India’s obsession with Kashmir: democracy,gender, (anti-)nationalism

This article attempts to make sense of India’s obsession with Kashmir by way of a gendered analysis. I begin by drawing attention to the historical and continuing failure of Indian democracy in Kashmir that results in the violent and multifaceted dehumanisation of Kashmiris and, in turn, domesticates dissent on the question of Kashmir within India. This scenario has been enabled by the persuasive appeal of a gendered masculinist nationalist neoliberal state currently enhanced in its Hindutva avatar. I focus on understanding how the violence enacted upon Kashmiri bodies is connected to feminised understandings of the body of Kashmir in India’s imagination of itself as a nation state. I argue that the gendered discourses of representation, cartography and possession are central to the way in which such nationalism works to legitimise and normalise the violence in Kashmir. I conclude with a few reflections on how Kashmir is a litmus test for the discourse on (anti-)nationalism in contemporary India.     

Assessment of Drinking Water Quality and its Health Effects in Rural Areas of Harij Taluka,Patan District of Northern Gujarat

The most important resource for the survival of human beings is the availability of fresh drinking water. This study compares the drinking water quality in nine villages of Harij Taluka of Patan District of Northern Gujarat. Samples were collected from various village drinking water sources and analyzed. Along with this scientific analysis, a socioeconomic survey of village households was conducted. The water samples were analyzed for parameters crucial for drinking water quality, such as TDS (total disolved solids), fluoride, dissolved oxygen, magnesium hardness, chloride, and many others. The findings from the scientific analysis of water and from the survey revealed that although some parameters in water exceed their normal tolerance, it does not have any significant impact on human health. The article thus concludes that the water quality is good for human consumption as laboratory analysis of the samples revealed no significant contamination.