M Des Project Reportshttp://drsr.daiict.ac.in//handle/123456789/362024-01-02T22:53:41Z2024-01-02T22:53:41ZO laal meri : jhulelal and the Sindhi identityBinwani, Pranjalihttp://drsr.daiict.ac.in//handle/123456789/10062023-02-23T12:04:21Z2020-01-01T00:00:00ZO laal meri : jhulelal and the Sindhi identity
Binwani, Pranjali
In a discussion with my professors I told them about my interest to research and work on my own Sindhi culture in which I’ve been born and brought up but neither was I fluent in speaking our native language nor did I knew anything about it as we did not lived in Sindhi surroundings and celebrated and followed the local rituals than our own. Listening to this, my professor suggested to look into the God Jhulelal and his multiple identities. Till then I didnot had any idea that the deity was worshipped by Islam and so many other communities as well. The thought of it fascinated me and my curiosity was fueled thoroughly to dig more about the topic. Then while researching for it I got to read the paper written by Michel Boivin on Jhulelal and the Identity of Indian Sindhis’. The paper was so informative and gave me a push to work on. Since then it was never looking back and kept reading and researching everything about the history, mythology, the Sindh diaspora, its rich cultural heritage and more about the Jhulelal and Sindhis. The project started taking shape at the end of the third semester and I knew that I have to work on the multiple identities of the deity and his changing ways of worship. The final project mentions the physical spaces of worship shared by Muslim and Hindu devotees equally in the name of Khwaja Khizr, Jhulelal, Uderolal, Zinda pir, in Sindh from Pre-partition India, the partition times, the stories of struggle, the resettlement of the community, efforts put in to continue the tradition, defining the term Sindhiyat, efforts of the scholars to re establish the identity of the community, the recent times of establishing a cultural centre and more. The title of the book is “O Laal Meri” Jhulelal and the identities of Sindhis is taken from the most famous sufi song ‘Dama Dam mast Qalandar’ which addresses that the deity is worshipped by both the communities in different names of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar and Jhulelal, representing, praising and binding the communities and their supreme power together. The story is a result of struggle and adaptation and the shift in the definition of ‘home’. The movement that was not limited to physical displacement, but movement in identities of individuals and hence, the entire community.
2020-01-01T00:00:00ZPrevention of childhood sexual abuseJain, Milihttp://drsr.daiict.ac.in//handle/123456789/10052023-02-23T11:54:19Z2020-01-01T00:00:00ZPrevention of childhood sexual abuse
Jain, Mili
Child sexual abuse (CSA) is a universal problem with grave life-long outcomes. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines CSA as “the involvement of a child in a sexual activity that he or she does not fully comprehend and is unable to give informed consent to, or for which the child is not developmentally prepared, or violates the laws or social taboos of our society.” The term CSA includes a range of activities like “intercourse, attempted intercourse, oral-genital contact, fondling of genitals directly or through clothing, exhibitionism or exposing children to adult sexual activity or pornography, and the use of the child for prostitution or pornography.
India is home to a significant number of children in the world. More than one-third of the country’s population, around 440 million, is below the age of 18. Child sexual abuse is a serious problem within our society and occurs more frequently than people wish to admit or realize. According to the National Crime Records Bureau, a child is abused sexually every 15 minutes in India. In the majority of these cases, the accused is an acquaintance or a family member. It is essential to understand what child sexual abuse is, how it happens, and how to recognize behavior that may signal distress to protect our children amidst the issues of societal ignorance and indifference about this grave issue; in the absence of which, ignorance and myths around sexuality will pervade, thus leaving children uninformed and at risk.
In India, the concerns of the family stay within the family, primarily concerning issues and actions that are considered inappropriate. This is primarily due to the cultural aspects of blame and shame; families would go to great lengths to protect the reputation of their family within the community. People could go to great heights of blaming children for their abuse because the rights and statements of adults tend to trump those of children. Moreover, since the child’s identity is rooted in the family’s status, anything that would embarrass the family or tarnish their name is kept private – it could in some cases, even be from other immediate or extended family members. This practice of secrecy only serves to protect the sexual perpetrator and allows the cycle of abuse to continue. Besides, the parents’ or caregivers’ refusal to believe the child victim about sexual abuse or the tendency to cover it up further aggravates the child’s distress.
The trauma associated with sexual abuse can contribute to arrested development, or set off a host of psychological and emotional disorders, that some children and adolescents may never overcome. When sexual abuse goes unreported, and children are not given the protective and therapeutic assistance they need, they are left to suffer in silence.
The stigma associated with sex education leads to parents not educating children about sexual advances or threats, which could protect them from abuse. On the other hand, keeping children ignorant is the primary problem. Starting at an early age children need to be able to differentiate between good and bad touch, creating awareness gradually but positively from the first signs on issues like sexual abuse and exploitation is imperative.
The project aims to convey to the parents the need to talk to their children about the body and its safety and make the information available to them in such a way that it aids them in talking to their children. With my research, I found several reasons why we do not provide sex education to children. One reason is that we do not understand the need for it. Both parents and school teachers shy around when it comes to talking about the body. If the need is recognized, parents find it uncomfortable and are afraid that they might give their children too much information, which might make them lose their innocence.
Child sexual abuse is only primarily addressed by two systems – the child protective system and the criminal justice system. Both these systems address child sexual abuse only after the abuse has already occurred. Furthermore, both are concerned with dispensing justice rather than preventing child sexual abuse.
Therefore, my project aims to provide a comprehensive prevention strategy that gives parents and children the knowledge and understanding to prevent instances of CSA.
It was almost the end of the third semester, and I was struggling to decide on a topic for my final project. I remember how I wrote this topic down in my book, looked some things up about it, and nervously presented it in one of my last meetings. I told my professors how child sexual abuse was frighteningly common around us and how I wanted to work with children to educate them about it. As soon as I said it, the questions began. My professors were worried not only because we were practically out of time, but because I presented an idea of which I did not fully understand the challenges. Talking about sex in India is such a taboo, making children understand abuse seemed like a mammoth task.
But I took up the challenge and decided to visit a few schools in my area to examine what children and their parents’ understanding and knowledge were of the problem. What looked like a massive problem in the beginning only grew in complexity with every further step I took, and my determination to contribute to the understanding of it grew even higher.
2020-01-01T00:00:00ZLive light : Interactive website for waste management in BadlapurSiddhesh, Prathameshhttp://drsr.daiict.ac.in//handle/123456789/10042023-02-23T11:39:12Z2020-01-01T00:00:00ZLive light : Interactive website for waste management in Badlapur
Siddhesh, Prathamesh
As the global temperature rises, species die and resources grow scarcer, sustainable or green consumer behaviours occupy an increasingly important role in saving our habitat and promoting environmental awareness. The project aims not only to convey the need and importance of being a green consumer in this throwaway culture but also to make available the information in a way that it aids the young urban dwellers attain and sustain a green lifestyle. With my research, I have discovered several reasons behind the disinterest in developing solutions to the excessive waste generation and its mismanagement. One reason is that these green habits seem to be at odds with the fast-paced urban lifestyle. It needs a significant change in behaviour and thinking, and change is always difficult. An equally important reason is the lack of media coverage and information along with the social stigma around waste collection and disposal. However, one of the most important reasons is that the waste disposal system has been completely separated from the rest of society. The waste collected is sent to dumping grounds, where it is hidden from the public eye. Most people are unaware of the functioning of the disposal system, along with the issues it is facing. Due to this secretive nature, society is unaware of the significance of waste production and the efforts of waste handlers.
What is needed to fix this problem is awareness. With the use of the internet, this information can be spread easily to one group in particular: the youth. As the first generation that has grown up with the internet, they are one of the most knowledgeable groups, having the most reach when it comes to communication. They are also the first generation that will have to face the consequences of waste mismanagement. More than anything else, starting early is an excellent way to develop good habits, empathy and a sense of ownership. For the above reasons, the youth of Badlapur was selected as a primary audience.
The final product of this project is a website which not only describes the problem and complexity of it but also provides different alternatives and steps that one can perform individually or as part of the community to be a part of the sollution. The ‘Live Light’ website provides a platform for people to find green stores and alternatives around them. It also provides a platform where people can sell, lend, rent, buy or borrow old stuff, improving the communication within the community and reducing the need for new products. The website also provides a platform for the citizens to book waste management services for buildings, societies, institutions or even for small ocassions. A part of the website also acts as a link between the citzens and the Kulgao-Badlapur Municipal Corporation (KBMC). It allow people to post complaints which if backed by a large number of people, can be converted into a petition. It is also a place where the KBMC can post their news and responses.
The most important thing is to be able to turn good actions into good habits. The best way to do that is to address young minds. This website hosts downloadable material and structure for a campaign that will help volunteer to address young kids and help build good habits in them at an early age. During the summer break after my third year of engineering, I was staying at my parents’ house in Badlapur, a town near Mumbai. One day, I heard my mother yelling over the phone at Indrojeet Burman, who looks after the door to door waste collection in my society, Shashwat Park. No one had come to collect the waste for the 3rd consecutive day. Then my mother asked me to go to the society office to check what the problem was. On my way to the society office, I saw that all the building and community bins were overflowing. The waste that was piling up was covered in flies and smelled terrible. In the society office, Indrojeet told me that the Kulgaon Badlapur Municipal Corporation’s (KBMC) garbage truck had not picked up the garbage since last week. It went on for another couple of days. Mosquitoes had started breeding near the dustbins. People came to the community bins to throw their waste over the already overflowing dustbins. People had begun falling sick due to the mosquitoes and flies, the stench was unbearable, and people had started panicking.
It was all chaotic. Soon as the bins became too messy, people started dumping their waste in the naala right next to the society compound. Garbage was everywhere.
Then suddenly, one day, the KBMC garbage truck came and picked up all the trash, and from the next day, it was back to normal. That day my society realized, if it weren’t for the KBMC, we would have no idea what to do with our waste. That was the first time I felt that waste was a growing problem. Soon after identifying waste as a problem, Shashwat Park started adopting measures as part of the solution. It became the first society to start a local composting pit for all the buildings’ organic waste was composted. But due to lack of proper knowledge of starting and maintaining it, the composting pit had become a nuisance. It was too close to the house, maintenance was challenging, and foul smell had become a huge problem. Flies and mosquitoes had started breeding near it, and soon enough, Shashwat park became the first society to shut down their compost pit.
When my professors asked me to think of a topic for my final communication design problem, I immediately knew that I wanted to address the issue of waste management.
2020-01-01T00:00:00ZRampuriyat : Culinary journeySingh, Shivikahttp://drsr.daiict.ac.in//handle/123456789/10032023-02-23T11:29:05Z2020-01-01T00:00:00ZRampuriyat : Culinary journey
Singh, Shivika
I am thoroughly fueled by my love of the local wealth of food delights inherent to cultural backgrounds. My interest in food triggered the interes tin me to document a cuisine from India and the wide range of traditional recipes that stem down from several generations. In a discussion with my Professor, I learnt about the royal cusine of Rampur and a growing revival of interest in it in recent years. With my family belonging to Uttar Pradesh, I was familiar with Rampur for its reputation as a centre for arts and academics, for its appliqué work, for the distilleries and Ganga, for its unique spirit of cultural and religious synthesis, a legacy of its nawabi and colonial past and most importantly for its ‘Rampuri Chaku’ made popular by the hindi cinema. Perhaps not as mainstream as the other Mughlai cuisines, Rampuri cuisine, a royal cuisine of India, is equally rich in its culinary heritage and has a wide variety of unique dishes like Adrak ka halwa, Gosht ka Halwa, Mirch ka Halwa, Gosht ke Gulab Jamun and many more. The cuisines from Delhi and Awadh are easily accessible in restaurants and street foods but Rampuri cuisine is not so easily available. To know more about the cuisine, I called up my relatives in Uttar Pradesh living in proximity of Rampur, but none of them seemed to know much about this cuisine. Thus began the search for the royal cuisine of Rampur. This project talks about the courtly cuisine of Rampur, the last Muslimruled princely state in the colonial United Provinces in the years after the revolt of 1857. Owing to its rich and entangled history, the cuisine here is a confluence of numerous cooking styles Awadhi, Mughlai, Afghani, and local, forming the new Rampuri cuisine. The khansamas of Rampur had mastered the art of blending different influences in their food. They were also masters in disguising the ingredients, which essentially meant that the diners would perhaps never know what they were eating unless they were told. This was an aspect of the royal cuisine of Rapmpur that caught my interest in the subject. I was interested to understand how this aspect of the royal cuisine evolved in the kitchens of Rampur,
what was the purpose of this artistry and who were the people who patronised and gave life to this culinary tradition?. This project thus took shape as both a quest for the royal cuisine of Rampuri cuisine as well as a larger quest to understand the distinctive history and political identity of Rampur as it emerged from the shadows of the Mughals and the princely kingdom of Awadh in the period after 1857. The title of the book Rampuriyat indicates the distinctive identity this princely kingdom carved out for itself and one that it is still evident in its architecture, its cosmpolitan courtly culture and more significantly in its cuisine.
2020-01-01T00:00:00Z