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Papers by Meenakshie Verma

Disaster Prevention and Management: An International Journal, 2002

Copyright 2020 by Verma M. This is an open-access article distributed under Creative Commons Attr... more Copyright 2020 by Verma M. This is an open-access article distributed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0), which allows to copy, redistribute, remix, transform, and reproduce in any medium or format, even commercially, provided the original work is properly cited. cc This essay has emerged through my research engagements with life history as a research method in anthropology. It is based on the life events of a woman artist. The past few decades have brought an explosion of cultural criticisms and also explorations of women’s creative expressions across cultures. Some of the queries addressed are, how do external forces shape the creativity of female artists. Also, how do creative women respond to such forces? Creative women, then, have a unique relationship to their cultural contexts, as well as to the creative genre to which they respond. This essay also delves into myths related to insanity and women. It discusses creativity, as a mode of enga...

Openventio Publishers, 2020

This essay has emerged through my research engagements with life history as a research method in ... more This essay has emerged through my research engagements with life history as a research method in anthropology. It is based on the life events of a woman artist. The past few decades have brought an explosion of cultural criticisms and also explorations of women’s creative expressions across cultures. Some of the queries addressed are, how do external forces shape the creativity of female artists. Also, how do creative women respond to such forces? Creative women, then, have a unique relationship to their cultural contexts, as well as to the creative genre to which they respond. This essay also delves into myths related to insanity and women. It discusses creativity, as a mode of engagement with rigid social structures.

A mandatory CSR panel or Green team can work effectively for the restoration of basic social func... more A mandatory CSR panel or Green team can work effectively for the restoration of basic social functions, after the disaster. Rehabilitation implies activities that are undertaken to support the victims return to normalcy and -integration in regular community functions. Besides physical elements, rehabilitation programs also include economic rehabilitation through livelihood recovery and finding alternate employment options for those who cannot get back to their original occupations. However, rehabilitation policies suffer due to short term perspective, in that they are pursued as unplanned, ad-hoc measures. Rehabilitation goes hand in hand with Reconstruction work.

Psychological Studies, 2009

The vibrant canopy and floral carpets of Dhak flowers (Butea Monosperma) blossoming of the Sal (S... more The vibrant canopy and floral carpets of Dhak flowers (Butea Monosperma) blossoming of the Sal (Shorea Robusta) and Mahua (Madhuca longifolia) trees marks the beginning of Baha festival in Santal villages. It is celebration of spring and the arrival of the new-year. Sal, Mahua and Dhak flowers are marked by their presence in the rituals, and frequent references in the songs. The three days celebrations are marked during the month of Fagun, (February-March). The festivities are to seek the blessings of Marangburu (Supreme God of the mountains and animals) and Jaher Ayo/Era (The fertility Goddess.

Anthropology is concerned with exploring connections simultaneously, amidst cultural Heterogeneit... more Anthropology is concerned with exploring connections simultaneously, amidst cultural Heterogeneity, Alternatives and Self (Identity). In the contemporary academic, socio-cultural and political climate these concepts have immense symbolic overtones. Therefore, Anthropology is concerned about understanding various kinds of symbolic order in a given situation, society, community, group, organization etc. Anthropological studies reveal significant bonds amidst notions of class, status, power relations & vocation. Anthropology is also study of symbols, which may be religious, secular or ritualistic. The symbols unravel directly prescribed or indirectly significant meanings of relation between human beings mediated by class, status, power, vocation & gender.

This paper argues that economic activities should work in tandem with ethical responsibilities to... more This paper argues that economic activities should work in tandem with ethical responsibilities towards ecology and society. It is an urgent requirement for sustainable development, particularly, in developing economies.
This concept is commonly known as Corporate Social Responsibility, Corporate Conscience or, Corporate Sustainability.
It looks at developing the idea of community resilience, through corporate resources to face challenges of short term and long term disasters.
It discusses, transformation of ‘helpless’ victims as social capital. This means utilization of community’s knowledge in reconstruction and rehabilitation work.
This paper also looks at a case study of the Kedarnath disaster in the Himalayan region, (June, 2013). Apparently, this tragedy occurred after several years of undeterred stone mining, unplanned urbanization along with intensely commercial, religious tourism.

This essay discusses ageing in an Ashram in Vrindavan, India. This study is a proposed model for ... more This essay discusses ageing in an Ashram in Vrindavan, India. This study is a proposed model for ageing and related issues in an urbanized post industrial society. There are a wide array of physical, social and cultural influences on the elderly, that affect their well being. Contemporary urban India witnesses an alarming number of incidents of violence against elderly men and women. Break down of extended joint families and rapid urbanization is largely held responsible for violence against the elderly. Ageing could be a dignified experience if handled with sensibility in terms of civil society and state policies on gerontology.

Drafts by Meenakshie Verma

April, 2021

"According, to the Greek myth, Prometheus, a human, stole the secret of technology from the Gods.... more "According, to the Greek myth, Prometheus, a human, stole the secret of technology from the Gods. The head of the gods, Zeus, then made all humanity suffer for Prometheus' audacity and rebellion against the natural order of things. In one version of the myth, he sent down Pandora's Box, which, when opened, let escape all the evils of the world. Thus, suffering and unhappiness were the price humans had to pay for their theft of the god-like powers of technology. The ancient Greeks argued that whoever possessed a Techne had to be socially responsible. Both Plato and Aristotle stated that, for the social order to be maintained, it is mandatory that an individual must also practice Techne for the benefit of social, not exclusively for, oneself." Along, with economic and financial needs-across cultures, people have layers of social, cultural, ecological and psychological requirements-which must be met for optimal performance and complete their assigned tasks. In the course of action people often need reliable sources of motivation, self determination and positive personal growth. The process of identifying these sources and channelizing them has to be done and continued. Moreover, these ideas have to be introduced in early stages of social and professional life. During the past years there has been a concern shown towards inclusion of liberal arts education for the technology students. In particular for the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Medical) related branches. Usually, technological education has miniscule or no emphasis on liberal arts and humanities themes. By and large technology and liberal arts are segregated domains of study. Irrefutably, technical streams produce significant numbers of quality technocrats, bureaucrats, medical professionals and engineers every year. Besides, such individuals are capable of solving technical problems in their chosen fields. However, quite often they find it difficult to effectively maintain a qualitative balance between technology, society, culture, human values, ecological concerns and sustainable development. Evidently, for the technology students the huge segregation between their education and other systems of knowledge does not provide enough opportunities to explore, human values, socio-cultural deposits and means of sustainable and inclusive development. As a consequence, the experts in various technology and engineering fields have a skewed understanding of priorities, structures and needs of the society, livelihood patterns also, subversive economic trends.

Draft, 2020

This essay is based on the observations of children with autistic condition between the age group... more This essay is based on the observations of children with autistic condition between the age group (3-16 yrs) in the Delhi & NCR region. It looks at various cognitive patterns found among them. The idea is to explore effective intervention techniques that enhance communication patterns among autistic children. Some of these techniques are expressive and creative. They come from diverse fields like digital technology, music, wonder tales, mathematics, sports, culinary skills etc. These skills can be added to the behavioural training and teaching methods meant to improve self reliance and communications among children with autistic condition.

LinkedIn, 2021

Myths and storytelling seems to be all pervasive to the human kind. Amongst the oldest known myth... more Myths and storytelling seems to be all pervasive to the human kind. Amongst the oldest known myths date back about 6,000 years BC, going back to the Bronze Age in the ancient world. Symbolic and pictographic representations may go back deeper into the past of human civilization.Archaeologists believe rock art may have served as one of the earliest form of mass communication and media for many ancient civilizations. Mythic representations and narratives are powerful tools, a means for sharing experiences, knowledge, and cultural norms and codes. In traditional communities, myths are the most important medium of carrying forward certain sets of cultural codes and knowledge systems from generation to generation. However, the symbolic presence of mythic knowledge and beliefs can be found abundantly amongst modern, digital and urbanized communities as well. The simple reason being, most of the myths communicate basic negotiations between nature and culture lived by human beings. Such narratives usually detail and touch upon vital emotions known to be timeless and omnipresent across human social order. One of the oldest human activities is myth-making, also the most common and enduring myths is that of the Earth, Sun, and the Moon. For several communities across the globe the Sun can be a woman, goddess an omnipotent creator of life on Earth. In addition whatever, gender role it has been assigned, most cultures have recognized the significance of the Sun as prime source of energy and existence of living beings on Earth. As far as we can surmise, all developing civilizations have paid attention to the Sun. The cyclic movements of the Sun, Moon, planets, and stars may have represented a kind of assurance and concept of order humans could strive after. It was believed that what happens in the sky mirrors what happens on a daily basis, each single day in the world. We might think that, the regular occurrence of sunrise and moonset gave our ancestors a concept of order, a stable pillar to which they could anchor their basic thoughts about life and death. Certainly, it did. Undeniably, Nature and feminine energy have touched every aspect of human society and culture since beginning of human existence. The feminine energies are the essential elements for the continuity of life forces in the world order. Thereby, it is no wonder we find stories woven into myth, religion, art, philosophy and, worldview. So that human beings nurture forces that contribute to the continuity of Life.