A land holding over one-fourth of the Global Population, the South Asia presently undergoing a Geo-political transformation in respect of emerging multipolar world order. This paper considers the upcoming strategic, economic, and political changes of South Asian countries—India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Maldives, and Afghanistan—within contemporary global power reshuffling. It is furthermore establishing that South Asia is transitioning from a historically fragmented and Pro - conflict region into a critical segment of global competition, cooperation, and strategic resetting. The study integrates demographic realities as a central variable influencing regional geopolitics, giving stress on how population size, youth bulge, urbanization, Sex ratio and labour dynamics shape state behaviour and regional integration. Considering the recent developments such as China’s expanding influence, India’s rise as a regional and global power, changing U.S. strategic priorities, and economic susceptibilities linked to global crises, the paper offers a comprehensive analysis of South Asia’s repositioning in the global system. In fact, the region possesses immense potential through its demographic advantage and economic growth, persistent structural challenges—political instability, security dilemmas, and uneven development—continue to oppose its emergence as a coherent geopolitical alliance.

Keywords: Global Population; multipolar world; regional integration; Demographic advantage; Geopolitical alliance.

This research aims to study the phenomenon of cultural westernization of the Indian youth, particularly in the context of social media, consumer behavior, and cultural perceptions of the youth. The festivals like Valentine’s Day and Halloween are popular among Indian youth in recent years mainly due to digital trends and globalization. The study is based on primary data collected through a structured questionnaire from 45 respondents, including 20 males and 25 females. The results indicate social media as an important factor that helps in creating awareness and participation in these festivals.

The survey was conducted in a semi-urban area, Burdwan. This approach was adapted to include responses from youth across different parts of the country. The study further reveals that 36.96% of respondents consider Western festivals as contributing to cultural changes in India, while others either disagree or remain uncertain, reflecting multiple perspectives among youth. Qualitative responses reflect that contemporary Western festivals are viewed as an addition in Indian culture rather than a replacement for existing traditional practices.

Overall, the study concludes that the influence of Western cultural practices is widely accepted but not dominant, as the traditions and culture of India continue to prevail. India is the land of rich cultural diversity, and the youth appear to have adapted to Western festivals without replacing traditional practices.

Keywords: Consumer Behaviour, Cultural Westernization, Globalization, Social Media, Western Festivals, Youth Culture.

The paper has particularly focused on the role of married women in household chores and how it impacts their mental health. Several factors have been taken into consideration; like verbal aggression, social isolation, and Internalization of blame , respectively. All these factors have hurt the mental health of women. The issue of women has been described with the help of ‘labelling theory’, where the person tries to withdraw from all the social events and activities due to consistent devaluation and rejection from people. The withdrawal has thereby resulted in constricting social networks with minimal attempts to seek jobs. This study examines the association between unpaid domestic work and the mental health of married women. Unpaid domestic labour, including cooking, cleaning, childcare, eldercare, and emotional management within the household, remains disproportionately performed by women across socio-economic groups. Despite variations in education, employment status, and income, domestic responsibilities continue to be structured around traditional gender norms, positioning women as primary caregivers and household managers. The study investigates how the intensity and distribution of unpaid domestic work influence psychological well-being, stress levels, and burnout risk among married women.

The paper has adhered to both primary and secondary data. The sampling technique is purposive, where participants have been selected deliberately. The primary data has been collected through in-depth interviews, which have helped gain deeper insight into the problem. While the secondary data has been effective in gathering the existing problem, with giving shape and an idea about the problem. The findings reveal a significant positive association between hours spent on unpaid domestic work and elevated levels of perceived stress, emotional exhaustion, and reduced life satisfaction. Women engaging in longer hours of domestic labour reported chronic fatigue, irritability, sleep disturbances, and limited personal time. Employed women experienced role conflict and time-based stress due to balancing paid employment with household responsibilities, while unemployed women reported feelings of invisibility, dependency, and diminished self-worth.

Keywords: Mental Health, Married Women, Social Isolation, Verbal aggression, Abandonment, Household Chores.

This paper talks about the schooling experience of Dalit children and how their experience affects their performance in school. The author tries to explain it in two ways. By one way, the author says that Indian Education thinks of itself to be secular and thus it is universal, which is a myth. Most of the narratives taught in educational institutions revolves around the culture of a dominant caste, which is usually upper caste. It hardly deals with the understanding of culture, history, ethics, morality, politics, anxieties, concerns, hatred and tradition of Dalits. A dominant caste framework works as a foundation to the Indian Education system, therefore-in its ideas, culture and concerns-it functions to uphold and reinforce the ideas of the ruling class at all the levels of its operation, under the mask of universal principles. According to Pierre Bourdieu and Jean Claude Passeron’s book titled, Reproduction in Education, Society and Culture, ‘every power which manages to impose meanings and to impose them as legitimate by concealing the power relations which are the basis of its force, adds its own specifically symbolic force to those power relations. Not only are “the ruling ideas, in every age, the ideas of the ruling class”, but that the ruling ideas themselves reinforce the rule of that class, and that they succeed in doing so by establishing themselves as “legitimate”, by concealing their basis in the (economic and political) power of the ruling class.’

Keywords: Indian Education, pedagogic practice, dominant caste, school curriculum and Dalit children.

Using a gender-in-progress framework, this study explores the contours of gender change (changes in attitudes, household power, sexual autonomy, reproductive decision making, and son preference) in contemporary India. Drawing on trend data from successive rounds of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) 2005–2024, and some trend extension through the early 2025s, the study uses a comparative and interpretation framework to assess the directional change in and structural continuity of gender relations. The results show the social acceptance of violence against women has fallen sharply in areas related to their involvement in public life and in the home while their involvement in household decision making also continues to go up steadily. But these victories come with the need to confront dismal opposition in more personal spaces. Sexual entitlement, however, remains endemic, as evident in the rising prevalence of justifications for marital rape, especially amongst younger men. Democratic spousal and power symmetry under collective agency stayed the same, because although joint decisions in families whose members are joined in collective agency bestow a quality of mutual agreement upon the decision-making process, spousal power symmetry is more commonly found in the family unit, as widespread son preference still at least partly drives reproductive intention. This netting of patterns shows that gender change in modern India is patchy and focused on, typically negotiated inclusion instead of meaningful redistribution of power. Equal gender outcomes enable better human development, well-being, and economic productivity, making gender equality an important public policy objective in India and beyond.

Keywords: Gender change; Contemporary India; NFHS; Gender norms; Women’s Autonomy; Patriarchy; Family Decision-making; Social Transformation.

The digital divide has emerged as an important issue impacting several different groups worldwide. The paper attempts to study the problem of the digital inequalities among youths in Assam. Drawing from Max Weber's theory of social stratification and relying on primary data, this article examines how socio-economic status affects youth uses to the various digital devices in Assam. The findings reveal that socio-economic status, such as social class, parent’s income, and occupation, thus affects how youth access various technologies and the Internet.

Keywords: Youth, digital divide, Assam, Max Weber, socio-economic status.