Indian subcontinent

The Hindu Wodeyar dynasty formed the Mysore kingdom in 1399 (1). It ruled the region until India’s independence, with a couple of breaks in between, from 1760 to 1799 and 1831 to 1881. Established as a subsidiary of the Karnata Empire (popular as Vijayanagar Empire), the Wodeyars began to spread their wings after Vijayanagar was sacked at the battle of Talikoti in 1565 (2). During its long existence it saw the rise and fall of many empires, including the Mughals and Marathas. Chikkadevaraja Wodeyar who ruled from 1673 until his death in 1704, is seen as its most successful king. This essay highlights how this far sighted ruler developed and sustained friendship with Aurangzeb to not only check their common enemy the Marathas, but also to reform his kingdom.

The Greeks, Kushans, Huns and Gurjars occupy a vast time space in the historical chronology of the Indian subcontinent but their contribution to the making of present day culture has not been analyzed enough in the academic institutions and intellectual circles of their respective demographic and geographic inhabitation, extension and influence.

Copper alloys from an early-historic period site Kausambi, Uttar Pradesh, India were studied to understand the manufacturing technology and alloying practices through elemental analysis and microstructural examination. Most of the analysed samples were tin bronzes, and microstructure examination demonstrated casting, forging and annealing procedures adopted in manufacturing. Arsenic was absent in most of the samples, which may be due to recycling of the metal and awareness regarding the health hazards of this element among artisans. It is suggested that arsenic was not intentionally mixed in archaeological copper. On the other hand, tin was added in different quantities to meet the desired physical properties of the end-products. It is reported that copper metallurgy was developed in due course of time as a specialized craft in the Central Gangetic Valley, India and artisans of this region had mastered the copper-alloy technology since the early historic period.

This chapter treats the Persian cultural influences on India and interactions between India and Iran in the centuries from 1500 to 1900. It surveys the place of the Persian languag e in Indian government, chancery practice, and imperial decrees, and the manner in which state adoption of it created a very large class of Persian-speaking bureaucrats, scribes, translators, and other intellectuals in the subcontinent. It is argued that in theM ughal period perhaps seven times as many readers of Persian lived in India as in Iran. The chapter looks at Indo-Persian travel writing, works on comparative religion, and the impact of religious groups with strong ties to Persian-speaking Iran, whether Twelver Shi 'is or the much smaller Isma ' iii and Zoroastrian communities. It pays special attention to the Shi 'i-ruled kingdoms that were , common in India in the early modern period.

تتناول هذه الدراسة دور المدارس الأهليّة في شبه القارة الهنديّة في خدمة السّنّة النّبويّة. وقد ثبت من البحث في المصادر التّاريخيّة أن الإسلام والمسلمين دخلوا إلى هذه المنطقة في حياة الرّسول صلى الله عليه وسلم من أجل الصّلات التّجاريّة بين العرب والهنود في تلك الحقبة. وقد تشرّفت هذه البقعة باستقبال الصّحابة والتّابعين الكرام الذين استوطنوا في مناطق مختلفة من شبه القارة الهنديّة وشيّدوا المساجد وأقاموا فيها حلقات العلم ليُعلّموا أبناء هذه المنطقة دينهم الجديد ومصادره الأساسيّة حتى أصبحت بعض مناطق شبه القارة الهنديّة مثل ديبل (كراتشي)، وقصدار ومنصورة مراكز الحديث في الربع الثّالث الهجري من القرن الرابع الهجري. وبعد توسع الفتوحات الإسلامية واهتمام أهالي شبه القارة الهنديّة بالعلوم الشّرعيّة قد أخذت المدارس الأهليّة مكان الحلقات بعد القرن السّابع الهجري ولعبت تلك المدارس دورا هامًا في نشر العلوم الشّرعيّة عامة وعلوم الحديث خاصة. ولم يحظ بالشّهرة إلا بعضها مثل: المدرسة الرّحيميّة، ودار العلوم ديوبند، ودار العلوم مظاهر العلوم سهارنفور، ودار العلوم لندوة العلماء فقد تخرج فيها جهابذة العلم الذين خدموا السّنّة النّبويّة تدريسًا وتأليفًا وشرحًا وتحقيقًا وتخريخًا، وتركوا آثارا علمية لا غنى عنها في فهم السّنّة النبوية التي نطق العرب والعجم بمكانتها وإفادتها وأهميتها في كتبهم ومقالاتهم. فقد تحدثنا في هذا المقال عن تاريخ الإسلام والمدارس ودورها وإسهامات علمائها وخريجيها الذين بذلوا جهودًا في خدمة السّنة النّبويّة في شبه القارة الهنديّة.

The study deals with the imperialistic elements of British rule in E.M. Forster’s A Passage to India. This study textually analysis through the post-colonial aspect of the study. British colonizer rule in India or British raj the local people suffer a lot from it. This paper highlights the crucial relation between the colonizer and the colonized. I study English colonized literature, I always seem to sympathies with the locals in English colonized countries. These colonialists regarded the locals as inferior. Through the study of “A Passage to India,” we come to know how Forster depicted the British rule in Indian sub-continent. This study leads us towards the British Imperialistic activities in India.

Colonialism is the establishment, exploitation, maintenance, acquisition and expansion of colony in one territory by a political power from another territory (Rashid, 2014). It seems that the human race was created to face suppression at the hands of one thing or another. Whether it be our own activities or some intervention by nature itself, every generation throughout history has been keen and intent on finding ‘solutions’ to the troubles they encounter. One such instance seen throughout history is the dark and murky past of the nations who had once been colonized by another political power, an example of how humans subjugate humans. Despite the fact the colonialism leaves key ideas for socio-economic development in the colonized territory, it cannot be denied that the initial approach to try and dominate a nation is always plunder; seizing goods through trade, exploiting labors or any such related aspect. Perhaps the most influential thing that remains even after the colonizers have deserted a certain area is the use and impact of their native language.
Since this research work required more of an insight of the whole matter, I preferred using the qualitative method for analyzing the resources. The issue itself is a critical one; it has not been addressed as many times as others and that is why there was a lack of definite, primary resources on which to review.
The British abandoned the subcontinent back in 1947, creating two resource-rich and self-dependent nations who have since then progressed into the modern era through the use of very customs left behind by the Englishmen. Their language has been implemented on every imaginable level in the whole country. From kindergarten to Post-graduate education, English has not been left to the candidates as choice. A nation’s youth is its future; poisoning their minds by making learning English a necessity not only distracts them from seeking knowledge, but also creates space for the implantation of western concepts and culture into their minds. Hence, I derived the hypothesis that the vast use of English language has tampered the mindsets and approaches of Pakistani citizens.

No less than Narendra Modi, India's erudite prime minister, had attributed the selfdisparaging Indian character to its thousand years of slavery, that too on the floor of the Indian parliament. And it's no wonder that Asaduddin Owaisi, the Islamist revivalist in the Indian remnant, promptly contested the said proposition. Needless to say, while Modi echoed the lament of the Hindu nationalists, albeit in a politically correct vocabulary, Owaisi sees the Muslim invasion of Hindustan through the prism of eight-hundred years of Islamic hukummat over the same. Whatever, a critical examination of India's Islamic history, even the one dished out by its Muslim overlords, and an objective analysis of its socio-cultural construct therein would belie the supposition that Hindus were forced into slavery in any which way. No doubt, when the Islamic marauders eyed it for loot and rapine, India was long since the home to the Nalandas and the Takshasilas, the Ivys of yore, and it was also the world's largest economy with some thirty-percent share of its gross domestic product. Thus, it's as if India then was the crown of the creation, adorned with Hindu jewels, and that being the case, maybe the Hindus of that time were justified to feel top-of-the-world, like the Americans of the day do. So, that's exactly what they felt like, and we have Aberuni's testimony for that In his eponymous book on India of around 1030CE. "… the Hindus believe that there is no country but theirs, no nation like theirs, no kings like theirs, no religion like theirs, no science like theirs."

The geopolitical entity of Gilgit Baltistan, which may be called the northern tip of the Indian subcontinent, emerged conspicuously on the map of Asia after the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) opened its long and elusive debate on the Jammu & Kashmir dispute as early as January 1948. As it is closely linked to the somewhat nameless region of Pakistan Administered Jammu & Kashmir, it becomes a necessity first, to understand the history of the making of Pakistan Administered Jammu & Kashmir and then analyse the ground situation as it shaped in the region of Gilgit Baltistan.

Saadat Hasan Manto, an Urdu Indo-Pak writer, is famous for his writing pertaining to the concept of partition and the two nation theory. Though he also has highlighted some social issues about children and women. The Dog of Tithwal, a short story written by Manto explores the psyche of two characters, a Muslim and a Hindu, from two different faiths and their attitude towards Sub continent’s geographical and political conditions. Two Nation Theory, in real was the theory of one nation, aims to divide Sub continent, while Hindus were struggling for independence from British rule. The method of this study is qualitative, it is very close to the nature of research. This research article explores the reasons of conceptualizing two nation theory, it also examines the characters of Manto and their psyche. This article tends to show the partition impacts on later generations. This research will also help future researchers to work on Manto's writing style, themes in his writings and psyche of his characters.

Le Cachemire est un Etat divisé et disputé entre l’Inde et le Pakistan depuis la partition du sous-continent indien. Les deux frères ennemis réclament l’entièreté du territoire de cet ancien Etat princier, et la population cachemirie quant à elle semble, depuis les années 90, se rebeller au pouvoir central indien qui, quant à lui accuse le Pakistan de soutenir les groupuscules terroristes et la guérilla armée. La plupart des analyses concernant ce contentieux se font sous le prisme du réalisme politique et des enjeux géostratégiques que représente le Cachemire. Nous avons fait le choix de rechercher l’origine du conflit dans une approche constructiviste, en nous focalisant sur l’origine des nationalismes religieux dans le sous-continent indien. La question du Cachemire est dès lors abordée dans le contexte historique indien, des violences « communalistes » des communautés religieuses hindoue et musulmane et la polarisation des identités. L’originalité de notre travail réside dans l’approche constructiviste et particulièrement la construction des identités religieuses qui ont vu s’éloigner mutuellement des populations présentant par ailleurs plus de traits communs que de divergences. Les éléments historiques et géographiques nous ont éclairés sur la population hétéroclite cachemirie et la complexité historique de la vallée tout en inscrivant la question dans le contexte de la Partition. Nous avons recherché la genèse de la construction des identités opposées, hindoue et musulmane, dans la période historique de la fin de l’empire moghole (XIXème siècle) et la propulsion de l’Inde dans une modernité résultant de la colonisation britannique. La question de la militance a également été abordée en analysant l’actuelle lutte armée des groupuscules qui mènent des actions de violence politique dans la vallée du Cachemire ainsi que sur l’ensemble du territoire indien.

Special Issue on 75 years of Partition

The Hate that never was: Love and hope in the times of partition and beyond

In 2021, one of the accounts of Partition that gained unprecedented views and appreciation on social media was one of ‘true love wherein the elderly Pritam Kaur reminiscenced her days spent in the refugee camp during the partition period. How her 16-year-old self hoped for her fiancé, Bhagwan Singh Maini safety and how he suffering from similar longing and hope found her in one of the camps, having frantically searched for her for 90 days. The narrative of ‘pure love’ that lives beyond boundaries, shackles and challenges elicits the question as to why more such stories that sustained and nurtured lives of partition victims in the face of loss have not been narrated enough. Perhaps partition archives and academic study have delved deeper into the politics of loss, trauma, amnesia, and violence than exploring narratives of love, resilience, courage and onward journeys of victims and their subsequent generations. According to Chenoy, ‘to memorialise Partition is to record that there are always many narratives. Cherry-picking one narrative of hatred distorts history’ (2021). While Pritam’s phulkari jacket and Bhagwan’s brown briefcase form an important relict of partition history and of Amritsar’s Partition Museum, there are many more such stories that lie buried under the politics and historicity of partition.

This proposed issue aims to explore renewed reflections on the narratives of love, hope, resilience, and progressive trajectories in the lives of partition victims and the subsequent generations with an aim to present the less traversed, other half of the subcontinent’s partition history. In doing so, this issue aims to revisit questions such as : what consisted of India’s gateway into the postcolonial and how religion-based mobilisation for state power during partition have been employed by right wing political discourses to widen socio-cultural and economic divide between castes, classes, and ethnic minorities in India. The same can be said about state politics in Bangladesh and Pakistan where the national rhetoric has created class, community, and religious differences. On the occasion of 75th year of the partition, this issue aims to bring together scholars from South Asia and beyond who are willing to begin new conversations on the Partition exploring lost narratives of hope, love, and resilience during and after partition and how these narratives of courage have percolated into and have been archived by subsequent generations.

Topics include but are not limited to:
• Individual vs collective consciousness of courage and resilience
• Postcolonial legacies of partition – narratives of rehabilitation and resettlement
• Memory, affects and emotion Cross-cultural/border links post partition – music, media and performance
• Role of historicity and authenticity in the making of post partition nations
• Archiving oral histories: survivor narratives of love, loss and hope
• Intergenerational memory - narratives of progressive trajectories
• Cultural representations of tolerance and sacrifice
• Religious syncretism in the aftermath of the partition
• Tracing partition memories: role of digital media
• Memory and memorialisation of resilience in literary and cinematic representations
• Narratives of love, loss and hope from the South Asian diaspora

We invite 300-word abstracts to be submitted by 26th April 2022 to partition75cfp@gmail.com along with a short bio.

Full papers between 6000 and 7000 words to be submitted by 15th October 2022. All papers submitted will go through the standard peer review process. The special issue will be published in a SCOPUS indexed SAGE journal.

Debadrita Chakraborty
Assistant Professor
School of Liberal Studies
UPES, Dehradun, India

The genus Antodynerus de Saussure, 1855 is reviewed from the Indian subcontinent. Three species with one additional subspecies are present, namely Antodynerus flavescens flavescens (Fabricius, 1775), A. f. karachiensis Giordani Soika, 1970, A. limbatus (de Saussure, 1852), and A. punctatipennis (de Saussure, 1853). The parasitic association of strepsipter-an insects and the symbiotic association of mites are reported for the first time in the genus Antodynerus. The distribution of A. f. flavescens (Fabricius) and A. limbatus (de Saussure) in the Indian states is augmented. The latter species is newly recorded from China (Tibet). A key to species of the Indian subcontinent is provided.

The Indian continent is one of the conspicuous regions where the Turks left indelible marks in the area of history, literature, culture, and civilization. Although the contact of the Turks with the Indian continent goes back to much earlier periods, the Turkish-Islamic presence in the
region has been permanently settled with the arrival of Ghaznavids since the first part of the eleventh century. After that, the Indian subcontinent was governed by various Turkish dynasties for approximately eight centuries until the collapse of the Baburi dynasty (the definition of Mongol for Baburs is not correct) in the eighteenth century. Therefore, in the historical process Turks and Hindus, who have very strong historical heritage, have interacted with each other in the field of military, religion, culture, art, and literature. Due to such a deeply as well as multidimensional historical connection, it is significant to strengthen Indo-Turkish relations. However, the way to take healthier and more sustainable steps in the bilateral relations one should focus on the one-hand sources and try to understand the ‘other’ in a proper perspective. In this regard, the data found in the basic sources written by Hindu thinkers in the medieval period is very crucial and precious in order to gain true knowledge on Hindu-Turk relations and to reveal the views of Hindus on the Turkish imperial system and their religious tradition.
When the original sources have been analyzed, it is seen that the terms such as saka, yavana (other, foreigner) and mleccha (ignorant, dirty) were used in order to refer to Turks. In this
context another conspicuous phrase found in Sanskrit and Hindi texts is Turko, Turuka or Turuska. In the time of early relations these kind of phrases were used to identify a different racial community who came from the foreign areas. However, after the increase of the Turks’
influences on Indian societies, the meaning attributed to this term has been expanded. As a matter of fact, the term of Turuka was used in the meaning of “Muslims” and Turuka dharma was used in the sense of “Turks’ religion”, that is Islam. Some Hindu leaders who stand out among Indian society in the medieval period, tried to assess the behaviors of Turks and their religious and imperial policies towards non-Muslims
from their own eyes. While some of them have preferred a pejorative approach for Turks, others have developed more encompassing turn of phrase. Hindu thinkers who attained a chance to make close contact with the Turk administrators, have provided more reasonable
evaluations about Turks. It is clear that all Turkish administrators have not carried out same political attitudes towards Muslims or non-Muslims since it is quite possible that some rulers have used the authority of the dynasty for their own benefit. However, according to information obtained by the Indian sources, while Muslim Turks were in power, a
management approach based on peace and tolerance was adopted; furthermore, various specific social and political policies were implemented for the improving of the culture of living together. Turkish leaders benefited from the experience of qualified people regardless of their religious and ethnical identities. Therefore, the scientific and objective studies regarding to Hindu’s views on Turk and Turks views on Hindus via checking the original sources written by Hindu thinkers in the medieval period will shed light on the illumination of the historical background of Indo-Turk relations and contribute to the reassessment of the current data regarding with this subject with a truer perspective.

From the topic “The Lost Women” to the choice of women in the world of literature, that are, Anna, Ameeran and Elisabeth, the research is done keeping in mind the feminist Marxist approach towards them to show how the world reflects upon them and how the respective writers voice their stories of making their place in the society.

This interdisciplinary series explores cultural formation and evolution by understanding matrices of performance discourse and religious, gender, racial, political and economic complexities. It welcomes proposals on drama, theatre, dance, music, theory and praxis related to Performance Studies from the South Asian region and beyond. It discusses the performance history, diverse practices, customs, and principles prevalent in urban and hinterland spaces. The primary aim of this series is to incorporate not just individual urban voices but to examine the marginalized vocabularies and understand their agency and “affect”-edness. It deals with aesthetic practices or practices that have a stated artistic goal and performances that may be non-artistic in their objectives. The series invites original monographs, edited books, and handbooks.

For inquiries and submission of proposals, authors can contact the Series Editor, Manujendra Kundu, via: manujendra@gmail.com

Unlike most writers on the subject Raghavan focuses as much on the goodwill as the hostility as he charts the almost endless succession of highs and lows in bilateral relations. Indeed he quickly identifies the cyclical nature of the narrative as each setback is followed, often with extraordinary speed, by a further attempt at dialogue.

However the new Indian and Pakistani leaders have no sentimental attachments to each other. Instead they have inherited layer upon layer of scar tissue. The sponsorship of terrorist groups has led to a brutalisation of relations and the adoption of nuclear weapons has left precious little room for error. The present Indian and Pakistani governments harbour not the slightest trust in each other.

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine the travelogue of Ludovico di Varthema about fifteenth century India. The paper studied the contents of his book Itinerario de Ludouico de Varthema Bolognese to understand religious, social, and political circumstances of India, especially the south India, during the period under review. The paper first attempts to explain the reasons for Europeans’ voyages to the Indian subcontinent in particular and to the East in general. Then, it outlines a brief comparative analysis of different travelogues of Arab maritime geographers and travelers who visited India in different times. Finally, the paper addresses the reasons, which led European countries, especially Portugal, to send travelers and explorers to the East in general and to India in particular, explaining main objectives of these navigations, voyages, and discoveries in light of the contents of the book of Varthema which was published in 1510 after his return from India in 1509. It is important to note that Varthema is considered the first European traveler who visited the two holy Mosques in Hijaz. Moreover, the descriptions and comments about India depicted in his travelogue significantly differ from those recorded by Vasco de Gama and other contemporary travelers.

Keywords: Arab travelers, India, European travelers, Ludovico di Varthema.

Oggetto principale di questo elaborato è lo Sri Lanka, una piccola isola dell’Oceano Indiano tristemente nota per una sanguinosa guerra civile durata 26 anni e terminata ufficialmente nel maggio del 2009. Alla base del conflitto, che ha visto contrapporsi l’organizzazione paramilitare delle Tigri Tamil (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) e l’esercito regolare srilankese, vi è la rivalità etnica fra la comunità maggioritaria dei singalesi e quella minoritaria dei tamil. I due gruppi, con caratteristiche linguistiche, religiose, geografiche e genealogiche differenti, vengono spesso considerati in storico e perenne conflitto, presentando la guerra civile quale esito scontato ed inevitabile di una società fondata sull’ostilità etnica.
Obiettivo principale di questo lavoro è proprio quello di scardinare una simile convinzione: dimostrando la natura multiculturale e tollerante dello Sri Lanka, collocando l’emersione della rivalità etnica nel contesto storico del primo Novecento ed inquadrando la sua definitiva esplosione nel periodo relativo al processo d’indipendenza del 1948. Si cercherà, inoltre, di valutare la credibilità di un eventuale ritorno all’antica stabilità, attraverso l’analisi delle iniziative di riconciliazione nazionale verificatesi dal termine ufficiale della guerra civile ad oggi.
La prima parte si incentrerà sulla struttura sociale dello Sri Lanka, sia passata che presente. Si illustrerà dapprima la composizione di una popolazione estremamente variegata ed eterogenea, evidenziando le principali caratteristiche della sua composita suddivisione interna e dimostrando quanto sia ingannevole la sua riduzione ad una semplicistica ed omogenea bipolarità. Verrà documentato, inoltre, quanto la matrice etnica sia solo una parte della stratificazione sociale srilankese, nella quale si inseriscono molteplici fattori dalle peculiarità differenti. Infine, verranno analizzate le complesse dinamiche interne ed interazionali delle diverse comunità nel corso dei secoli, sottolineando principalmente l’esistenza di un passato contraddistinto dalla pacifica convivenza e dalla mutua tolleranza.
La seconda parte, invece, si occuperà dell’influenza esercitata dalla gestione amministrativa della colonia britannica sullo sviluppo della tensione interetnica. In particolare, si descriverà il passaggio dal riconoscimento delle diverse identità e dal coinvolgimento di tutti i gruppi presenti sull’isola nella conduzione della colonia ad un’impostazione eurocentrica basata
sulla costruzione di un sentimento di unità nazionale e sul desiderio di omogeneità sociale del multiforme Ceylon. Verrà dimostrata l’inesistenza di scontri di matrice etnica e l’emersione di un generale collaborazionismo interetnico durante la prima fase della gestione britannica dell’isola, per poi analizzare lo sviluppo graduale della tensione tra le diverse comunità nella sua seconda parte, coincidente con l’alba del XX secolo. Si cercherà di sottolineare la natura di un simile scontro, che cede definitivamente alla propaganda del nazionalismo etnico a causa delle problematiche legate ad un’equa distribuzione della rappresentanza politica ed alla crescente insoddisfazione degli strati medi ed inferiori della popolazione ceylonese circa le proprie condizioni sociali. Infine, si mostrerà la definitiva esplosione del dualismo singalese-tamil nell’ultimo periodo del processo d’indipendenza e la responsabilità britannica nell’aver lasciato l’isola in possesso dei requisiti necessari alla costruzione del moderno conflitto etnico, in grado di smembrare l’intero tessuto sociale dello Sri Lanka e dividere profondamente la propria popolazione.
Una divisione che le barbare violenze della guerra civile e le criminali violazioni dei diritti umani hanno alimentato ed accresciuto, tanto da apparire insanabili. La terza ed ultima parte, infatti, intende analizzare l’attendibilità di un ritorno alla tollerante convivenza interetnica attraverso elementi essenziali all’eventuale costruzione di una riconciliazione sociale, ossia: l’accertamento delle responsabilità per i crimini internazionalmente puniti; la garanzia di un adeguato e credibile processo giudiziario; l’effettiva tutela delle libertà individuali per la popolazione srilankese. Si farà riferimento, quindi, alle azioni dei governi in carica sull’isola dalla fine del conflitto e la pressione delle Nazioni Unite per la realizzazione di tali obiettivi. In particolare, si presenteranno le risoluzioni adottate sinora dal Consiglio per i Diritti Umani delle Nazioni Unite nei confronti dello Sri Lanka, sottolineando l’evoluzione della collaborazione fra questi due attori della comunità internazionale per giungere all’effettiva stabilità dell’isola.

The jamatkhana has become the de facto space for Nizari Ismaili communities to gather worldwide. Even in cultural traditions and geographic landscapes outside the Indian Subcontinent, the jamatkhana has taken on a globalizing character in the 20th century. 
Despite their increasing numbers, global reach and transformation, very little is known about the jamatkhana, its origins or development. Ethnographic and archival research has referenced other nomenclatures in use by 19th century Khoja communities to refer to their religious spaces. While some of these spaces may have preceded the jamatkhana, others seem to have been used in tandem with them. These include the bhandal, imambara, chabil khana, landhi and kotho as well as terms such as dargah to refer to sites of pilgrimage and practice.

This paper explores the presentation and early history of the development of the urban jamatkhana in the various regions in which 19th and early 20th centuries Khojas called home. It explore the ways in which the process of jamatkhana-building both standardized Ismaili space while at the same time pushed aside the variety of indigenous spaces and practices that were germane to Ismaili groups in the Subcontinent and elsewhere.

This is done by exploring several case studies that shed light on the less than neat narrative of the emergence of the consolidation of Ismaili space in the 19th and 20th century.

Shia Islam is a central issue in contemporary politics. Often associated with Iran, Shiite communities actually exist in many Islamic countries. Focusing on the "other Shiites" outside Iran, this book offers a survey of their diversity and multiplicity in the last two centuries.

This article explains how humans fell divided in history and fought each other, killed one group another, hated one another and hatched conspiracies one against another. It also illustrates how crude politicians took chances of our mental dilemma and ‘divided and ruled’ us with the ancient tricks -- DIVIDE ET IMPERA.

The undertaken study is based on stylistic analysis of Ahmed Ali’s short story Our Lane. The study analyzes how the author has used linguistic features like noun, adjective, conjunction, sentence complexity to portray the social, political, economic, religious, psychological and cultural conditions of the colonized natives of the Indian subcontinent in the wake of the British colonial rule. The story portrays how the colonial rule has deteriorated the people socially, economically, politically and psychologically. Ahmed Ali’s use of adjective is in consonant with the established norm of using 7 to 8% of the total text (Hofland & Johansson, 1987:6). Whereas, the median of 343 sentences is 13, which is shorter than the length of an average modern sentence, which according to Ellegard is 17.8 words. While rebutting colonial narrative, he deviates from the standards of English language: excessive use of coordinating conjunction ‘and’ is evidence to it. Most adjectives of positive charac...