RESEARCH REVIEW International Journal of Multidisciplinary
हिंदी में पढ़ें | ગુજરાતી માટે ક્લિક કરો RESEARCH REVIEW International Journal of Multidisciplinary is a double-blind peer-reviewed, open-access academic journal committed to advancing knowledge across a wide spectrum of disciplines through multidisciplinary research. The journal serves as a platform for scholars, practitioners, and researchers from diverse academic backgrounds to publish original and high-quality work that bridges disciplinary boundaries and fosters innovative thinking. The journal welcomes submissions in multiple languages — English, Hindi, and Gujarati — to promote inclusive academic communication and support linguistic diversity in global scholarship. Journal Information Journal Start Year: January 2016 Journal Title: RESEARCH REVIEW International Journal of Multidisciplinary ISSN (Online): 2455-3085 Impact Factor: 6.93 Crossref DOI: 10.31305/rrijm Frequency of Publication: Monthly (12 Issues per Year) Languages: English, Hindi, Gujarati Accessibility: Open Access Peer Review Process: Double Blind Peer Review Subject Coverage: Multidisciplinary Plagiarism Checker: Turnitin (Licensed) Publication Format: Online Article Acceptance Rate: 18% – 29% Contact Details Contact No.: +91-99784 40833 Email: editor@rrjournals.com Old Website: https://old.rrjournals.com/ New Website: https://rrjournals.com/ Address: 15, Kalyan Nagar, Shahpur, Ahmedabad, Gujarat – 380001 Key Features of RRIJM Journal was listed in UGC with Journal No. 44945 (Till 14-06-2019) Journal publishes online every month Online article submission system Standard double-blind peer review process
A Synthesis of Brand Awareness in Kerala’s Commercial Banks: Assessing the Effect of Demographic profile of customers and Organisational Attributes
In the modern financial landscape, to differentiate banks effective strategic brand management is crucial to maintain a competitive edge in saturated markets. This study examines brand awareness in Kerala's commercial banking sector, focusing on customer perceptions. Through a cross-comparison analysis of demographic variables and organizational attributes, the research reveals that Kerala’s banks have a satisfactory level of brand knowledge and there is significant potential to enhance loyalty. The perception of brand equity varies with demographic profiles and organizational attributes, highlighting the need for financial institutions to adopt targeted, demographic-specific branding strategies to improve market effectiveness.
The Impact of Artificial Intelligence–Driven Recruitment on Employee Performance and Retention
Identification, attraction, and selection of candidates for employment inside an organization is known as recruitment. This process entails a strategic approach that is in line with the organization's objectives and culture; it is not only about filling positions. AI is often linked to efficiency and automation, its real potential in change management is in addressing the human aspect of transition. The stakes are bigger than ever for HR directors, talent acquisition managers, and people operations teams as the workplace rapidly changes. The goal of the current study is to shed light on how businesses might use artificial intelligence in hiring and selection to promote long-term employee retention, improve employee performance, and make better hiring decision. For the purpose of the study, a self-designed questionnaire was developed and distributed among employees working across different sectors and professions to collect relevant primary data. Correlation was used in the study shows that there is a direct relationship between employee performance and retention levels and use of AI in hiring process.
Cyber Risk Preparedness of Kerala Bank: An Assessment of Policies, Practices, and Response Mechanisms
The rapid expansion of digital banking services has increased exposure to cyber risks, particularly for cooperative banks such as Kerala Bank. This study examines the cyber risk preparedness of Kerala Bank by assessing its digital policy frameworks, operational practices, and response mechanisms. The study is descriptive and analytical in nature, utilizing secondary data from institutional performance reports, government publications, and industry-level cybersecurity audits. Statistical analysis, including correlation, was conducted to evaluate the relationship between policy strength, response efficiency, and outcomes such as digital risk reduction, customer trust, and worker welfare. Results indicate a strong positive relationship between robust cyber policies and digital risk reduction, while effective response mechanisms are moderately correlated with enhanced customer trust and improved employee welfare. The findings support the hypothesis that advanced cyber policies and structured response systems significantly enhance digital resilience and operational stability. The study underscores the importance of continuous policy improvement, proactive incident management, and employee training in achieving comprehensive cyber preparedness in cooperative banking institutions.
Fintech Adoption in Banking: A Study of Customer Awareness, Satisfaction, and Usage Drivers in Thrissur District
Due to the rapid digital transformation of the banking industry, Financial Technology (FinTech) is now the driving force behind developing efficient, accessible, and customer-oriented ways to interact with financial service providers. With the introduction of services like digital payments, mobile banking, and automated platforms, it has changed how customers interact with banks. However, these services are not universally well-understood or utilized by all customers. Therefore, the objective of this research is to analyse customer awareness, satisfaction levels, and usage drivers for FinTech among bank customers in Thrissur District, Kerala. The research utilized primary data collected from 150 respondents using a descriptive and analytical approach. For data analysis, percentage and Likert scale analyses, as well as ranking methods, were used. The results suggest that a substantial number of respondents have a high level of awareness of and regularly utilize the basic services offered through FinTech, most commonly mobile and internet banking. Convenience, time savings, and the speed with which transactions can be completed were identified as the most significant drivers of customers' decisions to adopt FinTech services, while security concerns, lack of digital literacy, and the need for customer support were identified as the biggest obstacles to FinTech adoption. The findings also provide banks with valuable information about how to improve their digital service quality and promote greater financial inclusion through better service delivery.
A Study on Hybrid Work Models and Their Influence on Employee Productivity in the IT Sector
This research investigates the influence of the hybrid work environment on productivity of employee and work outcomes. As flexible work arrangements become more prevalent, firms must comprehend how elements such as location flexibility, technical assistance, communication efficacy, inclusivity, and work–life balance affect employees. The investigator employed an exploratory research approach for the investigation. The study's sample comprised 102 employees occupying various positions within IT organizations. The primary data used in this study were gathered using a five-point Likert scale in a structured questionnaire. The secondary data were gathered through articles, websites, and journals etc. Multiple regression analysis was employed to evaluate the hypothesis. The results indicate that all aspects of the hybrid work environment positively correlate with employee outcomes, with work life balance identified as the most significant predictor. This suggests that individuals exhibit enhanced performance when hybrid rules facilitate a balance between personal and professional responsibilities.
Destination Marketing and Tourist Engagement: A Case Study of Thrissur Pooram as a Cultural Tourism Attraction in Kerala
Thrissur Pooram, one of Kerala’s most celebrated cultural festivals, serves as an important tool for destination marketing and tourism promotion. This study investigates the level of awareness and interest in Thrissur Pooram among non-Keralites and foreigners, the sources through which tourists learn about the festival, and perceptions regarding its promotion at national and international levels. Using surveys and secondary data, the research examines how tourists engage with the festival, the role of social media, word of mouth, and formal tourism campaigns in shaping awareness, and the potential of Thrissur Pooram to attract visitors. Findings reveal that while interest in visiting the festival is high, awareness among foreigners is comparatively low, and formal tourism promotions have limited reach. Word of mouth remains the primary source of information, and social media contributes moderately. The study concludes that Thrissur Pooram has strong potential as a destination-marketing asset, and targeted promotional strategies, enhanced social media engagement, and broader national and international marketing can further increase tourist awareness, visitation, and engagement. These insights provide practical recommendations for tourism planners and marketers to strengthen festival-based destination marketing strategies.
The Marital Shield: Reconsidering the Boundaries of Consent and Constitutional Equality Under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita
This paper traces the evolution of the marital rape exception in criminal law, from the “Indian Penal Code, 1860 to the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (BNS),” and examines how the exception has been carried forward with only a change to the applicable age threshold. Although non-consensual sexual conduct within marriage is increasingly recognised as a form of intimate-partner violence, Indian criminal law continues to withhold from married women the fortification against sexual ferocity that it extends to unmarried women, and the civil remedy available under the “Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005 (PWDVA)” does not fill this gap. The partial intervention of the Supreme Court in Independent Thought v. Union of India and the split verdict in RIT Foundation v. Union of India have left the constitutional status of the exception unresolved. Adopting a doctrinal method, the paper examines the IPC, the BNS, the PWDVA, the “Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO),” and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023 (“BSA”), alongside relevant judicial precedent and comparative frameworks. “It argues that the exception is arbitrary and discriminatory under Articles 14, 15 and 21 of the Constitution, drawing on Joseph Shine v. Union of India and Justice K.S. Puttaswamy v. Union of India.” The paper also engages with the principal objections to criminalisation, the risk of procedural misuse analogous to Section 498A IPC, evidentiary difficulty under the BSA, and Parliament’s deliberate departure from the recommendations of the Justice Verma Committee (2013) and highlights the resulting incoherence between the PWDVA, which treats non-consensual marital intercourse as “sexual abuse”, and the BNS, which does not treat it as a crime. It concludes that the exception for matrimonial rape under Section 63 of the BNS is unconstitutional and recommends its repeal, together with the procedural safeguards necessary to align Indian law with international human-rights norms and constitutional guarantees.
Sudha Murthy Literary legacy; Influence and Impact on English Literature
Sudha Murthy is one of the most respected contemporary Indian writers who has contributed significantly to Indian English literature through her simple, value-based, and socially conscious writings. Her literary works reflect Indian culture, moral philosophy, human relationships, and social realities. This abstract examines her literary legacy, influence, and overall impact on English literature with special reference to her narrative style, themes, readership, and contribution to children’s literature and social awareness. Sudha Murthy’s writing is known for its simplicity and clarity. She uses easy language and short sentences, which makes her works accessible to readers of all age groups. Unlike many modern writers who focus on complex narrative techniques, she prefers direct storytelling. Her language bridges the gap between elite English literature and common readers. Because of this quality, English literature becomes more democratic and inclusive. Students, beginners, and non-native English readers can easily understand her works. Thus, she expands the readership of English literature in India. Her literary legacy is deeply connected with Indian values and traditions. She presents stories rooted in everyday life. Her characters often come from middle-class families, rural communities, or ordinary social backgrounds. Through these characters, she explores universal human emotions such as love, kindness, honesty, sacrifice, and compassion. Her stories show that literature does not always need extraordinary heroes; ordinary people can also inspire society. This humanistic approach strengthens the moral dimension of English literature. One important aspect of Sudha Murthy’s contribution is her focus on social realism. She writes about poverty, education, gender inequality, social discrimination, and ethical responsibility. Her narratives reveal real social problems but also offer hope and solutions. She does not criticize society harshly; instead, she encourages positive change through empathy and understanding. In this way, her literature performs a social function. English literature becomes a medium for awareness, reform, and moral reflection. Women empowerment is another significant theme in her writings. Many of her female characters are strong, independent, and morally courageous. She highlights the struggles faced by women in traditional societies while also showing their resilience and inner strength. Her portrayal of women contributes to feminist discourse in Indian English literature. However, her feminism is practical and culturally grounded. She promotes equality, education, and self-respect rather than confrontation. This balanced perspective attracts readers from diverse social backgrounds. Sudha Murthy’s contribution to children’s literature is especially remarkable. She writes stories that combine entertainment with ethical learning. Her children’s books introduce moral lessons through engaging narratives rather than direct preaching. Young readers learn values such as honesty, kindness, respect for elders, and social responsibility. By writing children’s literature in English with Indian cultural contexts, she creates a bridge between traditional storytelling and modern education. Her works help develop reading habits among children and strengthen moral imagination. Her narrative technique also reflects oral storytelling traditions. Many of her stories resemble stories told by grandparents or community elders. This storytelling style creates emotional intimacy between writer and reader. The reader feels connected to the characters and situations. Such narrative warmth distinguishes her works from purely experimental or theoretical literature. She proves that emotional sincerity can be as powerful as literary innovation.
Material Culture as Subaltern Resistance in Paradise by Abdulrazak Gurnah
This paper argues that Abdulrazak Gurnah’s Paradise employs depictions of material culture as a sophisticated mode of subaltern resistance against encroaching colonial power in East Africa. Through close textual analysis, it demonstrates how Gurnah transforms everyday objects and practices, like gardens, trade networks, religious artefacts, and bodily adornment, into potent sites of cultural preservation and political contestation. Cultivated spaces, described as containing “palms and orange trees, and even pomegranates,” directly challenge colonial narratives of “empty” land. Trade is portrayed not as primitive economics but as essential cultural continuity, countering colonial denigration. Objects like the “brownstone rosary” and theological concepts become repositories of alternative epistemologies resisting colonial dominance. By examining characters like Yusuf navigating hierarchies through material practices rather than overt politics, the study reveals how subaltern communities articulate resistance through the fabric of daily life. It concludes that Gurnah presents resistance operating beneath colonial recognition, positioning paradise not just as theology, but as a material reality constructed through persistent cultural practice, offering a nuanced contribution to postcolonial studies.
Climate Change, Extreme Rainfall and Increasing Landslide Hazard in the Himalayas
This paper assesses the impact of changing rainfall characteristics and extreme precipitation on changing landslide hazards in the Uttarakhand Himalaya using secondary, quantitative synthesis of recent, validated studies. Long term analysis of rainfall in Nainital (2000–2021) shows increasing rainfall, though this trend is not statistically significant, with a Sen's slope of +4.558 mm yr⁻¹, and a significant increase in the number of wet days. The event in October 2021 recorded about 270 mm of rainfall on 18-19 October and caused widespread flooding and landslides. In 2020-2021, across Uttarakhand, thirty significant cloudburst events were recorded, seventeen of them in 2021. Independent field evidence along the NH-7 corridor of Rishikesh–Joshimath following the extreme 2022 rainfall documented 309 landslides along the 247 km road section, or at a rate of 1.25 km landslides/km. Of these, about 80% occurred after January 2022 and approximately 30% of this group were reactivated landslides. A Bayesian point process model yielded an AUC of 0.79 (95% bootstrap CI of 0.76 – 0.82) and identified rainfall, slope, lithology and road widening as credible controls. The research from Garhwal even further supports this, stating that about 0.45 – 0.50 mm/hr sustained over a period of 48 hours and about 80 mm of rainfall over a period of 15 days can lead to shallow failures. The available data shows increasing hydro-meteorological stress, but a simple attribution of landslides to climate is not justified. Landslide hazard is caused by extreme rainfall, fragile geology, wet antecedent conditions, slope, and construction.
Underused Perceptivity and Constraints in Adoption of Artificial Intelligence in Disbursement of Loans and Advances: A Conceptual Approach in the Kerala Banking Industry
The financial services sector has undergone a transformation thanks to the quick development of AI technologies, which present new chances to improve customer service, streamline risk management procedures, and improve banking operations. In light of this, this article investigates the underutilized application of artificial intelligence (AI) in Kerala's banking industry for loan and advance disbursement. To collect and evaluate pertinent data, this study uses an exploratory qualitative research methodology. Keyword-based searches using Google Scholar, Google Search, and AI-powered GPT models are used to find the information. During collection, the data is methodically examined and interpreted in accordance with the goals of the study. The study is to estimate future trends and opportunities, examine stakeholder viewpoints, assess market positioning, and identify important variables influencing current practices. In summary, the paper aims to offer practical insights and strategic recommendations for investors, financial institutions, and regulators to successfully manage and harness technology innovations, promoting resilience and sustained growth within India's changing banking sector. The purpose of this conceptual paper on secondary data is to provide a thorough knowledge of the aforementioned phenomenon and its underutilized perceptual dimensions of AI to improve efficiency, lower risks, and streamline operations. The application of AI in the banking sector in Kerala is still underutilized.
Influence of Referrals on the Adoption of Unsecured Mobile Applications Among Youth
This study looks at how young people in Kerala balance the trust they have in their friends against the security risks of downloading "unsecured" mobile apps. Even though we hear about mobile scams and data leaks every day, this research uses a perception-based approach to figure out why these high-risk apps still spread so fast through referral links. By analysing data from 116 young users through IBM SPSS, I found that while people say they are worried about security, it doesn't actually stop them from installing an app. The analysis shows that Peer Trust and Financial Rewards are the real reasons people join, essentially making the perceived risk feel unimportant. Most importantly, the results prove that users rely on "Trust Transfer"—basically trusting an app just because a friend sent the link. According to this research, we need to address this "Privacy Paradox" through better digital awareness, as it is vital for protecting young users in today’s referral-heavy digital market.
Economic Stratification in India: Insights from Kerala on Perceptions, Causes, and Policy Interventions
This study examines how the working class in India, especially in Kerala, perceives economic class differentiation and its impact on their lives. Despite macroeconomic numbers projecting India's growth story, this study adopts a perception-driven approach to relate aggregate numbers with the real economy. An analysis of primary data collected from 120 working people using IBM SPSS reveals that concentration of wealth is recognized by everyone irrespective of their social category or income level. Analysis of the factors that play a role suggests institutional incompetency and day to day cost of living pressure is the main reason for the perceived gap. Importantly, the results show that the public overwhelmingly endorses progressive taxes and a shift to solely income-based welfare. According to the research, the perceived inequality should be addressed as it is necessary to maintain the social contract and democracy in a modernizing economy.
Crisis and Survival in Midnapore: Bengal Famine of 1943 through the lens of Weekly Nihar
The Bengal Famine of 1943 is largely seen as a man-made disaster that occurred under British colonial rule, in which about three million people died from starvation, malnutrition, and epidemic diseases. However, this was not solely due to a food shortage but rather to wartime policy, administrative failures, and economic distress. This study offers a historical understanding of the devastating Bengal Famine of 1943, focusing on the acute experience and aftermath in the Midnapore district through the lens of weekly Nihar. It also critically examines important regional and national newspapers from 1942-1945, bringing together government relief and eyewitness accounts in the context of colonial rule and wartime. Contemporary journalistic records reveal discrepancies between the reality of the famine in Midnapore and public representation. Journalistic reports by the local newspaper Nihar established a connection between the 1942 Midnapore cyclone and the subsequent food crisis.
Gendered Organisations and the Construction of Militarised Masculinity in Gunjan Saxena’s The Kargil Girl (2020)
Women’s entry into military institutions has often been portrayed through similar ideas of empowerment, national service, and individual achievement. Such narratives, however, can overlook the gendered structures within which women negotiate their occupational legitimacy and institutional authority. This paper examines Gunjan Saxena and Kiran Nirvan’s The Kargil Girl (2020) as a contemporary Indian military life narrative that constructs female military identity within a historically masculinised institutional space. Drawing primarily on Joan Acker’s theory of gendered organisations, the paper argues that The Kargil Girl challenges the notion of women’s empowerment as a linear or uncomplicated process. Instead, it reveals the ways in which gender, organisational authority, military discipline, and professional legitimacy remain closely connected.
Relevance of the Nath Tradition in the Present Time
The Nath tradition is an ancient religious sect that emerged during a period when social evils and malpractices had increased considerably in society. Whenever a society passes through a crisis in its social system, there is a need for a leader or a saint who can guide society in the right direction. Indian society today is once again facing many of the same problems that existed centuries ago. Therefore, the relevance and need for the Nath tradition have increased in the present time. Through the principles of yoga and social harmony, the Nath tradition can contribute to bringing positive changes in society and promoting social cohesion. Abstract in Hindi Language: नाथ पंथ एक प्राचीन संप्रदाय है जो तत्कालीन समय में जब सामाजिक कुरीतिया बढ़ गई थी नाथ पंथ की उद्भव हुआ था|| जब भी कोई समाज अपने सामाजिक व्यवस्था के संकट के दौर से गुजरता है तो तो उस समय एक नायक की जरूरत होती है एक संत की जरूरत होती है जो उस समाज को सही दिशा में ले जाए| आज का जो भारतीय समाज है जहां फिर वही समस्या उत्पन्न हो गई है जो सदियों पहले थी| इस कारण नाथ पंथ की आवश्यकता बढ़ गई है जो अपने योग, सामाजिक समरसता से समाज में बदलाव लाए| Keywords: नाथपंथ, सामाजिक कुरीतियाँ, सामाजिक व्यवस्था, योग, सामाजिक समरसता
Controlled Opium Poppy Cultivation: A Comparative and Policy-Oriented Study of the Balance between Farmers' Economic Advancement and Pharmaceutical Requirements
Background: Opium poppy (Papaver somniferum L.) occupies a uniquely dual position in economic, medicinal, social, and legal terms. Its alkaloids, particularly morphine and codeine, are indispensable to modern pain-management medicine, yet uncontrolled cultivation and diversion are linked to dependence, overdose, and broader public-health harm. This duality means opium cultivation cannot be treated simply as a narcotic crop or simply as a beneficial pharmaceutical crop. Objective: This study comparatively examines global models of opium poppy cultivation — India's licence-based regulated system and the largely illicit production economies of Afghanistan and Myanmar — to assess the effects of cultivation on farm income, rural economies, pharmaceutical supply, and public health, and to propose a controlled, evidence-based policy model. Methods: The study adopts a qualitative, comparative policy-analysis design based on secondary data. Sources include the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB), the World Health Organization (WHO), India's Central Bureau of Narcotics (CBN), the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act 1985, and peer-reviewed literature. Ten comparative indicators — cultivation area, production, farm income, legal status, government control, pharmaceutical use, public-health impact, socio-economic conditions, and policy outcomes — were used to structure the cross-country analysis. Findings: Opium can generate substantially higher per-hectare returns than staple food crops; in Afghanistan, opium income has been reported at roughly US$10,000 per hectare against approximately US$770 per hectare for wheat (UNODC, 2023). However, high crop profitability has not translated into sustainable rural development in Afghanistan or Myanmar, where poverty, indebtedness, conflict, and illicit trafficking persist alongside large opium economies. India's licence-based system — combining licensing, designated cultivation tracts, government supervision, and authorised procurement — demonstrates that controlled cultivation is an operationally viable alternative to both prohibition and open commercial cultivation. No credible evidence supports a causal link between opium cultivation and reduced prevalence of neurological disease in surrounding populations; this claim is explicitly rejected in the present analysis. Conclusion: Opium poppy cultivation should not be liberalised as an ordinary commercial crop. Where policy expansion is considered, it should proceed only under a limited and controlled model anchored in demonstrated pharmaceutical need, farmer registration, digital traceability, scientific area selection, government procurement, and continuous public-health monitoring.
The Mirror and the Mask: Feminist Discourses and the Cultural Representation of Women in India
This article examines the cultural representation of women in contemporary India through the metaphor of the “mirror” and the “mask.” The mirror denotes the capacity of cultural texts to reflect social relations, while the mask refers to their capacity to naturalise, simplify, or conceal unequal relations of gender, caste, class, religion, sexuality, and domestic power. Using a qualitative interpretive design, the study applies feminist critical discourse analysis to a purposive corpus of films and advertising campaigns that generated significant debate around gender: Thappad (2020), The Great Indian Kitchen (2021), Kabir Singh (2019), Ariel’s #ShareTheLoad campaign, Tanishq’s Ekatvam advertisement (2020), and Dove’s Real Beauty campaign. The analysis is informed by intersectionality, postcolonial feminism, Dalit feminist standpoint theory, and feminist media studies. It identifies four recurrent processes: the normalisation of female endurance; the construction of women as moral guardians of family and community; the commodification and disciplining of the female body; and the emergence of counter-narratives centred on consent, dignity, domestic labour, mobility, and selfhood. The findings suggest that contemporary cultural production is neither uniformly patriarchal nor straightforwardly emancipatory. Progressive representations can disrupt dominant gender scripts, yet they may also remain limited by commercial logics and insufficient attention to caste, religion, region, sexuality, and other axes of inequality. The article argues for an intersectional sociology of representation that evaluates not only whether women are visible, but also which women become visible, under what conditions, through whose gaze, and with what forms of agency.
Teacher, Teacher Education and Pedagogic Responsibility
This study provides a comprehensive investigation into the evolving structural matrix connecting the contemporary teacher, systems of teacher education, and the fundamental concept of pedagogic responsibility. Positioned within the dynamic structural changes of twenty-first-century education most notably defined by India’s National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the global expansion of artificial intelligence—the research examines how teacher identity, professional ethics, and classroom practice are being fundamentally reconfigured. Utilizing an interdisciplinary approach that integrates historical policy analysis, theoretical tracking of cognitive models, and socio-philosophical critiques, this paper outlines how teacher education frameworks must transition from mechanical, instrumental skill-building toward reflective, values-oriented, and human-centered pedagogies. The analysis underscores that pedagogic responsibility is not a static set of rules but a dynamic commitment spanning ethical, academic, social, inclusive, and emotional dimensions. Ultimately, this study offers actionable systemic strategies for curriculum reform, continuous professional development, and the ethical integration of digital tools, ensuring that educators remain equipped to foster equitable, democratic, and deeply humanized learning ecologies.
Leadership in Higher Education: Challenges and Innovations
The landscape of global higher education is undergoing a profound paradigm shift driven by rapid technological advancements, fiscal volatility, demographic mutations, and shifting sociopolitical expectations. This study comprehensively examines the evolving nature of academic leadership, exploring the critical tension between traditional bureaucratic university governance and the emergent demand for agile, innovative, and resilient leadership models. Employing a comprehensive literature review and conceptual synthesis methodology, this paper maps the contemporary higher education ecosystem. It identifies multi-layered challenges across distinct domains, specifically focusing on governance, financial sustainability, digital and artificial intelligence integration, academic quality assurance, human capital management, and student well-being. Concurrently, the study highlights critical innovations in leadership, including data-driven dashboard governance, distributed and shared leadership structures, inclusive equity frameworks, and the institutionalization of sustainability aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The main findings indicate that standard, top-down bureaucratic models are no longer sufficient to navigate the complexities of twenty-first-century universities. Instead, future-ready institutions require an architectural shift toward transformational, digital, and adaptive leadership styles. This paper concludes that cultivating strategic, emotionally intelligent, and digitally competent academic leaders is an existential necessity, offering actionable recommendations for administrators, regulatory agencies, and policymakers to foster collaborative ecosystems capable of driving institutional excellence, economic relevance, and social justice in an increasingly fragmented global landscape.
Multidimensional Poverty in Rural Jammu and Kashmir: An Empirical Assessment of Ramban and Kupwara Districts
This study is an attempt to review the multidimensional poverty in selected rural areas of Ramban and Kupwara districts of Jammu and Kashmir. The study examines deprivation at the household level, employing the Alkire-Foster methodology that involves the incidence, intensity and structure of household deprivation. The results indicate significant spatial differences with Ahdwa and Chanderkoote having higher poverty rates and Ghusi having higher poverty intensity. Three key contributors to deprivation are: economic insecurity, lack of social security and bad living conditions. Employment, health insurance, cooking fuel, asset ownership, and sanitation are some of the deprivation indicators. The study underlines the importance of policy interventions that are designed for specific regions and have multiple dimensions in order to support inclusive and sustainable rural development.
Yes, The Subaltern Can Speak: Draupadi/ Dopdi's Body, An Embodiment of Power in Mahasweta Devi's Short Story, "Draupadi"
Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak in her essay, entitled "Can the Subaltern Speak?" draws the conclusion almost pessimistically that the subaltern can nowhere be found to speak in their own voice to ventilate their views. Nowhere they are found to be acting as an entity or as an agency. Rather instead of speaking on their own about themselves, they are rather spoken about by the First World academic scholars, In the short story, "Draupadi” produced by Mahasweta Devi there is an attempt to redress the wrongs and injustices perpetrated on the powerless and voiceless subaltern in the central character named Draupai/ Dopdi Mehjen. This paper examines how she invests Dopdi's body with power, voice and narrative to subvert the mythical timid Draupadi in ‘Vastraharan episode’ of the Classical epic, the Mahabharata. Devi deviates from the classical epic that legitimizes the authority of the patriarch and inverts the sexual and textual politics deeply embedded in male aggressive and chauvinistic attitude. In fine, this paper comes as a rejoinder to the pessimistic question raised by Spivak herself once.
Modi's Energy Diplomacy: Transforming India's Position in Global Hydrocarbon Markets
India's emergence as the world's third-largest energy consumer and its status as a net importer of approximately 85 percent of its crude oil requirements place energy security at the very heart of its foreign policy imperatives. However, the present prime minister, Narendra Modi, has adopted a highly proactive and strategically oriented policy approach to energy diplomacy that is very different from that of earlier governments which had relied on a more relationship-based policy. It highlights the various facets of Modi's energy diplomacy in the global hydrocarbon markets, including the diversification of crude oil import sources, leveraging India's buying power in a changing energy market, acquisition of overseas hydrocarbon assets, energy diplomacy of discounted Russian crude oil imports since 2022, India's engagement with OPEC+ countries, development of strategic petroleum reserves and at the same time, energy diplomacy of renewable energy as a complement to hydrocarbon diplomacy. The paper presents evidence from official policy pronouncements, IEA data and scholarly literature to demonstrate how the Modi government has strategically shifted the Indian energy paradigm from a passive price taker to one that is far more assertive in shaping global energy geopolitics. Yet, structural weaknesses, such as smaller refining capacity for non-Middle Eastern grades, reliance on the USD for oil trading and the dichotomy between fossil fuel reliance and climate pledges, remain to throttle India's energy strategic autonomy.
A Marxist Reading of In the Name of Honor by Mukhtar Mai
The memoir In the Name of Honour (2006) by Mukhtar Mai recounts her traumatized experience of gang rape in rural Pakistan and her subsequent search to find justice but it must be seen as more than a personal story of violence. Her narrative reveals the interplay of feudal patriarchy, hierarchy of classes and collusion of the state to contribute to maintaining the oppression. One of the Marxist approaches emphasizes the assumption that the bodies of women are the spaces of material and symbolic dominance and that honour is the instrument of ideology in order to perpetuate the domination of the elites. The Marxist and feminist theoretical perspectives are approached to the experience of Mai in this paper, and the emphasis is on the interaction between economic and patriarchal oppression and political repression. It examines gendered violence as a form of control in the society as well as the influence of the feudal elites, state institutions and the culture. This increases the submissiveness of the classes and even sexes. At the same time, the paper points to the resistance of Mai - her decision to advertise, to seek justice, to construct educational facilities - as a revolutionary kind of practice, which confronts the structures of oppression, which are deeply ingrained. By the close of it all, her memoir is not only a survival but it is also a highly critical examination of how power is dramatized, just as personal positions can become political positions and how individual efforts can be collectivized.
Ancient texts speak of " MAYA " as a depiction of illusion. In everyday life, we hear and see many events. We undergo many experiences. We try to comprehend reality based on these and build hasty understandings. But they mislead us to erroneous conclusions because we are shielded from reality by the cloud of illusion. Literally, all our understandings are clouded by mundane mismatch. These so-called substitutes for reality drive us into contracting illusions that cloud our perceptions through seeing, hearing, knowing, feeling, experiencing and comprehending. Discovering truths helps us to overcome illusions. Uncovering illusions is the ability to understand reality from bundles of fakes, even when far from it. Literally, all of us perceive illusions to varying degrees, wholly, some partly and some in some instances and few in many or all instances. These illusions amount to creating blindness because they present only masked truths. It contributes to a total or partial blindness to truth and inability to think rationally. Fear, Anger, Jealousy, Suspicion, Sorrow, and Greed are momentary impulses, manifested in varying degrees depending on the intensity of involvement, that constantly interact with Time, Place, Person, Object, Action, and Context to trigger distortions in our vision of the social world, leading to the generation of illusions. An alternate template views life-reality as represented by one's own ‘Self ‘at the epicentre of a symbolic notional framework built of Love, Lust, Duty and Devotion around it, and Sincerity, Control, Responsibility and Respect reinforcing it. Here, the attempt is to demystify illusions by reconstructing a matrix of the human mindset and conceptualising a matrix of illusion, to examine how they are interconnected.
Artificial Intelligence and Human Values: An Interdisciplinary Exploration
The rapid and profound transformation of society brought about by Artificial Intelligence (AI) raises critical and complex questions concerning its alignment with core human values and ethical principles. This article thoroughly examines the intricate relationship between the development of AI technologies and the ethical imperatives necessary to guide the creation of human-centered AI systems. Emphasizing the importance of embedding human values—such as fairness, transparency, privacy, and accountability—within AI frameworks, the study highlights how such integration is essential to ensure AI drives positive societal impacts while effectively minimizing associated risks and potential harms. This research underscores the urgent need for ethical reflection and proactive design strategies in AI development to safeguard human dignity and promote equitable outcomes.
Status of Digital Preservation of Manuscripts and Rare Books: A Case Study of Nava Nalanda Mahavihara University, Bihar
With the advancement of digital technologies, libraries are shifting from physical to digital resources. Manuscripts are essential primary sources for our historical legacy. The aim of this article is to identify the status, online accessibility, and methods used in the digital preservation of the manuscripts and rare collections of Nava Nalanda Mahavihara University, Bihar. This paper discusses how to preserve manuscripts and rare books for future generations through government initiatives such as the National Mission for Manuscripts (NNM) and the Gyan Bharatam Mission. This paper used both quantitative and qualitative methods, including a questionnaire and the institute's official website. The Nava Nalanda Mahavihara was a Manuscripts Conservation Centre and functioned under the aegis of the NMM, New Delhi, for the preservation and conservation of these manuscripts, as required. Currently, the Nava Nalanda Mahavihara has been designated as the Manuscripts Cluster Centre by the Gyan Bharatam Mission, Ministry of Culture, GOI, to preserve and digitise manuscripts for future generations and safeguard our cultural heritage. The Gyan Bharatam Mission, which works under the Union Culture Ministry, signed memorandums of understanding with approximately 20 institutions nationwide.
Integrating Cooperative Learning Strategies in Teaching Creative Writing to Engineering Students: A Mixed-Methods Study
Creative writing is increasingly relevant in engineering education because it develops linguistic competence, imagination, critical thinking, empathy, collaboration, and the ability to communicate ideas effectively. However, engineering students frequently perceive writing as an individual linguistic exercise rather than a creative and collaborative process. Conventional teacher-centred approaches may provide limited opportunities for interaction, peer learning, idea generation, and collaborative revision. The present study investigates the effectiveness of integrating cooperative learning strategies into the teaching of creative writing to engineering students. A mixed-methods research design was adopted to examine changes in students’ creative writing performance and their perceptions of cooperative learning. For the illustrative research model presented in this paper, 60 first-year engineering students participated in a six-week instructional intervention. Students worked in heterogeneous cooperative groups and participated in brainstorming, think-pair-share, collaborative story construction, peer feedback, group editing, and reflective activities. Pre- and post-intervention creative writing tasks were evaluated using a rubric covering content and originality, organization, vocabulary and language use, creativity, and coherence. Quantitative findings from the illustrative dataset indicate an improvement in mean writing scores from 61.8 in the pre-test to 76.9 in the post-test. Qualitative evidence from student reflections and focus-group interactions suggests that cooperative learning supported idea generation, reduced writing anxiety, strengthened peer interaction, and encouraged students to revise their writing more critically. The paper argues that structured cooperative learning can transform creative writing instruction for engineering students from an individual language exercise into an interactive process of generating, negotiating, drafting, reviewing, and refining ideas.
US–China Relations through the Prism of the Thucydides Trap
In the twenty-first century, the incredible rise of China is altering the landscape of the world, both politically as well as economically. The economic miracle of China has transformed it from an agricultural society to a highly advanced industrial one. If the 20th century belonged to the USA, many policymakers across the world predict that the 21st century will be a 'Chinese Century'. The rapid growth of China's economy, in turn, has catapulted China to a position where it has become one of the most powerful and influential powers of the world. However, with increasing power and resources, China has now become more aggressive and assertive in its approach, which has alienated its neighbours and aroused suspicion about its “peaceful rise” throughout the world. In this connection, this paper attempts to examine and analyse the nature of China’s rise, whether it would be peaceful or threat to the regional peace and stability. It also tries to explain whether the USA and China would be able to avoid the ‘Thucydides Trap’. This paper concludes that China’s rise is likely to intensify strategic competition with the USA and increase concerns regarding regional security and the existing international order. While China’s increasing strength may encourage greater regional assertiveness and competition with the USA, such rivalry does not necessarily make the ‘Thucydides Trap’ inevitable. The future trajectory of US-China relations will depend significantly on how both powers manage strategic competition, crises, and changes in the distribution of global power.
Social and Institutional Factors Determining the Functioning of the Canal Irrigation System – A Study on Sathanur Canal Irrigation in Tiruvannamalai District, Tamil Nadu
These serve as vital irrigation sources for agriculture while also functioning as reservoirs with significant economic, social, aesthetic, and environmental utility. This article examines the water resource management practices within the Sathanur Canal irrigation area in the Tiruvannamalai district. Irrigation management enhances equity and water-use efficiency in agriculture while also improving the socio-economic status of farmers. This view has been confirmed through interviews conducted with farmers, members of water users' associations, and irrigation department officials. This article successfully utilises farmers' opinions and perspectives to shed light on the level of awareness regarding the irrigation management activities and performance of Water Users Associations.