Pradyumna and His Foundation Narrative in the Critical Text Harivaṃśa

Pradyumna ◽  
2019 ◽  
pp. 53-82
Author(s):  
Christopher R. Austin
Keyword(s):  
Infant Mortality ◽  
South Asian ◽  
Military Power ◽  
Critical Text ◽  
Line P

Chapter 3 turns to the Harivaṃśa’s foundational episode of Pradyumna’s birth. As soon as Pradyumna is born, the demon Śambara abducts him and gives him to his wife Māyāvatī to raise as her own son. Māyāvatī approaches Pradyumna sexually once he is fully grown, explaining that she is not his mother; Pradyumna slays Śambara, accepts Māyāvatī as a love partner, and returns to his real family, where Kṛṣṇa identifies him as the rebirth of Kāmadeva, the God of Love. The episode is examined through a number of lenses, particularly a set of gendered premises on the nature of women and certain social-sexual dynamics of South Asian families. In sum, it is argued that the Harivaṃśa birth narrative constructs Pradyumna as a vaṃśa-vīra, or “lineage-hero,” a champion whose sexual virility and beauty, military power and resilience against the forces of infant mortality make him a champion of his father’s ancestral line.

scholarly journals Socio-Demographic Determinants Of Fertility Behaviour Of Women: Evidence From A Panel Study Of Four South Asian Countries

2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-48
Author(s):  
Fauzia Maqsood ◽  
Ummel Baneen
Keyword(s):  
Mortality Rate ◽  
Infant Mortality ◽  
South Asian ◽  
Infant Mortality Rate ◽  
Asian Countries ◽  
Contraceptive Prevalence Rate ◽  
Fertility Behaviour ◽  
First Marriage ◽  
Age At First Marriage ◽  
Contraceptive Prevalence

This paper aimed at estimating the socio-demographic determinants of fertility behaviour among women by using panel data of four developing countries of Asia (Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Nepal) for the years 1994-2013. All these countries are currently on third stage of demographic transition. The researcher used age at first marriage of female (AFMF), Contraceptive Prevalence rate (CPR), Educational Attainment of Female (EAF) and Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) as proxy measures of Socio-demographic factors that determine the fertility behaviour of women in South Asian countries. On the first step the researcher used descriptive statistics to know the average and variance values in data. On the second step Panel Least Square (OLS) method was used to estimate the relationship between the variables. Results of present study revealed that age at first marriage of female, contraceptive prevalence rate and educational attainment of female were negatively associated with total fertility rate, while, Infant mortality rate was positively related with total fertility rate. It was concluded that efforts could be placed on these socio-demographic variables to control or to regulate fertility behaviour of women.

My Enemy's Enemy

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Avinash Paliwal
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Policy ◽  
South Asian ◽  
Balance Of Power ◽  
Detailed Examination ◽  
Strategic Intent ◽  
Proxy War ◽  
Line P

The archetype of ‘my enemy’s enemy is my friend’, India’s political and economic presence in Afghanistan is often viewed as a Machiavellian ploy aimed against Pakistan. Challenging deeply held beliefs about an India-Pakistan proxy war, the book offers a nuanced explanation of India’s strategic intent and actions, which is critical to resolving the seemingly unending war in Afghanistan, as well as wider bilateral disputes between the two South Asian rivals. Divided into three parts — ‘debating neutrality’, ‘debating containment’, and ‘debating engagement’ — the book offers a detailed examination of the nature of and reasons for New Delhi’s foreign policy conduct. It demonstrates that Indian presence in Afghanistan has been guided primarily by an enduring vision for the region that requires a stable balance of power across the Durand Line.

scholarly journals Inequalities and convergence of health outcomes in South Asian countries

2016 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 71-76
Author(s):  
Sumit Kumar
Keyword(s):  
Infant Mortality ◽  
Life Expectancy ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Health Inequalities ◽  
South Asian ◽  
Infant Mortality Rate ◽  
Asian Countries ◽  
The South ◽  
Convergence Clubs ◽  
Policy Measures

For human development of South Asian countries, which houses more than one-fifth of world’s population, it becomes crucial to study health inequalities between and within these countries. The aim of this paper is to explore the extent of health inequalities and convergence of health outcomes as represented by life expectancy and infant mortality rates among the South Asian countries. The statistical methods Gini coefficient, ?, and ?-convergence analysis are utilized to study inequalities and convergence-divergence, which are well established in macro-economic growth analyses. For the study longitudinal data over the period 1996-2012 for Infant Mortality rate (IMR) and Life expectancy (LE) is utilized. The results of the analysis indicate that there have been large inequalities in IMR and these are still increasing among the countries. However, in case of LE the inequalities are small and are on decline over the period of time. Further, the tests for convergence reveal that the IMR and LE have not been converged in the period 1996-2012 and no convergence clubs has been formed. The present analyses high-lights that the relative positions of countries among the South Asia have changed little and the trend of large inequalities among the countries continues. Further research to identify economic and social policy measures which decline the large inequalities among the countries can be rewarding exposition for all the stakeholders.South East Asia Journal of Public Health Vol.5(2) 2015: 71-76

South Asian Stories: Firsthand Client Perspectives on Barriers to Accessing Speech-Language Pathology Services

2012 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nidhi Mahendra
Keyword(s):  
South Asian ◽  
Empirical Support ◽  
Communication Disorders ◽  
Speech Language Pathology ◽  
Client Experiences ◽  
Individual Interviews ◽  
Timely Access ◽  
Phenomenological Perspective ◽  
Case Vignettes ◽  
Language Pathology

This article details the experience of two South Asian individuals with family members who had communication disorders. I provide information on intrinsic and extrinsic barriers reported by these clients in responses to a survey and during individual ethnographic interviews. These data are part of a larger study and provide empirical support of cultural and linguistic barriers that may impede timely access to and utilization of speech-language pathology (SLP) services. The purpose of this article is to shed light on barriers and facilitators that influence South Asian clients' access to SLP services. I provide and briefly analyze two case vignettes to provide readers a phenomenological perspective on client experiences. Data about barriers limiting access to SLP services were obtained via client surveys and individual interviews. These two clients' data were extracted from a larger study (Mahendra, Scullion, Hamerschlag, Cooper, & La, 2011) in which 52 racially/ethnically diverse clients participated. Survey items and interview questions were designed to elicit information about client experiences when accessing SLP services. Results reveal specific intrinsic and extrinsic barriers that affected two South Asian clients' access to SLP services and have important implications for all providers.

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