People may avoid migrating if they cannot insure themselves against the risk of a bad outcome. Governments can reduce the consumption risk faced by migrants by allowing them to access social protection programs in the destination. This study randomly informed around 62,000 households across 18 Indian states about a new …
South America’s media mogul Edir Macedo is also the region’s most powerful televangelist who presides over one of the world’s fastest-growing and controversial churches, Universal Church of the Kingdom of God. Despite controlling a media empire that includes a TV network, two newspapers and 26 radio stations in Brazil, he …
A month before the chariot festival of Jagannath in Odisha’s Puri town, newspapers in the state published a government advertisement: “Donate phasi timber for chariot construction.” It promised a felicitation certificate to anyone donating timber for making three gigantic chariots. The appeal soon made headlines. With thousands of devotees set …
When patdehri (chief priest) Halu Thanapati, 68, gets possessed, he hastily dives into the badan khaal—the yoni of Goddess Duarseni, the supreme deity of his tribe—as though to suck the rare wisdom that ensures ‘existence’ on earth. The yoni is actually the mouth of a natural tunnel, which is independent …
ELEPHANT owners and festival committees in Kerala have come out openly against the Elephant Task Force’s recommendations to the Central government. Stating that the task force has not taken into consideration the state’s cultural and religious traditions, the Kerala State Elephant Owners’ Federation and the Kerala State Pooram-Perunnal Festival Coordination …
Tango with nature India has been using lakes, ponds and baolis (step wells) since ancient times ('What monsoon means', July 16-31, 2010). Delhi was once replete with water bodies. In the past 50 years, government agencies started disbanding natural ponds, lakes and baolis, declaring their water untested, and therefore, unfit …
The Vrindavan Forest Revival Project, later called the Vrindavan Conservation Project, was launched in 1991 by the World Wide Fund for Nature, to restore ecological order in the region. A study of the project shows certain processes of religious revivalism in environmental politics. The power given to place imagination and …
Idol worship has been in the practice in India since ancient time. In present scenario, metals, ornaments, oily substances, synthetic colours,chemical are used to make polish and decorate idols for worship and when theseidols are immersed our aquatic and surrounding environment get severally affected. Hence, there is urgent need to …
Sacred groves are communally-protected forest fragments with significant religious connotations. These community lands attain significance due to biodiversity conservation and provide ecological services in local landscapes. However, it has often been found that interests related to sacred groves are often concentrated towards the groves with conspicuous presence, i.e. in terms …
The concept of Pancha Yajnya (five scarifies), reflected in Manusmruti such as Rrushi Yajnya (Sacrifices: for the source of Knowledge -Teacher), Deva Yajnya (to the Gods – Environmental powers), Bhoota Yajnya (living creatures), Nrru Yajnya (to men) and Pitru Yajnya (to manes); is aimed to raise eco-consciousness amongst the human …
