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Introduction: The emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) chat programs has opened two distinct paths, one enhancing interaction and another potentially replacing personal understanding. Ethical and legal concerns arise due to the rapid development of these programs. This paper investigates academic discussions on AI in medicine, analyzing the context, frequency, and reasons behind these conversations. Methods: The study collected data from the Web of Science database on articles containing the keyword "ChatGPT" published from January to September 2023, resulting in 786 medically related journal articles. The inclusion criteria were peer-reviewed articles in English related to medicine. Results: The United States led in publications (38.1%), followed by India (15.5%) and China (7.0%). Keywords such as "patient" (16.7%), "research" (12%), and "performance" (10.6%) were prevalent. The Cureus Journal of Medical Science (11.8%) had the most publications, followed by the Annals of Biomedical Engineering (8.3%). August 2023 had the highest number of publications (29.3%), with significant growth between February to March and April to May. Medical General Internal (21.0%) was the most common category, followed by Surgery (15.4%) and Radiology (7.9%). Discussion: The prominence of India in ChatGPT research, despite lower research funding, indicates the platform's popularity and highlights the importance of monitoring its use for potential medical misinformation. China's interest in ChatGPT research suggests a focus on Natural Language Processing (NLP) AI applications, despite public bans on the platform. Cureus' success in publishing ChatGPT articles can be attributed to its open-access, rapid publication model. The study identifies research trends in plastic surgery, radiology, and obstetric gynecology, emphasizing the need for ethical considerations and reliability assessments in the application of ChatGPT in medical practice. Conclusion: ChatGPT's presence in medical literature is growing rapidly across various specialties, but concerns related to safety, privacy, and accuracy persist. More research is needed to assess its suitability for patient care and implications for non-medical use. Skepticism and thorough review of research are essential, as current studies may face retraction as more information emerges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: As Covid-19 became a pandemic, numerous people were forced to stay at home, leading to increased intimate partner violence (IPV) in many countries, particularly in developing and least-developed ones. This paper aims to highlight the IPV based on 15 different cases formed from the practical evidence of five developing countries. Design/methodology/approach: The authors interviewed 15 women from five countries who were the victims of IPV during the early periods of Covid-19 outbreak. Due to geographical remoteness, the authors conducted informal telephone interviews to collect the participants' personal experiences. The conversations were recorded with participants' permission; afterwards, the authors summarized participants' experiences into 15 different cases without revealing their original identities (instead, disguised names were used). Findings: It was revealed that the women were the primary victims of such violence, particularly from their intimate partners (husbands). In most cases, such IPV, as reported by the interviewees, originated or increased after the pandemic when they were forced to stay at home, losing their partners' jobs or income sources. Originality/value: The authors summarized the causes of IPV and put forward a few action recommendations based on the interviewees' practical experience and existing literature. This paper will open a new window for research investigations on IPV during emergencies such as Covid-19 outbreak. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper explores how chronicities and chronic relationships are fostered at a state-sponsored community psychiatry clinic that has been affiliated with a Sufi shrine in western India. The clinic provides free psychotropic treatment to patients, most of whom are pilgrims visiting the shrine. While the clinic has been lauded for its collaborative approach of blending 'medicine and prayer' in the provision of mental health care, observations of clinical encounters reflect the prevalence of a strongly medicalized perspective of mental illness, where local narratives of distress are reframed as globalized categories of mental disorder, thereby permitting pharmacological intervention. Importantly, in a context where free medicines are offered just as other freebies are in development initiatives in India, this results in the creation of long-term, 'chronic' relationships with patients who only seem to return for medicines, never recovering. This paper illustrates how 'chronicity', in many ways, is built into the project from the beginning itself. It becomes evident in the assumptions of the officials and psychiatrists that mental illness is chronic, in the case files of patients that record their consultation and medication histories, and in the clinical conversations about the importance of compliance to treatment. Given that historically, community mental health emerged in the context of reducing long hospital stays and deinstitutionalizing mental health care, it is important to reflect on how these policies and practices result in the creation of a cadre of chronic out-patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

India has witnessed a dramatic expansion of higher education, and women have emerged as noteworthy winners in the process. This paper focuses on the role of female college education on four dimensions of marriage: age at marriage, autonomy in the choice of spouse, work and financial empowerment, and quality of marital relationship. The study uses a sample of 35,561 currently married women from the 2011-2012 wave of the nationally representative India Human Development Survey (IHDS). It demonstrates that higher education, particularly college education, enables women to lead lives substantively different from their less-educated peers. College-educated women marry at later ages, enjoy greater autonomy in choosing their husbands, and have a more egalitarian relationship with their spouses. Furthermore, the study finds that educational homogamy and hypogamy afford greater autonomy to women. Even without a concomitant increase in labor force participation, college education among women appears to have a transformative effect on marriage in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on biographical narratives of two gay men in mixed-orientation marriage who have later gone on to establish re-partnership with another gay man, this paper seeks to critique the inherent heteronormativity in the discussion around re-partnership. It examines the consequential kinship dynamics among concerned social actors such as gay men, straight women, and their biological children, and their ongoing negotiations with the social institutions of marriage and family. Further, the discussion around re-partnership between two gay men in a Western context does not necessarily consider the alternative negotiations that characterize South Asian queer experiences. Borrowing from De Villiers' concept of queer opacity (2012) and Jingshu Zhu's (2017) ambivalence, the paper demonstrates that the kinning process of gay men in mixed-orientation marriage forging partnership with other gay men exists in a continuum. The boundary between what needs to be undone and what needs to be redone is porous, ambiguous, and interpenetrative. In that case, this paper suggests a non-Western framework to understand re-partnership in non-normative conjugality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Conflict, between individuals and groups, in organizations is a common phenomenon and can have varied implication for the employee and the organization. This paper aims to determine whether experiencing interpersonal conflict drives employees to engage in prosocial behavior (prohibitive voice) and antisocial behavior (interpersonal deviance). Using Stressor–Emotion Model, Uncertainty Management Theory and Impression Management Motives, this study examines the relationship and explores competence uncertainty as a mediator and perception of politics as a moderator. Design/methodology/approach: This study uses a cross-sectional design where data collected is from 386 employees working in nine different public sector enterprises in India. Structural equation modeling using SPSS AMOS was used to analyze the hypothesized relationships. Findings: The results show that interpersonal conflict leads to both prohibitive voice behavior and interpersonal deviance. However, the mediating role of competence uncertainty is valid only for the effect of conflict on interpersonal deviance. Also, the perception of politics strengthens the positive relationship between interpersonal conflict and competence uncertainty. Originality/value: To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is one of the first empirical studies to have validated prosocial and antisocial work behavior as outcomes of interpersonal conflict. Again, this is one of the first few studies to examine the mechanism through which interpersonal conflict impacts interpersonal deviance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to investigate to what extent core, technical and social components of relationship value influence customer satisfaction and loyalty in the high technology business to business (B2B) markets. Design/methodology/approach: Seven attributes of a high-technology buyer-seller relationship are identified representing the core, technical and social nature of relationship value. A conceptual model is proposed in which customer satisfaction mediates between the relationship value components and the two aspects of customer loyalty – attitudinal and behavioural. The empirical study is conducted in India employing 127 high technology customers. Structural equation modelling and path analysis is used to test the hypothesized linkages and examine the impact of different components. Findings: Technical and social components of value influence customer satisfaction to a greater extent than the core components. Whilst behavioural loyalty is more driven by core components, attitudinal loyalty is more influenced by the social component. Satisfaction mediates the links between relationship value components and the two aspects of loyalty. Research limitations/implications: Future research could test the modelled linkages in different countries and using larger samples and investigate the supplier perspective. Practical implications: The paper provides useful implications for high tech product suppliers to improve their relationship with their customers. Suppliers must develop collaborative product/technology development projects and explore opportunities for personal relationships/rapport building with their customers, whilst delivering a quality product at a competitive price. Originality/value: To the best of the authors' knowledge, the paper is the first in B2B literature to provide an insight of how the different components of relationship value vary in influencing satisfaction and loyalty in a high technology B2B buyer-seller relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerous studies have captured the experiences of teachers teaching online, but the current 'emergency' to teach online is unprecedented and has been challenging. Grounded in the theory of cognitive dissonance, this paper attempts to recapitulate the experiences of university teachers and analyses whether they have developed the consonant cognitions to teach online during the pandemic period or would they prefer switching back to 'normal' teaching as soon as the circumstances permit. Technology-enabled teaching has been found to be complex as it mandates teaching in a computerised setting and lacks an element of social interaction, which is at the heart of face-to-face teaching. Using Structural Equation Modelling, this study presents the determining factors that motivate teachers to embrace technology-driven teaching more convincingly. The study finds that in the absence of adequate training imparted to the teachers for developing technological and pedagogical knowledge (TPK), high psychological capital and facilitating conditions are the two most important factors ensuring teaching proficiency, creating positive online experiences and a continued intention to teach online. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The world we live in today compels what Ruben Gaztambide-Fernandes describes as 'intensified encounters with difference' constituted by contradictory and paradoxical movements. A decolonial approach to constructing global imaginaries centres on reconfiguring human relations in ways that unmask complicity and denial and further healing, justice and solidarity. In this paper, we reflect on the possibilities and challenges for alternative approaches to global citizenship education (GCE) in India through the experience of a thirty-year old educational programme called Avehi-Abacus (AA). The paper begins with an overview of the historical influence of colonial, nationalist and neoliberal discourses on citizenship and citizenship education. We then reflect on specific pedagogical challenges and possibilities in relation to (a) unlearning socio-cultural diversity as deficit and danger, and (b) reimagining ourselves and our relationships with other living beings. The discussion highlights the intrinsic linkages between knowledge, relation and affect in an educational approach which attempts to inculcate alternative understandings of being and becoming a global citizen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sociological scholarship, economic theory, and empirical studies all indicate that interpersonal relationships are valuable productive assets and deserve to be formally incorporated into the study of human development. This paper employs the India Human Development Survey to examine, using OLS and logistic regressions, the impact of different dimensions of social capital on multiple proxies for household welfare. Social capital in the form of memberships in local community organizations and social network connections has a statistically and economically significant association with household consumption expenditures, physical asset ownership, and the probability of a household living in poverty. Households that are members of any formal community organization are expected to have higher monthly per capita consumption expenditures than households without any memberships. Estimates of a similar magnitude are observed when modeling a household's stock of physical assets, a longer-term indicator of economic welfare. These indicators of social capital are also significantly associated with lower odds of a household living below the poverty line. Organizational memberships and social networks are also associated with considerably higher odds of a household assessing its own economic situation positively. Overall, social capital is a catalyst for increasing household welfare along multiple dimensions, and, therefore, a critical area of focus for economists, sociologists, development practitioners, and policymakers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, I examine the understanding of agency among the tribal young women attending college in Pratapgarh (Rajasthan), India. Particularly in light of this shift in their living and academic spaces, I look at how they interpret and perform their agency when it comes to being in a romantic relationship and getting married. It is not uncommon for tribal members to engage in romantic relationships and to seek love marriages. The number of young women migrating for education is increasing. As a result of educational migration, the practice of live-in relationships, romantic relationships, and love marriages has also increased over time among tribal youths. The data for this study were collected over nine months from interviews, group decisions, and participant observation of tribal young women in places they frequent, such as college campuses, hostels, homes, markets, and parks. In addition, the narratives of their parents and other family members are also analyzed to explore this aspect of agency, space, and marriage. In various domains encompassing academic and domestic spheres, my investigation has revealed that tribal young women exhibit agency concerning their involvement in romantic relationships and their preferences for either love or arranged marriages. Notably, a prevailing pattern emerges among most of my participants, regardless of their current romantic status or chosen marital arrangement, which centers around their post-wedding aspirations to pursue their education and attain government employment, thereby fostering financial independence. For these participants, marriage serves as a conduit through which they can sustain their educational pursuits even after entering into matrimony, facilitated by the support and assistance from their partner and in-laws. In addition to providing emotional and moral encouragement, these marital arrangements offer financial assistance, further reinforcing the participants' willingness to embrace matrimony while pursuing their education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Resilience has proved to be a versatile notion to explain why people are not defeated by hardship and adversity, yet so far, we know little of how it might apply to communities and cultures in low to middle income countries. Aim: This paper aims to explore the notion of resilience in cross-cultural context through considering the lived experience of internal migration. Methods: A sample of 30 participants with experience of migration was recruited from a low-income slum dwelling neighbourhood in the city of Pune, India. These individuals participated in biographical narrative interviews in which they were encouraged to talk about their experience of migration, their adaptation to life in their new environment and making new lives for themselves. Results: Participants referred to a variety of intra-individual and external factors that sustained their resilience, including acceptance of their circumstances, the importance of memory, hope for their children's futures as well as kindness from family friends and community members and aspects of the physical environment which were conducive to an improvement in their lives. Conclusions: By analogy with the widely used term 'idioms of distress', we advocate attention to the locally nuanced and culturally inflected 'idioms of resilience' or 'eudaemonic idioms' which are of crucial importance as migration and movement become ever more prominent in discussions of human problems. The nature and extent of people's coping abilities, their aspirations and strategies for tackling adversity, their idioms of resilience and eudaemonic repertoires merit attention so that services can genuinely support their adjustment and progress in their new-found circumstances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a global recognition that the homeless in different clusters are isolated social groups. They are highly susceptible to loneliness and related psycho‐physical health outcomes owing to their less supportive and fragmented social networks. The conditions are worse in the case of chronic or lifetime homelessness. Beyond this popular notion, other critical perspectives are also there. This paper attempts to analyse the differences in inter‐personal social networks between the chronic and the non‐chronic homeless groups at a railway junction in India. The data have been collected through structured and semi‐structured questionnaires from 28 homeless people (15 chronically and 13 non‐chronically homeless) of Burdwan Railway Junction – a vital railway junction of West Bengal, India. The chronically homeless group displays more supportive and compact inter‐personal networks in this study than the non‐chronic homeless group. Living in the station area for a long time, they have formed a society of their own. Barring some psychological stress and social abuse, the livelihood scenario of these people is relatively stress‐free and social networks relations are more intensive and supportive. Considering the outcomes, instead of the housing‐first approach of rehabilitation, we favour the development of community shelters with minimum basic amenities close to their present location. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Fear of crime is an emerging social problem in Indian society that has a significant impact on the quality of life of the elderly. In the view of this fact, the purpose of this paper is to examine the factors such as (prior victimisation, vulnerability and incivility) which contribute their role in bringing fear of crime among the elderly. Design/methodology/approach: Mixed method approach has been applied in this paper. This study has been designed as an exploratory lead-in to a planned wider study into rural–urban context as possible factors in shaping the victimisation experience. The study has been conducted from October 2012 to January 2013 on a sample of 220 elderly living in both rural and urban areas of Lucknow in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. Findings: The study found that elderly have been victimised by known persons as compared to unknown persons. Further, the study found that immediate neighbourhood was swarming with loiters, unruly teenagers, gangs, beggars and alcoholic people walk in the society which have significantly impact on the elderly and give threat in neighbourhood. Originality/value: This is an original work of researcher. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Attacks perpetrated using acid are a particular form of interpersonal violence, possibly one of the most heinous manifestations of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV). Acid attacks are mainly motivated by extramarital cheating, marital conflicts, women's rejection of marriage proposals, and sexual advances. As these attacks are not well understood from a psychological perspective, we conducted a systematic review, following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, of 284 articles identified, 13 were eligible for inclusion. Three main focuses were identified: "Risk and vulnerability factors," "Consequences and implications," and "Interventions and treatments." Acid attacks seem to be more frequent in countries where social and economic development leads to greater tensions over traditional gender roles like Bangladesh, Pakistan, and India. Identified risk factors were young age, low socioeconomic status, low educational attainment, ethnicity, unemployment status of the victim, alcohol, and drug use of the perpetrator. Among the main psychosocial consequences of acid attacks, isolation and social exclusion emerged. Additionally, the paper will discuss the role of mental health consequences and specific treatments from psychological, clinical, and medical-legal points of view. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Dalit autobiographies reflect the veracity of Dalits. Valmiki'sJoothan (1997) is a commendable literary work as it vividly depicts the blatant realities of the life of Dalits in India. The Dalit autobiography is a document ofsocial realism. The very title Joothan literally means the scraps of food left on a plate which indicates how Dalits are sidelined and deprived of basic amenities like food, shelter, clothing, educational and medical facilities. They are looked down upon and ill-treated like animals. In the light of the sociological dynamics of caste system in India, the paper studies how the certain privileged sections treat under privileged in the name of religion and institutionalized customs and traditions. The paper alsovividly depicts the negative consequences of the hegemonic nature of caste systemamong human relations in Indian society. The hegemonic nature of caste system in the autobiography is seen in not only in its creation but also in its fortification against Dalits with the help of other communities of the society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the relationship between facets of the work environment and job satisfaction in academic institutions. In previous studies, the job satisfaction (JS) and work environment (WE) have been examined, which has given less attention to the multi-faceted character of the work environment construct. In this reading, we emphasize that how work environment facets are linked to JS. Questionnaires were administered to 222 faculty members from higher educational institutions, India. Based on the statistical findings, work environment facet has significant positive relationship with JS, namely, "effective supervision," "promotional opportunities," "working conditions," and "interpersonal relationships." The study results show that faculty is more satisfied with the interpersonal relationship than other dimensions. The facets of the work environment as the antecedents help us to understand the significant factors that are more essential to determine. The findings also suggest that higher education institutions recognize the work environment's importance in influencing faculty JS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is an attempt to look at the worldview ofinterconnectedness lived by Mavilan community as expressed in their oral songs. Mavilan tribe inhabits Kannur and Kasaragod district of north Kerala. The songs under consideration were documented from the elders during the fieldwork carried out in their hamlets. The songs dealt with in the paper provide a glance at the rich cultural tradition of the tribe. These songs are replete withecological references. It is evident from the songs that in their understanding the universe is an oikos comprising the interrelation among the humans, the society and the sacred. The paper tries to delve into the interdependence lived and experienced by the tribe by applying the tinai criticism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: COVID-19 has caused economic slowdown all across the globe. It results in job loss on the one hand and less wages, increased working hours, overqualified employees and part time jobs on the other hand. Low demand of labour and a huge availability of work force will put many in a disadvantageous position, where they will have to compromise with the circumstances by being underemployed. Cabinet decisions, by some Indian states like Uttar Pradesh, to suspend the labour laws related to minimum wage, bonus, working hours and other employee benefits will put workers in a highly disadvantageous position of being underemployed. This may lead to many socio-economic, psychological and health-related implications., Objective: The aim of this paper is to provide a comprehensive review on the concept of underemployment, its types and consequences., Methodology: A critical and constructive analysis of the literature was performed., Results: The findings reveal that if employment does not provide workers with proper opportunities to use their education, time, skills and expertise, it can create stressful situations in workers' lives., Conclusion: The problem needs both a diagnosis and robust treatment in order to have better outcomes at the individual, organisational and national levels.

This paper describes the process and outcomes of Voices, a participatory action research project aimed to disrupt divisive ethnic identity narratives among youth living amidst protracted ethnic conflict. The project took place in the Garo Hills region of Northeast India, a site of protracted ethnic conflict. Moving away from crisis-based approaches, this paper explores the conflict transformative potential of participatory action research, specifically its effectiveness in facilitating civic engagement across ethnic lines. The findings indicate that young people's involvement in the project afforded them an opportunity to engage with local community concerns outside of polarized ethnic identity narratives. This involvement facilitated three critical outcomes: engagement in social critique, reconfiguration of a more inclusive researcher identity, and adoption of a language of possibility. Based on these findings, it is argued that opportunities for critical community engagement could interrupt divisive ethnic identity narratives and provide turning points for youth to reimagine inclusive social identities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prevalence of physical inactivity in India is estimated to be at 34%, the highest among South Asian nations. Interventions, such as outdoor gymnasiums/gyms, aiming to promote physical activity, are becoming popular worldwide, including in India. This paper presents the first empirical evidence on outdoor gyms in India from a qualitative perspective. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews of 56 outdoor gym stakeholders—40 users, 10 non-users, 4 healthcare providers and 2 outdoor gym implementing municipality authorities were conducted in the National Capital Region of India. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed through the Framework Method. The qualitative findings present the perceived benefits, barriers/challenges to using and provide insights for further improving and scaling up outdoor gyms in India. Health enhancement in the form of improved general fitness, body weight control and diversification of physical exercise routines, social connectivity, easy accessibility, affordability, green outdoor surroundings, and a place of intrigue and attraction in respective parks were the major reported benefits of outdoor gyms. Low gym equipment to user ratio was one of the major challenges to gym use across the user group. Healthcare providers and non-users were majorly concerned about the potentially incorrect and unsupervised use of outdoor gym equipment. Major suggestions for improvement were increasing the number of equipment installed, regular equipment maintenance, and the presence of an on-site physical exercise trainer. Outdoor gymnasiums present as a viable option for promoting physical activity and should be scaled up systematically to improve the health of the populations across India and other similar nations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To review the available evidence about the prevalence and determinants of antenatal common mental disorders (antenatal CMDs) among women in India. We searched Ovid Medline, Embase and Psyinfo systematically from date of inception to Oct. 31, 2019 for publications in English language on the prevalence of antenatal CMDs and their determinants among women in India. All study designs were included. Quality was assessed with Standard Quality Assessment Criteria for Evaluating Primary Research Papers. We performed a meta-analysis using a random effects model. Twenty-seven studies involving 7780 women were analysed. There was a high degree of heterogeneity ((I2 = 97.53%). Publication bias [Egger bias = 0.65 (95% CI: 0.36;.94)] was evident. The overall pooled estimate of the prevalence of antenatal CMDs was 21.87% (95% CI: 17.46; 26.29). Significant risk factors reported in the 18 studies which examined them were negative reaction of husband or in-laws to the dowry, difficult relationship with husband/in-laws, lack of support or experiencing violence perpetrated by an intimate partner and preference for or feeling pressured to have a male child. Protective factors were having more education and being employed, having a supportive husband and opportunities for recreation during pregnancy. Antenatal CMDs are highly prevalent among women in India. There is an urgent need for locally developed policies and programmes for mental health promotion during pregnancy, preventive and early intervention for antenatal CMDs among women to be integrated into maternity care in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to estimate the extent of susceptibility to interpersonal influence and price sensitivity prevalent among Indian youth, to test if there is a relationship between these two constructs and identify the reason for the same. Design/methodology/approach – In order to empirically test the given objectives, instruments to measure susceptibility to interpersonal influence as well as price sensitivity were developed by using inputs from the literature. Responses were elicited from a sample of Indian youth (between 16 to 25 years) residing in various Indian cities. Relevant statistical tools were used to analyze the data. Findings – Indian youth showed high scores on their traditional consumer behavioral traits of susceptibility to interpersonal influence and price sensitivity. It was shown that susceptibility to interpersonal influence had a significant impact on the level of price sensitivity among Indian youth. Gender played a significant role in this relationship. Practical implications – The results provide many interesting insights with respect to the consumer behavioral traits of Indian youth. These insights will enable managers to develop effective marketing-mix strategies, which would cater to the requirements of the Indian youth population. Originality/value – This is the only contemporary paper in the extant literature which measures the level of susceptibility to interpersonal influence and price sensitivity prevalent among Indian youth and which attempts to identify an empirical relationship among these important constructs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In developing countries, the emergence of informal groundwater markets is accidental rather than planned due to the water scarcity and supply-side constraints. It is less often that water markets are assessed for agents bargaining power and equity impacts. In this paper, I examine the relative bargaining power of sellers and buyers in informal groundwater markets in India. To understand the process of bargaining, a framed-field experiment is conducted with actual buyers and sellers in groundwater contracts. In the experiment, sellers and buyers make a series of choices between output-shared and fixed-price contracts under varied risk conditions, first individually and then jointly. I define bargaining power as the relative ability of the agent to influence the joint decision for their individually preferred contract type. I find that there is a large preference disagreement between sellers and buyers. Buyers have preferences for output-shared contracts while sellers' choices are motivated by expected earnings. Using the random-parameter probit model, I show that sellers have relatively more power to drive the joint decision in their favour. Nevertheless, factors like interpersonal relationships between buyers and sellers, such as kinship ties, long contractual history, and higher education of buyers augment buyers' power relative bargaining power. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Alienation and isolation is an off-seen social aspect of gerontological crises. The purpose of this paper is to focus on the social isolation and loneliness of older people that emerge from inadequate integration with the social network, coupled with increasing social chasm between the aged and the young. The sample population is Cooch Behar municipal town, West Bengal, India. Design/methodology/approach: To conduct the study, data have been collected through a questionnaire followed by purposive random sampling and analyzed with the help of loneliness scale and correlated variables. Findings: The study reveals that marital status, social network, social class and health are some of the parameters that influence the level of social isolation and loneliness among the older people. Originality/value: The result highlights the importance of social relationships and interaction on the ageing process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on ethnography, this paper unravels the intricate relationship between survival tactics and legal status in the complex process of survival mobility in the ungoverned enclaves of India and Bangladesh. In doing so, I explicate the spaces of survival of the undocumented enclave dwellers. The survival mobility in the enclave shows how states’ construction of legal immobility in effect compels illegal mobility. Besides, enclave dwellers’ survival mobility neither symbolises liberty nor characterises resistance. Rather, it represents a form of vulnerability, concern and unavoidable necessity. These practices show a nuanced understanding of the politics of mobility need to consider legality and tactics as two very essential factors for assessing the movement of individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Return migration is a complex phenomenon of reassessment of one's place in a supposedly familiar environment that migrants stand removed from often for extended periods of time. The process possibly runs deeper than the physical act of relocation either facilitated though institutionalized schemes or done at an individual level. Post return 're-acculturation' into the host society and a subsequent 'reacceptance' by the host community are imperative for the return to take roots. Through an ethnographic study carried out in Kashmiri Valley, Jammu city and Delhi, I explore the particular case of 'homecoming' of (a section of) Kashmiri Pandit migrants who have returned to their 'homeland' after a claimed 'exile' of thirty plus years, following their conflict induced mass migration from Kashmir Valley in 1989 to 1990. The returnee expectations are heavily influenced by the celebratory connotations of a destined and permanent homecoming that have long been a part of the community discourse especially to foster a sense of identity and meaning in the dispersed community. It is challenged by the process of negotiation and adaptation that many migrants, especially the younger generations are faced with on return to their homeland. It often stands in contrast to the one they imagined based on vicarious narrations that tend to romanticize return as a pilgrimage to an unchanged, unaltered 'center' or a home immune to temporal dilutions. In doing so, the paper engages with the lacunas in the under- researched field of return migration, that tends to harbor on what counts as a permanent return. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In India, twenty-five percent of women who menstruate are unable to utilize sanitary methods, and even among those who have access, there are multiple obstacles to achieving proper menstrual hygiene management. The consequences of inadequate menstrual health may extend to affect a girl's socialisation, empowerment, overall well-being, and even survival. Objectives: To estimate the prevalence of unmet menstrual practice needs and its determinants among college going women in Coimbatore district, India. Methodology: A questionnaire based analytical cross-sectional study was conducted among 3144 college going women from October 2022 to January 2023. Menstrual Practice Needs Scale (MPNS-36) was used to collect data regarding the unmet needs and their mean scores were compared across socio-demographic variables, menstrual knowledge, and the choice of hygiene material. Results: The mean (SD) age of the study population was 19.3 (1.8) years. The prevalence of unmet menstrual practice needs was 62.8% with a mean (SD) MPNS score of 1.8 (0.4). The total MPNS score was low for those currently residing in rural or having a rural hometown. The unmet need was better for those residing in-campus of the educational institute and having educated parents. The socioeconomic class and presence of a personal income also influenced the total MPNS scores significantly (p < 0.05). Menstrual talks with friends before puberty and with friends and family after puberty improved the MPNS scores. Regarding menstrual hygiene methods, modern menstrual methods (MMM), disposable and bio-degradable materials had a lower unmet need. Marital status, freedom to manage expenses, pre-pubertal menstrual talks with family, and total number of family members did not influence the scores of MPNS. Multivariate regression analysis showed that maternal education, menstrual talks with family after puberty, and type of menstrual hygiene method including its disposability were independent predictors of total MPNS scores. Conclusion: Addressing unmet menstrual practice needs among college-going women in Coimbatore district necessitates a multifaceted approach encompassing education, access to affordable and sustainable menstrual products, and destigmatization efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Collaboration and preference for teamwork play a fundamental role in strengthening practical completion of team tasks. An organizational culture should facilitate learning systems where knowledge creation occurs through socialization. The purpose of this study is to develop a moderated mediation model, investigating the conditional indirect effect of co-worker support on the relationship between preference for teamwork and communities of practice. Design/methodology/approach: Questionnaire survey was conducted via Google Forms to collect data from 210 employees working in the private and public sector in India. Hayes PROCESS macro models were used for analyzing the mediation of personal interaction and moderation of co-worker support. Findings: This study showed evidence regarding the mediating role of personal interaction on the relationship between preference for teamwork and communities of practice. Co-worker support moderated the relationship between personal interaction and communities of practice. It also moderated the conditional indirect effect. Practical implications: The results approve the substantial role of preference for teamwork in influencing personal interaction and communities of practice. The mediating role of personal interaction on preference for teamwork and communities of practice can lead to creation and sustenance of communities of practice. Furthermore, the moderating role of co-worker support as a conditional indirect effect shows that social support and exchange can lead to social learning. Originality/value: Theoretical explanations and analytical approaches provide insights into the relationship between the preference for teamwork and communities of practice through a conditional indirect effect, a one of its kind of a study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on a multi-method study conducted with middle-class young people (aged 15-17) in three secondary schools in New Delhi, India, this paper focuses on heterosocial dynamics within school peer cultures as an important site of learning about gender and sexuality. Findings indicate that young people negotiate and adapt rakhi (brother-sister) relationships to form less strictly platonic heterosocial friendships, which leave open the possibility of romance. Students' preferences for certain heterosocial relationships are considered within the context of wider cultural narratives. For example, students often rejected rakhi relationships, tied to traditional, conservative values, in favour of heterosocial friendships associated with more modern and desirable social patterns. Moreover, students' own definitions of acceptable heterosocial interactions within peer cultures suggest that they are adept at negotiating norms of gender segregation that are enforced in co-educational schools. In contrast to other formal and informal sources of sexual learning available to them, experiences and stories of romances circulating in schools seemed to offer students alternative, more positive ways of understanding teenage intimacy and sexuality.

This article focuses on the narratives of 18 adolescent boys as they engaged with issues of sex, sexuality and peer relations in their daily lives. The ethnographic research was conducted in two public secondary schools in a working-class community within KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Participants were boys aged between 16 and 19 years, who self-identified as either Black African or Indian. Theories of positioning are employed in this paper to delve into the complexity and intricacies of boys enacting their masculinities and sexual identities within a one-to-one interview space with one of the researchers. Identity performance in this private space is read in relation to public positions (in the company of peers), exposing the malleable nature of positioning and its subjective use in different spaces. Findings suggest that boys' struggle with the concept and social practice of 'masculinity', and that while they may not want to be seen as aspiring to certain ideals regarding male sexuality, these values remain a standard against which to evaluate self and other. In the individual interviews, authenticity as a heterosexual man is negotiated through various rhetorical strategies, namely a tendency to self-position as mature and sensible. It is argued that positionality is a useful conceptual tool for highlighting diversities in the performance of masculinities, and that intervention strategies need to pay attention to how spaces are constructed and nurtured for boys to engage with the ideological dilemmas in their identity development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Experimenting with forms that lie outside the boundaries of traditional ethnographic research, in this paper I think with Haraway's (2016) notion of sympoiesis as a platform to reimagine my engagements with place after recently returning home from my pedagogical work as visiting artist-researcher-teacher at a school in Goa, India. I imagine sympoetics as methodological engagement that conceives poetry, not as a purely individual, reflective practice, but rather a co-compositional performance that attends to the polymorphic, often contradictory relations of humans and materials as they are entwined with place. Following the ephemeral movements of India's red dust, I attend to the intersections of seemingly disparate materials, specifically a child's pencil and waste materials, and the ways in which they gather meaning together/apart among local/global red dust assemblages. By highlighting and decentering colonial undertones in ethnographic methodology with children and attending closely to anticolonial stories told through my relations with the red dust of India, this paper works to both sit with-and stir up-discomfort, toward more complex, contentious, and responsive accountabilities with place. Using sympoetics to trace the movements and impermanence of red dust, this performance is intentionally partial and aims to situate research in the midst of "not yet" and unknowability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This mixed-methods, exploratory study investigates the gambling activities of street youth in Mumbai, India. Data from surveys and brief interviews of 70 youth aged 12–24, two focus groups, and ethnographic observations offer descriptive snapshots of the gambling behavior of participants. The article includes details about games played, popular venues, initiation patterns, time spent gambling, and interactions with the police. Street youth gamble for social benefits, such as group membership and fun; it is also a leisure activity enabling time to go by quickly. Individual benefits include intermittent rewards and a high after winning or being referred to as a gambler. The inability to save, the lack of recreation options, living in groups, and the environment of the streets structure and sustain gambling. This study discusses the group and social dimension of gambling among street youth, and how this dimension makes their participation different from adolescent gambling in general and General Addictions Theory. It contributes to the literature by emphasizing that for street youth the social/group aspects of gambling predominate the psychological. The paper concludes with a discussion of the implications for practice, highlighting the need to develop recreational, income-saving, and educational awareness programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]