https://ir.vidyasagar.ac.in/jspui/handle/123456789/7036 Sun, 26 Apr 2026 19:43:53 GMT 2026-04-26T19:43:53Z https://ir.vidyasagar.ac.in/jspui/handle/123456789/7060 Title: Existence of Weretigers among the Garos and the Khasis of Meghalaya: A Posthuman Perspective Authors: Chakravorty, Abhishek; Raj, Arpita Abstract: The indigenous communities throughout the world have their own socio-cultural ideologies that always promote their indigenous identities against the hegemonic structure of the mainstream society. In the face of complexities in preserving their indigenous cultural values and practices, they try to cling desperately to their belief-system. Their beliefs transcend the hybridization of mainstream society as reflected in the pages of history. Their attempts to separate themselves from the linear path of history further complicate their indigenous existence. The story of their origin and existence may not coincide with the linear hegemonic community, their myths and rituals may seem to be superstitions and their efforts to preserve them may mark them as backward. But, the philosophies behind their existence tend to resist the impositions and onslaughts of the mainstream ideologies. From that light, attempts can be made to mark the members of the indigenous communities as posthuman figures. Donna Haraway’s posthuman philosophy points towards the concept of cyborg. The cyborg is not just a half man- half machine. It's the core of posthuman existence - a being of both the worlds. The paper will attempt to understand and analyze the beliefs of the Garo and Khasi tribes of North-East India about weretigers- half man- half tiger beings. The weretiger is also a creature belonging to both the worlds- the civilized and the savage. The aim of this paper will be to analyze the psychophilosophical approach of the Khasi and Garo community members towards the weretiger myth vis-à-vis Haraway’s concept of the cyborg, and thus, examine if the indigenous belief assumes a posthuman tint. Description: PP:1-14 Thu, 18 Jan 2024 00:00:00 GMT https://ir.vidyasagar.ac.in/jspui/handle/123456789/7060 2024-01-18T00:00:00Z https://ir.vidyasagar.ac.in/jspui/handle/123456789/7059 Title: Interrogating Folklore and Transculturalism in Amitav Ghosh’s Gun Island Authors: Jana, Aditi Abstract: Amitav Ghosh’s Gun Island remains an exceptional tale where the global and the local continually interact with each other. The writer projects cultural globality with the help of a Bengali myth. The novel examines the contemporary transcultural, transcontinental issues at the backdrop of a grand folktale of Manasa Devi. It rotates around the fourteenth century tale of the Gun Merchant. The transcultural and trans-local pattern of journey is palpable in the legend of the Gun Merchant. I want to examine the discourses of myth and reality proceeding together in Gun Island. The novel represents how today’s world confronting the challenges of human trafficking, climate change, migration of human and non-human beings gets connected to the world of myth, folklore and Bengali belief of the past century. What the narrator experiences is the repetition of the folktale of the by-gone days in the present age. The novelist encapsulates the lives in Calcutta, Sundarbans, New York, and Venice. The narrator Dinanath Datta becomes a globetrotter discovering and solving the mysteries of the Bengali folklore of Bondugi Sadagar and the snake Goddess in a vast transcultural context of immigration. Under the theoretical frameworks of folk and transculturalism, I propose to analyse how Ghosh’s protagonists live in a culturally hybrid world where folktale can pursue one to discover the postmodern realities and global issues on a transcultural and transcontinental space. Description: PP:15-24 Thu, 18 Jan 2024 00:00:00 GMT https://ir.vidyasagar.ac.in/jspui/handle/123456789/7059 2024-01-18T00:00:00Z https://ir.vidyasagar.ac.in/jspui/handle/123456789/7058 Title: Eco-anthropological Approach to Select Lepcha Folklore: A Study Authors: Banerjee, Aishwarya Abstract: Lepcha is a tribe mostly inhabiting the Dzongu Valley in North Sikkim and the Kalimpong district of West Bengal. Lepchas believe their homeland to be Mayel Lyang which means the hidden paradise. Therefore, they are called by the name mutunci rongkup or rumkup which means the precious children of Nature and God. With Kangchenjunga revered as their venerated guardian deity, the Lepchas are the custodians of a mosaic of folklore in the form of myths, legends and fables that have been orally transmitted and are known as lungten sung. The entire complex of the Lepcha folklore is predicated on the belief system that divine essence resides within Nature, thereby associating corporeality with the mountains and the rivers around which they inhabit. This can also be viewed from the perspective of ecological anthropology which can be read as the study of relationships between a population of humans and their biophysical environment. At the wake of the Lepcha movement that was directed against the development of hydropower projects to be built along the river Teesta and its several tributaries, the Lepchas referred to their mythology to prove the ownership of their land. Religious ecology forms the crux of their protest as the river projects will not only herald an environmental desecration but will also defile their sacred space, in turn, endangering their identity. This paper seeks to undertake an ecoanthropological study of select Lepcha folk narratives to find out how the Lepchas reassert their folkloric tradition to preserve their ecosystem and how, in the process, their core indigenous identity merges with the land. Description: PP:25-35 Thu, 18 Jan 2024 00:00:00 GMT https://ir.vidyasagar.ac.in/jspui/handle/123456789/7058 2024-01-18T00:00:00Z https://ir.vidyasagar.ac.in/jspui/handle/123456789/7057 Title: Revealing Anxieties and Insecurities of Different Characters of the Ramayana: A Subversive Reading of the Telegu Folk Song “Lakshmana’s Laugh” Authors: De, Anindita Abstract: The existence of countless versions of the Ramayana reflects its massive cultural influence among the general population as well as its tradition of plurality, which has not only enriched mainstream literature, but also added valuable pearls to the folk tradition of the subcontinent and beyond. The folklores humanise the gods and the so-called grand characters of authoritative versions, concentrate on what was missed out in popular narratives, bring to light different aspects of women’s issues, question Rama’s values, sympathise with Sita’s plight and narrate tales related to her wedding, her relationship with Kaushalya, her bittersweet banters with her sister-in-law, and also prioritise the previously ignored characters like Shambuka, Shanta, Urmila, Surpanakha, delineating interesting tales such as the story of Urmila’s sleep, Surpanakha’s evil ploy for sending Sita to lifelong banishment and so on. Oral songs relating several scattered but significant incidents of the Ramayana are an intrinsic part of the Telegu culture. One such song is "Lakshmana’s Laugh", which, under the pretext of Lakshmana’s sudden bursting into laughter, foregrounds the inner conflicts and insecurities of the socalled virtuous figures in mainstream versions, including gods. The sub-themes of this song include Rama’s characterization as a terrible brother, Urmila’s suppressed sexuality and Lakshmana’s indifference to his wife even after a prolonged separation. This paper uses "Lakshmana’s Laugh" as the primary source and intends to make a comprehensive analysis of the core theme and subthemes of the song to point out how the folk narrators, though not in a radical manner, have subverted the traditional mythmakers who have put these characters (e.g., Shiva, Rama, Hanuman, Vibhishana, Bharata) on a pedestal, suggesting that no one is perfect and how these characters, though aware of their follies and limitations, try their best to conceal them. Description: PP:36-44 Thu, 18 Jan 2024 00:00:00 GMT https://ir.vidyasagar.ac.in/jspui/handle/123456789/7057 2024-01-18T00:00:00Z