabies, dysentery and diphtheria were the other diseases that made life in India, a nightmare for these young women. Eventually, they became so used to it that one woman was able to write grimly- “When a dead rat falls from the rafters of the roof, you know that bubonic plague has come to town” (de Courcy 245).

Dragged into a country they were reluctant to go, the Fishing Fleet girls also had to face natural disasters unheard of in Britain. A woman was caught in her bath when an earthquake struck and she had to “rush out of the bathroom dripping wet, clutching only a small towel…” (de Courcy 250), and later she became the subject of the men’s vulgar jokes. As de Beauvoir says in The Second Sex- “To be gazed at is one danger; to be manhandled is another” (403). In the Raj, women were not only manhandled by men, but also by Nature. Joan Henry records her experience of an earthquake in Bihar in her diary: “It was difficult to run as the floor behaved like a roller coaster, up one moment and down the next” (de Courcy 249). Dust storms were another major concern, and the character Olivia in Heat and Dust observed: “Dust storms have started blowing all day, all night…Everyone is restless, irritable, on the edge of something. It is impossible to sit, stand, lie; every position is uncomfortable” (Jhabvala 69). Hurricanes were also frequent and de Courcy quotes Lady Canning’s diary in The Fishing Fleet- “The house shook, windows crashed and smashed, shutters were blown here and there” (92).

Further, some of the Fishing Fleet girls were forced to stay in bungalows reputed to be ‘queer’ and ‘haunted’. Cecile Stanley Clarke was one of them, who had seen “the most horrible yellow face” (de Courcy 258), pressed against her window, and when she told it to Hubert, her brother-in-law, he just laughed it off. There were sounds of footsteps in the night which made sleep impossible, and the presence of the supernatural was confirmed when their police guards put sand on the floor and found that the feet left no marks while the footsteps continued. In spite of this Hubert did not allow her to go back to Dorset, insisting that she had to find a husband in India. According to de Beauvoir in The Second Sex, a woman, because of her ignorance due to lack of education and technical training, “believes in telepathy, astrology, radiotherapy, mesmerism,

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theosophy, table-tipping, clairvoyants, and faith healers” (610). Thus, because of her restrictions caused by the patriarchal society, a woman is forever trapped in primitive superstition, and even ridiculed for being so. Animals and insects also posed great difficulties for the British women in the Raj. Mary Curzon once woke to find a civet cat drinking her bedside glass of milk. Charles Allen observes in Plain Tales from the Raj: “An abundance of insects added greatly to the general discomfort, not only those that bit or stung or stank when squashed, but others that destroyed, bored through books and ate through furniture” (175). De Courcy quotes Violet Hanson in The Fishing Fleet- “A colony of bats lived in one corner of my bedroom…I would have my dinner in bed, under the relative safety of the mosquito netting” (258). Thus, even in her own bedroom, a woman did not feel safe. She had to be vigilant all the time, as a deadly snake could hide in the bathroom or a poisonous scorpion could emerge out of her shoes. On arrival, Olivia Hamilton’s first duty was to turn over every stone and kill all the scorpions underneath.

CONCLUSION Thus, women in the Raj were no less safe from the environment than they were from men. George Colman in his “Prologue” to Mariana Starke’s The Sword of Peace: or A Voyage of Love (1789) remarks on these women: “Freighted with beauty, crossing dangerous seas, / To trade in love, and marry for rupees” (24-25). There are an estimated number of seven hundred British cemeteries across India that contains the remains of these women and their children. The sad fact is that these graveyards are so badly maintained that they are on the verge of being lost forever. Thus, even after their death, the British women remain neglected and ill-treated. They sacrificed their comfort, health and life for the chauvinistic demands of society. A Fishing Fleet girl setting off to India knew that she would never go back home, unless she was very lucky and Thomas Hood’s poem “I’m Going to Bombay” clearly reflects this- “Pa has applied and sealed my fate / I’m going to Bombay!” (Section 9, 7-8). However, they got on with everything without making a fuss, whether it was “the blazing suns and torrential rains, perils and sudden deaths…, most women rose admirably to the challenge” (de Courcy 292). After enduring all the difficulties put forward by the patriarchal society and the environment of India, the British women are left to face a series of baseless criticisms. Like cattle, they were sold in the marriage market of a country, where they didn’t even know the language. Marriage was so instilled in their minds that they believed it was better to die than remain unmarried. Without any complaints or protests, even trying to extract the maximum advantage from their situation as one of them wrote:

This country bored me and made me ill, but which also enchanted me with its moonflowers and enormous arcs of parrots flying down from the hills at dawn. With its smell of smoke and dust and frying gram and marigolds, with its beautiful people I never got to know… (de Courcy 240)

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Works Cited Allen, Charles. Plain Tales from the Raj: Images of British India in the Twentieth Century. London: Futura, 1975. Print.

Allende, Isabel, and Margaret S. Peden. Daughter of Fortune. London: Flamingo, 1999. Print.

Austen, Jane, and Vivien Jones. Pride and Prejudice. London: Penguin, 2003. Print.

Beauvoir, Simone de. The Second Sex. Trans. Parshley. London: Picador Classics, 1953. Print.

Burton, Antoinette M. Burdens of History: British Feminists, Indian Women, and Imperial Culture, 1865-1915. North Carolina: University of North Carolina Press, 1994. Print.

Byron, George G. B, and Fitz-Greene Halleck. The Works of Lord Byron in Verse and Prose: Comprising the Whole of His Poems, Letters, Journals Etc: with a Life of Lord Byron.

New York: World Pub House, 1876. Print.

Curzon, Mary, and John L. Bradley. Lady Curzon’s India: Letters of a Vicereine. New York: Beaufort Books, 1986. Print.

De Courcy, Anne. The Fishing Fleet: Husband Hunting in the Raj. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2012. Print.

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TOGETHER WE SURVIVE: AN ANALYSIS OF THE EFFECTS OF CALAMITIES ON SOCIETYIN REFERENCE TO KERALA FLOOD

S TEPHY J AMES I MA E NGLISH CMS C OLLEGE K OTTAYAM

ABSTRACT This paper entitled Together We Survive: An Analysis of the effects of calamities on society in reference to Kerala Flood. Each Calamity is a new lesson and the time of rethinking .Each of these , teaches us a new lesson and it definitely create a difference in the attitude and behavior of the people and it influence us in all our ways, in our attitude towards the fellow beings , our behavior ,our identity and our culture and it created an overall change in all aspects .Thus this study traces the various aspects on the effects that created by calamity upon the Society such as in Religious Belifs,Identity,Culture, ideology etc. It completely deals with the analysis of the after effects of calamity in special reference to Kerala Flood. It reveals the various instances where we stood united without any differences. It also illustrates the journey from differences, to one and only race and only voice that is the Human race and the human voice. It deals with the transformation of a self- centered society to a selfless society and the togetherness of the voice that is the Human voice without the influence of any sort of social, political and cultural discrimination. It provides in nutshell the different picture of the society before and after the calamity. It sums the emergence of a new vibe of positivity in the minds of each and every individual recognizing themselves as humans with flesh and blood and holding each and every one with their golden hands.

Together we survive “Every Calamity is a spur and valuable hint”

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- Ralph Waldo Emerson. Calamity has a great role in shaping a society. Each calamity is the rebirth of new society. Calamities are often referred to as the story of loss and the story of miseries and thus through this paper we move on to a different approach towards the calamity. Calamity is referred to as an event that occurs suddenly and without notice causing great and often sudden damage or distress. Thus it always serves as a negative image.it always stuck with the idea of th sorrow and dullness. Thus when analyzed each Calamity creates a different kind of a life for each and every individual in the behavioral patterns the religion, culture, identity and ideology.

Last year people of Kerala have faced a great disaster ‘The Kerala Flood 2018’ which revealed us still golden hands exists. From 8 th August 2018 severe flood affected the south Indian state Kerala and around a great number of death and loss taken place. Thus that was not at an expected disaster. Thus it happened to be the greatest among the other. Around months of struggles led Kerala to the intial stage. Here we have to focus upon certain regions were the calamity has made a great remark. This Flood that created the togetherness and unity in the minds of the people of Kerala.

The Kerala flood 2018 has acted as a breakage to the belief systems and the religious views and also it has made a great impact in field of culture, identity and the ideologies. Everything changed at the moment when the water rises and thus all the concepts and ideas has gone floating. It has created a great impact in the field of religion ,culture and identity. All the traditional notions has shattered before the roaring flood and everyone without hesitating came forward as human beings not as person who belong to various communities. Kerala flood has created the voice of the human beings by rejecting the voice of the Hindu, Muslim and the Christian religion. All the nations of the traditional norms and regulations are broken and thus without the caste creed and color everyone joined their hands.

All the places of workships like th temple, church and mosque were cleaned and made available for the devotes for their service. People from different strata of life emerged as part of saving the people and thus the doors of the religious centers were opened for all without any restrictions.Thus all Gods were kept together and worshiped all were entered the temple. People from the different culture, identity and culture came together to make a different approach to the

108 LUX MONTIS Vol 7 No.2 July 2019 flood affected regions. All the concepts of identity, culture and ideology were changed and thus everyone considered the other as the brother and gave the helping hands. Thus the one who never communicate with each other strewed talking to reach other. Each and every house filled with the people who lost their property. When the problem raised the sense of ego and th idea of the concepts of identity and culture diminised.Each and every one became equals in the situations.

Thus the flood happened to be a purification process, the process of purification of mind and soul, Each and every individual stare to see each other tales each other and all sorts of discrimination in the minds were removed and people stare the process of loving each other and thus a new lesson was made an impact. More beautiful souls were created. The fisherman, students, teachers and the religious personality’s actors and the political leaders everyone came under one umbrella term Human beings. Everyone become equals and the essence of human values came back, Each and every individual took the event as a personal matter and acted accordingly. Thus the celebration soft on am was made in opts exact meaning last year, thus the human souls and the emotions feelings and the attachment and love for one another ones again retire=ns to the minds if the people .thus being a part of th helping golden hands a new society emerged. A society with one voice and one face the human voice and the human face without any of th social political economic discrimination

Works Cited Scott, Nate. “How one couple’s desire to rebuild New Orleans nearly tore them apart”. For The Win, USA Today Sports, 28 Aug. 2015,

Robert Jensen, “Agricultural Volatility and Investments in Children,” American Economic Review 90 (2000): 399–404, doi: 10.1257/aer.90.2.399.

“Flood Waters.” The National Gallery, www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/claude-monet-flood- waters .

Shah, A. J. ‘’An Overview of Disaster Management in India.’’ Disaster Management and Human Health Risk (2011).Print.

“Calamity.” Collins Dictionary. www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/calamity .

“The Flood.” Michelangelo.net, www.michelangelo.net/the-flood/.

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THE PLIGHT OF KERALA IN THE LIGHT OF GADGIL’S REPORT; A STUDY ON KERALA FLOOD

A USTIN G EORGE AND J EROME E ASO M ATHEW P OST G RADUATE S TUDENT , G IRIDEEPAM I NSTITUTE OF A DVANCED S TUDIES

ABSTRACT Dictionary defines ‘calamity’ as an event causing great and often sudden damage or distress. Kerala witnessed the fury of the nature in the month of august 2018. It inflicted in the hearts of keralites a permanent mark of suffering. It was the worst flood in Kerala in nearly a century.This calamity enabled the people to go out of their way, hence to become good Samaritans.In 2011,the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel(WGEEP),chaired by the internationally renowned ecologist Madhav Gadgil, submitted a report to the Indian Ministry of Environment and Forests. The report warned that an ill-thought focus on development was impacting the sustainability of the Western Ghats hill chain,one of the world’s most bio-diverse areas that runs along the west coast of India.The report was rejected by the ministry as well as by the state. This paper is trying to decipher the Madhav Gadgil report in which he vehemently advocated the government to implement the recommendations put forward by him to protect the sensitive West Ghat Region. The irresponsible policies and turning a deaf year to Madav Gadgil report paved the path to the colossal destruction of Kerala.

The August of 2018 will be marked in Kerala’s history by the unprecedented flood and the greatest rescue followed it. The monsoon was splitting with rage and she made the hills to bleed, the green backwaters turned brown. Rumours were afloat that the Idukki reservoir was brimming. In midst of the speculation, heavy rains embraced the southern state. The tiny silver of land sandwiched between the Arabian and the Western Ghats had drowned. Over 483 people died and 14 went missing. About a million people were evacuated. All 14 districts of the state were placed on red alert. It was the worst flood in Kerala after the great flood of 1099 ME(Malayalam Calendar) that took place in the year 1924. The state of Kerala has 44 rivers

110 LUX MONTIS Vol 7 No.2 July 2019 with a total of 61 dams. Many had to be opened across Kerala as they were dangerously full-a step that,while essential during a time of emergency,contributed to the heavy flooding. A 2017 report of Comptroller and Auditor General of India warned that not a single one of these dams had an emergency action plan in place for disaster management.The heavy monsoon rainfall which was about 75% more than the usual rain was another key cause for the flood. The state also witnessed a massive rescue operation;40 helicopters, 31 aircraft, 182 rescue teams,18 medical teams of defense forces,58 teams of NDRF and 7 companies of Central Armed Police Forces were pressed into service along with over 500 boats and necessary and rescue equipment.Most of the regions impacted by this monsoon were once classified as ecologically- sensitive zones (ESZs) by the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP), also known as the Gadgil Committee.The report was crafted by a team headed by Madhav Gadgil, ecologist and founder of the Centre for Ecological Sciences at the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru.

According to environmentalists, the committee’s recommendations were strong enough to protect the sensitive Western Ghat region.The committee had suggested that 140,000 kilometers of the Western Ghats be classified in three zones as per the requirement of environmental protection in the areas. In some areas, the committee recommended strong restrictions on mining and quarrying, use of land for non forest purposes, construction of high rises etc. The report was first submitted to the government in 2011. But the Kerala government rejected the committee report and did not adopt any of its recommendations.Speaking to various regional media, Madhav Gadgil has said that irresponsible environmental policy is to be blamed for the recent floods and landslides in Kerala. He also called it a “man-made calamity”.

He said that the committee report had recommended to protect the resources with the cooperation of local self governments and people, but those recommendations were rejected. He also pointed out that quarrying is a major reason for the mudslides and landslides. Other environmentalists also point fingers at the extensive quarrying, mushrooming of high rises as part of tourism and illegal forest land acquisition by private parties as major reasons for the recent calamity.

Western Ghats - Gadgil Report The Western Ghats is an extensive region spanning over six States, 44 districts and 142 taluks. It is the home of many endangered plants and animals. Western Ghats host India’s richest wilderness in 13 national parks and several sanctuaries. Recognized by UNESCO as one of the world’s eight most important biodiversity hotspots, these forested hills are also sourcing to numerous rivers, including the Godavari, Krishna and Cauvery. The Western Ghats acts as a huge water tank supplying water to six states. Now there are many leakages and there is a water shortage. All the rivers are running dry now. And wherever there is water, it is highly polluted. The Western

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Ghats needs high attention in the sustainability aspect of whole India and especially South India. Ministry of Environment and Forests of India set up in March 2010 an expert panel (Gadgil commission) to find a strategy for conserving these Ghats.

Gadgil Committee Recommendations: Gadgil committee had eminent ecologists and their report too reflected the same. The report was labelled favourable to environment and environmentalists and not development (or illegal mining). The Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP) designated the entire hill range as an Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA). The panel, in its report, has classified the 142 taluks in the Western Ghats boundary into Ecologically Sensitive Zones (ESZ) 1, 2 and 3. ESZ- 1 being of high priority, almost all developmental activities (mining, thermal power plants etc) was restricted in it.Gadgil report recommended that “no new dams based on large-scale storage be permitted in Ecologically Sensitive Zone 1. Since both the Athirappilly of Kerala and Gundia of Karnataka hydel project sites fall in Ecologically Sensitive Zone 1, these projects should not be accorded environmental clearance,”Gadgil Committee report specifies that the present system of governance of the environment should be changed. It asked for a bottom to top approach (right from Gram sabhas) rather than a top to bottom approach. It also asked for decentralization and more powers to local authorities. The commission recommended constitution of a Western Ghats Ecology Authority (WGEA), as a statutory authority under the Ministry of Environment and Forests, with the powers under Section 3 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.

Darker side and Hidden Agenda Ministry of environment and forests kept the Gadgil report in safe custody for eight months with them. It was not available for public discussion as expected by Gadgil committee members. People asked for a copy, but the ministry said it could not be given. When an RTI petition was filed, it was not given. Then the matter is taken to the Delhi high court and only when the court passed an order, the ministry released the report!As many mafias created fear among the people that the Gadgil report is anti-farmer and anti-people, people burnt the Gadgil Committee report and the effigy of the well-known environmentalist, Madhav Gadgil.

The problem was that most people had not read it. So, the mining lobby took advantage of this aspect and misled the people. They convinced the people against the report in their favour. The lobby told the people that the report was against farmers and they would have to leave the area. People got really worried.And it is in this background that another committee was appointed to study Gadgil Report, review and suggest measures for implementation. The name of the committee was Kasturirangan committee.Kasturirangan report was biased towards development. Kasturirangan report was criticized by many as that it provided loopholes for mining, which if allowed would turn detrimental to the environment, in long-term will affect development too.

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Kasturirangan report got the tag as anti-environmental soon after its release. But this report was tagged anti-development too by many who fear that their livelihood and interests will be affected.

CONCLUSION It is said, “A stitch in time saves nine.” we are called to be part of a solution rather than of a problem. Undoubtedly we can say that the greed driven development caused such a massive devastation in Kerala. The main causes of the floods are illegal stone quarrying in ecologically sensitive zones and unrestricted construction caused the landslides and floods. Hence, it is partly a man made calamity. We need a sustainable development but not at the holocaust of environment. Society vehemently needs to throw a wet blanket over all sorts of environmental encroachment to prevent another massive destruction which we may not be able to withstand it. The resurgence of Kerala should begin in the minds of the people to build a healthy and sound society.

Works Cited Camus, Albert. “The Absurd Man”. The Myth of Sisyphus, translated by Justin O’Brien, England, Hamish Hamilton, 1955, pp. 43-44.

“Flood Waters.” The National Gallery, www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/claude-monet-flood- waters .

“Calamity.” Collins Dictionary. www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/calamity .

Robert Jensen, “Agricultural Volatility and Investments in Children,” American Economic Review 90 (2000): 399–404, doi: 10.1257/aer.90.2.399.

Shah, A. J. ‘’An Overview of Disaster Management in India.’’ Disaster Management and Human Health Risk (2011).Print.

“The Flood.” Michelangelo.net, www.michelangelo.net/the-flood/.

Kunguma, Olivia. “Art on Disasters.” www.ufs.ac.za/docs/librariesprovider22/disaster- management-training. PDF file.

Scott, Nate. “How one couple’s desire to rebuild New Orleans nearly tore them apart”. For The Win, USA Today Sports, 28 Aug. 2015,

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“TRANSPARENCY AND ETHICS IN BUSINESS: AN OVERVIEW ON SOCIAL AMBIENCE” WITH REFERENCE TO ENTREPRENEURIAL GROWTH IN INDIAN CONTEXT SINCE 1947-2018

GLEN FRANCIS R OSE VILLA , P ILLASSERY P.O K UNNAMANGALAM , K OZHIKKODU

ABSTRACT A business entity functioning in today’s concept must be transparent and in its code of conduct follow the ethical proceedings in its daily run then only its survival could be enhanced in the long run.Otherwise the so called business entities runs into the stage of “entropy” where it looses its sustainability in the long run.A business in our day to day life can be referred as the stage of being busy or being technically engaged in any activities with sole intentions of profit maximization.A systematically running business organization is coordinated and integrated with the activities of marketing,Finance ,Human Resource and Research and Development activities.

Transparency in business in the first and for most instance means that the communication patterns we follow in the business organizations especially among stakeholders(stakeholders here literally means whoever interested in the day to day operations of a business firm) should achieve a clear cut precise and clarity nature. Formal and informal communication ,upward and downward communications,Horizontal and vertical communications maintained within a organization should achieve a definite flow.If communications maintained are clear cut and never misinterpreted a 70% of ethical progress in the business there itself with subject to a well structured code of conduct. An organization earlier used to function for profit maximization is now substituted with the concept of wealth maximization where subsequently profit for the entity should be achieved with genuine practices and on grounds of non discriminatory procedures. Soceity is more and more benefited with increasing magnitudes of transparency in business because the concept of “corporate social responsibility “ where each and every organizations are ecologically and economically committed to the society as well.

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Indian entrepreneurial context states its origin from Tata ,Birla , and Ambani associated families. Earlier Indian entrepreneurs are structured and being patterned around a family scenario till 1990"s.But these trend slowly changed and give rise to individual and independent entrepreneurs later. The alternatively changed government and revised industrial policies expanded much of its support to their young, innovative and esteem future entrepreneurs

Procedures which establish transparency in organizations: Some of the policies and procedures that establishes transparency in organizations are as follows: 1.Open Door Policy Open door policy enhances the employees within organization to establish their views freely with their immediate supervisers. Also it eliminates the communication gap between upper level and lower level employees of an organization such that greivances, welfare policies etc are immediately communicated that enhances coordination, integrity,and transformational leaderships within the organization structure.

2. Eliminate ambiguity. Remove any potential for confusion from all workplace communication, including company guidelines, roles, responsibilities and processes. Accountability begins with a clear understanding of who is responsible for which parts of the business, and employees struggle when management leaves important information open for interpretation. To avoid potential problems, follow up often and be firm about your expectations for open communication at all levels in the future.

3.Prioritize inclusivity. An environment of transparency and accountability is one based on inclusion. Although not everyone can be included in every decision, management should explain clearly why upper- level decisions were made when lower-level employees can’t be involved. Sharing as much information as possible with employees about how and why certain decisions are made helps ensure employees’ future decisions are in line with the company’s values and guidelines.

4.Focus on ownership. Results—both the failures and the successes—tell a story from which everyone in the company can learn. Forbes says that trusting your employees and giving them ownership over their work is key to creating a culture of accountability. However, that doesn’t mean that managers become silent observers. Continue to play an active role by providing guidance when necessary, celebrating team accomplishments, and providing support after failures.

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Change happens from the top down, so management must be diligent about transparency and accountability at all times. Share freely, communicate often, and implement company-wide systems that are built to support and encourage a transparent and accountable workplace. Conversely, what you do not do is equally important. Don’t reward teams or promote individuals who achieve their goals at their colleagues’ expense. In a culture of true transparency and accountability, how a success is earned is just as important as the success itself, so make it clear certain tactics won’t be tolerated. Celebrate true collaboration and knowledge sharing, and promote achievements that were earned the right way. Taking even small steps toward building this type of culture will improve workplace communication and lead to a host of other benefits that will strengthen your organization. Practicing these policies and procedures in our organizations could enhance more transparency that it hereby ensures that the respective organization ethically functions well and maintains a clear code of sustainability.

Entrepreneurial context of India According to Peter F Ducker “An entrepreneur is the one who always searches for change, responds to it and exploits it as an opportunity. Innovation is the specific tool of entrepreneurs, the means by which they exploit changes as an opportunity for a different business or different service”

The entrepreneurship is a very old concept according to which anyone who runs business is called an entrepreneur. The more precise meaning of entrepreneur is; one who perceives a need and then brings together manpower, material and capital required to meet that need. Entrepreneur is one who understands the market dynamics and searches for change respond to it and exploit it as an opportunity.

The entrepreneur is the one who undertakes to organize, manage, and assume the risks of a business. In recent years entrepreneurs have been doing so many things that it is necessary to broaden this definition. Today, an entrepreneur is an innovator or developer who recognizes and seizes opportunities; converts those opportunities into workable/marketable ideas; adds value through time, effort, money, or skills; assumes the risks of the competitive marketplace to implement these ideas; and realizes the rewards from these’ efforts.

The entrepreneur is the aggressive catalyst for change in the world of business. He or she is an independent thinker who dares to be different in a background of common events. The literature of entrepreneurial research reveals some similarities, as well as a great many differences, in the characteristics of entrepreneurs. Chief among these characteristics are personal initiative, the ability to consolidate resources, management skills, a desire for autonomy, and risk taking. Other characteristics include aggressiveness, competitiveness, goal-oriented behavior, confidence,

116 LUX MONTIS Vol 7 No.2 July 2019 opportunistic behavior, intuitiveness, reality-based actions, the ability to learn from mistakes, and the ability to employ human relations skills.

Growth of Entrepreneurship in India during Post-Independence! After taking a long sigh of political relief in 1947, the Government of India tried to spell out the priorities to devise a scheme for achieving balanced growth. For this purpose, the Government came forward with the first Industrial Policy, 1948 which was revised from time to time .

The Government in her various industrial policy statements identified the responsibility of the State to promote, assist and develop industries in the national interest. It also explicitly recognised the vital role of the private sector in accelerating industrial development and, for this; enough field was reserved for the private sector.

The Government of India took three important measures in her industrial resolutions:. i) To maintain a proper distribution of economic power between private and public sector.

(ii) To encourage the tempo of industrialization by spreading entrepreneurship from the existing centers to other cities, towns and villages.

(iii) To disseminate the entrepreneurship acumen concentrated in a few dominant communities to a large number of industrially potential people of varied social strata.

To achieve these adumbrated objectives, the Government accorded emphasis on development of small-scale industries in the country. Particularly since the Third Five Year Plan, the Government started to provide various incentives and concessions in the form of capital, technical know-how, markets and land to the potential entrepreneurs to establish industries in the industrially potential areas to remove the regional imbalances in development.

This was, indeed, a major step taken by the Government to initiate interested people of varied social strata to enter the small-scale manufacturing field. Several institutions like Directorate of Industries, Financial Corporations, Small-Scale Industries Corporations and Small Industries Service Institute were also established by the Government to facilitate the new entrepreneurs in setting up their enterprises.

Expectedly, small- scale units emerged very rapidly in India witnessing a tremendous increase in their number from 121,619 in 1966 to 190,727 in 1970 registering an increase of 17,000 units per year during the period under reference.

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The recapitulation of review of literature regarding entrepreneurial growth in India, thus, leads us to conclude that prior to 1850; the manufacturing entrepreneurship was negligible lying dormant mainly in artisans. The artisan entrepreneurship could not develop mainly due to inadequate infrastructure and lukewarm attitude of the colonial political structure to the entrepreneurial function.

The East India Company, the Managing Agency Houses, and various socio-political movements like Swadeshi campaign provided, one way or the other, proper seedbed for the emergence of the manufacturing entrepreneurship in India from 1850 onwards. The wave of entrepreneurial growth gained sufficient momentum after the Second World War. Since then the entrepreneurs have increased rapidly in numbers in the country. Particularly, since the Third Five Year Plan, small entrepreneurs have experienced tremendous increase in their numbers.

But, they lacked entrepreneurial ability, however. The fact remains that even the small entrepreneurship continued to be dominated in business communities though at some places new groups of entrepreneurs too emerged. Also, there are examples that some entrepreneurs grew from small to medium-scale and from medium to large-scale manufacturing units during the period. The family entrepreneurship units (family business) like Tata, Birla, Mafatlal, Dalmia, Kirloskar and others grew beyond the normally expected size and also established new frontiers in business in this period. Notwithstanding, all this happened without the diversification of the entrepreneurial base so far as its socio-economic ramification is concerned.

Most of the researchers in their research studies made statement that Indians have always been entrepreneurial in nature; it’s just only recently that this word is being used so often. Speaks about the challenges entrepreneur have faced and the way to go ahead. The researchers noted the distinct phases in the history of entrepreneurship in India after the country’s independence. Long years of domination had left severe scars on the Indian psychological evident in the entrepreneurial culture that was growing in the governmental set up. Around two hundred years of foreign burden had wiped out independent mindset among the work force with no decision making ability whatsoever. In this background the thought leaders had to struggle to bring about an entrepreneurial attitude.

Despite the arrival of independence, the early decade of 1950-60s marked a slow progress from an agrarian economy to an industrialized market. Industry was dominated by textile power looms in and around Bombay,Ahmadabad, Calcutta and Madras. The decade of 1960s saw the rapid expansion in large scale government sponsored heavy industry being set up across the country. Undermining the role that an individual enterprise can play in a country’s

118 LUX MONTIS Vol 7 No.2 July 2019 economic growth, the government went ahead building state owned enterprises dependent on centralized planning. Based on the successful experience of the former Soviet Union, Indian policy makers concluded that, particularly for a poor country, centralized planning was essential for the efficient allocation of an economy’s resources. Numerous small scale industries (SSI) sprouted as ancillary units to cater to these large industries.

In the 1970s, there was an intensive campaign to promote entrepreneurship among the Indian business community. This was the first effort to promote entrepreneurship in a concentrated manner. In 1970, to increase foreign exchange earnings, Government of India designated exports as a priority sector for activegovernment help and established, among other things, a duty drawback system, program of assistance for market development, and hundred percent export oriented units to help producers export. Finally, from the late 1970s through the mid-1980s, India liberalized imports such that those not subject to licensing as a proportion to total imports grew from five per cent in 1980-1981 to about 30% in 1987-1988. However, this partial removal of quantitative restrictions was accompanied by a steep rise in tariff rates. The late 1980s marked the new beginning for the small and medium entrepreneurs in India with the new government choosing to move towards a market oriented economy. The economic crisis of the early 1990s resulted in economic reforms and a deliberate move towards globalization and liberalization of the Indian Economy. This shift brought in huge change in a SME unit’s contribution to production and exports reflecting that the small scale industries have undergone substantial technical change in their production process. With the youth facing the hardship of finding the right job in the public sector, human resource availability increased for the private sector.

The youth who were increasingly disenchanted with the stagnation in government jobs, eagerly sought private sector jobs which assured them independence, growth and even stability in their career. Soon by the early 2000, it was common to see young professionals preferring to become entrepreneurs and the least preferred career path was a stable government sector job. With the dawn of the new service oriented economy, young professionals will increasingly work in the private sector and later choose to start a business of their own. With technology helping a SME in all possible ways, increasingly we will find professionals venturing into new business opportunities utilizing easily accessible financial help.

Government of India’s vision and action plan Government of India initiated the vision and action plan entrepreneurial development support to the small scale industrial sector through the ministry of micro, small and medium scale enterprises at the national level with a view to promoting, aiding, and fostering the growth of small scale industries and industry related small scale services or business enterprises in the country. The vision of the Ministry of MSME, formerly it was a ministry of SSI, is to create an enabling policy environment and put in place corresponding

119 LUX MONTIS Vol 7 No.2 July 2019 support measures to help the MSME sector to meet the emerging challenges of competition and also harness the opportunities, in tandem with the accelerating pace of liberalization and globalization of the Indian economy. The agenda of the Ministry, therefore, includes steps to develop an appropriate policy framework within which supply of credit is improved, better infrastructural facilities are provided and targeted incentives are designed and extended to the enterprises in the sector for their modernization and technology up gradation, improved market access, entrepreneurship development and entrepreneurial skills up gradation and capacity building, both at the level of individual firms and their clusters. The agenda takes cognizance of the significant role played by information technology, sunrise, hi-tech and export potent industries, on the one hand, and, the special needs of the tiny/ micro-enterprises, on the other, as they constitute over 95 per cent of the total population of small scale industrial units in the country.

Organizational has a set-up for the development of entrepreneurship with most of the programs and schemes for the development of the industrial sector are implemented through two principal organizations of the Ministry. These are: i) Small Industries Development Organization (SIDO) established in 1954; and ii) National Small Industries Corporation (NSIC) established in 1955. Besides, there are three national-level Entrepreneurship Development Institutes viz., National Institute for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (NIMSME) at Hyderabad, National Institute for Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development (NIESBUD) at Noida and Indian Institute of Entrepreneurship (IIE) at Guwahati. A National Commission for Enterprises for Unorganized Sector (NCEUS) has also been set up recently by the Government with headquarters in New Delhi.

Recently, Government of India formed the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship in 2014. The Ministry aims to Skill on a large Scale with Speed and high Standards in order to achieve its vision of a ‘Skilled India’. National Institute of Small Industry Extension Training (NISIET), Hyderabad was set up in 1960 in New Delhi later it was shifted to Hyderabad in 1962 now it becomes a National Institute for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (NIMSME) in 2007 to assist in promotion, development, and modernization of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) through the entrepreneurship in the country. At present, the main activities of NIMSME are entrepreneurship development related training programs, training research and consultancy, including the methodology of cluster development. National Institute for Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development (NIESBUD), Noida: The major activities of the Institute, established in 1986, include, development of model syllabi for training of various target groups, designing effective training strategies, methodology, manuals and tools, facilitating and supporting Central/State Governments and other agencies in executing programs of entrepreneurship and small business development, etc. Indian Institute of Entrepreneurship (IIE), Guwahati was established in 1993, with the aim of undertaking training, research and consultancy

120 LUX MONTIS Vol 7 No.2 July 2019 activities in the small industry sector focusing on entrepreneurship development as an autonomous national institute. IIE is working towards strengthening the capacity in the field of entrepreneurship development, training, entrepreneurship education, research, and consultancy, incubator services on gems and jewelers, publication and sensitization of environment for promotion of entrepreneurship, enterprise creation and self-employment in the North Eastern Region. Indian Institute Entrepreneurship, Guwahati has also taken initiatives for providing hand-holding services to the entrepreneurs in the North Eastern Region for which a Business Facilitation & Development Centre (BFDC) has been set up with financial assistance from the Government of India. Recently, Government of India formed the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship in 2014.

The Ministry is responsible for co-ordination of all skill development efforts across the country, removal of disconnect between demand and supply of skilled manpower, building the vocational and technical training framework, skill up-gradation, building of new skills, and innovative thinking not only for existing jobs but also jobs that are to be created. The Ministry aims to Skill on a large Scale with Speed and high Standards in order to achieve its vision of a ‘Skilled India’. It is aided in these initiatives by its functional arms – National Skill Development Agency (NSDA), National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), National Skill Development Fund (NSDF) and 33 Sector Skill Councils (SSCs) as well as 187 training partners registered with NSDC. The Ministry also intends to work with the existing network of skill development centers, universities and other alliances in the field. Further, collaborations with relevant Central Ministries, State governments, international organizations, industry and NGOs have been initiated for multi-level engagement and more impactful implementation of skill development efforts in India. National Commission for Enterprises in the Unorganized Sector has been set up by the Government of India as an advisory body and a watchdog for the informal sector with a view to fulfilling the commitment in the National Common Minimum Program of the Government. The Commission will recommend measures considered necessary for bringing about improvement in the productivity of these enterprises, generation of large scale employment opportunities on a sustainable basis, particularly in the rural areas, enhancing the competitiveness of the sector in the emerging global environment, linkage of the sector with institutional framework in areas such as credit, raw material, infrastructure, technology up gradation, marketing and formulation of suitable arrangements for skill development.

An overview of the changing entrepreneurial patterns of India: A major change with respect to entrepreneurs in India is that more and more women entrepreneurs came into existence with respect to varied fields in industry. Main reason for these change is added to following matterns of concerns: · Trade related entrepreneurship assistance and development scheme for women (TREAD) · Micro & small enterprises cluster development program (MSECDP)

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· Credit guarantee fund scheme for micro and small enterprises · Support for entrepreneurial and managerial development · Exhibitions for women under promotional package for micro & small enterprises approved by CCEA under marketing support.

Ø More emphasis is given to establishing startups in Indian context and youth is more and more encouraged to establish ventures in the fields relating to IT ,infrastructure, Technology, Digital Marketing etc.

Ø Artificial intelligence,Transaction Processing systems,Knowledge processing systems paved the way for establishment for individual entrepreneurs.

Ø Public, Private , and corporate ownerships earlier tend to prevail now modified its structure to independent and individual entrepreneurs.

REFERANCES

1 .The Transparent Leader: How to Build a Great Company Through Straight Talk, Openness and Accountability: Book by Herb Baum and Tammy Kling

2. Entrepreneurship in India then and now based on website listed below “www.forbesindia.com › Thought Leadership › SPJIMR”

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SAINT OR THIEF: A STUDY OF CULTURAL ANALYSIS AND PERSPECTIVES BASED ON ANAND NEELAKANTAN’S ASURA, TALE OF THE VANQUISHED.

A NISH T B ABU I ST YEAR MA E NGLISH C HRISTIAN C OLLEGE , C HENGANNUR .

The very ink with which the history is written is merely fluid prejudice. -Mark Twain

Abstract: The social relationship between man, society and culture within the grid indicated the creation of several didactic tale, different narratives and versions. These narratives indirectly aid us to expand or broaden our grid of perspectives resulting in overcoming the detrimental bigoted mindset. It allows the voices from the peripheries to unite with the mainstream guiding to a robust cultural pluralism. But we live in a culture where we are bombarded with other people trying to define us on their conception and stereotypes and tagging us with titles of ‘Hero or villain’. This is an attempt to analyze the voices of the vanquished Ravana and his people who became the victims of cultural hegemony.

Social psychology has always emphasized the crucial role of social perception—that the reality or factual status of a social act depends often critically on “the eye of the beholder”—on specifically who is interpreting or imposing meaning on the event. The stories within the fluid and heterogeneous Ramayana tradition lend themselves to varied transformations in accord with people’s changing concerns and perspectives. Truly, Ramayana is not a story but a tradition of storytelling, within whose capacious limits many different stories are contained.

As Paula Richman in his book Many Ramayanas states that out of many Ramayanas, Valimiki’s text is one among many. Therefore we can firmly state that there is hundred of telling of a story in different culture, language and religious traditions to each other. Many of the time they are influenced by the prevailing or predominant tendencies of social, political and cultural

123 LUX MONTIS Vol 7 No.2 July 2019 atmospheres. In contemporary literature, many writers have ventured to recreate the epic and the fact is that to a very extent mythology has pervaded deep into our lives especially in this decade. As in the tone of publishers ‘there is a good market for mythology’. Many authors with solid research and vivid imagination are dipping into the vast pool of Indian mythology to come up with powerful tales that retell our social and historical origins. They treat the epic in innovative ways, sometimes completely subverting the entire epic framework. The purpose of all good speculative fiction is to make the reader think by questioning prevailing ideas about reality

One of them is Anand Neelkantan’s novel Asura: Tale of the Vanquished which is a retelling of Ramayana epics. The book is based on the alternative Ramayanas especially recited in the southern part of India. This adaptation involved the task of depicting a quintessential antagonist as a protagonist. It’s an epic tale of the unsung hero Ravana and Asura people ‘Ravanayana’, not the version told by the victors but by the losers who may have been misjudged by cultural stereotypes and whose voices were lost in silence.

As Paula Richman in his book “Ramayana Stories in Modern South India” says:

Valmiki’s Ramayana is the most authoritative telling of Ramkatha in India. The phrase “authoritative tellings of Ramkatha” refers to texts that share three characteristics. First, they espouse normative ideologies of ranked social hierarchy. Second, they are influential beyond the temporal and geographical context in which they were written, continuing to be respected, studied, and transmitted centuries after their composition. Third, they have gained recognition as privileged texts.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, a Nigerian writer in her famous Ted talk speaks about the threat of a single story.

“So that is how to create a single story, show a people as one thing as only one thing over and over again and that is what it become.”

Neelakantan through his book gives voice to the muted community, the Asuras and presents the perspective of an unsung hero, Ravana who is vilified in this society. He unveils the misjudged notions about his ten headed and twenty armed figure of Ravana which actually symbolizes the ten base emotions like anger, pride, selflishness, intellect etc. As per Indian wisdom one need to shun the other nine emotions and outshine only his intellect inorder to be ‘Supreme’. But Ravana prefers to be a man than to be a God, by withstanding with other base emotions. In festival of Dussehra we burn the effigies of Ravana with these bad things which are as his ten head, but actually according to Ravana we need to follow this in order to be complete man.

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Ravana lived a life not based on calculative dharma or adharma standards but on his own thinking. At one instance Ravana states in Asura:

“I had been born to fulfill someone else’s destiny. To allow someone else to become God (15).” Neelakantan doesn’t sanctify Ravana in his book but tells his perspectives in which he had his own rights and wrongs. This adaptation runs parallel with the Ramakien version(the Ramayana as known in Thailand) according to which Sita is Ravana’s daughter who is abandoned because of an astrological prediction that she will bring destruction on her father. It construct a narrative where Sita was abducted by Ravana in order to save her, from the masculinity rampant in the Deva kingdoms, because she was his daughter. Even if we think the other way around discarding this version, shouldn’t Ravana avenge against Rama and Lakshmana for mutilating his sister. Before we stereotype Ravana, everybody should give the answer of these questions. Is it wrong, being a father to think about his daughter, to stand for his sister or wrong to fight for his identity? The answer to these questions decide Ravana as a Villain or hero.

And on the other side, we praise a God for mighty deeds in the shade of dharma who frequently questions the chastity of his wife. Neelakantan uses Ravana as a mouthpiece and questions the basic principles of belief. He says:

‘That is a good piece of propaganda, I must admit. Claim that God is with you, or better, you are God, then anything you do, any adharma you commit, becomes divine play’”

Cultural hegemony, caste, educations social and economic background may be distinguished as attributes of power that grey shaded this story. Adichie’s states about the ability of power to not just tell the story of other person, but to make it the definite story of that person. Suppressing one based on others culture can be tempting catalyst to on-going harmony. The predominant culture in a society harnesses the other in order to maintain long held hegemony. Ravana is far more than just a ‘nazar battu’ to Ram, even which is not tolerated in our society. Diverse instances like this are prevailing in our society like under the pressure of various groups; Delhi University has deleted essays written by scholar A K Ramanujan on Ramayana from its BA History syllabus.

On October, 2011 the executive council passed a resolution to the academic council to remove the essay titled ‘Three Hundred Ramayanas’. The inclusion of the 30-page essay, which offers a number of tellings of the epic story of Lord Rama, including the Jain, Buddhist and Kannada narratives was opposed by Hindu hardliners terming it as “blasphemous”.

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On 2016 members of the Thanthai Periyar Dravidar Kahagam were taken into preventive custody of police after organizing “Ravan Leela” while burning the effigy of Lord Rama near Mylapore, Chennai inorder to demonstrate their opposition to the Ram Leela celebration. They believe that Ramayana, though a mythological story was an Aryan- Dravidan conflict where Ram won against Ravana, who is considered as a Dravidian is vilified as a monster. The Ravana Leela of 2016 in Chennai might be low profile one but the Ravana leela of 1974 was a much talked about event, a year after Periyar’s death, Tamil Nadu witnessed its first Ravana Leela evoking responses from the masses as then the Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

And I find it very evident to have contrary picture about the recent Deepawali celebrations in Ayodhya. The Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh stated that ‘we are attempting to revive history in Ayodhya’, partially I think they succeeded in that to a degree. As the present government have re-started the shows after sanctioning a handsome budget for the Ram Leela. The budget had a special mention of Ayodhya, Varanasi and Mathura, earmarking Rs 1,240 crore for the Ramayan, Buddhist and Krishna circuits in these cities. The three-day “Deepotsav” celebrations were launched on a mega scale, with the Chief Minister welcoming actors playing the Lord Ram, Sita and Lakshman who arrived on a chopper decked up to resemble the mythological Pushpak Viman, amid a record 1.75 lakh “diya” or lamps along the banks of Saryu river. The government under his leadership has even planned a 100m long Lord Ram’s statue at Sarayu bank as a part of Navya Ayodhya. The budgeted amount is 195.89 CR and in which three-forth amount is already sanctioned and approved.

I quote from Adichie’s Ted talk:

“The single story creates stereotypes, and the problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue but they are uncomplete. They make the one story the only story”.

It’s high time for us to understand and realize that there is never a single story because a single story builds wall of differences within our cultural pluralism. Until the doors of perception are cleaned, nothing would appear clear as it is in real and we need to realize the existence of other side.

Baijnath, an ancient pilgrimage town in Himachal Pradesh, is believed to be the place where Ravana made his austere penances to Lord Shiva, residents here believe that burning Ravana’s effigies will bring the wrath of Lord Shiva upon them. Another example that contradicts the popular culture of Ravana as evil is the Ravana temple in Kanpur, a city in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, where Ravana is worshipped as God. The foundation stone of the temple was laid in 1868 and a few years later, an idol of Ravana was consecrated here an those who view

126 LUX MONTIS Vol 7 No.2 July 2019 him as a highly learned individual, who had knowledge of all Hindu scriptures, visit the temple to pay their homage. Ravana may be the arch villain in the epic Ramayana, but for some people of the Jain community he is an ardent follower of Lord Aadinath (or Rishabhadeva), their first religious teacher or Tirthankara, and a pious temple-goer in Himalayas. On Dussehra, when effigies of the demon king are burnt, many Jains honour him by creating rangoli or his image in their houses and perform a pooja seeking forgiveness for all their mistakes. In Gond, a village in Maharashtra the ten-headed king is worshipped as God. According to their version, Ravan was a Gond king who was slain by Aryan invaders. He was the tenth dharmaguru of the tribe, who believe in animism, consider Lingo and Ravan to be naturally just and environment-friendly deities. In fact, their narration of Ravan’s story turns upside down the one in the Ramayan. This includes a contention over the geographical location of Lanka, which Gonds believe is Madhya Pradesh’s Amarkantak mountain. Though the character of Ravana may seem like a closed book there is sufficient plurality in Indian traditions that make even Ravana capable of respect and veneration. Ravana is considered as the demon of darkness but do we realize what actually drifted him to this shadow of darkness nothing else but the so-called impeccable cultural perspective. We proclaim the victory of good over evil but let’s think for a second who are the evil? Ravana is stereotyped as a villain in minds of thousands of people based on ethnocentrism or the concept of otherness. We battle the identity or existence of others based on the standards of “us” and “them”.

The otherness of the other becomes most rigid or dramatic when we have deep ties – to family, religion, nation, caste or ethnic group. They act like magicians who control others perceptions and make them see what they want them to see. We are distancing self from others in our life, we need to think beyond this dichotomies. The popular perceptions of the evil in Ravana have not really existed in the text as much as they have been utilized for the maintenance of certain primordial values which have been polarized in society and very often politicized by communities to meet their own ends. And the funny part is inorder to burn the effigy of Ravana we actually make it first and that the point, the society creates a scapegoat for his own benefits. Because we are moving to a point where a monument which was considered as an epitome of pride and glory of our country is withdrew from the standard tourism handbook of the state for some unfit agendas. It’s like we can’t force each drop to meet the ocean. Instead we need to change our mentality of prejudging others based on our grid. We need to build a world where our coming generation must be taught how to think, not what to think.

CONCLUSION As at the very same time this presentation on a critical view can be acknowledged as a suppression of my ideas and thoughts over yours, but I believe not on imposing my ideology or perspective but presenting the other side. It’s your call to rethink, revaluate or let it go. For me, I don’t believing in burning effigies of anyone, I don’t believe in Dravidians or Aryans, I believe in

127 LUX MONTIS Vol 7 No.2 July 2019 men whom Almighty God created in his own image therefore it is our duty to respect each other. The true enrichment of our culture and tradition elevates when we think beyond the standards of “us” and “them” and break those big dividing walls. The world is a big game of perceptions and the perfect blend of duality is the basic requirement to play his candidly.

And I will conclude with a quote from Friends with Voltaire by Evelyn Beatrice Hall, an English writer known for her biography of Voltaire.

I disapprove of what you say but I will defend to the death your right to say it…

Work cited: N., Vijetha S. “Historians protest as Delhi University purges Ramayana essay from syllabus.” The Hindu. N.p., 18 Oct. 2016. Web. 14 Mar. 2017.

Neelkantan, Anand. Asura, Tale of the Vanquished: The Story of Ravana and His People. Platinum Press, Mumbai, 2012.

Ramanujan A.K. “Three Hundred Ramayanas: Five Examples and Three Thoughts on Translation”. The Collected Essays of A.K. Ramanujan. Ed. Vinay Dharwadker. New York: OUP, 2004. 22 – 49. Print.

Ravana Leela 1974: When Periyarists slayed Rama to protest Indira Gandhi’s Ram Leela.” The News Minute. N.p., 16 Oct. 2016. Web. 13 Mar. 2017.

Rashid, Omar. “U.P. Plans 100-Metre Ram Statue in Ayodhya.” The Hindu, The Hindu, 10 Oct. 2017, www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/up-plans-100-metre-ram-statue-in- ayodhya/article19834961.ece.

Richman, Paula. Many Ramayanas: the diversity of a narrative tradition in South Asia. Delhi: Oxford U Press, 1997. Web.

Richman, Paula. Ramayana stories in modern South India: an anthology. Bloomington: Indiana U Press, 2008. Web.

Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi. “The danger of a single story.” Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: The danger of a single story | TED Talk, www.ted.com/talks chimamanda_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story.

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Call For Papers Next Issue : LUX MONTIS Vol.7, No.2, July 2019 Last date for submission of Research Papers : June 10, 2019 Address for Communication : Dr. A. Sebastian Aikara Chief Editor LUX MONTIS Girideepam Institute of Advanced Learning (GIAL) Bethany Hills, Vadavathoor P. O. Kottayam Dist. Kerala Mob: 09447415193 e.mail: [email protected]

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DECLARATION FORM I (See Rule – 3) STATEMENT ABOUT OWNERSHIP AND OTHER PARTICULARS OF THE JOURNAL 1. Title of the Newspaper Lux Montis 2. Language in which it is published English 3. Place of Publication Kottayam 4. Periodicity of the Publication Bi-annually 5. Printers Name Dr. Abraham Sebastian (Whether citizen of India? Yes, Indian If foreign, state the country of origin) Address Principal Girideepam Business School (GBS) Vadavathoor P.O., Kottayam Dist. 7. Publisher’s Name Dr. Abraham Sebastian Whether citizen of India? Yes 8. Chief Editor’s Name Dr. A. Sebastian Aikara Whether citizen of India? Yes 9. Name and address of individuals who Girideepam Institute of Advanced Learning (GIAL) own the Newspaper and partners and Vadavathoor P.O., Kottayam Dist. shareholders holding more than one Kerala percent of the total capital

I, Dr. A. Sebastian Aikara, hereby declare that the particulars given above are true.

Kottayam, (Sd/-) 05-07-2016. Dr. A. Sebastian Aikara (Chief Editor)

130 LUX MONTIS Vol 7 No.2 July 2019 LUX MONTIS Multi-Disciplinary Journal of Management, Commerce, and English Literature

Girideepam Business School Bethany Hills, Vadavathoor P.O. Kottayam – 686 010, Kerala , India E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.girideepmabschool.edu.in/php.management

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Guidelines for submission of Research Paper 1. Manuscript should not exceed 5000 words (12-15 A-4 Size pages, typed 1.5 space, Font size 12, Font type - Times New Roman). 2. Language used - English. 3. An abstract of about 150 words should be included at the beginning of the paper. 4. The paper should not have already been published or submited elsewhere for possible publications. A certificate in this regard is to be submitted by authors while submitting the papers to the editor. 5. The authors can use figures, charts, tables and diagram. They may be black and white, and numbered using Roman numerals with a brief title. 6. All footnotes should be indicated by serial numbers in the text, and the literature cited should be detailed under Notes at the end of the paper bearing corresponding numbers, before the references. 7. Place the references at the end of the manuscript following the end notes. All references should note the complete list of journals and books with page numbers. 8. The References should be prepared in the following form: Books Abraham, K. (2001) Ethiopia: The Dynamics of Economic Reforms (Economic Liberalisation and Political Transformation), Addis Abada: EIIPD (Ethiopian International Instt. for Peace and Development). Edited Volume Aharoni, Y. (1991) “On Measuring the Success of Privatisation”, in Ramamurthi, R. and Vernon, R. (eds) Privatisation and Control of State Owned Enterprises. Washington, D.C.: World Bank. Journals Boardman, M. and Vining, D. (1989) “Ownership in Competitive Environments: A Comparison of the Performance of Mixed, Private and SOEs”, Journal of Law and Economics, April, No. 32. 9. Manuscripts not considered for publication will not be sent back. 10. Manuscripts, which do not confirm to these guidelines, will not be considered for publication. 11. No paper of the jounral will be reprinted without the prior permission of the Editor. 12. The journal is published bi-annually in July and January. Papers for publication should be addressed to-

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