Manto and Culture: An Exploration of Cultural Code in Manto’s “My Name is Radha”

This study aims to explore Manto’s short story “My Name is Radha” from a cultural perspective. The purpose of the investigation is to bring the hidden meaning to the surface, which is there but not visible. Manto has used many political, religious, historical, and cultural references in the story, which are significant in the understanding of the researcher. These references have deflected the norms, values, and taboos of Indian society. These are investigated with the help of Barthes, cultural code. This code helps in cultural understanding of the story. The study finds that Manto has used many cultural elements in his text like, bhai, behan, Raksha Bandan, kurta, sari, and panjama. These words provide a vivid description of the Indian people, as well as their culture. Furthermore, this study discovers that Manto has used a unique codec language to portray the way of living of the Indian people. Sometimes he has spoken directly of the cultural taboos and sometimes he has spoken indirectly of the said. The study concludes that the writer has deflected the society through different cultural elements. And these elements help in the true understanding of the text.

How is the COVID-19 pandemic affecting women's menstrual cycles and quality of life? A view from South Asia

SUMMARY The substantial strain that women are facing during the COVID-19 pandemic can affect their menstrual cycle and further impair their quality of life. In low- and middle-income countries, this strain is exacerbated by: cultural taboos and poor education related to menstruation; ‘period poverty’; unavailability of menstrual hygiene products; and poor hygiene facilities. We suggest actions that governments, healthcare professionals and individuals can take to address these factors and minimise the psychological impact of COVID-19 on women's physical and mental health.

Knowledge, awareness and practices regarding menses and its hygiene among adolescent girls

Menstruation is a physiological process which starts around 11-16 yrs of age in most girls andcontinues throughout the reproductive life until menopause. During these years females spend one-sixth of their time menstruating and in discomfort. It is of utmost importance that hygienic practices are followed for a healthy and safe life. Various social and cultural taboos and habits have clouded the situation along with restricted facilities creating a disease burden such as genital infections and menstrual problems, including missed days at schools and work. It is the responsibility of the policy makers and also the health care workers to help in bridging the gap of lack of knowledge and availability of resources in creating a female hygiene friendly infrastructure in all the places. The study was conducted to assess the knowledge and awareness about menarche and menstrual cycle in school going girls. Also it was carried to study the prevailing practices of menstrual hygiene among the adolescent girls. The various sociocultural restrictions and taboos under practice in relation to menstruation and were analysed the reasons alongwith their solutions to improve the present situation of female hygiene practices were tabulated. A semi structured, question answer style written survey was conducted among adolescentgirls aged 11-18 yrs from nearby schools of Index Medical College, with help of PG resident doctors and medical interns. The survey was followed by educational and awareness talk on female hygiene practices that need to be followed.The result of the study were as follows-56.4%% were aware about menstruation before attaining menarche, and 88.20% had attained menarche at the time of study. 68.5% had mother as first informant, 40.3% knew about menstruation only after getting their 1 period. 28.5% felt insecure, 18.4% had anxiety, 30.5% were worried about menstruation. 95.5% perceived menstruation as a natural process, 98.6% used sanitary pads for bleeding, 1.4% used old cloth. 98.6% cleaned private parts during menses of which 75.3% used only water. Only 78.1% had the facility to change pads in school, of which only 58.9% changed pads in school. 90.4% had a daily bath during menses. 38.6% were not allowed to pray. 5% were not allowed to attend school, 8.3% were not allowed to sleep on their regular bed, and 11% were asked not to touch family members. 5% were restricted from playing outside and were not even allowed to go out of their home. 81.3% shared their menstrual health problems with mother. This study provided an understanding of perception of menstruation amongschool going girls. It also deals with the understanding of the society that still menstruation is not taken as a natural process, but rather as a curse and menstruating girls and women are being put under a lot of restrictions due to such practices. Lack of proper infrastructural facilities are a reason why so many girls drop out and restrict their attendance at school after menarche and much still needs to be done in this field to ensure smooth and healthy transition of adolescent girls into adulthood.

Qualitative analysis of first-person accounts of noetic experiences

The term “noetic” comes from the Greek word noēsis/noētikos that means inner wisdom, direct knowing, intuition, or implicit understanding. Strong cultural taboos exist about sharing these experiences. Thus, many may not feel comfortable transparently discussing or researching these topics, despite growing evidence that these experiences may be real. The study’s objective was to qualitatively evaluate first-hand accounts of noetic experiences. 521 English-speaking adults from around the world completed an online survey that collected demographic data and four open-ended questions about noetic experiences. Thematic analysis was used to characterize the data. The ten most used codes were expressing to or sharing with others, impacting decision-making, intuition/”just knowing,” meditation/hypnosis, inner visions, setting intentions/getting into the “state,” healing others, writing for self, and inner voice. There were five main themes identified: 1. Ways of Engagement; 2. Ways of Knowing; 3. Types of Information; 4. Ways of Affecting; and 5. Ways of Expressing. Subthemes. Future research will include investigating the nuances of these themes and also establishing standardized methods for evaluating them. This would also then inform curricula and therapies to support people in these experiences.

Qualitative analysis of first-person accounts of noetic experiences

The term “noetic” comes from the Greek word noēsis/noētikos that means inner wisdom, direct knowing, intuition, or implicit understanding. Strong cultural taboos exist about sharing these experiences. Thus, many may not feel comfortable transparently discussing or researching these topics, despite growing evidence that these experiences may be real. The study’s objective was to qualitatively evaluate first-hand accounts of noetic experiences. 521 English-speaking adults from around the world completed an online survey that collected demographic data and four open-ended questions about noetic experiences. Thematic analysis was used to characterize the data. The ten most used codes were expressing to or sharing with others, impacting decision-making, intuition/”just knowing,” meditation/hypnosis, inner visions, setting intentions/getting into the “state,” healing others, writing for self, and inner voice. There were five main themes identified: 1. Ways of Engagement; 2. Ways of Knowing; 3. Types of Information; 4. Ways of Affecting; and 5. Ways of Expressing. Subthemes. Future research will include investigating the nuances of these themes and also establishing standardized methods for evaluating them. This would also then inform curricula and therapies to support people in these experiences.

Integrating culture in teaching literary texts and cultural taboos: Foreign language students’ perceptions and attitudes

Literature and culture intimately complement each other. Culture is a vehicle by which literary texts emanate values, social rules and beliefs. The connection between literature and culture must be tackled in foreign language classrooms for the ultimate objective of learning the target civilisation. The current research focuses primarily on the importance of bringing literature and culture into the classroom. The focal points of this paper are to shed lights on which cultures literature tutors ought to focus on, what kind of texts to expose students to, how best to lead teaching and which cultural themes need to be tackled. Classroom observational sessions are used for two academic years 2019–2020 and 2020–2021 with second-year students at Dr. Moulay Tahar University of Saida. The findings reveal that students do not favour texts that have cultural taboos. Thereby, using appropriate and interesting literature in the foreign language classroom would engage and motivate learners, as well as challenge their beliefs. Keywords: Classroom, connection, culture, foreign language students, literature.

KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE AND PRACTICES TOWARDS MENSTRUAL HYGIENE AMONG GOVERNMENT AND PRIVATE SCHOOL GIRLS

Menstruation is a normal physiological process unique to females. Pre-menarche is characterized by physiological, cognitive, and psychological transitions which may be initiated from the midst of their second decade. The onset of puberty/ menstruation in girls tends to change their role in society. Overall inadequate awareness levels accompanied by socio-cultural taboos and prevailing myths and misconceptions about menarche and menstruation have played havoc on human society. Objective: The main objective of the study is to diagnose and compare the prevailing level of knowledge, attitude, and practices of adolescent girls studying in government and private schools towards menstrual hygiene and management. Material & Methods: This Analytical and cross-sectional study was conducted at Government Jouhar Girls High School and Shiblee Grammar School System, Gulberg Branch (private) Faisalabad. A self-administered survey-based questionnaire was developed. Prior formal written approval from school authorities was followed by the pre-planned scheduled visits, explaining the purpose of the study, assuring confidentiality of acquired information, and self-administration of survey-based questionnaires. Results: The results indicated that the mean age at menarches of the girls was 13.69±0.95 years. A relatively more percentage of government (59.6%) school respondents followed by private school respondents (57.1%) had satisfactory knowledge about their age of first menarche (p = 0.806). Motivated by the socio-cultural taboos and /or fear or shame a majority of government (59.6%) and private school respondents (57.1%) had satisfactory knowledge about their age of first menarche (p = 0.806). A strong prevalence of Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) was found in private school girls 87(49.2%) and 21(11.9%), followed by respective percentages of 78(43.8%), 16(9.0%) amongst the government school respondents who recorded their responses as agreed and strongly agreed about the development of reproductive tract infection in the post-menstruation period. As far as the adoption of hygienic practices is concerned a relatively high percentage of government school 28(15.7%) followed by private school 14(7.9%) girls strongly disagreed about changing their absorbent material on daily basis. The development of skin abrasions like rashes, itching, and urinary tract infection was found in a relatively high proportion amongst the government school girls 30(16.9%) followed by private school respondents 18(10.2%) in the post-menstruation period. A most common and alarming unhygienic practice prevalent amongst the government and private school girls was the reuse of absorbent cloth, who responded as agreed and strongly agreed in respective terms as 43(24.2%), 22(12.4%), and 69(39%) and 28(15.8%). Conclusion: The study concluded that the persistent myths, misconceptions, socio-cultural taboos, and unhygienic practices i.e. use of old clothes as absorbent, reuse of absorbent material, and delaying tendency of changing absorbent, amongst the adolescent school girls of government and private institutes which may pose direct adverse health and life quality concerns for the female Pakistani community. The current situation calls for active participatory contributions from education communities to initiate various communication and awareness campaigns regarding pre-menarche knowledge and menstruation management which may aid to strengthen and transform their role as a significant representative of society.

SOCIO-CULTURAL FACTORS AFFECTING FEMALE HIGHER EDUCATION: AN ANALYSIS OF CHITRAL, PAKISTAN

Higher education signifies the social and economic development of states. Higher education helps society excel in various professions and technical sectors. The progress and prosperity of a society primarily depend on education. Women's education holds prominence in the modern world. No society can develop or can sustain its development without educating its women. They make about 50% of the world’s population and their education connotes the development and progress of a society. Chitral is the least populated district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Due to its exceptional and unique social and ethnic diversity the area has an interesting position on the map of the world. The literacy rate in Chitral is higher among women as compared to other parts of KPK but still receiving higher education is very challenging for girls because of social, economic, infrastructural, and administrative inefficiencies. Social taboos and cultural norms have restricted women of different communities inside their homes and engaged them in household chores. Women in Chitral face many obstacles and challenges in receiving higher education. Social misconception about women's education, religious misapprehensions, and cultural taboos, negative perception of co-education, financial constraints, and lack of proper educational institutions are the significant factors that affect women's higher education. The University of Chitral is the only higher education institution established in 2017. There were no other higher educational institutions before the University of Chitral. The university is still not well developed to meet the demands of higher education especially women's education. This paper intends to highlight the status of higher education in Chitral, socio-cultural factors affecting higher education of women, the significance of higher education for women in Chitral, and concludes with recommendations and suggestions for a preferable way forward. The researchers had conducted a field survey in Chitral and the data collected has been used in this paper.

Misconception and effect of Menstruation (Chhaupadi) and Delivery on Women’s Health in Bajura, District Nepal

Background: Chhaupadi is the old unscientific system in mid and far western parts of Nepal. Reproductive age women were considered unclean during the menstrual and delivery period. Invisible cultural taboos and practices were prevailing in each and every household. The objective of the study is to assess the associated factors affecting during Chhaupadi and delivery practice with their health outcome. Method: The cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted amongst 175 reproductive age women in Bajura districts of Nepal, by using multistage random sampling. Both qualitative and quantitative methods was used. All the data were entered in Ms excel and exported into SPSS 16.0. The necessary descriptive and inferential statistics was used for quantitative analysis and thematic analysis was done for qualitative analysis. Results: More than one third (38.9%) of the participants were in the age group 20-29 years. Almost all the participants were from Hindu religion. The majority (91%) of participants know about the Chhaupadi system. Almost (74%) of the participants were staying in the Chhaupadi hut during menstruation. Similarly, (78.3%) of the respondents were mentioned, they did not like the Chhau system and never like to continued. There is a significant association between health effect in women and the Chhaupadi system (p < 0.031). Conclusion: It shows that the larger proportion of women in Bajura District still believes in old unscientific tales and Chhaupadi practices which lead to the different health problems.

Tobacco, Cigarettes, and Women’s Status in Modern China

Cigarette smoking in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) is a highly gendered practice. The vast majority of China’s three hundred million plus smokers are men: in 2016, about 48 percent of men over age 15 were current smokers, but less than 2 percent of women smoked. The stark difference in this pattern of men and women’s smoking behavior is often attributed to lingering cultural taboos against female smoking assumed to have been in place for centuries. In fact, the virtual exclusivity of male smoking in China is of relatively recent vintage, dating only from the mid-1900s. From the 17th to the 19th centuries, smoking was socially acceptable for Chinese women. Granted, there were gendered and class differences in the location of tobacco consumption. Chinese men could smoke in public, but well-mannered women smoked privately out of view. After cigarettes were introduced into China at the end of the 19th century, some women, especially those living in coastal cities, took to smoking them rather than pipe tobacco. In the opening decades of the 20th century, the number of women who smoked cigarettes increased, but this trend was reversed in the 1930s and 1940s. After the establishment of the PRC in 1949, the number of women who smoked diminished even further such that by the 1980s, only a small percentage of women consumed tobacco products of any kind. Many social, economic, and cultural factors contributed to the gendered pattern of smoking that emerged in China over the course of the 20th century. An essential aspect of this history was the transformation in social norms that made cigarette smoking less rather than more respectable for women as time went on. At the beginning of the century, many women were already accustomed to smoking pipe tobacco. Some women, including those who identified as forward-looking “New Women,” preferred cigarettes. However, by mid-century cigarettes came to be widely associated with a stigmatized type of New Woman known as the “Modern Girl.” Portrayed in popular culture and political rhetoric alike as extravagant and sexually promiscuous, the Modern Girl’s pursuit of luxury came to symbolize bourgeois decadence and insufficient national loyalty. These associations came forward into the PRC period and as a result, most women born after 1949 elected not to smoke at all. Major differences in male and female smoking prevalence rates persist because female smoking remains objectionable to many Chinese citizens in the 21st century.