MAKE MOST OF THE KNOWLEDGE NETWORK, JOIN ACADEMIC RESEARCH FOUNDATION

Background: Screen-based media (SBM) has become a predominant mode of engagement among adolescents with extreme use of it has bad impacts. The study aims to study SBM and its relationship of various socio- emographic factors as well as BMI. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 317 school going adolescent girls from age group 10-16 years from 5 schools of Birati in north 24 parganas, West Bengal. Data collection was carried out using a semi-structured, pre-tested questionnaire administered through face-to-face interviews with adolescents. Results: Among the studied adolescent girls, mobile phones were identified as the most frequently used screen-based media. The mean screen time was found to be 2.44 ± 1.20 hours per day. Chi-square test indicated significant associations between screen time and variables such as age, BMI, sleeping hours, availability of a separate room, headache, eye problems, and irritability. Further, Pearson’s correlation analysis demonstrated a significant positive relationship between total screen time and age, BMI, access to a personal room, ownership of a mobile phone, and fast-food consumption. In contrast, sleep duration exhibited a significant negative correlation with total screen time, suggesting that increased screen exposure may adversely affect sleep behaviour. Conclusions: The findings revealed that older adolescents are more likely to engage in prolonged SBM use. BMI is an important factor effecting SBM and self-perception of weight. The study underscores the need for awareness regarding SBM and its potential impact on health and lifestyle patterns.

Keywords: Urban, adolescent, screen time.

Institutionalised transparency like social audits and public hearings has grown to be a major source of democratic accountability in rural India. Although all these reforms are generally applauded as leading to the increased participation of citizens and reduction of corruption, their operations are highly influenced by the socio-cultural and political realities of the village life. Based on ethnographic studies that were carried out in a Gramme Panchayat in southern India, this paper evaluates how these processes of accountability enable ordinary citizens to experience, interpret, and negotiate the state. The paper places social audits and Jan Sunwai in the anthropology of the state, which creates a two-fold nature of the phenomenon, they are both bureaucratic processes required by the welfare legislation and ritualised performances, which make the state visible, accessible, and morally accountable in the eyes of the community. The analysis shows that caste hierarchies, gender norms, political patronage, and mediation by middle men, who serve as facilitators of transparency are all a part of the participation in these mechanisms. Although social audits and audience hearings establish valuable space on voice and collective questioning, they expose the limitations of empowerment in environments characterized by disbalanced power relations. The daily negotiations, the informal grievance, the strategic interaction with the authorities, and the accessibility to the network further shed light on the fact that transparency is experienced as a dynamic and conflictual practise, but not as an ideal of administration. The paper considers transparency as a cultural and relational domain by conceptualising it and therefore posits that accountability reforms yield hybrid regimes, where formal legality collide with the local political cultures. The work is an addition to the field of political and development anthropology since it shows that democratic accountability in the rural Indian context is reproduced and re-produced in the form of performance, negotiations, and the moral demands that citizens place on the state.

Keywords: Anthropology of the state, Rural governance, Caste and gender, Transparency, Democratic accountability, social audits, Jan Sunwai/public hearings.

The classification of food plays a crucial role in the evolution of human subsistence by reflecting both cultural and symbolic meaning of diet. The dimensions of food classification are dynamic as it reveals various elements of food culture of different ethnic groups on basis of origin, source, components, properties, qualities and composition of food items. The foundation of earliest food classification systems was established in ancient civilisations of Greece, China, and India on basis of humoral theory, temperaments, balancing forces (yin and yang) and medicinal properties that resulted into different folk taxonomy framework. The dietary pattern of ancient population was also coded with the impact of holy verses of different religions. With passage of time, modern system of classification has emerged through combination of scientific research, industrial processes, healthcare policies and standardised guidelines that has transformed localised qualitative knowledge into systematic quantitative models. The universal forces of globalisation and modernisation has changed the dimensions of traditional and modern food habits of different cultures that resulted into constant need of integrated system of food classification. The Anthropological research helps to understand the culinary reservoir of traditional classification system so that it can shape the modern food grouping framework. The present study critically analyses the trajectory of food classification system embedded within different cultures and provides the anthropological perspective to construct integrated framework of complex structure of food.

Keywords: Food classification, food categorisation, food taxonomy, food and culture, cultural classification of food.

A tribe is a society which has distinct characteristics of its own which give them their own identity to the outer world. They have their own set of norms and rules which are pre-defined as per their conditions. They have their own indigenous religion, elements of folklore, language, geographical area and set of beliefs-practices. Beside this they have their own set of laws which are defined as per their customs and are basically followed by the locals. They also have their own set of customs. These customs are gone under phase of modification due to various underlying reasons. Here, such custom is explained which formed a part of Lahaula tribal society in early times and this custom popularity could be discussed while throwing light on their folk ballads which explains performance of this custom at one point of time by Lahaula people. This custom was fraternal polyandry whose relation could be linked with one incident of epic Mahabharata. There were certain reasons of locals because of which they had performed this custom and also there was a reason by which this custom was unfollowed by the locals. All of these discussions related to the custom of fraternal polyandry in Lahaula tribe are explained in the study.

Keywords: custom, fraternal polyandry, tribe, folklore, folk ballads.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD), as a silent killer, has escalated in prevalence worldwide. Due to a multifactorial phenotype, all factors should be considered. Apart from many other psychological and physiological factors, the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) have been highlighted as a significant driver of cardiovascular health. Various studies have highlighted the weightage of the KAP in addressing CVD risk factors. Therefore, this study tried to examine the KAP in different ethnic and co-inhabited settings to underscore the link between extrinsic components with respect to CVD risk variables. Methods: This cross-sectional study among young adults (age group 18-35 years) was designed because of their rapidly changing lifestyle behaviours. Both male and female participants were selected on the basis of inclusion and exclusion criteria. The anthropometric, fasting lipid profile and data on KAP addressing cardiometabolic health were collected using proper technique and methods. Apart from the normality check of the variables, Cronbach-alpha (validity measure), Descriptive and inferential statistics were performed to address the objectives. Results: The mean KAP among different sexes and ethnic groups was found to be significant. The KAP scores among females were quite higher than those of their male counterparts. No association were observed between knowledge and practice. Conclusion: The study underscores the positive effect of KAP on cardiometabolic health. A significant gap between knowledge and practice, irrespective of sex and ethnicity, was noticed. Further research and awareness initiatives are necessary, as even individuals possessing adequate knowledge demonstrate practice scores that fall within poor categories.

Keywords: KAP, lipid profile, CVD risk factors, ethnicity.

This study looks at the Lepcha script and language through anthropological and linguistic lenses, examining its past, growth, and current state. It uses history, myths, and language analysis to explore where the Lepcha script came from, which is said to be the work of five Lepcha scholars and Chagdor Namgyal, Sikkim's third ruler. The research explores how Buddhism, colonial education, and interactions with other groups have caused the Lepcha language and identity to decline and partly recover. By looking at vocabulary, counting methods, and cultural terms, this paper shows the strong between the Lepcha language, how they view the world, and their environment. The results suggest the Lepcha script is key to keeping indigenous knowledge, spiritual beliefs, and historical memory alive, but it now deals with problems from social and linguistic blending and modernization.

Keywords: Lepcha language, script origin, linguistic anthropology, Sikkim, Tibeto-Burman languages, language endangerment, cultural revival.

Safe water and sanitation is a chronic problem in rural Bangladesh, which has had a direct effect on the health of the population and the livelihood sustainability of the population. This paper looks at the role played by Union Parishads (UPs) as the lowest level of local government institute in the realization of Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG 6) on water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH). The data were gathered using a mixed- ethod in the form of household surveys (n = 74), interviews with the UP officials (n = 26), and observations in the field by utilizing two unions in Rajshahi District- Harian and Parila. Results indicate that more differences exist: Parila is more literate (51.2%), and latrines (83.2%) are more common, but open defecation is more common (13.6%) than Harian (3.6%). Contamination, poor infrastructure and inadequate maintenance are the continued obstacles that the two unions encounter on the way to safe water. Standing committees of the UPs have been found to be either dormant or controlled by the chairpersons who limit participatory governance and transparency with regards to institutional analysis. Political influence, gender exclusion and insufficient community participation also hinder proper service delivery. The paper suggests that the active governance of rural areas with efficient committees including all, and reporting to ensure accountability is essential in speeding up the WASH results in rural areas and the achievement of SDG 6 in Bangladesh.

Keywords: Union Parishad, SDG 6, WASH, Rural Governance, Community Participation, and Bangladesh.