Water in Hinduism: Continuities and Disjunctures Between Scriptural Canons and Local Traditions in Nepal

Sharma, Sudhindra

doi:10.3126/wn.v10i1.103

Cited by 4 publications

(4 citation statements)

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“…As explained above, water has been both a medium and source of exclusion for the Dalits in the four-fold varna hierarchy of Hindu society (Sharma 2003;Joshi and Fawcett 2006). In Nepal, the Muluki Ain of 1854 defined the grounds of caste-based hierarchy and dictated the norms and behaviour of various caste groups.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The hydro-social dynamics of exclusion and water insecurity of Dalits in peri-urban Kathmandu Valley, Nepal: fluidyetunchanging

Shrestha

Joshi

Roth

2020

Contemporary South Asia

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Processes of urbanisation create peri-urban spaces that are socially and institutionally fluid. In this article, we analyse how contestations and competition over declining water resources in peri-urban Kathmandu Valley in Nepal reshape water use, access and rights as well as user communities themselves, by creating and reproducing new and existing exclusions and solidarities. Traditional caste-based discriminatory practices, prohibiting Dalits from physically accessing water from sources used by higher castes, are said to be no longer practiced in Nepal. However, our findings show that, exclusion persists for Dalits even though the characteristics of exclusion have changed. In situations of competing water claims in the research location, Dalit households, unlike higher-caste groups, are unable to exercise prior-use water rights. Their water insecurity is compounded by their relative inability to mobilise political, social and economic resources to claim and access new water services and institutions. By juxtaposing the hydro-social and social exclusion analytical frameworks, we demonstrate how exclusions as well as interpretations and experiences of water (in)security are reified in post-Maoist, supposedly inclusive Nepal.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The hydro-social dynamics of exclusion and water insecurity of Dalits in peri-urban Kathmandu Valley, Nepal: fluidyetunchanging

Shrestha

Joshi

Roth

2020

Contemporary South Asia

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“…As an expansion of the Lewis model, the phenomenon also applied to labor movements across countries in today's liberal economic world (Renis, 2004). Globalization, 'as the unrestricted flow of capital, ideas, goods, labor and services from one state to another state' (Sharma, 2003), played an important role in the foreign migration of Nepal's labor force. The migration of thousands of youths to the Gulf countries and Malaysia was the prime example of this phenomenon at the national level.…”

Section: Migrationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Occupational Shift from Agricultural to Non-Agricultural Sectors in Semi Urban Area

Acharya

2024

JER

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Despite considering agriculture as the primary economic sector, people in Nepal are rapidly moving away from this sector. Occupational shift from the traditional sector such as agriculture to the industrial sector and service sector is a global phenomenon because of modernity, urbanization, and search for comfortable life of people. People in Nepal also are abandoning agriculture as an occupation because of changing lifestyles, modernity, and national planning. As a result, the infantile industrial growth and insufficient employment generation in the service sector compelled thousands of youths to migrate daily to foreign lands for employment. Even within the country, youths migrating from rural to the urban area leaving their traditional agriculture occupation is a common phenomenon. This scenario triggered this researcher to understand the phenomenon of occupational shift and the dynamics of various elements playing a role behind it. To pursue the research purpose, a qualitative research design with the strategy of narrative inquiry was adopted to understand the experiences and perceptions of people who were on the verge of occupational shift. The four research participants; two from Kageshwori Manohara Municipality and two from Gokarneshwor municipality of Kathmandu valley were purposefully selected for the in-depth interview. In addition to listening and reflecting to their life stories about engagement to abandon agriculture occupation, their activities, emotions, and lifestyle were also narrated, observed, and analyzed. The qualitative analysis of participant’s narrations and observations of their daily life led to the major insights that various economic and socio-cultural dimensions of societal change were primarily associated with the occupational shift. People left agriculture as an occupation when they could not adopt modern technology. Therefore, they had work burden to follow the agriculture. Economic aspects like low and uncertain return from agriculture, comparatively higher benefit from non-farm occupations and access to foreign employment had encouraged people for the occupational shift. Likewise, the socio-cultural aspects such as urbanization, changing values of societies, peoples’ new lifestyle, and education system were also playing a vital role in the background to expedite occupational shift. The dynamics of these elements were viewed from the lenses of the modernization theory whereas analyses were made ii in the light of macro-micro interaction between structure and agency of the society. Despite the fading status of agriculture sector at present, the research concludes that potentiality of this sector is still high for the country to generate employment. The research indicates the importance to redefine the agricultural policy to attract youth in it thereby envisioning technical and vocational education. Likewise, the research also demonstrates the possibilities of increasing agricultural productivity and enhancing the social value of this occupation can revive the agriculture occupation again in Nepal by revisiting the education pattern of TVET.

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“…According to Oestigaard & Firew (2013), still the Ethiopian Christians are practicing water based religious rituals along the Nile River. According to Sharma (2003), Water is a multifaceted symbol in Hinduism. Along with earth, fire, air, and space, it is regarded as one of the 'pancha-tatva', five primeval elements of the universe.…”

Section: Socio-cultural Religious and Traditional Aspects And Rituals Related To Canals And Canal Waterfrontsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Study on Quality of Life of Middle-Income Group Along Urban Canal Waterfronts

Madhushan¹,

Dharmasena²

2021

14th International Research Conference - FARU 2021

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In most of the cases, canal network in Greater Colombo region work as the drainage system of the urban area and as the backyard of the city. Therefore, there is a lack of attention to the canal waterfronts by the government and by the public. Hence, this research was to find out and evaluate the factors, which will affect the quality of life of people along urban canal waterfronts. It has been discussed in terms of liveability through a series of carefully selected indicators. Liveability surveys were conducted along five canal waterfronts and the participants’ perceptions were taken. Every canal waterfront was assigned a rating of over 25 qualitative and quantitative factors (set of indicators) across six broad categories (dimensions): safety, comfort, health and wellbeing, mobility, environment, and socio-cultural factors. Each qualitative factor was given a rating from 1(tolerable)-5(intolerable). Qualitative factors were then combined with quantitative factors through a series of equations to form the liveability index. According to the proposed liveability index, transport dimension index is ideal (100), while the health and well-being dimension is the lowest (27). This will help for the creation of government policies, plans, rules and regulations and when implementing projects along urban canal waterfronts.

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Water in Hinduism: Continuities and Disjunctures Between Scriptural Canons and Local Traditions in Nepal

Cited by 4 publications

References 0 publications

The hydro-social dynamics of exclusion and water insecurity of Dalits in peri-urban Kathmandu Valley, Nepal: fluidyetunchanging

The hydro-social dynamics of exclusion and water insecurity of Dalits in peri-urban Kathmandu Valley, Nepal: fluidyetunchanging

Occupational Shift from Agricultural to Non-Agricultural Sectors in Semi Urban Area

A Study on Quality of Life of Middle-Income Group Along Urban Canal Waterfronts

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