ISSN 0974 – 2514 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SOUTH ASIAN STUDIES A Biannual Journal of South Asian Studies Vol. 3 January – June 2010 No. 1 MADANJEET SINGH INSTITUTE FOR SOUTH ASIA REGIONAL CO-OPERATION (MISARC) CENTRE FOR SOUTH ASIAN STUDIES DEPARTMENT OF POLITICS & INTERNATIONAL STUDIES PONDICHERRY UNIVERSITY PUDUCHERRY, INDIA GUIDELINES FOR SUBMISSION OF MANUSCRIPTS Original papers that fall within the scope of the Journal shall be submitted by e-mail. An Abstract of the article in about 150 words must accompany the papers. The length of research papers shall be between 5000 and 7000 words. However, short notes, perspectives and lengthy papers will be published if the contents could justify. Notes should be placed at the end of the text and their location in the text marked by superscript Arabic Numerals. References should be cited within the text in parenthesis. Example: (Sen 2003:190) Bibliography should be placed at the end of the text and must be complete in all respects. Examples: 1. Hoffmann, Steven (1990): India and the China Crisis, Oxford University Press, Delhi. 2. Bhalla and Hazell (2003): “Rural Employment and Poverty: Strategies to Eliminate Rural Poverty within a Generation”, Economic and Political Weekly, Vol.33, No.33, August 16, pp.3473-84. All articles are, as a rule, referred to experts in the subjects concerned. Those recommended by the referees alone will be published in the Journal after appropriate editing. No article shall be sent for publication in the Journal if it is currently being reviewed by any other Journal or press or if it has already been published or will be published elsewhere. E-mail: [email protected] or [email protected] CONTENTS PERSPECTIVES ON SOUTH ASIA Energy, Environment and Security in South Asia C Vinodan … 1 Politics in Pakistan: Parvaiz Musharaf’s Military Rule in Perspective Riaz Ahmed Shaikh … 11 Nepal’s Dilemma: Concerns of India Saurabh … 23 Ethnic Divide and Emergence of the Tamil Question in Sri Lanka: A Historical Perspective Santhosh Mathew and Byju P Babu … 30 Educational Policies in South Asia: A Study on Primary Education of Literacy for Girls D Parimala … 43 Sufism and Urbanization in South Asia with Special Reference to Medieval Rajasthan : A Case Study Syed Mohd Amir … 61 Poverty Alleviation through the Rural Non-Farm Sector Development: An Overview of Bangladesh Experiences Biswajit Choudhury … 66 SPECIAL STUDY Remittances and Microfinance in India: Opportunities and Challenges for Development Finance Milly Sil and Samapti Guha … 82 Housing Reconstruction of Tsunami Victims: An Experience from Kerala and Tamil Nadu Coastal Areas Raju Narayana Swamy I.A.S. … 102 ARTICLE Hegemonic Masculinity and the Idea of “Feminist Counter Hegemony”: The Case of International Relations Rengupta M … 123 In search of Common Identity: A Study of Chin-Kuki-Mizo Community in India Ayangbam Shyamkishor … 131 Goddesses, Women and Agency: Reading the Shashthi Vrata-Kathas of Bengal Namrata Rathore Mahanta … 141 Concept of Social Movements: A Critical Analysis Arpita Das … 149 The Role of Ethnic Elite in Community Formation: The Case of Paite S Thianlalmuan Ngaihte … 164 Television Production on Domestic Violence: An Approach Amitosh Dubey and Uma Tripathi … 176 India’s Prosperity Paradox and the Mass Media Disconnect Sathya Prakash M R & B K Ravi … 187 External Sector Liberalization and Its Impacts on Current Account Balance of India N Kubendran … 199 Intellectual Property Right Issues in a Globalised World: A Study with Particular Reference to Traditional Knowledge A M Ravindran … 212 Colonizing Greens: Political Economy of Deforestation in Colonial South India 1800-1900 V M Ravi Kumar … 226 Ethnography of Sericulture: An Anthropological Study from South India Eswarappa Kasi … 241 Development of a Comprehensive Environmental Vulnerability Index for Evaluation of the Status of Eco Development Committees in the Sunderbans, India Debajit Datta … 258 BOOK REVIEW The Myth of the Shrinking State Shaji S … 272 Towards Security Convergence Swati Bhattacharya … 275 Stateless in South Asia Chunnu Prasad … 278 Energy, Environment and Security in South Asia C Vinodan Abstract Climate change is real, serious, and inescapable, and its looming effects, certain and uncertain, may prove to be destabilizing on a massive scale. Stemming the tide of climate change and adapting to its far-reaching security implications must therefore rank among the most vital strategic priorities today. South Asia is warming up faster than the global average, likely resulting in more frequent and powerful extreme weather events, fuelling salinisation particularly in low-lying coastal areas. The importance of environmental security and sustainable development in South Asia continues to heighten in response to rapid growth in energy consumption, increasing dependence on energy imports and growing concerns about the potential economic and social impacts of climate change. Cleaner and more advanced energy efficient and lower emission technologies are an essential component of any approach that aims to ease the pressure of growing energy demand and to reduce growth in greenhouse gas emissions, while allowing South Asian economies to pursue a range of other policy objectives, including improving energy security and economic growth and development. Regional cooperation can play a key role in adaptation and development in the region. Environmental conditions are rapidly Conference of Parties (COP) in Mexico, later degrading in South Asia; the transboundary this year. The countries also resolved to effects of pollution and competition for commission a study that would address the natural resources are being felt throughout social, economic and environmental challenges the region. Environmental problems are of climate risks. In this context, this paper starting to reach crisis proportions, and, as a seeks to explore the new security challenges result, the governments of the region are of South Asia, the cause and effect beginning to be forced to respond relationship between energy and environment. domestically and— when that does not The paper examines the changing realities in suffice—at the bilateral and regional levels South Asia in the context of climate change as well, sometimes with extraordinary and takes a fresh look at the prospects and measures. The recently concluded 16th challenges for regional cooperation in the SAARC Summit in the mountainous city of region. It also investigates how climate Thimpu in Bhutan largely focused on issues change is positioned within the wider field of of climate change, environment and energy security discourse within South Asia. The security, under the sprightly banner of ‘A paper argues that a greater awareness of Green and Happy South Asia.’ The current underlying worldviews and perspectives SAARC summit emphasized the need for the behind the range of climate initiatives is various SAARC countries to collaborate and necessary for developing an appropriate blunt the effects of these changes on the strategy and regional coordination in South region. Some of the substantive highlights at Asia. The paper also provides the regional this summit were the decision to create a security scenario and the prospects for convention on environment, and to have a developing sustainable security strategy for common SAARC position at the 16th the South Asian region. Dr C Vinodan, Member of Faculty & Chairman, Centre for Strategic & Security Studies (CSSS), School of International Relations and Politics, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, Kerala - 686560, India. Email: [email protected] IJSAS 3(1) 2010, pp.1-10. ISSN 0974 -2514 C Vinodan 2 South Asia is a dynamic and complex world. The rapid degradation of our region that presents the world with environment because of global warming significant opportunities and challenges to itself constitutes a security threat—a threat to global security, stability and human well- the quality of life of current and future being. It is one of the fastest growing regions generations. Climate change, in particular a in the world with an average growth rate of rise in global temperatures, threatens the above 6 per cent over the past eight years basic survival and welfare needs of people and has demonstrated its potential for around the world, including access to water, emerging as a significant economic entity in food production, health, and the use of land. the world economic space. The region is Environmental degradation from various home to India, the world’s largest democracy kinds of human economic activity has and a rising power with one of fastest already increased the frequency and intensity growing economies. It is also includes of natural disasters worldwide. If global governments struggling to maintain control temperatures continue to rise at current of their countries, two nuclear powers that levels, the threat to human security will coexist in an uneasy and often tense increase correspondingly. Rising sea levels relationship, and conflicts with al Qaeda and will lead to more coastal erosion, flooding Taliban forces. All of these factors make the during storms, and permanent inundation; region a subject of considerable strategic and severe stress on natural ecosystems like importance to the major powers and the forests and wetlands. Threats to human larger international community. South Asia health from water-borne diseases like includes Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, malaria will grow and spread over greater India, the Maldives, Nepal,